As it is Easter Sunday, it is appropriate to reflect on matters of religion and what religion means to us today. However, ABC’s “This Week” host Christiane Amanpour and Christian evangelist Franklin Graham took it a step further and contemplated technology’s role in religion, specifically Biblical prophecies.
On Sunday the two discussed the prophecy of the second coming of Jesus Christ and what that might look like. Graham noted certain events are occurring with more frequency as prophesied in the New Testament.
“I believe there’s no question, I believe we’re in the latter days of this age,” he said. “When I say latter days, could it be the last 100 years or the last 1,000 years or the last six months. I don’t know, but the Bible, the things that the Bible predicts – earthquakes and famines, nation rising against nation – we see this happening with more frequency and more intensity. But there’s other things when the Antichrist comes, we talk about the number of the Antichrist that he’ll have an economic mark that will be either on your right hand … or your forehead and that economic mark, you can’t buy, sell or trade unless you have that number.”
Amanpour asked Graham if he really believed what he said and Graham explained that he believes everything in the Bible. Amanpour then followed up by asking what the prophecy he espoused might look like.
“Well, the Bible says that every eye is going to see it,” Graham explained. “And, you know, I thought how is that going to happen? There’s so many phones today and just look at what’s happening in Libya or Egypt and everybody has got their phone up, and everybody is taking recordings and posting it on YouTube and whatever and sending it to you or — and they get shown around the world. I don’t know but he said they’ll be coming on the clouds and the world is going to moan. They’re going to groan.”
And although Facebook, Twitter and YouTube aren’t in the book of Revelations, Amanpour asked if this will be the vehicle through which the second coming occurs. Graham didn’t dismiss as a possibility.
“I don’t mean to be disrespectful but could there be a second coming by social media – is that what you mean?” Amanpour asked.
“No, I’m just saying the whole world will see him when he comes, and he’s coming back for his people,” Graham replied. “How is the whole world going to see him all at one time? I don’t know unless all of a sudden everybody is taking pictures and it’s on the media worldwide. I don’t know, social media could have a big part in that.”
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