In the near future, the technological advancements of human civilization will become so rapid that today’s human mind will be unable to comprehend the implications. The point at which this occurs is generally known as “the singularity,” and many believe it will usher in a new era for the human race. Throughout the world, many intellectuals and futurists have noted their belief in the nearness of the singularity, with quite a few predicting it will occur within our generation.

Jesus also foresaw the singularity, citing it as one of the foremost signs of the end of this age and the nearness of His Return.

The Singularity

So what is the singularity? And why is it any different from other events in human history? The singularity is a future point when societal, economic, and technological change increases at such a rapid pace that the unaided human mind cannot begin to imagine its implications.

The singularity is built on the concept that technological advancement is not linear, but rather exponential. In other words, conventional wisdom (the linear view) holds that the next one hundred years will bring the same amount of progress as the previous one hundred years. However, those who predict the singularity (the exponential view) believe that the next one hundred years might bring the equivalent of twenty or more twentieth centuries of progress.

Mere observation tends to support the exponential view of technological progress. For instance, the twentieth century brought more technological progress than the nineteenth century. And the 1990s brought more technological progress than the 1980s. In fact, inventor Ray Kurzweil vividly illustrates the exponential increase in technology in his essay, “The Law of Accelerating Returns.”

So if it’s true that the advancement of technology is exponential…so what? Hasn’t change been a part of the human condition for centuries?

Yes, change has always marked the times. But what makes the singularity different is the pace at which change will soon take place. The Industrial Revolution occurred over the course of two hundred to two hundred and fifty years, during which the human race had adequate time to adjust to its widespread impact. However, the changes brought on by advanced technologies as we approach the singularity will be so rapid that changes equivalent in impact to the Industrial Revolution might well be forced on humanity within a two- to three-year period.

As a result of this exponential increase in technology (which includes computational power, advanced artificial intelligence [AI], genetics, robotics, and molecular manufacturing), the current world power structure will be completely upended.

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ

As Christians, why should we care about the singularity? Shouldn’t we be focused on Jesus?

Although our trust should be completely in Jesus, it’s important to be aware of the singularity precisely because Jesus Himself pointed to the singularity as one of the foremost signs that His earthly return and the establishment of His millennial kingdom are at hand. This revelation has been hidden in plain view of Christians for almost two thousand years. Only now, in our generation, can we begin to fully comprehend the meaning of His words. In Matthew 24 (more generally known as the Olivet Discourse), Jesus’ disciples asked Him to reveal the signs that would precede the end of the age and mark the moment of His return. Jesus responded with the following statements:

“Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains” (Matthew 24:3-8, NIV).

The various signs described by Jesus, which have occurred throughout history, will become more commonplace and more pronounced in the latter days just prior to His return. Jesus makes this clear in verse 8, where He equates these signs to “birth pains.”

This is one of the most important signs that the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ is close at hand—that the end times will be analogous to the birthing process. Jesus is clear that the signs He spoke of will be just like labor pains. So what does this mean? It means that, just like labor pains, the signs that mark the end of the age will appear with greater frequency and intensity as the end draws near.

This was a sign of such great importance that Jesus intentionally mentioned it first when answering His disciples’ questions. It is a sign equal in importance to the two monumental signs He mentions in the same conversation: the restoration of Israel as a nation (which has already happened) and the “abomination of desolation” (a still future event).

Wars, famines, earthquakes, pestilence, persecution, and death of Christians, as well as the appearance of false prophets, all mark the times in which we live. Since our generation has witnessed the reestablishment of Israel as a nation, we can be certain that we live in the end times. As a result, each of the signs Jesus mentioned will occur with greater frequency and with greater intensity as His coming draws near.

Signs of the Times

So how does this relate to the singularity? Jesus spoke about wars, earthquakes, and famines, but He didn’t say anything about technology.

Although Jesus didn’t specifically mention technology, He did point out an overall trend. He stated that certain signs would be just like labor pains, meaning they would occur with greater frequency and greater intensity as the birth (His coming) drew near.

If you plot these two variables on a graph, having them increase over time, the end product would resemble an exponential curve. And the singularity is essentially an exponential curve. Jesus was pointing to the unprecedented nature of human events in the time just prior to His return. The events that mark the times will resemble labor pains, meaning they will follow an exponential progression unique to our generation.

In addition, Jesus specifically mentions another sign:

“The time will come when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about: the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place” (Matthew 24:15, NLT).

In this verse, Jesus not only points out a specific sign, but He lets us know that the book of Daniel is a credible source of information when it comes to the end times. As a result, we should expect that any signs of the end times mentioned by Daniel should also resemble labor pains. Does the book of Daniel mention any specific signs relating to the end times? Yes, it does:

“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” (Daniel 12:4, NLT). According to the book of Daniel, two things will markedly increase just prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ:

1) Transportation
2) Knowledge

Not only will these signs increase, but they will do so exponentially. The labor-pains analogy made by Jesus applies to these signs as well, meaning both the availability and power of transportation and knowledge will increase. Simple observation has shown this to be the case in the centuries since Jesus first spoke to His disciples.

The human knowledge base, transportation, and the pace of technological development are all increasing exponentially. Knowledge and transportation are widely available to both rich and poor now more than at any other time in human history. The power of knowledge and the speed of transportation have also increased markedly over the same time period. As they continue to increase in our time, humanity is fast approaching the event horizon known as the singularity. Jesus foresaw these events, and He clearly stated that these signs will herald His Second Coming.

Tribulation Unlike Anything the World Has Ever Seen

In addition to the aforementioned signs, Jesus told His disciples that just prior to His return, the world would experience a time of unprecedented trouble that the world will never see again:

“Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. A person outside the house must not go inside to pack. A person in the field must not return even to get a coat. How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for mothers nursing their babies in those days. And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For that will be a time of greater horror than anything the world has ever seen or will ever see again” (Matthew 24:16-21, NLT).

As the singularity approaches, advanced technologies will completely change the social, economic, and political power structure of the world. These changes will lead to unprecedented global tribulation as people struggle to deal with new generations of weapons, geopolitical upheaval, and massive unemployment.

As Mike Treder points out in his Future Brief article, “A Global Surge Protector?”:

“Some refer to this as the next Industrial Revolution, and that is not an unreasonable comparison. The big difference, however, between previous industrial revolutions and the nanotech revolution is the time span covered. Steam engines, electricity, the automobile, telecommunications, computers: these all brought extreme transformations to society, but they each did so over a period of decades. When molecular manufacturing arrives, probably before 2020, a shock wave of change could reverberate around the world in only a year or two. Never before have disruptive impacts occurred so rapidly.”

The Transhumanist Movement

In preparation for the singularity, a new movement has emerged: the Transhumanist Movement. Calling themselves “singularitarians” and “transhumanists,” these people look forward to the singularity with a religious fervor. Many within the movement believe the singularity will lead to the emergence of “post-biological humans” who are able to shed their biological bodies and “upgrade their hardware.” Many believe that by downloading themselves into a network, they will effectively become “immortal.”

The Bible points to a time when the human race will have the audacity to directly challenge Jesus Christ in battle. By gathering their armies at Armageddon, the human race will attempt to “break the chains of God and set themselves free from His bondage.” Psalms 2 describes this monumental act of arrogance:

“Why do the nations rage? Why do the people waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against His Anointed One. ‘Let us break their chains,’ they cry. ‘And free ourselves from this slavery.’ But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them” (Psalms 2:1-4, NLT).

In the New Testament, in the same passage where Jesus describes the signs of His coming to the disciples, He makes an interesting statement in light of our times:

“And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:22, KJV).

Through the centuries, this verse has been interpreted to mean that the Second Coming of Christ will arrive just before the human race manages to destroy itself, meaning the human race will cease to exist. However, it could mean that “no flesh will be saved” because the human race will transform itself into a race of “post-biological humans” intent on reshaping the universe according their own desires.

Given the history of human rebellion against God, it would be unwise to discount this possibility.

Conclusion

Regardless of whether or not speculations surrounding the technological singularity turn out to be reality or mere fantasy, Jesus Christ clearly communicated to His disciples that the times just prior to His coming would resemble labor pains. As the hour of His return draws near, the signs of the times will appear with greater frequency and intensity, reaching their climax at the glorious appearing. Given the abundance of evidence pointing to His imminent return, we should follow the command of Jesus to be watchful and alert, prepared at all times for His return.

Furthermore, we should present this evidence to our friends and families, so that they too might share in the hope that is Jesus Christ. For the hour of His arrival is near, and a special crown awaits all those who eagerly anticipate His glorious return:

“And now the prize awaits me–the crown of righteousness that the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And the prize is not just for me, but for all who eagerly look forward to his glorious return” (2 Timothy 4:8, NLT).

This article concludes our study of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. In Parts 1, 2, and 3, we examined the riders of the white horse, red horse, and black horse. We will now study the fourth and final of these infamous horsemen, the rider on the pale green horse.

This rider and his horse appear in verses 7 and 8:

“And when the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living being say, ‘Come!’ And I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green like a corpse. And Death was the name of its rider, who was followed around by the grave. They were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease and wild animals” (Revelation 6:7-8, NLT).

What does the symbolic language of this verse tell us about this rider? We can identify several points:

1) He rides a pale green horse. The color pale green is a symbol of death. In fact, this verse compares the color of the horse to that of “a corpse,” and later, it informs us that this horse and its rider will be responsible for the death of one-fourth of the earth’s population.

2) His name is Death. Death indicates not just physical decomposition, but spiritual death as well. Christ defeated death with His resurrection, opening the door for all who believe in Him to follow. However, death still haunts those who refuse the free gift of the Lamb of God. Following the millennial kingdom, death and Hades will be thrown into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:14), never to plague mankind again.

3) He is followed around by the grave. The original Greek word for “grave,” as used here, is Hades. Hades is the place where unbelievers go following death. While believers are made righteous by the blood of Christ, unbelievers have no intermediary, and they will be judged according to their deeds at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). The fact that one-fourth of the earth’s population could perish without a believer among them tells us that this event must take place soon after the Rapture of the church. It seems to indicate that the world will not be heavily populated with believers, and we know from Revelation 7:9 that the Tribulation saints will be a multitude too great to count.

4) He and Hades are given authority over one-fourth of the earth. One-fourth of the earth’s population will die as a result of the actions of the rider on this fourth horse.

5) He kills with the sword, famine, disease, and wild animals. The method by which he kills includes deadly force, starvation, disease, and wild animals. Wild animals, or “beasts of the earth,” might possibly foreshadow a rebellion by animals against humans. However, it’s much more likely that this is a reference to human governments. The books of Daniel and Revelation refer to world empires as “beasts.” And they both specifically refer to the revived Roman Empire as a “beast.”

The Antichrist’s Rise to Power

It is my belief that the four horsemen in Revelation 6 represent the Antichrist and the initial phases of his rise to power. In the first three parts of this series, I speculated that the first three horsemen might be references to the Antichrist and his use of molecular manufacturing (MM). The white horse represents an attempt to conquer the world without using deadly force, while the red horse represents the deadly world war that follows. The black horse represents the economic tribulation resulting from that war as well as the existence of molecular manufacturing itself. If these interpretations are accurate, how do the actions of the rider on the pale green horse align with this scenario? Does the fourth horse bring further death and destruction, or is this a mere reiteration of the previously mentioned global war?

In all likelihood, the pale green horse represents further bloodshed. Let’s summarize what has happened so far in our speculative scenario:

The development of molecular manufacturing has led the Antichrist to attempt a bloodless, worldwide coup in order to prevent the unprecedented destruction of an MM-enabled arms race. Nevertheless, other developing molecular manufacturing powers challenge him, plunging the world into a horrifying and bloody war. The Antichrist emerges from this war victorious, but the war and molecular manufacturing have left the world economy in ruins. The crippling of international trade and numerous capital markets has led to a scarcity of food. The resulting inflation is so high that an entire day’s wage will barely purchase enough food to survive.

In the aftermath of these horrible events, the worst is yet to come. One-fourth of the world’s population will soon be killed.

The Modern-Day Pax Romana

Following this destructive global conflict, the Antichrist will attempt to reestablish order, peace, and security to the world. Enforcement of the peace will be a primary concern of a global regime. The world will be an infinitely more dangerous place, where a lone hobbyist will be capable of building weapons far more powerful than the nuclear bombs of the Industrial Age. The prospect of another MM-enabled conflict will so horrify the world that it will enact draconian measures to prevent one.

A system of safeguards will have to be constructed in order to prevent emerging nation-states, terrorist groups, and individuals from breaching the peace. A single global government will go a long way toward mitigating military conflict, as there will only be one military power with a unified purpose. However, in the age of molecular manufacturing, competing militaries could rise quickly, and to prevent a loss of its governing monopoly, this global government will have to deploy the best intelligence-gathering methods of the era.

MM will offer almost unlimited possibilities for twenty-four-hour surveillance of the global population. Such surveillance could be godlike in its implementation–seeing everything, hearing everything, and knowing everything. Imagine “nanodust”–nanoscale cameras and listening devices as plentiful and as difficult to remove as common, everyday dust. MM will enable the manufacture of such sophisticated devices in the trillions, and at a negligible cost. Outfitted with advanced artificial intelligence (AI) software, these devices could sift through continuous video and audio feeds, searching for predetermined patterns that indicate what the state believes to be “aberrant” behavior. This isn’t hard to imagine. The United States National Security Agency already monitors phone calls and emails in this manner. This application can simply be extended on a wider scale that encompasses all speech and actions on the earth. Although this may prevent acts of terrorism and preserve the peace, it is not a desirable outcome. History teaches us that such power, even in a system of checks and balances, will eventually lead to abuse.

The Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (CRN) has identified this as one of its “Dangers of Molecular Manufacturing”:

“Surveillance is only one possible kind of abuse. With the ability to build billions of devices, each with millions of parts, for a total cost of a few dollars, any automated technology that can be applied to one person can be applied to everyone. Any scenario of physical or psychiatric control that explores the limits of nanotechnology will sound science-fictional and implausible. The point is not the plausibility of any given scenario; it is that the range of possibilities is limited mainly by the imagination and cruelty of those with power. Greed and power are strong motivators for abusive levels of control; the fear of nanotech and other advanced technologies in private hands adds an additional impetus for abusive rule.”

This fear that advanced nanotechnology and molecular manufacturing could be abused by the state has its roots in some of the earliest examinations of this technology and its implications. The man widely credited with coining the term “nanotechnology,” Dr. K. Eric Drexler, drew a similar conclusion. In “Engines of Destruction,” chapter 11 of his landmark book, Engines of Creation, he states the following:

“A bomb can only blast things, but nanomachines and AI systems could be used to infiltrate, seize, change, and govern a territory or a world. Even the most ruthless police have no use for nuclear weapons, but they do have use for bugs, drugs, assassins, and other flexible engines of power. With advanced technology, states will be able to consolidate their power over people.”

The twentieth century vividly illustrated mankind’s capacity for mass murder and destruction. Although the sin that drives these evils has been around since the Garden of Eden, advancing technology harbors the ability to amplify our destructive nature. The genocide of Hitler and Stalin, on such a mass scale, would have been impossible prior to the Industrial Age. Technology aided in their systematic elimination of entire groups of people. Once molecular manufacturing is fully functional, yet another constraint will be lifted from our evil nature: People will no longer be needed. In the Holocaust, some Jews were temporarily spared due to their ability to perform manual labor, a task the state needed. In the age of molecular manufacturing, the state will have no need for manual labor, opening the door to a horrendous possibility. In the same chapter of Engines of Creation, Dr. Drexler addresses this concern:

“But with advanced technology, states need not control people—they could instead simply discard people. Most people in most states, after all, function either as workers, larval workers, or worker-rearers, and most of these workers make, move, or grow things. A state with replicating assemblers would not need such work. What is more, advanced AI systems could replace engineers, scientists, administrators, and even leaders. The combination of nanotechnology and advanced AI will make possible intelligent, effective robots; with such robots, a state could prosper while discarding anyone, or even (in principle) everyone.”

A few paragraphs later, Drexler further elaborates on this dystopian future:

“States have needed people as workers because human labor has been the necessary foundation of power. What is more, genocide has been expensive and troublesome to organize and execute. Yet, in this century totalitarian states have slaughtered their citizens by the millions. Advanced technology will make workers unnecessary and genocide easy. History suggests that totalitarian states may then eliminate people wholesale. There is some consolation in this. It seems likely that a state willing and able to enslave us biologically would instead simply kill us.”

Unfortunately, this is the future the Bible tells us the human race will experience. A global government will exercise complete power “over every tribe and people and language and nation” (Revelation 13:7). This control will be amplified by a governmental system that can determine who is able to buy or sell. In an era of molecular manufacturing, it will be impossible to prevent counterfeiting. All the financial transactions in the world will have to make the final leap toward electronic banking, giving an all-knowing government final authority over the transactions of its citizens. The Bible tells us that the Antichrist will exploit this power by requiring that all who buy and sell be branded with a mark signifying their allegiance to both him and his global government:

“He required everyone—great and small, rich and poor, slave and free—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name” (Revelation 13:16-17, NLT).

Those who do not submit to this new world order and worship the Antichrist and his government will be unable to purchase food, housing, and the necessities of life. Eventually, this persecution will evolve into outright murder:

“And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to overcome them” (Revelation 13:7, NLT).

We also learn that anyone refusing to worship the beast must die (Revelation 13:15).

These will be terrifying times for those who live in the world, but those who endure these events can escape unscathed. By accepting the blood of Christ as payment for their sins, they can renounce the things of this world and enter into an eternal life of glory with Jesus Himself. Our Lord makes this promise to everyone who acknowledges Him before men:

“Remain faithful even when facing death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10, NLT).

The crown of life is reserved for all who have been persecuted for loving Christ, and an entire multitude from this generation will experience this wonderful gift for all eternity.

When examining the characteristics of the four horsemen of Revelation 6, it seems quite probable they foreshadow the development of molecular manufacturing, a revolutionary technology that could be developed within the next three to five years, and almost certainly will be developed by the year 2020.

Nevertheless, we shouldn’t worry over such things. Only those who love this world more than God should be terrified by the prospect of these events. Those who love Christ should be at peace in their hearts and rest assured, for the outcome of these events–horrifying as they may be–has been predetermined from the beginning: Christ will be victorious.

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NLT).