1 The Final Countdown – Modern Technology Part 1 “Well, as you guys know, last week it didn’t turn out too well for Al, you know what I’m saying? He had yet another police officer incident! And so when he got released, he had to get a ride home from a taxicab since he didn’t have a driver’s license as we saw last week… Well anyway, on the way home, Al tapped the taxicab driver on the shoulder to ask him a question. But the taxicab driver screamed bloody murder, lost control of the car, nearly hit a bus, went up on a footpath, and stopped just inches from a shop window. And for a second everything went quiet in the cab, then the driver said, ‘Look buddy, don’t ever do that again. You scared the daylights out of me!’ And Al, he apologized and said he didn’t realize that a little tap on the shoulder could scare the guy so much. And the driver calmed down and replied ‘Hey listen, I’m sorry, it’s not really your fault. You see, today is my first day as a taxicab driver – for the last 25 years, I’ve been driving a hearse!’” Now folks, how many of you guys would say that taxicab driver’s fear was justified once you understood the whole context there, you know what I’m saying? Uh huh! He was scared out of his wits, wasn’t he, and rightly so! But that’s right folks, believe it or not, did you know he’s not alone? The Bible says one day the whole planet is going to be scared out of their wits just like that guy at the rapture of the Church! And the Bible says their hearts will actually “fail them with fear,” or in other words, they’ll be dropping like 2 flies with massive heart attacks all over the place because they are so terrified! And that’s because they just entered the 7-year Tribulation and it ain’t no joke! And folks, the time of the Tribulation is not a party. It’s an outpouring of God’s wrath upon a wicked and rebellious planet. In fact, Jesus said in Matthew 24 that it would be a time of greater horror than anything the world has ever seen or will ever see again. He also said that unless that time of calamity is shortened, the entire human race would be destroyed. But God is not only a God of wrath; He’s a God of love as well. And because He loves you and I , He has given us many warning signs so that we would know when the Tribulation could be near and that Christ’s 2 nd Coming is rapidly approaching. Therefore, to keep you and I from experiencing the ultimate surprise of being left behind, we’re going to continue taking a look at The Final Countdown . In the last chapter we looked at the #10 sign on The Final Countdown , which was The Jewish People . And there we saw that God lovingly foretold you and I that when we see the Jewish people returning to the land, becoming a single united nation with a powerful military, blossoming as a rose in the desert with a currency of the shekel and preparing to rebuild the temple, and last time, developing an unfortunate 3 relationship with the antichrist, that this would be an indicator that we are in the last days. But that’s not the only sign that God has given us. The #9 sign on The Final Countdown is none other than Modern Technology . So just what are these specific prophesies being fulfilled today concerning Modern Technology , revealing that we could be in the last days? Well, I’m glad you asked. The 1st End Time Prophecy concerning Modern Technology is that There Would Be A Great Increase of Travel and Knowledge . Daniel 12:4 “But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end. Many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase.” Many scholars see this passage as strictly referring to people rushing here and there, increasing their knowledge of prophecy in the last days. Which is exactly what we see today, do we not? Then there are those who see this passage strictly referring to people traveling all over the earth with an explosion of information like never before . Which is also exactly what we see today, do we not? Therefore, I think that it’s not necessarily one or the other, but actually both . So, specifically, just what kind of Modern Technology has arisen to enable this prophecy to come to pass? Well, I’m glad you asked. The 1st way that Modern Technology reveals that we could be in the last days is by an 4 Increase of Travel . You see, when Daniel wrote down the words of this prophecy, the mode of travel had been basically the same for thousands of years. It’s only in this last century alone that we’ve seen a major change in transportation. For instance, the fastest that mankind could travel for thousands of years was about 30 mph via horseback. From Adam to Alexander the Great to Abraham Lincoln, transportation pretty much stayed the same. For instance, at the turn of the century in New York, the major traffic concern was dead horses ! Each year there were about 15,000 horses dying from exhaustion, beatings, or accidents. And believe it or not, they had their own air pollution too. How’s that you say? Well, only from a million pounds of manure produced every day! That’s right, people quickly learned to keep their windows closed during the summer. But by and large, the major means of transportation for thousands of years was the horse. That is, until now. All in the last century alone , we have gone from the horse to the horseless carriage; the car. We’ve gone from a top speed of 30 mph to literally hundreds of mph. And in just a few decades , we now rush here and there an average of 14,000 miles per year, with an estimated 1 Billion cars on the road by 2025. 5 Oh, but that’s only by land. Thanks to the invention of the airplane, which also occurred in the last century , the world has become a much smaller place. For instance, the first flight by the Wright brothers was only 120 feet. Had they flown from the back of a Boeing 747 they wouldn’t have even made it to first class. The first plane had limited seating. But a Boeing 747 can carry more than 400 passengers, fly 8,300 miles without refueling, has 6 million parts, 171 miles of wiring, 5 miles of tubing, and a tail the size of a six-story building. And because there are so many people traveling today, the industry is making it even easier and faster to rush here and there , just like the Bible said would happen. For instance, you can not only order your tickets online, but also print boarding passes from your own computer. And for those of you who worry about your loved ones flying, worry no more . Thanks to the Internet, you can follow a flight in transit, graphics and all, observe the speed and altitude it’s traveling, and be told when it has arrived and not just the Internet, but now even on your cell phone. You don’t even need to be at a computer anymore, it’s with you wherever you go! Isn’t that convenient! In fact, they’re now combining this ability to travel on Land and Air to where you can really rush here and there in your own flying car! Check this out! 6 “In 1900, Henry Ford Markets his first automobile. 1n 1903 the Wright brothers have their first light at Kitty Hawk. In 1949 Molt Taylor invents the Aerocar. In 2004 the FAA creates Light Sport Aircraft category. In 2009, the “Transition” flying car passes it’s first flight test. In 2010, the next generation design of the Transition is released to the public. We’ve always dreamed about having a flying car, and here it is. The idea of combing the automobile with the airplane is no longer a fantasy. Celebrated by news media around the world as the modern day flying car, the Transition represents a safer and more practical approach to personal air travel. It sounds like science fiction but before long Britain will have its first car- planes. American company Terrafugia has developed a new model which drives on the road with wings folded before opening them to take off as a light aircraft. The Terrafugia Transition has a top speed of 185 kmph in the air and can be parked in the garage at home. The Transition costs around $280,000 and the first deliveries are expected in 2012. The car-plane offers a unique opportunity to drive to the airport and take off in the same vehicle – and perhaps to avoid traffic jams. Aircraft have looked essentially the same for the past 50 years. Transition really is the next step in the evolution of aircraft. The transition can convert between flying and driving almost instantly; you just get in the cockpit, push a couple of buttons and the wings fold up. Although it has been dubbed “a flying car,” the Transition is really an airplane that can legally and safely be driven on roads and highways and parked in your single car garage.