We focus on prophecy each week for about five-minutes. The Bible is approximately 30% prophecy. About 500 of those prophecies are the yet-to-be fulfilled prophecies of the Last Days.
It’s more than a curiosity; it’s extremely practical. For one thing, it shakes-off spiritual apathy. The apostle Paul said: “[know] the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11).
Prophecy also encourages holy living. The apostle Peter, after a long discussion about the Last Days, wrote, “Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?” (Second Peter 3:11-12).
Looking at today’s headlines, it seems the “time” in which we live is one in which several prophecies could easily go from unfulfilled to fulfilled.
Everyone – both believers and nonbelievers – is somewhat familiar with what the Bible calls, “the Mark of the Beast.” It is something on or in the hand or forehead by which a person will be identified and transact all of their daily business.
For many centuries, it seemed too fantastic. Today we immediately think it could be fulfilled by one of the many technologies of biometrics.
Facial recognition is making great strides. Here are a few stories just from this week:
One article I read was about Future Pharmacy in Henan Province (China). Consumers can authenticate their identity with facial recognition on a mobile device, having activated the service by registering a phone number.
Google has launched a Vision AI Kit. It retails for $89.99, and includes a camera, and comes with face detection, object recognition, and face tracking capabilities.
Artificial Intelligence startup Horizon Robotics is launching a new HD smart camera with embedded AI, which the company says delivers facial recognition accuracy up to 99.7% for public safety and retail applications.
A pair of U.S. school boards are implementing facial recognition systems in schools to improve their security, Gizmodo reports… The Lockport City School District in Lockport, New York has announced plans to install new cameras with facial recognition and object recognition software at eight schools, at a cost of nearly $4 million in state grant money. The Magnolia School Board in Magnolia, Arkansas has approved $287,217.00 in funding to install more than 200 cameras at a pair of schools in the district, which will be equipped with facial recognition and other capabilities, including infrared imaging.
A company called Fingerprint Cards has announced it is combining the convenience of face recognition with the security of iris recognition. The company plans to offer secure touchless biometric solutions which will initially be available for smartphones, and eventually be offered for automotive applications.
Biometrics manufacturer Dermalog announced today its facial recognition system matches one billion faces per second. Independent testing has certified the system’s speed.
I’m not saying that facial recognition is the Mark of the Beast. I’m saying that facial recognition, and the other biometric technologies involving your face or hands, are exactly what you’d expect to be developed from reading Bible prophecy.
We are not looking for any particular sign, or prophecy to be fulfilled. Jesus promised He’d return to rapture His church – which entails the resurrection of the dead in Christ of the Church Age, then the translation from earth to Heaven of all living believers.
It is presented in the Bible as an imminent event.
Are you ready for the rapture? If not, get ready, stay ready, and keep looking up. Ready or not, Jesus is coming!