Material Abundance In The End Times

The world of the post-Industrial Revolution is one of vast material wealth, where average citizens enjoy a lifestyle that in generations past would have been the envy of kings and queens. Yet, in spite of this great material prosperity, most of the world ignores God, believing Him to be irrelevant in their quest for personal happiness. Unfortunately, this will not change in the near future.

In the coming days, the indulgent opulence of this world will only increase. For the bible reveals that, in the last days, the world will be a place of unprecedented material wealth and abundance.

Ironically, emerging technological developments also augur a world of unrivaled wealth and prosperity. And the catalyst for this great boom will be a technology of tremendous power.

The Coming Era of Molecular Manufacturing

A significant breakthrough is on the near-term horizon for mankind. The development of a revolutionary technology known as molecular manufacturing (MM) promises to usher in a new era of material abundance never experienced in the history of mankind, and it promises to do so in an extremely short timeframe.

Molecular manufacturing is the ability to manufacture products from the bottom up, one molecule at a time, with atomic precision. The central component necessary for the development of molecular manufacturing is a fabricator. A fabricator is a nano-scale device capable of precisely positioning molecules. Once a fabricator has been created, humans can use computer software to direct the fabricator to secure and position compounds at the precise locations where chemical reactions occur. Using this method, a network of fabricators working in tandem (i.e. "a nanofactory") could construct atomically perfect objects of any size by repeating this process over and over. A simplified way to visualize this concept is to think of a fabricator as an atomic magnet able to attract and repel molecules.

Once achieved, this advancement will result in an almost endless number of relatively cheap products whose flexibility, durability, and power will rival today's products by several orders of magnitude.

Staggering Wealth Will Be Created

It's quite difficult to underestimate the implications of such a revolutionary technological breakthrough. The process of molecular manufacturing will eliminate much of the cost built into today's consumer products, costs such as manual labor, shipping, warehousing, distribution, factory overhead, and raw inputs. In fact, in many cases, common dirt contains most of the molecules necessary for manufacturing the most popular consumer goods. This means that MM will literally make most products "dirt cheap."

As Mike Treder and Chris Phoenix point out in their paper "Challenges and Pitfalls of Exponential Manufacturing":

"Exponential general-purpose molecular manufacturing obviously would be worth at least hundreds of billions of dollars, and perhaps hundreds of trillions. It is only a matter of time before the technology arrives, and when it does, the consequences could be staggering."

Human Creativity Will Be Unleashed

Molecular manufacturing will unleash an explosion of human creativity as information becomes more valuable than most of the world's physical objects. The need for most of today's workers will disappear, and with most of their necessities provided in abundance, people will be able to spend their leisure time engaged in creative pursuits.

As Mike Treder and Chris Phoenix further explain in "Challenges and Pitfalls of Exponential Manufacturing," this creative explosion will markedly increase the productivity, size, and reach of the global economy:

"Given a portable, self-contained, self-building factory system that can make a wide range of products directly from blueprints in essentially unlimited quantities, it should not be difficult to design and rapidly construct new products, whenever and wherever desired. An explosion of creativity similar to the World Wide Web could develop quickly. The good news is that general-purpose exponential manufacturing could create a level of low-cost abundance far beyond the capabilities of any present-day economy."

This low-cost availability will be enabled by the combined power of desktop manufacturing, computer software, and the Internet. Just as today's software, music, and book downloads are sold at a fraction of the cost of their retail counterparts, tomorrow's physical goods will be downloadable as well.

In the same article, Treder and Phoenix further elaborate on the effects of molecular manufacturing:

"If personal nanofactories were ubiquitous, then their products would be readily available. The only limits would be raw materials - which would be completely renewable - and licensing fees for the products. If a product design were created and given away, as Linux is given away, anyone who wanted or needed one could have it. Any product that could alleviate poverty or suffering might be instantly available to everyone. As soon as a need was recognized, designers and programmers would be motivated by the desire to gain reputation through filling the need and by the knowledge that their work could improve the lives of millions of people."

In What Timeframe Will This Occur?

The Center for Responsible Nanotechnology estimates that it won't be long before molecular manufacturing is developed. In "Estimating a Timeline for Molecular Manufacturing," they state:

"Assuming all this theory works - and no one has established a problem with it yet - exponential general-purpose molecular manufacturing appears to be inevitable. It might become a reality by 2010 (assuming the possibility, which we can't rule out, that a large, well-funded, secret development program has been in operation somewhere for several years), likely will by 2015, and almost certainly will by 2020. When it arrives, it will come quickly. MM can be built into a self-contained, personal factory (PN) that makes cheap products efficiently at molecular scale. The time from the first fabricator to a flood of powerful and complex products may be less than a year."

Essentially what this means is that sometime between tomorrow and the year 2020, molecular manufacturing will become reality. And when it arrives, the world will be turned upside down.

What Does All This Mean?

What this means is that sometime very soon the world will experience great social tribulation and economic upheaval as the revolutionary changes of molecular manufacturing are thrust upon an unsuspecting global population. However, assuming a small group of people doesn't monopolize the technology for themselves, the benefits of molecular manufacturing will quickly lead to an unprecedented degree of material abundance throughout the world.

And for those who are patiently awaiting the earthly return of Jesus Christ, the development of molecular manufacturing will bring with it many of the signs associated with the time period just prior to His return. For the bible states that, in the end times, the world will experience great social, political, and economic upheaval. And the bible also tells us that, in the end times, the world will become hypnotized by the creation of never-before-seen physical beauty, wealth, and prosperity.

John's Amazement

The unparalleled material prosperity of the end times generation is clearly illustrated in Chapters 17 and 18 of the Book of Revelation, where the apostle John is allowed to view the City of Babylon, the world center of commerce in the last days. The following verse summarizes his reaction:

"I stared at her in complete amazement." Revelation 17:6 (NLT)

Many commentators believe John is left speechless because of the utter debauchery he witnesses in this vision, yet up to this point in time, John has been blessed with many extraordinary visions of the future. And none of them left him speechless and "staring in complete amazement." Could it be that he was simply mesmerized by the worldly temptations available to those who inhabit this world of endless material abundance? Let's examine what the bible says.

A Place of Extravagant Luxury

According to the bible, the earth - and particularly the city of Babylon - will be home to extravagant luxury in the last days:

"merchants throughout the world have grown rich as a result of her luxurious living." Revelation 18:3 (NLT)

In fact, the desires of an overwhelmingly materialistic society will lead to great arrogance and pomposity on the part of the human race:

"She glorified herself and lived in luxury, so match it now with torment and sorrow. She boasted in her heart, 'I am queen on my throne. I am no helpless widow, and I have no reason to mourn.'" Revelation 18:7 (NLT)

The following passages continue to point out the unparalleled luxury of the City of Babylon in the last days, citing her wealth as the source of worldwide weeping in the aftermath of her destruction:

"And the kings of the world who committed adultery with her and enjoyed her great luxury will mourn for her as they see the smoke rising from her charred remains." Revelation 18:9 (NLT)

As the bible makes clear, the end times will be a period of great material abundance. From the materialistic viewpoint of the world's inhabitants, life on earth will resemble heaven. But due to their excesses, arrogance, and rampant sin - from a spiritual standpoint - the world will resemble hell.

The Church in the Last Days

In His message to the seven churches, Jesus issued a grave warning concerning the evils of materialism and arrogance. And although this warning is relevant to every Christian throughout the ages, it is thought by many to be a message specifically tailored to those living in the last days:

"Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen - the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's new creation: 'I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! You say, 'I am rich. I have everything I want. I don't need a thing!' And you don't realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. So I advise you to buy gold from me - gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.'" Revelation 3:14-19 (NLT)

The Christian churches of this generation bear a striking resemblance to the one Jesus describes in the passage above. Today's church is one of passive indifference toward Jesus. Self-reliance, or reliance upon personal development mantras and gurus, has replaced reliance upon God. The prosperity gospel of "ask and ye shall receive" has replaced the salvation gospel of Christ and the cross. In many instances, contentment with one's career, social, or economic status has replaced the need for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In effect, the pagan god of materialism has become the object of our worship, and this is a road that leads to utter ruin.

God's Work

The people of the end times will be lovers of self - greedy, arrogant, and self-centered. But those who believe in Christ should ignore selfish desires and concentrate of the work of God, an endeavor which will provide everlasting dividends:

"Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone. But their trust should be in the living God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give generously to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may take hold of real life." 1 Timothy 6:17-19 (NLT)

Material abundance should never be used to fulfill our own selfish desires. Instead, it should provide a position of strength from which we can serve others. Jesus used the stories of Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16:19-31) and the Rich Fool (Luke 12:16-21) in order to illustrate the folly of abusing one's position of material abundance. Whether poor or wealthy in this world, the ultimate goal of each and every person should be a rich and rewarding relationship with Jesus Christ.