Tipping Point Quick Hits (8.5.20)

The Temple Mount, quarantine trackers, and rethinking facial recognition: News stories capturing our attention this week

Israeli flag flown at the Temple Mount

For the first time since Israel took control of the Temple Mount in 1967, the flag of Israel was raised and displayed—very briefly—over this sacred site in Jerusalem. The Temple Mount, of course, is the location of the former Jewish temple, which was destroyed in 70 A.D. Because the Spirit of God dwelled in the Temple’s Holy of Holies, Jews still believe His divine presence fills this place. However, this complex is also home to one of the most sacred mosques in Islam: The al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock are located on the same site.

In late July, on the Jewish holiday Tisha B’Av (which commemorates the destruction of the two Temples), nearly 1,000 Jews ascended to the Temple Mount despite COVID-19 restrictions and threats of violence from Muslims. One of them was a leader of an organization called Students for the Temple Mount. Before arriving, he folded up an Israeli flag and hid it in his pocket.

Jews undergo scrupulous security checks before entering which include checking any bags or items carried onto the mount. Religious items and books are confiscated as are any items displaying Israeli nationalism.

In the first part of his tour of the site, [the student] withdrew the flag from his pocket and held it up for all to see.

In doing so, he broke Israeli law, which mandates religious equality at the site. A similar attempt to display the flag in this area in 2018 resulted in Muslim violence and arrests. But it remains significant that the young man was able to do so without significant retaliation.

I’ve written before that Jerusalem is the frontline for the end times and the Temple Mount is “ground zero” for Bible prophecy. This is where Jesus will return and the location of His throne during His millennial rule. The rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem is one of those timeline events that must take place before the the Antichrist is revealed. Before that happens, the disputed 36 acres of the Temple Mount property will revert to Jewish control.

Jewish presence there has increased dramatically in recent years. The unveiling of Israel’s flag at this sacred site is just one more step in that direction—a step toward fulfilling Bible prophecy.

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Singapore requiring electronic tags of new arrivals

On August 11, Singapore will reopen its borders to travelers—but with very strict quarantine rules. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, Singapore will now be requiring all incoming travelers over the age of 12, including Singapore citizens and residents, to observe a 14-day quarantine period. To enforce this, individuals in quarantine will be forced to wear electronic monitoring devices.

These GPS- and Bluetooth-compatible devices allow people to isolate at home after arriving from certain Coronavirus hotspots. During the mandated quarantine, these travelers are required to acknowledge all notifications they receive on the device. Any attempt to leave home or tamper with the device will alert authorities. Officials insist the trackers will not store personal data, nor will they record video or audio.

Similar measures to track the movement of quarantined citizens have been established in Hong Kong and South Korea.

The city-state of Singapore has strict quarantine regulations already. Under Singapore’s Infectious Diseases Act, punishments for breaking quarantine can be fines of around US$7,000 or imprisonment of up to six months (or both).

Regardless of the rationale behind it, the more accustomed humans become to personal-tracking technology, the easier it will be for the Antichrist to control the movement of people and flow of currency through a central system. Government-mandated electronic tracking is a step toward a world transformed by the Mark of the Beast.

“16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”—Revelation 13:16-17

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American tech companies rethink facial-recognition technology

In June, following the Black Lives Matter protests and rising concerns about the use of facial recognition technology for racial profiling, the CEO of IBM announced that his company was getting out of the facial recognition business.

Arvind Krishna announced the following in a letter:

“[IBM] firmly opposes and will not condone uses of any technology, including facial recognition technology offered by other vendors, for mass surveillance, racial profiling, violations of basic human rights and freedoms, or any purpose which is not consistent with our values and principles of trust and transparency. We believe now is the time to begin a national dialogue on whether and how facial recognition technology should be employed by domestic law enforcement agencies.”

Amazon followed that announcement by saying it had suspended police-force use of its Rekognition facial recognition software, and asked Congress to consider strengthening regulations related to the tech. Microsoft took a similar step almost immediately.

It’s a stunning reversal, as Silicon Valley’s tech companies have long been advocating for increased use of facial recognition software, while developing technologies that make it easier.

Until now, the controversial technology has experienced only forward momentum.

The commercial and governmental worlds have been salivating at the potential of facial recognition technology. Shops want to be able to identify customers in real time as they come through the door. Firms want it to make sure that only authorised personnel enter offices. Universities and schools want it to track student attendance at classes. Police forces want it to increase the effectiveness of stop-and-search operations. And on top of everything else, there’s the geopolitical angle: China is using the technology everywhere and the preservation of US hegemony depends on us getting on top of it before Chinese tech sweeps the world market.

Once it became clear that law enforcement and governments were using it for dangerous, real-time surveillance purposes, the tech firms began to backtrack. I believe it’s true that biometric technologies and facial recognition may be helping worsen racial discrimination and police abuses of power. Any technology that limits civil rights and worsens racial injustice should be one we refuse to embrace.

But as I mentioned above with the Singapore tracking system, and as I wrote recently about Artificial Intelligence, any technology that gives a centralized, powerful entity the ability to track our movement, predict our behavior and potentially control our actions represents the spirit of the Antichrist. Because when he arrives, he will take control over humanity by doing all of those things. He will use any available technology to do so.

That tech companies are now beginning to rethink their enthusiasm about AI-enhanced facial recognition software is a welcome development. But unfortunately, it’s bound to be temporary. The expansion of technology is inevitable, and the “birth pains” of our planet will arrive faster and faster as we approach the last days.

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Book Reviews and a New Sermon Series

A couple of notes for faithful readers and subscribers:

1. If you’ve read my book, Tipping Point, would you be willing to leave an Amazon review? These reviews serve as some of the best advertisements for any book, and I’m so grateful to have already received a number of five-star reviews. Even if you just review it with a single sentence, these help the book’s rankings and visibility across the site. Thank you for reading—and reviewing! You can leave a Tipping Point review here on Amazon.

2. This weekend (August 8-9), Gateway Church is resuming in-person services. As Senior Pastor, I’m honored to be starting a new sermon series about the end times based on Tipping Point. To watch online, you can visit gatewaypeople.com starting at 4pm on Saturday, August 8. If you live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, you can also attend one of the Gateway campuses.