| Highlights of Dawn | September 1957 |
Twenty-five Years from Now
FROM the standpoint of Bible prophecy we are chronologically living in what Daniel describes as the “time of the end.” (Dan. 12:4) The “time of the end,” Daniel foretold, would be characterized by an “increase of knowledge,” one of the manifestations of which would be a running to and fro in the earth, or much and rapid travel. These forecasts have already had a phenomenal fulfillment. But as one writer has expressed it, if present progress in science and invention continues for another twenty-five years, standards of living and ways of life of the nineteen fifties will be looked back upon as quite old-fashioned.
Undoubtedly marvelous progress will continue to be made, but the extent to which it will change the world’s way of living within the next twenty-five years will be governed by factors concerning which the forecasters have little knowledge. For example, the Prophet Daniel associates what he describes as a “time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation” with the “increase of knowledge.” (Dan. 12:1) Jesus quoted this statement by Daniel and applied it to the time of his second presence, which, as the prophecies clearly reveal, is now a reality. (Matt. 24:21,22) Jesus explained that this trouble, or “tribulation,” would be so severe that unless it was brought to a close “all flesh” would be destroyed.
In Luke 21:25,26 Jesus describes some of the details of the prophetic “tribulation.” There shall be “distress of nations with perplexity,” he said, with the hearts of the people failing them for fear as they look ahead to the things coming upon the earth. This situation already exists, and ever becomes more acute as scientists continue to develop more deadly weapons of destruction.
So, what the forecasters of things to come are unable to predict is whether or not the present potentials of destruction represented in the atom and hydrogen bombs; lightning-like speeds of rocket planes and rockets; ballistic missiles; and so forth, will actually be employed in a global strife for the destruction of men and nations, or whether these hitherto unharnessed energies will be turned to useful purposes, leading to a more abundant life for the human race.
Not all, but much, of the scientific progress that man has made during this “time of the end” has been brought about by the exigencies of war. The development of atomic power was for the purpose of winning the Second World War. The same is true with much that has been accomplished in the field of electronics. Even now, the fear of the “enemy” spurs our scientists on to discover more and better ways of destroying the other fellow before he can destroy them. We can believe that few, if any, of the scientists are happy over this situation, but it is a dilemma into which human unwisdom and selfishness have led; and to them there is no way out except the selfish, brutal way.
But, whether through fear, or for commercial gain, or the desire to improve the lot of man, progress continues to be made, and as the scientists and others in the “know” look ahead to the next twenty-five years, here are some of the things they are predicting:
By reason of the strides being made in medical science, increasing the average length of human life, thus making for a more rapid increase of population, by 1982 the population of the United States will be 250,000,000. This increase will be the equivalent of adding a city approximately the size of Chicago to the population every year from now until 1982. In the same period global population will increase from the present 2,700,000,000 to 4,000,000,000.
Here, especially, the forecasters are not taking into consideration the Lord’s plan for the human race. Man was commanded to multiply and fill the earth. This command implies that when the earth is adequately filled human propagation will, in the Lord’s own way, be brought to a halt, The fact that we are now living in the “time of the end” of “this present evil world” and at the threshold of the new age of Christ’s kingdom, means that the time is very near when the Lord will do something about population increase. While there is plenty of room on the earth, God’s plan calls for the resurrection of the dead. And there is still room for them also, but just when divine intervention will occur in this field we do not know. We will wait and see.
In the home: Comforts and conveniences for the home are now only in their infancy. Now electric blankets are used to keep the sleeper warm. In 1982 electronic blankets will he used in the heat of summer to keep the sleeper cool. In the winter he will use no blanket at all but will sleep under a dome, which will emit warming rays. Food will be kept fresh and pure by electronics, and eventually there will be little use for the electric refrigerator. But you had better not try to make your old refrigerator last until then—perhaps the forecasters are over enthusiastic! Do you remember the old ice box?
Communications: How would you like to go around with a radio set concealed in your ear? That’s what we are coming to, they say; and the set will be so small that no one will even suspect that it is in your ear. In 1982, when you watch the TV commercials, you will be able to purchase the articles advertised by simply pushing a button on your TV set. Suppose, for example, you decide you would like that new electronic shaver. You simply push the right button, and presto, it is delivered to your door. You will, of course, have to pay for it eventually.
Travel: It is predicted that within the next eighteen months commercial jet planes will whisk passengers through the air at ten miles per minute—600 miles per hour. But twenty-five years from now this speed will be considered too slow—a mere snail’s pace. A cruising speed in 1982 will be 1,500 miles per hour, with the planes traveling 50,000 feet above the earth. Leaving New York after lunchtime, one would reach Los Angeles before lunchtime! London or Paris will be only two hours away.
Automobiles of 1982 will be “dream cars” indeed, so they say. Air conditioning will be standard. They will never have to be repainted. They will never have to be greased, or have the oil changed. Tires will outlast the life of the car. And the aim of the manufacturers is to sell the public on the idea that each family needs three cars—one for cruising on long trips, one for around town, and one for business.
What about roads for all these cars? The prediction is that in towns and cities two- and three-deck highways will be common by 1982. The 41,000-mile superhighway network now being built will be expanded several times by 1982. Think of traveling from coast to coast at seventy or eighty miles an hour without passing through a city, and without being held up by a traffic light or slowed down by a grade crossing!
They say that electronically controlled highways will probably be a reality by 1982. Driving on one of these you will be able to sit back and relax. The “controls” will hold your car to a constant speed, and prevent you from getting too close to the car in front. If for any reason your car is disabled, a helicopter will lift you to a garage. But in all probability you will have the problem of finding a place to park when you get there.
Trains, they say, will still continue to run on tracks as now, but will be slung much lower, and built to glide along at two miles a minute. Other trains will rocket along on a single rail, with this mode of travel designed to give the riders the illusion of flying. This probably will be for the benefit of those who would like to travel by plane, but are afraid to do so.
Heat and power: It is predicted that by 1982 two out of every three power plants built will be powered by uranium; and that one-third of all power used will have its source in the atom. Small reactors will be shipped to all parts of the world bringing power to remote and undeveloped areas. The forecasters say that this will “enable them to lift themselves up by their own bootstraps.”
By 1982 the sun as a source of power will begin to come into use. However, this will be only in its infancy at the end of the next twenty-five years. But a new “science of the sun” will emerge, and new marvels are expected ultimately to be developed.
Electronics generally: They say that development in the field of electronics is just beginning. There will be electronic typesetting machines that would set The Dawn Magazine in a time slightly longer than the twinkle of an eye. There will be electronic mail service which will enable you to send letters in an instant through facsimile. There will be telephones that will enable you to see as well as hear the person on the other end, if that person wants you to see, of course. There will be typewriters which will respond to the spoken word. Imagine that!
These are but a few of the marvels the forecasters say will be realities by 1982. Impossible? By no means. Suppose any one of us who in 1932 was old enough to consider the future, had endeavored to forecast the scientific developments which have actually become realities during the twenty-five years since that time, how many of us would have had the imagination to have guessed half of what has actually been realized, such as TV; transoceanic air travel; synthetic fibers; wonder drugs; heart surgery; electronic calculators; jet planes; etc., to name a few.
All the things which have been forecast for the next twenty-five years seem quite within the range of possibility; but as we have said, the speed with which they are realized, and the manner in which they will affect mankind in general, are matters which will depend upon the outworking of God’s kingdom plan, a plan which calls for the establishment of superhuman control over the affairs of men ere “this generation” passes away. Since the details of the divine plan in this connection are not revealed to us in God’s Word, we can simply consider the forecasts based on human wisdom as “items of interest,” meanwhile watching and waiting for the full manifestation of divine control in the affairs of men.
Leaving the element of time out of consideration, and basing our forecasts on the prophecies and promises of the Bible, we will predict even greater things than those envisioned by the scientists. You may be captivated with the idea of seeing the person you talk with on the telephone but we predict that eventually the people of the world will be able to see and talk with their friends and relatives who have died! Through spiritualism? No, but because they will have been awakened from the sleep of death.
And think of the prospect—yea, the certainty—of one day meeting Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and all the prophets. We don’t know the details of this plan for the next twenty-five years, but this will all come true within the next thousand years, at the close of which all the things which now plague mankind, including sickness and death, will be completely destroyed.
Yes, by then all who have died will have been awakened from the sleep of death and given an opportunity to accept the provisions of divine grace through Christ, the Redeemer. Those who do believe and obey the laws of Christ’s kingdom will have an eternity of joy stretching out before them; an eternity through which their perfect minds and God-fearing hearts will delight in the privilege of exploring all the marvels of nature, with their appreciation of and love for the great Creator of all things constantly increasing. Truly, we are at the threshold of a future far more wonderful than the wisdom of this world even dares to imagine.—Rev. 21:4
NEW YORK NOT CONVERTED
THE Billy Graham Madison Square Garden Crusade in New York City was concluded in August. There had been years of preparation, and the Crusade itself was so highly organized that an editorial in The Christian Century raised the question of whether or not the Holy Spirit would have any opportunity to exercise its influence in the mass gatherings at the Garden. But withal, New York remains the same sinful city that it was before Mr. Graham came to the Garden.
In Time magazine, a feature story on the Graham New York Crusade presents some interesting statistics. At the end of July there were something in excess of 23,000 “decisions for Christ.” But this does not mean the “conversion” of 23,000 sinners. Less than eight percent of these were people who had not previously been “converted.” Fifty-eight percent were first-time public conversions—in other words, those who were professed Christians, but who had not previously responded to an “altar call.” The remainder were not only professed Christians, but people who had previously, one or more times, made a public “decision for Christ.” As for increased church attendance throughout the city, Time has this to say:
“A random check of churches around town turns up little to indicate that New York City’s permanent population of Protestants is being significantly affected. In a representative sample of thirty-seven of the city’s Protestant churches, three report a total of eight new members, two report a slight increase in attendance.”
This means that thirty-four of the thirty-seven churches checked by Time had received no new members from the Crusade; and thirty-five of the thirty-seven had had no increase in attendance. Time further reports, “The tourist-attracting Marble Collegiate Church finds attendance up.” This was to be expected, for Graham followers from all over the country visited New York during the Crusade and helped to swell the attendance at the Garden. It would be surprising if many of these did not visit the popular New York churches while in the city. Summing up its findings, Time said:
“No spiritual event can ever be wholly represented in statistics or evaluated at the time it happens. The impact of Graham’s preaching may bear immeasurable fruits months and years hence, in unforeseen ways. But at present, in concrete, reportable terms, Crusader Graham’s effect on the big city is negligible.”
This is not an optimistic report, and even though we would assume that the Gospel had been preached throughout the Crusade, we would have to conclude that sinners increased in number in New York City faster than did saints. But the true Gospel of love, the Gospel of the kingdom, was not heard at Madison Square Garden. Fear of eternal torture was the impelling reason for most of the “decisions for Christ,” for an escape from eternal damnation in hell was the reason Graham gave his listeners for making their decision. The threat of torture was couched in more refined language than it sometimes is by evangelists; but it was there, and cleverly and powerfully used.
It is a source of great satisfaction and joy to know that the conversion of New York City, and of the world, does not depend upon methods of this kind. We rejoice to know that the time is coming, and soon, when “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” Through this knowledge the people will learn to know the true God of love and mercy, and they will say, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”—Isa. 11:9; 25:9
PULLEYS IN ANCIENT EGYPT
AN ARTICLE in the Washington, D.C. Star, date lined Cairo, Egypt, reports that an Egyptian archaeologist has unearthed two perfectly preserved pulleys which solve an ancient riddle of how the pyramids were built. Until now Egyptologists believed that the pyramid builders did not have the pulley, although they are known to have made wide use of ropes.
This coincides with facts set forth in an article by Walter B. Emery, and published recently in The Scientific American, in which he says that recent archaeological discoveries in Egypt reveal that a highly developed civilization existed in the Nile Valley 5,000 years ago. Mr. Emery writes:
“In assessing this culture we must remember that we do so on evidence which has survived 5,000 years of destruction by nature and man. But even in their ruined state the magnificent monuments of Sakkaram Abydos and other sites show that they were built by a people with an advanced knowledge of architecture and a mastery of construction in both brick and stone. The scattered contents of their tombs show that they had a well developed written language, a knowledge of the preparation of papyrus and a great talent for the manufacture of stone vessels, to which they brought a beauty of design that is not excelled today. They also made an almost unlimited range of stone and copper tools, from saws to finest needles. Their decorative objects of wood, ivory, and gold are masterly, and their manufacture of leather, textiles, and rope was of a high standard. Above all, they had great artistic ability; the motifs of painting and sculpture that were characteristic of Egypt for 3,000 years had already appeared.”
Mr. Emery explains that this ancient civilization appears suddenly in the early years of the third millennium B.C., and seems to have little or no background in the Nile Valley. He expresses the opinion that the architecture of this period was the product of a superior people who had previously inhabited the region. Here he is suggesting the thought that the farther the archaeologist goes back in his discoveries the more superior he finds the people to be. Thus again we find that the spade, in digging down into the ruins of the past, instead of finding proof for the theory of human evolution, is constantly disproving it.
Higher Critics of the Bible at one time claimed that Moses could not have written the first five books of the Bible, for the art of writing was not known at the time Moses was supposed to have lived. Now the archaeologists are discovering that “a well developed written language” was in use by the people of the Nile Valley long before Moses received his education in the courts of Pharaoh.
This, of course, confirms our faith in the Bible’s teaching that man was created perfect, and in the image of God; that he lost his perfection through sin; and gradually has become less perfect throughout the centuries. We are glad, though, that the Bible reveals the divine plan, through the redemptive work of Christ, to restore the willing and obedient of mankind to perfection and life. What a glorious hope! May we make it known to the world on every suitable occasion.