We’re approaching the end of our discussions around the renaissance of new technology and its intersection with the ever-increasing kingdom of God. We come now to something less controversial and yet equally (if not more) revolutionary… Fusion.
Last year, we did a piece breaking down the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of fusion energy and brought some theological insight into it. You can check that out here. At that time there hadn’t been any real progress of seeing fusion demonstrated in an actual laboratory (even though we highlighted some hopeful experiments taking place). But then a few months later, at the end of 2022, a long-awaited breakthrough was suddenly announced and the world took a major step closer in seeing this thing actualized.
Disrupting the Powers to Be
I’ll briefly summarize fusion for those who didn’t read the previous article… Fusion is what happens inside stars, powering them for billions of years. It involves the “fusing” of atoms together to release energy. The ability to do this on earth would provide the opportunity for limitless, clean energy throughout the entire world. As we highlighted before, fusing the atoms inside just one gallon of water taken from the ocean could power an entire home for a year. So say goodbye to 99% of both oil and green energy initiatives once this thing is fully unleashed. This would bring energy to the entire world and eliminate the need for traditional nuclear power as well.
The implications are obviously breathtaking. Science fiction writers have long dreamed up utopian narratives involving civilizations built on fusion power. The economic impact would be colossal as advancements in every area of society sped up. This is because energy is required for everything we do. Having it in an unlimited (and non-harmful) supply would thus change everything.
But what does this mean in terms of the kingdom of God and the spiritual renaissance happening around us? There’s no way to predict how this would really impact the world. What we do know is that such a supply of energy would disrupt one of the biggest strongholds of power and control out there…
Fusion and the Age to Come
A primary function of the kingdom of darkness is to hold back precious resources, keeping them in the hands of unrighteous systems that disburse it through ungodly agendas. Unleashing this kind of energy supply would suddenly break up power structures like never before, including the freedom-suffocating entities that build their empires off the oil industry (as well as an equally insidious and yet more hidden force that is behind many green initiatives.) I believe fusion energy and its full release is part of a larger plan to see more freedom and thus more of God’s kingdom established on earth.
Now some readers may have a hard time processing this intersection between technology and Christ’s kingdom. Because we super-spiritualize everything, it is hard to see the connections here, and thus anything that comes out of the realm of “science” can often get relegated to the devil’s toolbox. If your theology of the end-times and of heaven is limited to clouds and harps and an ethereal spirit-only existence, this is understandable. However, I’m going to attempt to lay some more biblical groundwork behind the “naturalness” of God’s kingdom, both in this age and the one to come. (And for more of this concept, I’d encourage you to check out Dylan DeMarsico’s upcoming book A New World, which is being released right now as a series in Elisha’s Riddle.)
Jesus and the Natural Creation
To sum this up quickly, it’s important to know that the age to come involves a complete interaction with the physical world. In the kingdom’s ultimate manifestation we will have new resurrected bodies, and those bodies will still have regular physical processes. We know this is true because Jesus Christ is the first-fruits of this world to come. He was already given his new body three days after his crucifixion and he used it on earth for about 40 days afterward. During those 40 days, Jesus did supernatural things; however, he did some “earthly” things as well. For instance, he ate food…on several occasions. And (don’t get mad), he used science to do this!
Yes, Jesus used chemistry to unleash an energy source so that he and his buddies could have breakfast (see John 21:9). He did not shoot fire out of his eyeballs to cook fish (even though, according to Revelation 1, he probably could have done that too). Jesus used charcoal, the current form of technology, to make a fire to cook up some Galilean cuisine. (Side-note: This gave literal energy to their bodies that day … maybe even Jesus’s own resurrected body? I know, that raises a big question. Will our resurrected bodies *need* food? I know most would assume the answer is no, but a better answer is MAYBE. There will be such abundance in the kingdom that the idea of famine and scarcity wouldn’t impact whether the answer is yes or no. But if it is yes and we do need food, then perhaps that need for energy through eating will remind us that we are forever dependent on our Creator and his provision. Such a truth won’t change even in the full manifestation of our divine sonship.)
During the time of Christ, the world was just beginning to see the development of new innovations for energy, such as the windmill and watermill. There’s no doubt that if Christ chose to come to earth a little later, he could have used those other forms of energy even with his resurrected body in tow. If he came today, Jesus very well could use gas-powered stoves to make breakfast for a group of disciples. And the same could go a little bit later in the future with a fusion oven!
Nick, what the heck are you talking about?
Ok, let me restate one of the main points of this series… Technology is not bad in of itself. It can and will be used even in what the Bible calls “the age to come” – the kingdom of heaven fully realized on earth. Now whether or not fusion is firing up the grills for the big wedding feast at Christ’s return, I don’t know. But I do know his kingdom is breaking into the world even now, and what makes fusion particularly important is its impact on the issue of justice and in seeing the world have an equal share of necessary resources. This is because it is a key avenue through which certain unrighteous power structures could shake and fall apart.
The energy cartels of the world are a huge source of strife and demonic prowess, and therefore their breakdown would be a key advancement of God’s kingdom. Here’s another example from history in what I’m trying to get at here… Not that long ago, human slavery was a demonic stronghold operating under an international cartel. While many Bible-believing Christians were waiting for the rapture to solve problems like this, other believers like William Wilbeforce got into the “earthly” political arena to see justice manifest. A major innovation in policy came forth and slavery was abolished. Since then, things have been far from perfect, but a demonic structure still took a heavy beating and left countless millions over the past 150 years singing songs of heavenly freedom while still living on a broken earth. God wants to do this kind of stuff in every arena of life, including areas that are still in bondage through forces that hold to keys to our most important commodities, such as energy.
The medical sector is another example of what I’m getting at here. Both the spiritual and natural powerbrokers behind pharmaceuticals and insurance agencies often hold back true solutions for healing. Yet there has been a shaking happening in these industries for many years, and the technology of the internet has been an instrumental part of this. Through a greater disbursement of knowledge, people have been empowered like never before to better understand their bodies and health, thus forcing entire industries to shift into healthier directions because people were empowered with better information. Again, things are far from perfect, but such is the nature of a kingdom that is here and not yet. Things are advancing, even if it’s at a very slow pace.
So, to restate the point: The full release of fusion will help the world function in much more freedom. Its development in the way I’m talking about is still a ways off. But now that it’s been demonstrated in a lab, there’s no stopping its progression. There will certainly be oil companies and other utility forces that try to exert control over its development. They will do so for a season. But eventually, everything gets decentralized. Cellular phones were once only in the hands of military personnel; now you can find them in the poorest places on earth.
Eventually fusion will be make its way into the entire world, and when that happens, a new era will truly be upon us. It will not solve every problem. I’m not asserting that with any of the technologies being discussed. But it has the potential to play a big part in seeing more freedom hit the world, even more so than other the innovations we’ve discussed.
And, on top of all this, this technology could even leak into the age to come in the way we utilize energy with our new resurrected bodies! But…that’s just fun theological speculation.
Until next time…