Smart Phones, the Internet, and Satellite TV
There is no denying the uniqueness of the Bible. It differs in many ways from any other work. Chief among these differences are its accurate predictions of the future. Scripture evidences supernatural design when it anticipates people, places, and events many hundreds of years in advance. Unlike the vague prognostications of psychics, fortunetellers, and other religious books, the Bible’s revelations are given with exacting specificity.
Some of these prophecies are so sophisticated, that only now are we really able to appreciate their complexity. Prior to our generation, it would not have been possible for some to have been fulfilled.
WITNESSING THE WITNESSES
One such example has to do with the two witnesses mentioned in Revelation 11. During the first half of the tribulation period, there are two individuals who will be raised up by God to preach to a lost and dying world. They will be called by the Lord to stand up against false religion, and they will even use the miraculous to demonstrate truth.
“And I will give power to My two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands standing before the God of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire. When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.” (Rev. 11:3-10)
THE WHOLE WORLD WATCHING
One of the more debated topics surrounding the book of Revelation is the identity of these two witnesses. Some believe, based on the miracles performed, that Elijah and Moses will return to this earth. Representing the Law and the Prophets, it is thought they will testify on behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ. Others believe these two to be Elijah and Enoch, as they are the only two people in the Bible who have never tasted death. Yet others believe these are two individuals whose ministries at the time of the end are simply like those of the Old Testament prophets.
What is not debated, however, is their fate. Halfway through the tribulation, they will be martyred in Jerusalem. And then something absolutely profound takes place! According to the text, those “from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves.” In Greek, the expression “the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations” was used in the first century as a way of denoting the whole world.1
How is it possible that the whole world will see or watch what is transpiring on the streets of Jerusalem? Until very recently, this seemed impossible. But now we have CNN, BBC, Fox News, the internet, and a population replete with smart phones, satellite dishes, and cable TV! Even more, the Bible is not only implying worldwide awareness of the event, but that, in some manner, the world’s population is participating by not allowing the bodies to be buried.
This is but one of many biblical prophecies where technological advancements, finally resident in the world today, were anticipated millennia ahead of time. Before the advent of electronic communication, satellite technology, and the internet, this prophecy was a technological impossibility. But we are rapidly moving to the point where internet access will be commonplace the world over.
This past April, Google’s executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, stated that everybody in the world will be on the Internet within seven years.2 By 2020, wireless internet access will be everywhere.
In case you think that is a bit optimistic, take a look at these metrics from the Internet World Statistics website: As of one year ago (Jun 30, 2012), there were more than 2.4 billion users of the world wide web.3 This is out of a population that just crossed the 7 billion mark, or roughly 34%. When I started tracking this information back in 2009, just over 21% of the world’s population at the time (1.4 billion) were on the web. Imagine that! An increase of 1 billion people during that 3-year span. Vannevar Bush and the US Military could never have conceived their invention would receive such widespread usage.4
Do you know there are more Facebook users (or at least accounts) than there are people on any continent except for Asia? As of March of 2013, there were 1.1 billion Facebook users worldwide who access their accounts at least once a month.5
And if that is not enough for you, estimates are that there will be more mobile phones on the planet than there are people by the end of this year.6 As it is now, some 80% of the world has some form of mobile communication device and there are more than 1 billion smart phones in circulation.7
THE ETERNAL WORD
Indeed, it has only been the twenty-first century that has really seen us put in a position for Revelation 11 to meet its fulfillment. How many other prophecies of the Bible anticipate technology that only now is found in the world! E-commerce, global centralized banking systems, imbedded chip technology, weapons of mass destruction, smart bomb technology, nuclear technology, biohazard technology, global positioning satellites (GPS), computer generated imagery (CGI), synthetic imagery, cognitive behavior robotics, supersonic transport, and oh so much more…a strong case can be made that all of these are anticipated in Holy Writ.
For much of Christendom’s history, there has been a failure to understand Bible prophecy. Promises specifically made to the nation of Israel have been spiritualized away as not requiring literal fulfillment. The same mistake has been made with the many predictive texts possessing a technological component. Instead of reasoning how such passages might be fulfilled, people have erroneously turned these texts into nothing but symbolic overtures. As a result, many have lost out on understanding such remarkable passages and how they show the Bible’s ultimate Designer and Author to be One who is not bound by of our time-space-matter domain.
One last thought: In many passages, the Bible associates the technology we finally see in the world today with end-time events. Their presence in the world today may be a fairly good indication that the return of the Lord Jesus Christ is drawing near. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”
Endnotes
1 http://bit.ly/12xiBRI
2 http://bit.ly/1b7XJtL
3 http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
4 http://www.livinginternet.com/i/ii_bush.htm
5 http://newsroom.fb.com/Key-Facts
6 http://www.digby.com/mobile-statistics/
7 http://www.go-gulf.com/blog/smartphone/
For more information and evidences, visit www.ChristianEvidences.org.