I don't believe this will ever happen as long as the earth exists as it is now -- because of one very clear verse in Genesis. When Adam and Eve sinned, God told them plainly:
Genesis 3:19 -- "You will eat by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground, since you were taken from it. For you are dust, and you will return to dust."
I personally don't believe there will ever come a time when the majority of people will not need to work, because this goes directly against what God said. Even Adam was assigned a job after his creation -- he was told to name the animals. And in accounts of people who have "died and come back" (which I certainly don't see as absolutes but it's still interesting,) people have described those in heaven as working at jobs they would have been doing here on earth. Work seems to be an integral part of God's plan for us, as He is always working Himself (but also has rests, which He commands us to do so as well.)
Unfortunately, the nature of work changed when sin entered the world. I think God originally made work to be enjoyable, but sin has made it cumbersome and often unpleasant.
My small group and I were talking about The Biosphere 2 experiment in AZ this morning. It's called that because the earth is seen as Biosphere 1 and so this man-made mini-replica is Biosphere 2. It was designed to be a place where then they re-create the different climates all over the world and test its affects on living things. At one time, a group of 8 people were sealed inside for 2 years (no internet!!), with the goal of seeing how well having humans living in an enclosed ecosystem might work for space travel.
The experiment failed and had to end early because there was a buildup of carbon dioxide and diminishing oxygen levels, the people inside were basically mentally deteriorating, and funding was limited.
But one of the most important things they found was that the trees and vegetation grown inside the biosphere grew in height very quickly, but had no strength, support, or root system to hold up all the growth. They would grow to great heights, but then simply topple over -- because they were grown in a protected area -- with no wind!
The wind resistance made all the difference in producing a tree that could hold its own weight and wouldn't fall over as it grew.
We see this even in simple houseplants. I just listened to a video in which an avid enthusiast suggested placing fans in front of certain plants to help them grow stronger, because it replicated the stress that wind puts on vegetation.
I believe that God built human beings in a similar way, especially since there is so much talk about seeds, roots, and trees in the Bible. Without some wind resistance in our lives, we won't develop the strength to hold even our own spiritual weight, let alone that of others, as we are commanded to do when sharing our burdens.
I was joking with my friends about how I can think of SEVERAL times when God plopped a big fan right at me, making sure there was plenty of "wind resistance" in my life" -- and boy, I sure didn't like it at the time!
But I understand why He does it, as He is not interested in growing people with weak stems or roots -- in fact, He says they will eventually be separated and tossed into the fire.
Work is a very large part of making sure we have some "wind" in our lives blowing against us, and because of this, I just don't think we'll ever see a day on this sinful earth where the majority of God's people don't have to work.
And if that DOES happen, I would assume that it either won't have very many positive or long-lasting benefits, and/or God will allow or create other situations that will ensure His people face enough adversity to develop the strength He is looking for.
Genesis 3:19 -- "You will eat by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground, since you were taken from it. For you are dust, and you will return to dust."
I personally don't believe there will ever come a time when the majority of people will not need to work, because this goes directly against what God said. Even Adam was assigned a job after his creation -- he was told to name the animals. And in accounts of people who have "died and come back" (which I certainly don't see as absolutes but it's still interesting,) people have described those in heaven as working at jobs they would have been doing here on earth. Work seems to be an integral part of God's plan for us, as He is always working Himself (but also has rests, which He commands us to do so as well.)
Unfortunately, the nature of work changed when sin entered the world. I think God originally made work to be enjoyable, but sin has made it cumbersome and often unpleasant.
My small group and I were talking about The Biosphere 2 experiment in AZ this morning. It's called that because the earth is seen as Biosphere 1 and so this man-made mini-replica is Biosphere 2. It was designed to be a place where then they re-create the different climates all over the world and test its affects on living things. At one time, a group of 8 people were sealed inside for 2 years (no internet!!), with the goal of seeing how well having humans living in an enclosed ecosystem might work for space travel.
The experiment failed and had to end early because there was a buildup of carbon dioxide and diminishing oxygen levels, the people inside were basically mentally deteriorating, and funding was limited.
But one of the most important things they found was that the trees and vegetation grown inside the biosphere grew in height very quickly, but had no strength, support, or root system to hold up all the growth. They would grow to great heights, but then simply topple over -- because they were grown in a protected area -- with no wind!
The wind resistance made all the difference in producing a tree that could hold its own weight and wouldn't fall over as it grew.
We see this even in simple houseplants. I just listened to a video in which an avid enthusiast suggested placing fans in front of certain plants to help them grow stronger, because it replicated the stress that wind puts on vegetation.
I believe that God built human beings in a similar way, especially since there is so much talk about seeds, roots, and trees in the Bible. Without some wind resistance in our lives, we won't develop the strength to hold even our own spiritual weight, let alone that of others, as we are commanded to do when sharing our burdens.
I was joking with my friends about how I can think of SEVERAL times when God plopped a big fan right at me, making sure there was plenty of "wind resistance" in my life" -- and boy, I sure didn't like it at the time!
But I understand why He does it, as He is not interested in growing people with weak stems or roots -- in fact, He says they will eventually be separated and tossed into the fire.
Work is a very large part of making sure we have some "wind" in our lives blowing against us, and because of this, I just don't think we'll ever see a day on this sinful earth where the majority of God's people don't have to work.
And if that DOES happen, I would assume that it either won't have very many positive or long-lasting benefits, and/or God will allow or create other situations that will ensure His people face enough adversity to develop the strength He is looking for.
I wanted to include some visuals of The Biosphere 2, where they discovered that trees and plants can't grow strong or healthy without some sort of adversary -- in this case, wind.
This is also where they encased 8 human beings (without the internet) for 2 years as a test run for things like space travel (and living in other climates/on other planets,) but had to shut it down early due to not enough food, not enough oxygen, not enough funding, and not enough sanity -- as the people inside were literally going stir crazy.
Funny how it even looks like a giant rat maze, in reference to the Rat Utopia that Lynx mentioned in his post.
Sometimes I think about this place when I think about the "wind" God sends into my own life, knowing I'd become spiritually weak and spindly without it.




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