The Loneliness Epidemic

Good morning! It is Friday, September 24, 2021.

This month is speeding by faster than the Shangai Maglev. For those that do not know, that is the fastest train in the world. 😊

I was listening to K-LOVE this morning on my way to work. They were talking about all the ways we use the internet now. Of course, I could not help but think of Daniel 12 where it talks about end-time prophecy. Verse 4 talks about people running to and fro and an increase in knowledge.

Now, while I think the knowledge it is referring to is in direct line with prophecy, think about the knowledge that has increased in the last 100 years, 50 years, 20 years, even last year!

news.mongabay.com reports at least 15 new animal and insect species discovered last year!

technologyreview.com lists 10 break-through technologies from this year alone! One of which is the new COVID vaccines. The vaccines are based on a technology never used before in therapeutics. It is messenger RNA, a technology that has been in the works for 20 years.

simplilearn.com lists the top 9 new technology trends including 5G.

But back to the internet. I remember in the mid 80’s my uncle booking a flight on his computer from the comfort of office. I was blown away!

Look where we are in such a short amount of time!

We now use our computer screens or cell phone screens to visit our doctor; shop for gifts and groceries; attend church and mid-week Bible study; visit friends and family; school; board meetings; banking and paying bills; looking up stock options; writing a book, dating and meeting a future mate.

Computers are used in our everyday life. In fact, in most of the world, it is impossible to use a product or service that does not use a computer.

Banks and financial: Computers play a significant role in handling all of the world's money. For instance: ATM - Digital currency – Trading.

Business is another big sector for computers and most money earned and spent is done using a computer. Below are some of the examples of how computers are used in business. For instance: cash Registers - Worker’s computer – Server.

Communication around the world is almost all digital and handled by computers. For example: Smartphone - E-mail - Computer-assisted speech - Voice recognition.

Defense and military: Encryption - GPS - Computer-aided flight – Drones.

Education: Internet - Learning - Writing - Keep records – Testing.

Internet DNS - Web server - Programs - Services such as e-mail.

Medical: Medical records - Monitoring - Research - Diagnosis - Surgery.

Transportation: Cars - Traffic lights - GPS - Airplanes - Public transportation - Self-driving cars.

Multimedia: Editing - CGI - Manipulation - Recording and playback - Creation - TV, DVD, media players.

Robotics: Control – Learning.

Simulations: Weather prediction - Product simulations - Big data simulation. (source: computerhope.com)

Let’s compare. The first computer invented and introduced to the world occupied nearly the entire room. (a very large room) It was roughly equal in size to a small house and had a vacuum tube. It had wires hanging from one end to the other. Its dimensions were about 8 feet by 3 feet by 100 feet. It weighed about 27 tons and took up 1800 square feet of space. It had 280 tubes, 31 thyratrons and more than 5,000 feet of wires. (source: historyrocket.com)

Today, almost everyone owns a computer; more than one. We have laptops and desktops and iPads and tablets and cellphones.

Technology has certainly come a long way!!!

It was meant to better our lives and, in many ways, it has, but I think in many ways it has made our personal lives worse.

We have forgotten how to communicate face to face.

Instead of game night with popcorn and Monopoly, we are sit alone in front of our screens playing games with total strangers. We have never been more connected with the world and each other and yet we have never been more lonely and more isolated. And we are getting used to it. It makes me sad.

It is a loneliness epidemic with no cure in sight. Or is there a cure? The only way we are going to make it out of here alive is to accept Jesus as our personal savior.

Jesus said “…I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” Revelation 3:20-21 NKJV

What a wonderful hope! What a blessed promise. Jesus is coming back to get us. He promised he would.

I know not everyone believes this and we were told that would happen as well in 2 Peter.

"…knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.”