Before computers were such a vital part of our lives it was hard to imagine how this
prophecy could be enforced. It is really humorous how limited human predictions have been
about future developments. Here are a few examples from an article in the Wall Street Journal in
2009:
“Inventions have long since reached their limit, and I see no hope for further developments.” –
Roman engineer Julius Sextus Frontinus in AD 10.
“Everything that can be invented has already been invented.” – Charles Duell, commissioner for
the U.S. Patent Office, 1899.
“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers,” – Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM,
1943.
‘No one will need more than 637 kb of memory for a personal computer.” – Bill Gates, 1981.
105
Amazingly, in our generation we have seen the development of all aspects of the
electronic network necessary for one person to wield total economic control.
We are living in “The Information Age.” In this generation science and knowledge have
increased at a rate never imagined by our forefathers. Yet, this knowledge explosion was
predicted by Daniel more than 2500 years ago! Daniel 12:4 says, ―But you, Daniel, close up and
seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase
knowledge.”
Our generation has been a time of unprecedented invention, space exploration, and,
above all, development and use of the computer. The advent of small, inexpensive, and powerful
microcomputers has caused nearly every field of science and technology to take quantum leaps
forward. Here are just a few of the emerging tools and methods that are making more
information available.
The Personal Computer
In 1976 the Apple I computer was introduced at the retail of $666.66. Since then
computers have become a necessary business and household appliance. The ever-present, everimproving
personal computer has become the primary tool of creativity. Practically everything
that was once done by pencil and paper, drafting tools, and artistry is now being done faster,
easier, and better with the help of the computer. A person of average income may now own a
computer that is more powerful than the million dollar main-frames of just a few years ago.
Beautiful color, digital stereophonic sound, DVD libraries of knowledge, modem connectivity to
the entire world via the Internet, and an exploding source of helpful, inexpensive software
applications all make this device a necessity for many people today. Smaller, more powerful
laptop, notebook, and even hand-held computers make it possible for people to take this essential
productivity tool with them wherever they go.
In a little more than 30 years we have witnessed the speed of personal computer
processing units (CPU) rise from 1 million cycles per second to 3.33 Gigahertz (3 billion, 33
million cycles per second)!106 Intel‘s Core i7-980X Extreme processor is a single chip with six
cores and more than 1 billion transistors.
107 You see, Andy Groves, Intel’s CEO, predicted that
the power of a computer chip would double every 18 months, and so far, Intel has lived up to
that “law.”
In 2009 Uruguay and a few other nations began offering a laptop computer to every child
attending state primary school. The XO model laptops cost the state $260 per child, including
maintenance costs, equipment repairs, training for the teachers and internet connection.108
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence is also a field that is improving steadily. It gained new respect and
interest in February, 1996 when Garry Kasparov, reigning chess champion of the world, lost the
first of five games against IBM’s “Deep Blue” computer. AI programming allows the computers
at credit card companies to analyze customers‘ spending habits and project safe credit limits. It
also helps them spot unusual activity with the cards so that fraudulent use can be minimized.
Supercomputers
Behind the scenes, giant companies and government agencies have highly advanced
supercomputers. If the average person now has the power of yesteryear’s main frame computers
in his lap-top, imagine the increased capabilities that exist in the largest state of the art
computers!
IBM is working on its new Sequoia computer, to be delivered in 2011 to the Department
of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. It will have the computing power of 2
million laptops! It will operate at 20 petaflops (20 quadrillion floating point operations per
second!).109 At that speed, one computer could theoretically devote nearly 3 million calculations
to each person‘s credit rating, bank account balance, physical location, and other matters. In fact,
it could do all that for each of the nearly 7 billion people of the world in one second before
starting the whole process all over again! Of course, the Beast‘s system will not depend on just
one computer, but will use thousands of them working in parallel, just as Google does already
with smaller computers. Such a system could permit or forbid buying and selling just as
prophesied in Revelation 13.
Fiber Optics / Quantum Computers
Fiber optic “wires” now service our businesses and many homes. These cables, which use
light instead of electricity, are able to carry thousands of conversations, video images, and data
transfers all at the same time. One small Fiber Optic cable can replace 10,000 ordinary telephone
lines!
Computer scientists are working on optical microprocessing, using light and fiber optics –
-instead of electricity and wires–to increase the speed by another factor of 1000 or more.
A new kind of computer, known as a ―quantum computer,‖ is being developed. It will use
light waves to solve very difficult problems. Until now it has required laboratory-sized optical
computers to do this work. Now researchers have designed a silicon chip that can do these
calculations.110
Experimental work is being done on the concept of biochips, living, self-repairing, and
incredibly compact memory devices.111
Credit Cards, Debit Cards, Smart Cards
The first credit cards were issued in 1950, and have become the preferred method of
paying for most things. The card introduced electronic accounting of purchases, but the owner
of the card still needed to settle the account once a month by paying for the purchases, usually
with a check. Using a credit card allowed people convenience without having to carry large
amounts of cash, and provided a record of how and where their money was spent.
The next step was the actual transfer of money electronically. For decades now the
banking industry has been pressing for the use of electronic funds transfer. A growing number of
people now have their paychecks deposited electronically into their accounts, pay their bills
automatically by electronic checks, or use their personal computer to make these payments.
ATM machines were introduced to allow people to make deposits and withdrawals at any
hour of the day. Debit cards were introduced to enable users to buy most of what they need
electronically, with virtually immediate transfer of funds from the buyer‘s bank account to the
seller‘s bank account.
“Pay Point” devices allow the use of either credit cards or debit cards to buy your gas
without the help of an attendant. At your supermarket or fast-food restaurant one may pay for
purchases the same way. In fact, if the buyer needs a little cash, he can get it out of his bank
account at the same time. The checker will gladly give you the cash because that lowers the
amount of cash on hand, discouraging robbers.
Smart cards are another development in the cashless trend. Smart cards are different from
the cards most of us have in our wallets. They look the same, except a little thicker. Some of
them have small contacts in the middle of the card. Inside the card there is actually a little
computer, with a tiny battery, and up to 1 megabyte of memory. This already makes them more
powerful than the earlier personal computers.
Some smart cards can be loaded with specialized applications. This will allow users do
all kinds of things they couldn’t do with a magnetic stripe card like the ones we have now. Some
smart cards can literally transfer ―money‖ from your bank account into the card. The electronic
money is placed in one or more “wallets” in the card. This stored money can be used to operate
vending machines, pay tolls, and whatever else people need.
These cards could eventually manage all of the users‘ PINs and passwords, so they won’t
have to worry about forgetting them. Smart Cards could also manage loyalty programs, from
frequent flier miles to product discounts at the local grocery store.
Smart Cards are already very popular in Europe, but have had limited success in the
United States. One of the reasons for this is the lack of standards by card manufacturers.
Another reason is the fact that the new smart phones, which are described below, are becoming
extremely popular, and can theoretically do the same things better.
All of the cards mentioned above may be equipped with a radio frequency identification
chip (RFID) so that they may be used without actual contact with a card reader. These cards, or
in some cases, just a wand on a key ring, or a sticker on the car‘s dashboard, will communicate to
a RFID receiver to complete the transaction, These devices speed the process of purchasing and
eliminate the need for handling money.
The Internet / Grid
Parallel to the development of computers has been the emergence of a method of
connecting computers. This indispensable network is the Internet. It has been around for several
decades, but has recently mushroomed in size and popularity. It is a high speed data transmission
system, now often called the information “super highway.” It was originally used by major
corporations and universities to connect their main-frame computers together. Today it is
considered an essential aspect of education, business, government, and homes. This global
network (thus called the ―world-wide web,‘ and the ―net‖) connects people and devices in a way
that enhances our education and productivity, our purchasing power, our social networking and
communication, and our entertainment. As mentioned above, Daniel 12:4 predicts that in the
End Times, “Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.” What could be a better
description of the Internet from more than 2500 years ago?
In 2008 China became the nation with the largest number of users. At that time more than
253 million Chinese were using the Internet, compared to the United States‘ 223 million users.112
Scientists have begun to use a new generation of the Internet. It is called Internet 2, or
―The Grid.‖ It is described as vBNS (very high speed Backbone Network Service). At full speed
(2.5 billion bits per second) it will be about 10,000 times faster than a typical broadband
connection.
113 At that speed it will be able to transmit the contents of two public libraries per
second.114
“The Cloud”
Users of computers and other devices connected to the Internet may purchase data space
and services from a variety of suppliers. Data and computing activity performed by these remote
hosts is sometimes called “cloud computing.” The name cloud computing was inspired by the
cloud symbol that is often used to represent the Internet in flowcharts and diagrams. One seldom
knows or cares where his data and services are located. It really doesn‘t matter since any place
on Earth is instantly accessible via the Internet. Satellites
Even people in remote areas of the Earth may obtain Internet service, thanks to the
satellite networks of HughesNet and other providers. This means that control of world-wide
commerce is possible when the coming world dictator makes his move to control all buying and
selling (Revelation 13)
Smart Phones/ GPS
Now the incredible and fast-growing power of cell phones and GPS devices bring us a
bewildering choice of ―smart phones.‖ This new phenomenon started with the advent of cell
phones with additional features in the 1990‘s. In 2002 the first BlackBerry was released with the
ability to handle Email. The Apple iPhone, introduced in 2007, and the open source Android,
backed by Google in 2008, gave phones the same computing power and memory as a personal
computer but with enhanced capabilities for mobile usage. Advanced touch screen, built in high
resolution cameras, Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) information, and high-speed Internet
connectivity became standard equipment for the new generation of smart phones. All of this cost
the user only a fraction of the price they could have ever imagined such devices would cost. With
the computing power and memory of a personal computer and with tens of thousands of
applications available, people can even run their businesses from their hand-held phones.
The next step for smart phones is to replace credit and debit cards with the phone’s own
functionality. In 2010 AT&T and Verizon Wireless announced plans for this game-changing
move.115
The cell phone will communicate with the vendor the way a contactless card does, but
unlike a card, it will be able to keep track of charges and payments through one of the phone’s
apps. There will undoubtedly be docking stations for future smart phones so users can use a
large screen and keyboard at home or at work. They should also be able to keep all our
passwords and download electronic cash the way a smart card could, and then spend those funds
for every-day purchases.
However, there is one big problem. Once the smart phone has all our personal data and
becomes our universal commerce device, and maybe even has a large amount of money stored
electronically, what will happen if we lose it? Would someone else be able to take over our
finances and have access to all our secret information? Losing one’s phone would be worse than
losing one’s wallet (we may not even have one once it is all in the phone) or one’s car. The
solution will be to make the phone useless to anyone but its rightful owner. This can be done
with biometrics, as shown below, or with an RFID device implanted in the owner. Thus the
smart phone would not work unless it was near its owner. Meanwhile, the phone could be
located by its built-in GPS device. And what criminal would want to take the phone if he
couldn’t use it, and it leads the police to his door?
With the right combination of features, the smart phone could become a powerful
personal security system, automatically notifying authorities when something is amiss, and, of
course letting them know exactly where the user is. This, of course, can also be a very negative
feature for those who do not want to be located.
Biometrics
Fingerprints, palm prints, face and eye prints (retinal imaging) are some of the high tech
methods now used to verify a person’s identity. These, of course, cannot be stolen or lost. How
far away from public acceptance of these devices are we? We may be closer than we think!
Other technologies are also leading in the same direction. A face recognition program or
a fingerprint or iris scanner could be used by your smart phone through its camera. Once the
phone knows it is “seeing” its owner, it could let the user proceed.
Implanted Transponders
Implanting a tiny identification chip under the skin of the phone’s owner would be an
even better solution to the problem of losing the smart phone and its valuable contents. Such a
rice-sized chip has already been inserted under the skin of countless livestock and pets so that
they can be identified if lost. A version of this device approved for use in humans is the
VeriChip. It doesn’t need batteries. It has a little coil, and a pre-programmed number, all
encapsulated in glass, and is easily inserted by a nearly painless hypodermic needle. It has been
available for some time now, but truthfully, not many people have been eager to experiment with
it yet.
