A420 : by Tony Garland 
Technology as the Savior of Mankind?
The view that mankind’s problems will be solved by technology, such as that which would make possible space colonization is naive at best. As the Bible points out, man’s problem is internal and spiritual. The dominant cultural worldview which denies a spiritual realm and posits the goodness of man will never be able to “save mankind” from itself.
True salvation is found only through the atoning work of Jesus, appropriated by faith by each individual—our desperate need to be “born again”1 as Jesus told Nicodemus (John 3:3 ff.) It is only by spiritual regeneration, eventually leading to our glorification, that man will escape the shackles of his fallen nature. But this reality—plainly communicated in the pages of the Bible—continues to be rejected by many due to a combination of pride and blindness (2Cor. 4:4).
One the one hand, our view of ourselves is too high: clinging to the belief that we are basically good and can bring about our own salvation—possibly aided by technology. On the other hand, our view of humanity is too low: denying human exceptionalism, convinced that we are mere products of chance rather than the work of a Divine, Supernatural Creator.
The former view (too high) leads us to place our hope and trust in ourselves—as if we were the masters of our own destiny (e.g., transhumanism). The latter view (too low) leads us to think that technology, such as self-driving cars and artificial intelligence, will match or exceed our native intelligence.2
Space Colonization
This brings us to one of the latest trends: the idea that space colonization may provide an escape from mankind’s problems—or at provide important keys in solving our problems (e.g., Interstellar).
But it seems unlikely, having been unable to solve our issues while living in a uniquely favorable environment on a planet created specifically for our benefit, we would somehow solve our problems in the incredibly harsh, inhospitable environment of space, lacking a protective atmosphere, magnetic field, and many other advantages for life. Traveling to the moon and back and sending automated ships on a one-way trip to Mars is one thing. Successfully colonizing space, especially at more distant locations such as Mars, is quite another.
Colonizing Mars, for instance, would require overcoming a host of serious obstacles, not the least of which some have referred to as the "tyrannya" of the rocket equationb. (For more on this, see the brilliant physicist Richard Feynman's presentation, Why Returning from Mars is Impossiblec.)
Even though history testifies to the exceptional abilities of our God-given intelligence and creativity (Gen. 10:6), as you point out: Bible prophecy is completely silent on the idea that a significant number of people will be found living in an extra-terrestrial location.3
Perhaps this is because we will not overcome the technical challenges before our innate depravity, coupled with the ongoing rejection of God, overwhelms society—ushering in the end-time events predicted by the Bible.
Or, as you suggested in your question, progress toward space colonization could be lost due to events which reset the world’s knowledge base or technical capabilities. This latter possibility has been suggested as an explanation for passages describing the future which mention horses and ancient weapons.4
In conclusion, I concur with your assessment that predictions in the Bible lead us to conclude: that space colonization must never have taken off in the first place, or it might have succeeded for a short while, but failed before the unfolding of any future unfulfilled prophecies.
Endnotes:
| 1. | Or born from above. | | 2. | But intelligence is not the product of materialism. Nor is AI—it merely synthesizes and accesses information originally arising from human intelligence. AI does not create, only synthesize. | | 3. | Some may appeal to the angels gathering “together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to another” (Mat. 24:31 cf. Mark 13:27) in support of an extra-terrestrial population. But the passage employs a figure of speech describing a global—not extra-terrestrial—distribution, “from the four winds.” See Deu. 30:4-5; Neh. 1:9. | | 4. | Another possibility being accommodation: visions or prophecies were presented in terms of weapons known in the prophet's day. I lean toward the technology reset alternative since it results in a more-literal interpretation. If my experience as an engineer in the last decade is any indication, we are already on our way to being unable to maintain existing technological advances due to declining societal health—including the loss of an adequately trained professional workforce. |
| 
