Ultimate dystopian nightmare

"I'm telling you, everybody's wrong; technology will be long dead by the time we get to the half-way point of the tribulation," said Joel Hayes in his Friday podcast (Fellowship Bible Church Orlando). "There's no way there could be a connection between technology today and the mark of the beast.

"Just consider some of these judgments that take place before we even get to the mark of the beast. We're talking multiple global earthquakes, balls of fire thrown out of heaven. You have hail that's literally on fire, mingled with blood. Global hail that's on fire, not to mention all the other hail that's coming our way.

"You have the heaven departing as a scroll in Revelation 6:14: [14] And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

"That has to mean that all those satellites around the earth are going to be obliterated. That would surely destroy them.

"You have the sun turning to black, the moon turns blood red, the stars fall from heaven, all grass burns up, a lot of trees are gone. The water turns to blood and let's not forget the freaky locusts with stingers getting into everything.

"Last but not least, have we not forgotten about the 200 million fiery horses from heaven shooting fire and brimstone out of their mouths? There's no way technology's going to survive all that. Cities are going to be burned to the ground, buildings gone, power grids gone, satellites gone. 

"People ask, 'Okay, Joel, but don't you think that all this technology is at least a conditioning today for people to accept the mark of the beast when it's implemented maybe in the near future?' No way.

"Just think about all the horrors I just listed that all these people are going to be going through. In just the first 14 judgments of God alone, any conditioning to their thinking will be long gone by then.

"Many of these people are going to be a perpetual state of shock, trauma. A lot of these unbelievers are going to be angry at God, doubling down on their rebellion against Him.

"Think about the simple concept that without the mark you can't buy or sell. You don't need a conditioning of your thinking today to understand that concept tomorrow. Millions of people over the years have understood that concept long before any of these wonderful technologies ever existed. 

"So, if technology will be dead by the mid-way point, how will people get the mark? When we first started the podcast three years ago I used to propose, 'Well, how is it that the entire world is going to see the dead bodies of those two witnesses over the course of three days?'

"That's Revelation 11:9: [9] And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.

"I thought, 'Oh, the cell phones! Clearly that's how everybody's going to be able to see those two dead bodies.' But after having taught that whole trib series I don't think that way anymore. Why? Because technology is going to be very dead by the time those two witnesses are killed.

"Well, then how is it that people from around the world are going to see the dead bodies of the two witnesses? You remember the tempting in the wilderness and the third temptation? Satan took the Lord up to the top of a high mountain and what did Luke 4:5 say? [5] And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

"They didn't go to the tall mountain and were able to SEE all the kingdoms of the world that existed at that time. He showed the Lord all the kingdoms of the world in a MOMENT of time, and I would argue it was a supernatural spiritual presentation of all the kingdoms, beginning to end.

"Even Satan in the interim, I think, could see a little bit into the future. They knew the kingdoms that were going to be coming. How else can you explain the demons who possessed the soothsayers? The woman in Acts was able to predict the future and with great accuracy because of the spirit of divination she had been given, which was a demonic spirit that had the ability to see some things in the future.

"I think that's what Satan did with the Lord at the top of that mountain. He showed the Lord this big old gigantic supernatural presentation with spiritual special effects and the Lord still rejected that temptation.

"So, by the time we get to the mid-way point of the tribulation, I think everything that happens will be spiritual; demonically empowered. In fact, not technological at all because technology will be dead.

"Well, how is it that people around the world are going to be able to get the mark of the beast in such a short period of time before God begins to carry out His final seven judgments? The answer is the image of the beast.

Revelation 13:[16] And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

"That 'he' in the verse is talking about the false prophet; the context bears that out. He's the one who will have the power to give life unto the image of the beast. He's the one who establishes this global environment to worship the image of the beast; to worship the falsehood of everything he claims to be and now everything Satan, the Antichrist and the false prophet do, they do together as one unit, mimicking the godhead.

"But in verse 16 it's the false prophet who's primarily put in charge of implementing the mark of the beast. Why? Because taking the mark is more of a religious agreement then anything political or economic.

"By accepting that mark, you've entered into a religious commitment to worship the image of the beast; to worship the beast himself and all the falsehoods of everything the beast claims that he is.

"Oh, and you'll also be able to buy and sell, but that's really secondary. What's primary is your commitment to worshipping the beast. The bigger point is that having yourself marked with 666 is just a number of identification.

"By taking that mark of 666 you are consciously identifying yourself with the Antichrist and by extension Satan, which makes you a target of God's wrath and dooms your soul forever.

"Look at Revelation 13: 14-15: [14] And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

[15] And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

"To me this more terrifying than anything you're going to read about the mark of the beast. I mean, this is the ultimate dystopian nightmare. The false prophet tells everyone on Planet Earth to make an image to the beast. An image is merely a representation. A little statue, a picture, a painting, an idol of some kind.

"They will have to make a statue, draw a picture, hang it in your house, whatever. Some kind of representation of the beast that's in your possession.

"And then what does verse 15 tell us? The uncomfortable truth is that the false prophet forces everyone to create idols of the Antichrist and then the idols will come to life. Basically, it's like a demonically empowered version of Alexa in your home.

"Through that idol, now miraculously brought to life through the demonic powers of the false prophet, you now have the eyes, ears and mouth of Satan in your home. You have the entire demonic realm observing everything you do, everything you say. And that idol will speak to you if you're not living the way he wants you to live.

"If you suddenly have a change of heart, if you're sick of that dystopian nightmare and stop worshipping the beast, you will be killed by the image of the beast. It's not that the false prophet is going to send a bunch of guys to your house to kill you; the idol itself will kill you through the demons. That's what the verse says.

"If you aren't faithful to the beast and you don't worship that image every time you walk through your home--if you don't sing the praises of the Antichrist every time you speak, the idol itself will kill you.

"Just imagine an Alexa strapped with a machine gun ready to kill you the moment you misspeak. That's what's going on here. And if the image of the beast can demonically come to life and talk to you and kill you, then the image of the beast can also demonically give you that mark of the beast."