I recently read an article which touched on a subject the world is ignoring. Although the media pays some lip service to the ethical consequences of human technological advancement, such discussions ring hollow in an era that chooses to define morality on an on-going basis. Few people are really asking the question, “where is this world headed?” Previous generations were awestruck by the wonder of human invention and its seemingly magical applications, yet our current generation projects a more or less apathetic viewpoint.

The world of today is conditioned to the continual advance of human technological enterprise, viewing as standard fare what was once celebrated revolutionary. This entitlement mentality in regard to human progress has given rise to an intellectually lazy populace predisposed to the erroneous belief that all technological progress is good and leads to the betterment of mankind.

Is it any wonder then that most of the world is oblivious to the enormous historical implications of this era? The events of our time are entirely unique in the course of human history, yet most of the educated world fails to acknowledge the unprecedented nature of our times. Why?

The answer lies in the fact that the events of our time have profound spiritual implications, and unfortunately, most of the world is spiritually blind:

“Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” Romans 8:5-6 (NLT)

Only through God’s Spirit can people begin to understand these things:

“And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.” 1 Corinthians 2:12 (NLT)

Without the Holy Spirit, the truth about where this world is headed seems like utter foolishness:

“But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.” 1 Corinthians 2:14 (NLT)

The truth of the matter is that Jesus Christ is returning to this world, and when He comes, He will establish an everlasting and righteous kingdom. Until then, the events of our time are a clarion call, warning the world of His imminent appearance. One would think that such a dramatic shift in the human condition would merit great interest and attention, yet the world simply ignores the signs of His Coming.

More than likely this is because the sinful nature doesn’t like to acknowledge Christ’s Coming. As Peter stated, in the last days:

“Scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, ‘What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.’” 2 Peter 3:3-4 (NLT)

This blindness to the growing depravity of the world is put in perspective by a recent Hal Lindsey article “Are We In The ‘Days of Noah’?” Although short in length, it vividly illustrates one of the fundamental truths of our generation: simple observation of the world at large is reason enough to believe Jesus Christ will soon return. As Lindsey writes:

“Cloning is now a commercial business. If history is any judge, it is just a matter of time before we progress from dogs to humans. It is simply another sign post pointing toward the return of Christ in this generation. If not, the signs are pointing instead to the extinction of the human race.”

The latter conclusion touches upon the central theme of many articles I’ve written before. If the human race continues on its current trajectory, how long will it continue to remain human? Mankind is on the threshold of a new era which will enable it to manipulate its own genetic structure, unleashing a slew of problems for humanity. As Lindsey observes:

“According to Genesis 6:1-6, the ‘sons of God’ intermarried with ‘the daughters of men’ and produced offspring that Genesis calls ‘giants’ and ‘mighty men of renown.’ Genesis 6:9 records that Noah was found to be a ‘just’ man and ‘perfect in his generations,’ i.e., untainted by the hybrid genes introduced into the human bloodline. Genesis 6:12 says that by this time, ‘all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth…’ When asked by His disciples to outline the signs of His return at the end of the age, Jesus told them, ‘And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man’ (Luke 17:26).”

People are already mutilating and modifying their bodies with all sorts of tattoos, plastic surgery, and body piercing. What will happen when people can easily take on a new biological form or download themselves into a non-biological network? As Lindsey points out:

“At the rate human knowledge is expanding, it won't be long before the brain’s electrical impulses can be captured and imaged the way a hard drive is today, in effect, storing ‘you’ in a digital format.”

The human race is fast approaching a time when it will be unrestrained by the physical limitations of the biological body. It is clear to the objective observer that humanity is acquiring an ever-increasing amount of control over physical matter, endowing mankind with enormous power it is ill-equipped to wield. As human technology matures, it will quickly lead to a complete mastery over all things in the physical realm, and the sinful nature which has put mankind in direct conflict with God will reach unprecedented heights.

Is this not sufficient evidence that Christ is knocking on our door? If Christ does not visit us soon, no human flesh will be left for Him to visit. No generation before us has been blessed with such an unmistakable sign.

Yet, in the face of these powerful new technologies and their rapid adoption, people seem to have developed immunity from awe and wonder. The natural human defense mechanisms which once led to skepticism and prudence in the adoption of new technologies have been erased in favor of blind acceptance of the new as morally superior and “progressive.”

In its latest incarnation, human technology brings us video games in which the user controls the game through personal brain signals. Michael Mickey of RaptureAlert.Com recently sent me a link to the article “Brain Control Headset for Gamers.” The first few sentences of this article summarize the uniqueness of this breakthrough product:

“A neuro-headset which interprets the interaction of neurons in the brain will go on sale later this year. ‘It picks up electrical activity from the brain and sends wireless signals to a computer,’ said Tan Le, president of US/Australian firm Emotiv. ‘It allows the user to manipulate a game or virtual environment naturally and intuitively,’ she added.”

While the idea of controlling a video game through brainwaves may seem like harmless fun, the long-term implications are far more ominous. As this technology matures, it will inevitably give rise to an entire civilization of virtual humans. Already, it can capture much of the human experience:

“The Epoc technology can be used to give authentic facial expressions to avatars of gamers in virtual worlds. For example, if the player smiles, winks, or grimaces the headset can detect the expression and translate it to the avatar in the game. It can also read emotions of players and translate those to the virtual world. ‘The headset could be used to improve the realism of emotional responses of AI characters in games,’ said Ms Le. ‘If you laughed or felt happy after killing a character in a game, then your virtual buddy could admonish you for being callous,’ she explained… The headset detects more than 30 different expressions, emotions and actions. They include excitement, meditation, tension and frustration; facial expressions such as smile, laugh, wink, shock (eyebrows raised), anger (eyebrows furrowed); and cognitive actions such as push, pull, lift, drop and rotate (on six different axis). Gamers are able to move objects in the world just by thinking of the action.”

As this article clearly illustrates, the lines between the virtual world and the real world are quickly disintegrating. With each small technological advancement and the introduction of each new product, humanity is pushing its historical limits, merging biological humans with advancing technology.

Within a relatively short period of time, neuro-headset video games will evolve into a virtual reality so indistinguishable from real life that some people will willingly choose never to leave it. Such a world, unrestrained by social norms and offering the human race a consequence-free playground of immorality, will be fertile ground for the demons of this world.

What will be the natural consequence of such a virtual world where all is acceptable, because everything is “just a game”? People could “try out” the following activities without having to worry about criminal charges: murder… rape… torture… incest… mass murder… sexual immorality of every kind… and physical indulgence of every kind, most of it well beyond our imagination… All of it can be tried in the virtual world, society will tell us, without harming anyone! In fact, it will benefit humanity – they’ll tell us – because the worst dregs of society can get their fill of violence and debauchery in the virtual world, where their activities will physically harm no one. But is this really true?

What kind of a human animal will such a system produce? The answer is clear to those who are willing to foresee the inevitable outcome.

Welcome to Humanity 2.0 – the world into which the human race is devolving. The Holy Spirit revealed this world to Paul almost 2,000 years ago:

“You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NLT)

The more power the human race acquires due to the advance of technology, the more likely it is to view itself as independent of God. As human technology advances, human pride and arrogance will reach new heights. This will be our downfall:

“Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18 (NLT)

Pride and haughtiness are abundant. By the promise of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, His return will be soon:

“For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again. In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones.” Matthew 24:21-22 (NLT)

Amen, come Lord Jesus!

 

Britt Gillette is founder of BrittGillette.Com, a website examining the relationship between bible prophecy and emerging trends in technology. For more information or to sign up for his email alerts, please visit http://www.brittgillette.com.