The Monkey Man
Scientists have begun breeding human/monkey hybrids. What does this mean from a biblical and prophetic perspective?
The headline spread worldwide: an international team of researchers was able to breed hybrid creatures from monkey embryos and human stem cells. They survived in a petri dish for nearly three weeks. You can’t help but be reminded of what God’s Word says about the Tower of Babel: “And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do” (Gen 11:5-6).
At that time, a line was being crossed, and God intervened from above. Will that soon be necessary again? The signs certainly point to it. Hello Frankenstein, Planet of the Apes, and King Kong.
Injecting human stem cells into long-tailed macaque embryos is a different way of building a Tower of Babel. And humans aren’t letting themselves be slowed down by either ethics or earthly laws. “This is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them” (ESV).
And so, stem cell researchers have bred embryos containing both human and monkey DNA. The news sparked doubt, admiration, and outrage in the media. Humans are well aware than an ethical line has been crossed, and that this kind of approach goes against nature. But will that stop us? A total of 132 human/monkey chimeras are said to have come into being, of which 103 were still alive after 10 days, and 3 on the 19th day. Human/animal embryos could never have survived this long in a lab before. Even if the whole project proves unfeasible in the long run, the attempt is appalling enough. Ethicists are calling for society and legislators to finally address the creation of chimeras. But God knows man better than he knows himself. In the name of scientific progress, mankind will work tirelessly in order to advance. In doing so, we’re not just overstepping a natural boundary, but also a divine one. That is because God created every being after its kind. We are interfering with God’s creation, elevating ourselves to the role of Creator.
We can refer to Jude for yet another example of this: “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire” (vv. 6-7).
What had happened? Angels abandoned their God-given boundaries (their dwelling), and the Almighty intervened in judgment. Likewise, the inhabitants of Sodom abandoned their natural boundaries by indulging in fornication and pursuing “strange flesh.” That too had its legal consequences. Aren’t the current scientific developments another example of abandoning natural boundaries, and shouldn’t they also be subject to consequences?
We’re experiencing firsthand how world events are hastening the fulfillment of biblical prophecy in almost every area. This is precisely what we want to keep in mind: God loves His creatures and is exercising a great deal of forbearance. He doesn’t want anyone to be lost. If the Lord hadn’t been patient with me, I don’t know whether I’d even still be alive, let alone have eternal life. We don’t just want to expose the works of darkness, but above all, point out the great light of redemption in Jesus. And we pray: Maranatha; come, Lord Jesus!
Midnight Call - 03/2022
