A GENERATION OF KNOWLEDGE PROPHECY
"But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased (Daniel 12:4).
David R. Scott, Apollo 15 Commander, is seated in the Rover, Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) during the first lunar surface extravehicular activity (EVA-1) at the Hadley-Apennine landing site, and STS-95 landing. NASA public domain pictures EXPLANATION:
During the Prophet Daniel’s life, God had shown him many future events through visions. The Lord always gave Daniel the interpretation of what He had showed him, except for the visions of the last days. Daniel asked God what the end times visions meant, but instead of telling him He said, “Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.” God revealed at the time of the end “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased” (Daniel 12:4). Those two major signs would be the key to knowing when the last generation had arrived.
Jesus also pinpointed a special generation who would see Him return in the end times. This is what he stated in Matthew 24:32-34. “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” What did Jesus mean when He said, “I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled”? Israel is in fact the fig tree that is tender and beginning to put forth its leaves. There are many Scriptures in the Bible that show how the nation Israel was compared to a fig tree. Here is one example. God said, “He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white” (Joel 1:7). In Joel’s book God had revealed Israel’s enemy was coming, and they would lay waste to Israel (or the fig tree if you will). Jesus warned us ahead of time, when Israel (the fig tree) was reborn and a young nation (tender) and growing (put forth leaves), that generation would be the one which would see the return of Christ. Let me make this simple for you. The Word of God has revealed to those who are wise that when Israel was born again as a nation, that generation who witnessed the rebirth would be alive to see Jesus’ return. This is the reason why our generation understands Daniel's vision. There is no question about it any longer; we are that generation who saw the rebirth of the nation Israel in 1948. The prophecy instructs the reader that this generation would be known for two things: increased knowledge and people would be traveling back and forth. As you can see from the above picture, we have gained so much knowledge that we have even driven a vehicle on the moon.
FULFILLMENT:
Has this prophecy really been fulfilled? Has this generation increased in knowledge, and are they traveling all over the world back and forth as the prophecy stated? There is no doubt these signs have been fulfilled. It is a fact over the past 50 years humankind has gained more knowledge than they did in all the previous centuries combined. In the western edition of the International Daily newspaper, for example, there appeared a story entitled, “America in the Midst of Biggest Education REVIVAL since Sputnik.” By the way for the younger generation, Sputnik was a satellite launched by the Soviet Union in 1957. The article acknowledged the United States economy had shifted into high tech, and experts see the
country moving toward even higher levels in learning in areas such as math, science, and language. At the time the above article was written in February 10, 1983, computers were just beginning to be implemented into classrooms. It is a well- known fact since the arrival of computers our generation has advanced faster than was ever expected. New discoveries are being made in every major field. The age of computers has propelled this planet to a worldwide internet system enabling us to communicate to any place in the world in seconds. Most people in the world currently know this to be true because they have been using the net for years. In 2008 millions of people all over the planet are now using the wireless computer and the wireless internet. In 1957 if you had told people you would be able to walk around using a computer and never be connected to any plug, they would have figured you were insane.
In 1998 another major leap in technology was made. IBM had come up with the fastest computer known to man. Let me show you how far computer technology came from 1983 to 1998. Here is a good example. "Someone using a hand-held calculator would have to punch numbers for 63,000 years to do what the new IBM supercomputer can do in one second. ‘Pacific Blue,’ dubbed the world's fastest computer at 3.9 trillion calculations per second" (New York Times Oct. 28, 1998). Did we advance? In 2005 there was a supercomputer called "Blue Gene/L", which had just taken the title as the fastest supercomputer in the world. The Blue Gene/L according to the BBC News can perform "135.5 teraflops - 135.5 trillion calculations a second…Since the original supercomputer, the Cray-1, was set up at Los Alamos National Laboratory, US, in 1976, computational speed has jumped by 500,000 times” (BBC World Edition March, 25, 2005). In June “An American military supercomputer, assembled from components originally designed for video game machines, has reached a long-sought-after computing milestone by processing more than 1.026 quadrillion calculations per second” (International Herald Tribune June 9, 2008). Did we advance? Of course we did, and at lighting speed!
Tremendous new advances are being made in other fields such as medicine and science as well. “In a feat that may be the one bit of genetic engineering that has been anticipated and dreaded more than any other, researchers in Britain are reporting that they have cloned an adult mammal for the first time.” That adult mammal was a sheep named Dolly. For those of you who may not know what “cloning” is, let me explain. Researchers take the DNA from an animal (a sheep in this case). From that DNA, they make an exact copy of the first sheep. The end result is that you have two sheep, which are exactly the same in every way. The article continues, “‘It’s unbelievable,’ said Dr. Lee Silver, a biology professor at Princeton University who said the announcement had come just in time for him to revise his forthcoming book so the first chapter will no longer state that such cloning is impossible. ‘It basically means that there are no limits,’ Silver said. ‘It means all of science fiction is true. They said it could never be done and now here it is, done before the year 2000" (Santa Barbara News-Press Feb. 23, 1997 front page & p. A-2). Dolly was just the beginning of things to come concerning cloning. In 1998 Scientists from the University of Hawaii cloned three generations of mice from the nuclei of adult donor cells. By 2001 Texas A&M reported that they cloned the first pet, which was named cc for copycat since it was a cat. Seven years later the FDA declared that cloned cows were safe to eat. Two companies in the U.S. alone have already cloned 600 of these animals for breeders. Soon you may be eating meat from a cloned cow and not even realize it. The FDA said that stores do not have to label this meat as coming from a cloned animal. The Independent news gives a good example of how far researchers have come in cloning a real person since 1998. Their report entitled, “Now we have the technology that can make a cloned child” says, “A new form of cloning has been developed that is easier to carry out than the technique used to create Dolly the sheep, raising fears that it may one day be used on human embryos to produce ‘designer’ babies. Scientists who used the procedure to create baby mice from the skin cells of adult animals have found it to be far more efficient than the Dolly technique, with fewer side effects, which makes it more acceptable for human use…Unlike the Dolly technique, however, the procedure is so simple and efficient that it has raised fears that it will be seized on by IVF doctors to help infertile couples who are eager to have their own biological children” (April 14, 2008). Since this chapter deals with the prophecy of increased knowledge in the last days, ask any scientist if this generation is known for its increase in knowledge? Every scientist knows it is a fact that our generation has gained more knowledge in the last 50 years than all previous generations combined. Did you know that our generation has witnessed the amount of knowledge double more than seven times? Those of us studying prophecy and keeping track of current events know that the total sum of knowledge in the entire world is doubling every 22 months. No other generation has ever done this. Jesus Christ gave us the key to knowing the exact generation that would see His return. He said, “So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled” (Matthew 24:33-34). For the first time in history, all the things Jesus warned about are in fact beginning to appear. Add the fact this is the generation named the knowledge generation, and you know the end times have begun. Before this generation is gone, Jesus will have already returned. Now that you know we are the generation who will witness Christ's return, let me point to an example of something very interesting.
Recently scientists have made new discoveries in DNA research, including what the human DNA really looks like. While scientists were viewing DNA using the atomic force microscope, they discovered what is holding the human body together: the Liminin protein molecule. If you were a homebuilder, you would use re-bar set in concrete to hold houses together. The Liminin protein molecules do the same thing in all human cells. Please stay with me because I am sure you will be blown away by what you read and see here. We are told in the Bible that Jesus is holding all things together in Colossians 1:16-17, "For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." What you may not know is what these Liminin protein molecules look like - exactly like a CROSS! It was as if Jesus was sending this generation of knowledge a sign marked in our own DNA, which used to be invisible to us, but is no longer. The first two pictures below are from Kramer, J.M. Basement membranes (September 1, 2005), WormBook, ed. The C. elegans Research Community, WormBook, doi/10.1895/wormbook.1.16.1, http://www.wormbook.org.
Actual picture of a Liminin protein molecule
Scientists are saying it is in the shape of a cross!
If you go to the link below, you will see pictures of these Liminin protein molecules taken from different labs. Just click on each picture to read some interesting information.
Link to Internet site: http://www.righthealth.com/Health/basic_funtiction_of_laminin_cells/-od-images_2-s
Moving forward, on June 7, 2006, Harvard scientists announced they were beginning an ambitious attempt to create the world's first cloned human embryonic stem cells. It appears there is no end to the vast increase in knowledge these days. The Holy Bible in the book of Genesis says God created man. Now man has become so intelligent he is trying to create life. It may have been only a sheep in 1997, but the debate on cloning humans has only begun. The Boston Globe ran a story called, “Scientist says he’ll attempt cloning of human being.” The report stated, “A Chicago scientist-entrepreneur says he intends to bring offering humans the chance to clone themselves, despite the biological unknowns and objections from federal officials and scientists that human cloning attempts are highly premature” (Jan. 8, 1998, p. A-3). In 2002 we read Claude Vorilhon was going to attempt to clone a human. According to a L.A. Times report released back in March 5, 2002, Vorilhon is the head of a group called the "Raelians." Part of the report said, "the Raelians did open a secret laboratory in West Virginia, which they closed last year after the location was discovered. Last month, Vorilhon claimed he had begun work at a new lab to clone a terminally ill man, who has no family and wants to be ‘reborn like a blank tape’" (p. A 12). Six years later this headline showed up in the Dailymail.co.uk, “Ethical storm as scientist becomes first man to clone HIMSELF.” The Dailymail reported, “A scientist has achieved a world first... by cloning himself. In a breakthrough certain to provoke an ethical furore, Samuel Wood created embryo copies of himself by placing his skin cells in a woman's egg.” (The embryos were the first to be made from cells taken from adult humans.) It seems there is no end to what humans will do. Speaking of cloning, “millions of men and women who suffer from premature baldness or hair loss could soon be able to regain their original lustrous locks-by cloning their remaining hair in the laboratory, research suggests” (timesonline.co.uk June 2, 2008). After testing the “latest results of the Phase II trial, presented at a conference of leading hair replacement surgeons in Rome, suggest that the technique can increase hair count in at least two thirds of patients after six months, and four out of five if the scalp is stimulated beforehand through gentle abrasions that encourage hair growth” (Ibid).
John, in the Revelation visions, caught a glimpse of how in the end times two prophets would be sent to witness to the Jewish people during the Tribulation. This is what was said as John watched the vision Jesus was showing him. "And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and
Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 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. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth" (Revelation 11:3-10). Now, let me ask you a question. Do you think Jesus showed John high tech communications, which would be developed in the end times in our generation? Of course he did. How will “every people, kindred, tongue, and nation” be able to see these dead bodies for three and a half days unless some kind of system is in place to make that possible? John had no idea how this could happen. John didn't understand because no such technology was ever possible until this chosen generation. This is how it is done in our generation. Today CNN, Fox, CBS, ABC, and other news agencies around the world cover “on the spot” news. Let me give you a few good examples. In February 2008 billions of people on this planet were watching the super bowl all at the same time. You know every news service was represented at the game. In April of 2005 CBS, as well as every other news agency around the world, covered the funeral of Pope John Paul. One news agency wrote, “In what is being billed as the largest TV event in history, a worldwide television audience of two billion people expected to watch Pope John Paul's funeral on Friday” (HyScience April 5, 2005). The Pope’s body was viewed by the world for three days before they laid him to rest in Rome. The Apostle John saw the two witnesses lay in the street for three days before they came back to life again. John may not have understood the concept of global television or global communications, but God showed John what it would be like. If John were alive today, he would have understood the concept of global news reporting and would have fully understood how he could have viewed the Pope’s body on TV for three days. If John were alive in this generation, he would have known how the two witnesses who were killed could have been viewed in the street for three days. Let’s not forget that Jesus showed John this technology almost two thousand years before it was ever possible. Speaking of communications, it was recently reported that through a new invention we may not have to even use plugs anymore. “The team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who call their invention 'WiTricity', believe it could change the way we use electricity and do away with the tangle of cables, plugs and chargers that clutter modern homes. It could also allow the use of laptops and mobile phones without batteries” (Daily Mail June 8, 2007).
The increased knowledge the Bible speaks about is continuing and will continue into the 21st Century. Back in 1998 there was a CBS Special Report, which aired called "People of the Century." In this special report, new 21st Century inventions coming to the marketplace were previewed. We were told to expect cars which will hit speeds up to 120 miles per hour. You may not find this too exciting since we already have race cars hitting speeds much faster than 120 miles per hour. The