The concept of a global spiritual transformation and New World (a New Heaven and a New Earth), is an old one, appearing first in exoteric religious messianism. The concept of a supernatural end of the world consumation that appears in Zoroastrianism and spreads from there to Judaism and later monotheistic religions, introduces both the concept of o supernatural creator deity and linear time. This idea of resurrection of the dead so that believers can enjoy a paradise of the faithful, and gloat on non-believers suffering in hell, is paradoxically both a ridiculous example of spiritual infantilism and materialism (they are completely unable to conceive of existence apart from the body) and a "psychic dream" (in Sri Aurobindo's phrase) of a future transformed physical existence. But because of exoteric literalism and fundamentalism the genuine vision was lost for several thousand years, appearing every so often as messianic and premillenial revivals.
The idea of a new spiritual race as somethng apart from exoteric religious dogmas, is much more recent, and had to await the rise of evolutionary thought with Hegel, Darwin, and others. In the 19th century, 
Nietzsche introduced his Overman, Edward Bulwer-Lytton wrote his famous science fiction story The Coming Race, and finally H.P. Blavatsky incorporated many themes, including Bulwer-Lytton's, in her Secret Doctrine, which introduced the concept of Root Races.
However this theme reaches its greatest formulation spiritually in the writings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, and technologically in the concepts of Transhumanism. It is my contention that these two approaches are not contradictory but complementary, and each represents an element of the truth.
Themes of genetic transformation leading to either the transmutation of current humanity (harmonic convergence, which was big in the late 1980s but petered out when the famous prophecies of DNA transmutation never came to pass) ort the emergence of a new spiritual race (e.g. the 
Indigo Children) are also common in the New Age movement.
| examples | Zoroastrian- Judeo Christian- Islamic messianism | Nietzsche | Bulwer-Lytton | Blavatsky | Sri Aurobindo & Mirra | New Age | Transhumanism | |
| Saved / believers | Overman | Vril-ya | 6th Root Race | Gnostic Beings | Star Children, Indigo Children, etc | Posthuman | ||
| No - same as current human worshippers | No - individuals only | Yes | Yes | Yes | varies | Yes | ||
o m e s a b o u t t h r u |
develops from current humanity | No (see above) | (see above) | No - separate race | Yes - future Root Race | Yes - man a transitional being | varies | varies (either enhanced human, AI, or both) |
| change through Direct Divine action | Yes - exoteric Deity | No | No | No | Yes - Supramental Descent | No | No | |
| through natural or cosmic evolution | No | No | Yes | Yes - 6th Round cyclic | Yes - evolution of nature to Supermind | varies (galactic rotation / photon belt is cyclic only) | Yes - accelarating evolution | |
| through individual effort | No, just believe and you're saved | Yes - Will | No | No | Yes - Integral Yoga | (harmonic convergence movement?) | Yes - using advanced tech | |
| through advanced technology | No | No | Yes - Vril | No | No | No | Yes - nanotech, genetic enginering etc | |
| through changing the deep structure of the cells | No | No | No | No | mind of the cells | transmutation of DNA | medical nano | |
| n/a | Yes | Yes | somewhat | Yes | somewhat | Yes | ||
n t h a t |
immortal, no illness | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | varies | Yes | occult powers | No | No | Yes - Vril | Yes | Yes | varies | No |
| Superintelligence | No | Perhaps | Yes | No | No | No | Yes - singularity | |
| Society superior | n/a | n/a | Yes | ? | Yes - Gnostic Society | Yes - New Age | No? (varies) | |
| Spiritually superior | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No? (varies) | |
| faculties not found in current humanity | No | No | No | Yes - new Root Race faculties | Yes - Supramental | Yes - higher centers | Yes - singularity | |
| Takes over from current humanity | No | No | Yes | Yes, through new cosmic cycle | Yes - but gradually | varies | Yes | |
| Earth completely transformed | Yes - Kingdom of God | No | No | Yes - more ethereal (6th round) | Yes - supramental transformation | varies, e.g. Photon Beam | Yes - via advanced tech | |
h r u |
through activity of the new species | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Divinisation of Matter | varies | No | No | No | Yes | varies | No |
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Links | |
Nietzsche’s idea of an overman and life from his point of view
Vril, The Power of the Coming Race by Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton [1871] - complete text on-line
The Coming Race by Edward Bulwer-Lytton Introduced by Brian Aldiss - useful synopsis
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