Turkish PM appears as hologram to woo supportersPrint
Technology
Written by Chris Perver  
Tuesday, 28 January 2014 13:58

Turkish PM appears as hologram to supportersPrime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared to voters via the wonders of modern technology to address an audience ahead of upcoming elections in Turkey. The Prime Minister, who was unable to attend a conference held by his party in the coastal city of Izmir in person, chose instead to utilize hologram technology in order to address a crowd of supporters. He is not the first politician to use the technology. Britain's Prince Charles, a proponent of renewable energy sources, appeared in holographic form at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu-Dhabi. Former US Vice-President Al Gore also used it to address the Live Earth concerts held at Wembley Stadium back in 2007...

Quote: “Wanting to address a Justice and Development (AKP) party meeting in the coastal city of Izmir on Sunday, but unable to make it in person, Erdogan instead had his image reflected upon the stage by 3D beams, Hurriyet Daily News reported. The crowd, which was being introduced to the local district mayoral candidates, erupted with applause.

The holographic displays, while not yet reaching the level of sophistication seen in science fiction films such as Star Wars and Star Trek, certainly have come on leaps and bounds in recent years thanks to recent developments in screen technology. Experts are now predicting that in as little as five years time, mobile phones may be capable of projecting a holographic image onto a fine mist of water droplets, enabling the person on the other end to be perceived in three dimensions.

Quote: “To make a call, the person sits in front of a high tech camera which has two lenses and a microphone. The two images formed by the lenses are blended together and then streamed through the internet to the person on the other end of the line. A hologram machine then receives the images and projects them onto a screen of water vapour. Mr Panek said: “We are on the frontier of technology that was imagined in movies 40 years ago - it is science fiction becoming science fact.

It is amazing of course. But as with the case of Prince Charles and Prime Minister Erdogan, why not just use a live video link? Why the need to use holographic technology to address a live audience? Why go to the trouble of setting up expensive holographic equipment when a simple internet link could have done the same job? Probably the answer is in the 'wow' factor. Erdogan's speech would certainly not have received the same reaction from the crowd had he been addressing them from a big screen. Likewise Prince Charles and Al Gore drew more attention to themselves by appearing as holograms than the issues they were campaigning for. Erdogan's holographic appearance reminds me of that occasion in the book of Acts where King Herod addressed his people.

Acts 12:22
And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.

The Jewish historian Josephus gives a little more detail on this event...

Quote: "After Agrippa had ruled in Judea for three full years, he traveled to the city of Caesarea, which in the past was called Strato's Tower. There he put on an exhibition in honor of Caesar, declaring this to be a festival for the Emperor. And there came a large number of officials and those of a high-ranking status. At sunrise on the following day he put on a robe made of all silver and walked into the theater. Then the silver shown brightly as the sun's first rays fell upon it and he sparkled in the sunlight, dazzling the crowd and causing a sort of fear and trembling in those who were viewing the spectacle. The crowds then began to shout from various parts of the theater, words which in truth were not for his best, addressing him as a god, and crying out, “We have in the past honored you as a man, but now we honor you as one with a nature greater then any mortal being.” The king did not rebuke, nor disagree with the flattery of the crowd.

The same sort of reaction can be seen in Erdogan's address his supporters. That this man, who is able to appear before them through the wizardry of modern technology, must somehow be greater than just the Prime Minister of the country. Of course it was just a trick of the light that made Herod Agrippa appear to be 'divine', and it was a trick of the light that allowed Erdogan to appear before his loyal supporters. But it created a sense of 'awe' and 'worship' in the crowd that is reserved for God alone.

The Bible says that during the tribulation period, the false prophet will make an 'idol' or 'image' of the beast, and that he will somehow enable this image to both speak and cause that all who do not worship the beast should be put to death (Revelation 13:15). We don't know what technology will be employed here. So many technologies have been making rapid advancements over the past few years, including robotics, genetics and holographic displays. Could it be demonic power that causes this 'image' to live? That is also a possibility. But as we can see from today's news, the fulfillment of these prophecies may not be far off. The Bible warns us that Satan himself is transformed into a angel of light in order to deceive (2nd Corinthians 11:14). But we will not be deceived when we have Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, as our Lord and Saviour.

John 8:12
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Have you trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation? Have you got the Light of Life? Turn away from your sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation today (Acts 16:31).

Source Times of Israel, YouTube, Mirror, Bible History

Photo credit: YouTube screenshot

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