In an age of electronic wonder where news and events are seen instantly all across the globe, it is no surprise that the world seems to be developing into one large interconnected community.  Today, a person can become intimately familiar with the lives and concerns of others who may live halfway around the world simply by surfing the Internet on a computer or smart phone, getting the latest feeds from Facebook or Twitter, viewing videos on YouTube or a news site, or by watching satellite or cable TV.  In every corner of the globe and even in the poorest of countries, the majority of all people now living have a digital phone to text or talk to anyone else in any part of the world at a moment’s notice or to record or view events nearly in real time.  The company Cisco has estimated that in 97 countries the number of mobile devices actually exceeds the total population of people in those countries, and on a global scale nearly 80 percent of all people now have access to a mobile phone (Taylor, 2012).  Due to this technology revolution, events in any region can be instantly uploaded onto the internet for everyone to see.  Even in societies that are tightly controlled, it is difficult to suppress the avalanche of digital information.  The revolutions occurring in the Middle East are a prime example.  As the governments of Egypt and Libya fell in 2011-2012 (and Syria is in the midst of falling as this article is being written), at times the only images and video coming from these countries originated from individuals recording events on their cell phones and uploading them to video services for everyone to watch.

To people who are accustomed to such technology, these capabilities may now be taken for granted and exist almost as a routine part of life, but just think for a moment how unique our generation has become solely because of our ability to quickly spread information.  Thirty years ago, people would have had difficulty imagining the way this new technology would change our world, especially when it comes to the Internet and digital communications.  Couple the rise of this information society with the corresponding revolution in transportation and we end up with a world that is at least figuratively becoming smaller and closer.

The prophet Daniel wrote of this time of technological wonder and predicted that at the time of the end…

“many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased”.

Dan. 12:4

The consequences of this simple prophecy that predicted an increase in travel and scientific knowledge at the end of the age should not be underestimated.  Not since the day the people of the world were scattered and divided at the Tower of Babel has there been greater potential for the nations to break down regional barriers and become united.  Geographic and cultural divisions which were at one time almost insurmountable now are being overcome through jet travel and modern communications.  As a direct result of these abilities, the path toward world unity has now become paved by the technological prowess of a generation of scientific achievements.  In no other time has society had such potential to form a one-world system than in the days we now live.

To students of Biblical prophecy this situation will come as no surprise.  Literally thousands of years ago the Bible predicted that a one-world empire will arise just before the Second Coming of Christ.  According to the prophets of old, the political and economic conditions at the end of the age would gradually cause the nations to coalesce into one gigantic, powerful empire that would rule the world with an iron fist.

If we are truly in the grips of that final generation before the return of Christ, then we should be able to see the beginnings of this empire taking shape today.  Amazingly, in the same time frame as the rebirth of Israel, there have been major developments on the international political scene that are helping to establish the framework for what President George H.W. Bush had called “The New World Order” in a speech to the U.N. in 1991.  At about the same time, with the fall of the communist bloc in Eastern Europe and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1989, the grouping of nations that was once called “The Western Alliance” was set free to rise rapidly in power and influence.  These events led to an assemblage of major countries from three regions of the world that are soon destined to form the Final World Order, which will dominate everyone and everything on a global scale.  It now sits as a loose association of the most economically and militarily powerful nations the world has ever seen.  This trilateral alliance comprises an ever growing list of countries that have as their common goal the formation of a new world system, which will in the end supplant the old paradigm of individual nation states to create a unified global government.  The only key missing in this empire’s march toward complete unity is the presence of a charismatic leader powerful enough to pull the diverse alliance together as one.  Soon even this missing link will be found in the meteoric rise of a dynamic person that the Bible calls the Man of Sin and Christians call the Antichrist.

Throughout this fascinating section on Biblical prophecy we are going to see that the world empire is being built on the foundation of political, economic, and technological innovations, which will coalesce and unite all nations at the end.  If this sounds too fantastic to believe, I assure you that by the time you have finished reading this section, you will have a totally different view of Biblical prophecy.  The Bible is so explicit in these prophecies that it predicts highly detailed events surrounding the rise of this last world empire.  However, to fully understand these amazing predictions and how they fit into our world today, we must begin thousands of years ago with the writings of the prophet Daniel.

Reference:

Taylor, S. (2012) The New Mobile World Order; Perspectives on the Future of the Mobile Industry, Cisco, Inc.

Coming soon: Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream