Peace in the Face of War

with a messianic consciousness, with movement towards the Kingdom of
God. The idea of progress was alien to the thought of antiquity; it is absent in
Greek philosophy. The utopias of perfect social order and endless progress
of the first half of the 19 th century were secularized forms of the religious
messianic idea, of messianic hope that the Kingdom of God is at hand. It is
staggering how the advocates of ‘eschatological pessimism’ have no trouble
believing in the achievability of their own goals – of powerful government, of
imperialistic expansion of nations, of the dominance on this earth of their own
class. ‘Eschatological pessimism’ does not in the least lead them to retract on
this. The powerful, abusively imposed authority in which they wish to share,
seems to them a matter of divine fiat on earth. On the pretext that the world
is set in evil and human nature is hopelessly sinful, they wish to keep a firm
grip, not on themselves and those of their own kind, but on others, those they
have oppressed. Life in those conditions does not seem to them so gloomy.
Putting into effect an imperialist will for power demands vigorous energy,
which the eschatological opponents of humanity’s liberating processes do
not disdain.
Transfiguration The End of the world and of history is a Divine-human
concern and pre-supposes the active participation and creativity of human
beings. The End is not merely something to be awaited, but something
to prepare for. The End is not to be understood simply as immanent
punishment and destruction. The End is also a task for human beings, the
task of transfiguring the world. ‘Behold, I make all things new’ (Revelation
21:5) is a reference to humankind. The End of the world is ‘a new heaven
and a new earth’ (Revelation 21:1). But the way to transfiguration is not that
of worldly, gradual evolution. The way to transfiguration lies through tragic
catastrophes, through desolation and restoration. For the transfiguration of
the world to be accomplished, i.e. for God’s plan to succeed, man must make
progress, must accomplish creative deeds and respond to God’s call. There
is a fate pertaining to evil, i.e. its fatal consequences. But there is no fate in
respect of good. Evil is subject to necessity; good is directed towards freedom,
and is freedom. It cannot be automatic, or simply consonant with the good
consequences of worldly progress. Eschatology sets before humankind a task,
one aimed at freedom. Humankind must transform the world, transform it
with God, i.e. accomplish the Divine-human task. Therefore we must cast
aside both pessimistic and optimistic eschatology alike. One could say that
the world has two possible ends: that of war, the rising up of nation against
nation, kingdom against kingdom, famines, pestilences and earthquakes,
living out the immanent consequences of evil; and that of the transfiguration
of the world, the new heaven and new earth, the Second Coming of Christ.
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