Note from Jan: Most of us have a love-hate relationship with today's technology. It changes literally every 24 hours. Our brains are weary from trying to constantly wrap it around the latest "upgrade" of you-fill-in-the-blank. Technology fails us regularly and our most cherished thoughts and memories can suddenly vanish only to spend the rest of time in cyberspace.
We have seen recently how the abuse of technology is working against everyone as the powers-that-be store data in such a sophisticated way that we wonder if someday soon they will be tapping into our secret thoughts and recording them as well. Many news items say that is in the works! There is talk of brain implants that would make mankind the "six million dollar man."
As I type this, I realize that it is probably being watched somewhere out there in real time. One slip on this keyboard and I could incriminate myself and suffer great consequences!
Remember that the Antichrist will be able to step right into this end-time technological paradise.
Technology has a bright side. Look how it is advancing the gospel! Below find comments from Nathan Jones of Dave Reagan's Lamb Lion Ministries. Nathan serves the Lord full time with his technological skills and he has authored the insights below.
Learn more at www.lamblion.com We carry Dr. Dave Reagan's terrific new book, "Living on Borrowed Time: The Imminent Return of Jesus", here.
Technology Foretold
By Nathan Jones
August 15, 2013
www.olivetreeviews.org
People are always surprised when I tell them that as Bible prophecy foretells future events, it also reveals some interesting circumstances that would require modern technology for these events to occur. Here are some examples:
1) Increase in Knowledge - Daniel 12:4 reads, "But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."
These words were spoken to Daniel when he asked for an explanation of some of the end-time prophecies that had been given to him. In short, he was told that the prophecies would not be understood until the time came for them to be fulfilled. We must be living in that time because the rapid pace of modern scientific discovery is enabling us to understand Daniel's prophecies for the first time.
2) Transportation - Again, the context is from Daniel 12:4 concerning the "time of the end." The closer we get to the return of Jesus, the more people will travel faster and farther. Stop and think of how we traveled just a single century ago. We've traded our horses in for automobiles, speedboats, jets, and rockets.
3) Mark of the Beast - Revelation 13:16-17 reveals that the Antichrist will control all buying and selling in the Tribulation economy. How does he achieve this? He does so by requiring his name or number to be put physically on each person's forehead or right hand. What kind of technology could enable such a mark? Likely tattoos with magnetic ink and readers, or possibly an RFID chip. And most certainly computer networks, e-commerce and the Internet will play a part.
4) World Evangelism - Jesus in Matthew 24:14 declared, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
Technology is playing a big part in evangelism today and will continue to do so during the Tribulation. The whole world will even witness the death and resurrection of the Two Witnesses at the mid-point of the Tribulation. That means mass communication devices such as satellites, cell systems, cameras, television, and the Internet.
5) Image of the Antichrist - Revelation 13:13-15 reveals that an image made in the likeness of the Antichrist will be given the appearance of life and be able to cause "fire to come down from heaven."
We live in the only time when this could be done with modern technology, utilizing pyrotechnics or lasers for the fire and robotics or holograms for the "living" image.
6) Population Explosion - Revelation 9:16 and 14:20 contain prophecies that at the end of the Tribulation the decimated world population will still be able to produce a two hundred million man army that originates from the East and marches to their slaughter at Armageddon. That is possible only because of the exponential population growth of today. And what has produced that? Medical technology.
7) Nuclear Weapons - Nuclear weapons are strongly suggested in horrific descriptions of future calamity such as "their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet" (Zechariah 14:12), "the sky receded like a scroll" (Revelation 6:14-15), and "men will faint from terror... for the heavenly bodies will be shaken" (Luke 21:26).
With tens of thousands of nuclear bombs sitting unused, their time is short until launching. Complex technologies such as heavy metal refinement, nuclear plants, and inter-continental ballistic missiles for deployment are involved.
8) Limits on Technology - The events of the Tribulation also give us an indication of just how far technology can be allowed to go, and it's not that much farther. Take, for example, the fact that rare earth metals vital to the construction of today's technologies are quickly running out.
Or consider the fact that future events prophesied in the Bible involve all people, but only people on this earth. That pretty well makes it clear that we will not be colonizing any moons or planets in the near future. Plus, the destruction of infrastructure and power grids along with solar disruption by the end of the Tribulation may reveal why the soldiers at Armageddon are pictured as using horses and primitive weapons. Man's technology, along with most of the earth, will have been decimated.
We live in a time like no other, where dizzying strides in technology make end-time scenarios finally a reality.
Jesus is coming soon!
Join us for "Understanding the Times 2013" at Grace Church in Eden Prairie, MN, a suburb of Minneapolis, Saturday, October 5. Join thousands from across America as we look together at current events, prophecy, apologetics, deception in the church, and more. Find all info here.
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