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基督徒經常被提醒，這個世界只不過是一個臨時搭的帳篷，終有一天會被毀壞。使徒保羅說：「我們原知道，我們這地上的帳棚若拆毀了，必得神所造，不是人手所造，在天上永存的房屋。」（哥林多後書5：1）「我們不是顧念所見的，乃是顧念所不見的，因為所見的是暫時的，所不見的是永遠的。」 （哥林多後書4：18）這種末世論的觀點，反應了雅典哲學家柏拉圖（Plato）的觀點。在使徒保羅之前400年，柏拉圖引進了「二元論」的概念──人類通過我們有限的感官、感知所體驗的一切，只不過是一種微弱、虛假形式的實體。 他認為，只有在一個人無法理解的情况下，才能真正理解更高階層型態的現實之存在。 在柏拉圖所著《 洞穴寓言 》（Allegory of the Cave）一書中，形容一個一生都被困在洞穴内的人，從來沒見過任何一個人。因此，當他看到站在火堆前的人影時，他相信自己看到的影子是真實的人； 但那些在洞穴以外的人卻了解真相，他們知道影子只不過是真實事物的反映罷了。同樣的，保羅在歌羅西書2：17道：「這些原是後事的影兒；那形體卻是基督。」 換句話說，我們現今所看到的不是實體，我們必須把焦距放在那看不見的事上。那看不見的才是永恆的，才是我們所歸屬的地方。而這看不見的有一天將會來到。
很多的對立因而產生：「短暫的世界」對抗「永恒的天堂」；「影像」對抗「事實」；「看得見的」對抗「看不見的」；「良善」對抗「邪惡」；「現今」對抗「將來」。 基督徒把這個區別的界限，標示得一清二楚。 在葛理翰牧師的一次講道中，他說：「在整本聖經中，非信徒的世界和上帝兒女的世界之間，絕對有一條清楚的界線。」聖經說：「豈不知與世俗為友就是與神為敵麼？所以凡想要與世俗為友的，就是與神為敵了 。」（雅各書4：4）耶穌說：「世界又恨他們；因為他們不屬世界，正如我不屬世界一樣。」（約翰福音17：14）你越注視那看不見的，你就越親近神；你越親近神，你就越與現實失脫節。這個「實體」，也因此在世上被基督徒稱之為「影子」。看來，定睛在「那看不見的」，正是基督徒內心所渴望的。
在保羅的時代，他相信世界末日已將來臨。他勸誡基督徒不要花太多精力在婚姻上：「時候減少了。從此以後，那有妻子的，要像沒有妻子」；做買賣的時候也不要放太多心思：「要像無有所得」；在情感上放清淡點：「哀哭的，要像不哀哭；快樂的，要像不快樂... ...因為這世界的樣子將要過去了。」（哥林多前書7：29-31）將近兩千年的日子已過，基督徒至今仍凝神專注於這個世界末日的忠告。兩千年似乎很長，但對於信徒來說是微不足道，因為 「主看一日如千年，千年如一日。」（彼得後書3：8）因為如此，基督徒繼續 「不效法這個世界」 （羅馬書12：2），這樣基督才有可能「救我們脫離這罪惡的世代。」（加拉太書1：4）使徒保羅的話語具有強大的支配力量，因而影響了多位著名的神學家和哲學家，例如：北非的奧古斯丁（St. Augustine354-430），義大利的阿奎那（Thomas Aquinas1225-1274）和德國的馬丁路德（Martin Luther1483-1546）。 他的「二元論」學說，和强调「啟示學」的教導，不只已經傳承給現今的基督徒，還塑造了好幾代的基督徒思想。
很可惜，基督徒不去懷抱這個神創造、並稱之為「好」的世界，好好地在這裡成長、發展；反之，基督徒常常會視而不見，失去了對當前現實的了解。或者更具體來說，他們拒絕承認塵世間「現在」的重要性和凡世現實的真實内容。 他們迴避坦誠面對人類的脆弱，不願用有建設性的策略，來應對我們今世所面對的痛苦。恰好相反，他們參與在那「看不見的」，忙於將自己與世界隔離。最終，他們相信，我們生命的答案與希望只能在「將來」找到；我們的勞苦只能在樂園裡得到安息。然而，那一群勇於投資、面對今世生命，不願意將寄望投放在將來的人，他們用心為世界、為下一代創造一個更美好的未來。他們反而被基督徒貼上“沒有信心、短視”的標簽。讓我們來看聖經的智慧：「我所見為善為美的，就是人在神賜他一生的日子吃喝，享受日光之下勞碌得來的好處，因為這是他的分。」（傳道書5：18）
On What is Unseen
Christians are often reminded that this world is merely a temporary tent that will one day be destroyed. The Apostle Paul said, "For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands." (2 Corinthians 5:1). He also stated, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:18). This eschatological perspective reflects the views of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. Four hundred years before the Apostle Paul, Plato introduced the concept of "dualism," suggesting that everything humans experience through our limited senses and perceptions is merely a faint and false representation of reality. He believed that true understanding of higher-level reality could only occur when one couldn't comprehend it. In Plato's "Allegory of the Cave," he described a person who had been imprisoned in a cave all their life and had never seen another person. Therefore, when this person saw the shadows cast by people standing in front of a fire, they believed these shadows were real people. But those who had ventured outside the cave understood the truth; they knew that the shadows were mere reflections of real objects. Similarly, in Colossians 2:17, Paul wrote, "These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ." In other words, what we see now is not the substance, and our focus should be on the unseen, which is eternal and where we truly belong. This unseen reality will one day come to pass.
This distinction has given rise to many dualities: the temporary world versus eternal heaven; image versus reality ;the visible versus the invisible; good versus evil; the present versus the future. Christians have clearly marked this boundary. In one of Pastor John Piper's sermons, he talked about how there is an absolute line drawn in the Bible between the world of the unbeliever and the world of God's children. The Bible says, "You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God" (James 4:4). Jesus said, "The world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world."(John 17:14). The more you focus on the unseen, the closer you come to God; the closer you come to God, the more detached you become from reality. This "substance" is often referred to as "shadow" in the Christian world. It appears that what Christians truly desire is to fix their gaze on "the unseen."
In Paul's time, he believed that the end of the world was imminent. He advised Christians not to invest too much in marriage: "…the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not"; He wanted people not to be overly concerned with buying and selling, "those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them…,""Emotionally, he wanted them to be a bit more reserved."those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not... For this world in its present form is passing away" (1 Corinthians 7:29-31). Nearly two thousand years have passed, and Christians still remain focused on the impending end of the world. Two thousand years may seem long, but for believers, it is insignificant because "with the Lord a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day" (2 Peter 3:8). Therefore, Christians continue to "not be conformed to this world" (Romans 12:2) so that Christ can "deliver us from this present evil age" (Galatians 1:4). Paul's words have had a powerful influence and have shaped the thoughts of many famous theologians and philosophers, including St. Augustine in North Africa ( 354-430), Thomas Aquinas in Italy (1225-1274), and Martin Luther in Germany (1483-1546). His doctrine of dualism and his emphasis on revelation have been passed down to modern Christians and influenced generations of Christian thought.
Unfortunately, Christians often fail to embrace this world that God created and pronounced "good." Instead, they often turn a blind eye and lose sight of the current reality. More specifically, they refuse to acknowledge the importance of the "now" and the genuine content of earthly reality. They evade confronting human fragility and are reluctant to respond constructively to the suffering we face in this life. Instead, they engage in the "unseen," busying themselves with isolation from the world. In the end, they believe that the answers and hope for our lives can only be found in the future; our toil can only find rest in paradise. However, there is a group of people who invest in and engage with the present, who do not put their hope solely in the future. They strive to create a better future for the world and the next generation. Ironically, they are labeled as "faithless" and "short-sighted" by some Christians. Let us consider the wisdom of the Bible, "This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot (Ecclesiastes 5:18).
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