The Culture of Hope Founded on Faith
End Times Technology
In light of recent events in the Middle East, biblical end-time prophetic information becomes more and more possible. Not everything that is prophesied in Scripture is in place yet. But when I was a child learning about prophecy for the first time, most of the events talked about seemed implausible primarily because of the undeveloped status of technology at the time.
During the 1950s and 1960s, an early computer with a small fraction of the storage of modern-day PCs would take up an entire city block. The internet was not generally available until the mid-90s and satellites were in their infancy, secret government-use-only tools not widely publicized. When my dad bought our first black-and-white television, we thought we were at the apex of progress.
Watching the global transmission of the moon landing in 1969 was a truly awesome revelation of how far the human race had come in scientific development. And, for the first time, I understood how the world could simultaneously see the two witnesses, prophets who will exercise great power for almost three and a half years, lying dead on a Jerusalem Street. Revelation 11:3-13 describes their destructive effect on the people over the course of their ministry giving rise to the celebration of their deaths. “And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them and they stood upon their feet. And great fear fell upon them which saw them and they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, ‘Come up hither.’ They ascended up to heaven in a cloud and their enemies beheld them. The same hour there was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell; in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand. The remnant were frightened and gave glory to the God of heaven” (Rev.11:11-13).
Similarly, the mark of the beast described in Revelation 13:16 -17 has always been a source of conjecture among Christians giving rise to ideas of exterior and visible tattoo-like marks: “And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads and that no man might buy or sell save he that had the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name [666]”. In recent years speculation of a more sinister and subtle device signifying a connection with the world system of commerce has been recognized and is already in use. A powerful retail company recently began advertising the use of a subcutaneous microchip in one’s hand as a way to pay via a smart app function. Chips are now used to track pets and children (shades of 1984?) as well, giving rise to an increasingly powerful system of computer monitoring of more and more individuals and their activities.
Globalism has been a prevalent theme of political rhetoric for some decades now. The prophecy of Revelation 13-7-8 points to a one-world leader “And it was given unto him [the anti-Christ] to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And power was given him over all kindreds, tongues, and nations, and all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, those whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” As seen above, technology and its inherent control/monitoring tasks will play a large part in the fulfillment of that prophecy. And yet, where is America and the Western Hemisphere in prophecy? It does not appear and recent political developments show us for the first time in our 200+ year history, that America might no longer exist as a sovereign nation by the time this all comes together.
Since 1948, when the Jewish homeland once again became the nation of Israel, Christians have watched with growing excitement for each of the pertinent prophecies to be fulfilled. But we still do not know the day, nor the hour of Christ’s return. Jesus Himself warned us, “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet…When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place,…For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be… But of that day and hour knows no man – no, not the angels of heaven – but my Father only” (Matt. 24:4-6, 15, 21, 36).
