AI Awakening: The Beast in Revelation

Technology is rapidly fulfilling ancient prophecies right before our eyes. In this riveting exploration of artificial intelligence and biblical revelation, we uncover the alarming parallels between emerging tech capabilities and the warnings found in Revelation 13 about the image of the beast and the mark required for commerce.

The brilliant Oxford mathematician Professor John Lennox provides crucial insights into how leading scientists view our technological future. Specifically, physicist Max Tegmark's "Omega Project" scenario describes a global government using mandatory wearable devices that monitor citizens continuously and can administer lethal toxins when tampered with—eerily similar to the biblical description of the mark without which "no one can buy or sell."

While theologians have spent centuries debating the identity of the Antichrist and the numerical significance of 666, we may have overlooked the bigger picture. AI systems are rapidly gaining attributes traditionally associated with deity: near-omniscience through vast databases, omnipresence through internet connectivity, and oracle-like abilities to provide instant answers and guidance. Some ethicists already note the emergence of quasi-religious devotion to artificial intelligence.

The technological groundwork for global control as described in Revelation is no longer science fiction but present reality. As humans created in God's image turn to creating intelligent systems in their own image, we see a perverse inversion of divine order that could enforce the will of a centralized authority with unprecedented efficiency.

Despite these developments, believers need not surrender to fear. Understanding prophecy in light of current events helps us stay vigilant and informed as we await Christ's return. The signs are clear: a great falling away from true faith and technology enabling biblical prophecies to be fulfilled with stunning precision. Stay rooted in God's Word, maintain spiritual discernment, and keep your eyes fixed on Jesus—the King is coming.

Transcript

 17216384-untitled-episode

Done

Speaker Names

Speaker 1

00:21

Welcome everyone, this is Russ Scalzo. Chronicles of the End Times. It's good to be with you today. Today, we're going to be looking at AI and some of the new revelations that have come about, and how they match so perfectly with the book of Revelation when it talks about the Antichrist and the Mark of the Beast. This is important for us to investigate because it's not just for 5, 10, or 15 years from now. This is happening today. This is happening right now, and the potential for what will happen over the coming years is great, so let's look into it. 

•  
•  
•  

00:56

There's a man that I love to listen to, and he is John Lennox. He is a mathematician from Oxford. He is now 81 years old and is just brilliant. He has written many books on ethics and the relationships between science and God. He is an amazing man. He has also debated with atheists, including Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, and heard CS Lewis speak when he was younger in Oxford. This man has a lot to say about mathematics and science. He's at the top of his game, even though he’s retired, and we're going to listen as he shares some of the information he has with us. One of the scientists that he references is Max Tegmark. He's a Swedish-American physicist, a really brilliant man, and he has written a book called Life 3.0, and it is revealing. So, let's check into it. Let's listen to a little bit of what John Lennox has to say, and then we're going to refer to the book of Revelation. 

Speaker 2

•  
•  
•  

02:02

Let's take a listen. Now, another brilliant scientist, a brilliant physicist, who's involved in this, raises this question: Are we really in an unavoidable battle with an AI monster to stay alive? Listen to much of the debate and you could be forgiven for thinking so. Physics professor at MIT, and he has written a book called Life 3.0. And it's a fascinating book, because what he does is project into the future the possible scenarios if we are to develop AGI, which in my and many other people's minds is highly questionable. And he has a whole range of potential scenarios, but the one he spends most time on and it fascinated me when I read it is the so-called omega project, in which a leader takes over the entire world so that there is a global government, an idea that has been suggested by many leaders in the past and is the aspiration of many leaders in the current world. 

•  
•  
•  

03:07

This great controlling power gets a hold of the economy of the world, and it does it this way, with the excuse of fighting crime and terrorism and rescuing people suffering medical emergencies. Everybody could be required to wear a security bracelet that combines the functionality of an Apple Watch with continuous uploading of position, health status, and conversations. Overheard. Unauthorized attempts to remove or disable it would cause it to inject a lethal toxin into the forearm. Now, when I read that, it reminded me of a much more ancient scenario that occurs, believe it or not, in the book of Revelation, because it also talks about a future world government. And you know, my argument is very simple. If we're going to take seriously the kind of thing that people like Max Tegmark are saying about the future, I say, well, look before you reject it. 

Speaker 1

•  
•  
•  

04:12

Listen carefully to what the book of Revelation says. Those of you who love Bible prophecy and have been following Chronicles of the End Times and other such podcasts are familiar with these. However, we want to consider it in light of what Professor John Lennox has just said, and we will get back to him. He has some other vital things that there is a beast. We know that there's a beast. The beast is a system, and it is also a person. And then there is another beast that rises out of the earth. The first beast comes out of the sea, and the second one grows out of the world. We're going to pick it up there in Revelation, chapter 13, verse 11. 

•  
•  
•  

04:59

Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, and it spoke like a dragon. The beast rising out of the earth, he had two horns like a lamb, and it spoke like a dragon. It exercised all the authority of the first beast in its presence and makes the earth and inhabitants worship the first beast whose mortal wound was healed. It performs great signs, even making fire coming down from heaven to the earth in front of people, and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast, it deceives those who dwell on the earth, telling them to make an image of the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived and it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. Also, it causes all, both great and small, rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark that is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. Let anyone with understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of man. This number is 666. 

•  
•  
•  

06:09

Now there have been volumes of books written about the mark of the beast and who this person might be, and the search goes on. 

•  
•  
•  

06:13

But, folks, I'm telling you that that's not the key. We've spent years, decades, looking at the mark of the beast, trying to figure out the numerical value of the words and who this might point to, and still today there's so many that point to this one and that one that they could be the coming Antichrist. But what is unfolding right before our eyes, we don't seem to grasp, and that is the image of the beast is AI, and AI will force those to worship the beast. Ai will be the system. Ai is already in control of a lot of things in this world and as it gains more power and more strength, it will be the perfect match with what the book of Revelation has to say, and then it will cause the people of the world to worship the beast not only the person, but the system. So, I want us to listen to this next portion that John Lennox comments on, because it hits the mark. Let's check it out. 

Speaker 2

•  
•  
•  

07:14

The director of the Center for Professional and Applied Ethics in Montreal in Canada has written this recently we are about to witness the birth of a new kind of religion. In the next few years, or perhaps even months, we will see the emergence of sects devoted to the worship of artificial intelligence. It's already happening, by the way, For a certain AI system are beginning to exhibit the kind of capacities usually ascribed to deity, such as immortality, omniscience and omnipresence. These super AIs have prayer-like connectivity via the internet, the oracle-like capacity of chat GPT to answer virtually any question, produce life advice and even scriptures almost instantaneously. Nor do they have needs or desires like humans, only electricity. 

Speaker 1

•  
•  
•  

08:07

Pretty scary stuff when you think about it. You know we are made in the image of God and those of us who are born again, we are children of God because we have given our lives over to Him and he has given us a new birth to our spirit. We are no longer what we were, but now we have God within us, leading us by the power of the Holy Spirit. As we are made in the image of God, ai will be made in the image of man, and in this case, the image of the beast. With AI getting some of the attributes, as Professor Lennox just said, the attributes of God. You could see how this could easily develop into people worshiping the AI, who will be able to do anything see where you are at any given time, answer any question that you have. Oh, wait a minute, we're already there. That's the scary part. We are just one more leap away from what John Lennox is talking about today. It sounds like science fiction, but it's not. It's just the final step of what this world has been doing for the last 150, 200 years, and that's saying God did not create the earth, god did not create us.

We are the gods. We can control our destiny. We can say if we are a man or a woman or whatever pronoun we want to put on ourselves. We can change who we are. We can project our destiny. Scary stuff, but it's not for the future, it's here now. Taking God out of people's hearts is what Satan's been trying to do for centuries, and now he has more tools than he's ever had before. And God is not some long-bearded man sitting in a chair who only knows scripture and doesn't understand science. I mean, people think that it's just crazy. He saw all this. He laid it out. He saw AI. He saw all the things that the human race would do and develop. 

•  
•  
•  

10:02

Jeremiah 1, verse 12. I watch over my word to perform it. Let's stay in the word of God and we will be safe in the Savior's arms, because the human race is evil. We are evil, that's who we are. We prove it every single day. People are being murdered, innocent people are killed, and wars are breaking out. The governments of the world can no longer make a sound decision. 

•  
•  
•  

10:27

It seems to me the quotes we hear from some leaders around the world is astonishing. They wave their diplomas in the air, all their degrees that they have, they stack them up. But, folks, that doesn't make wisdom. You can know a lot of things and not be wise. Wisdom comes from the fear of the Lord, knowing God, and honoring God for who he is. That is what it's all about. Let's keep our eye on Jesus, stay in the Word, and stay strong. 

•  
•  
•  

10:56

Two things stand out above all the signs that the Lord has given us about His coming. The first one is the great falling away, the split of the church and people leaving the true faith, and the other is the technology that will allow this prophecy to be fulfilled through AI. It is overwhelming to think about, I know, but we must remember how this all ends. Judgment will come, for the evil in the world is great and, yes, as Jesus said, the prince of this world is coming, but he has no hold on me. Therefore, he has no hold on us. 

•  
•  
•  

11:31

So, we should be about the king's business occupied till he comes. That's what he told us. So, we should not fear, for we are in the hands of a mighty God, but we should be educated. We should not walk blindly down the road, but we should be informed. We should be alert, and we should be aware, because that makes us fruitful that keeps the fire burning in us and we don't fall asleep. I feel an urgency to keep us updated, and so I do my best to research and find articles and information that'll help us navigate where we are in the timeline of the coming, not of the Antichrist, but of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and the new world that he will bring with him. God bless, this is Russ Scalzo for Chronicles of the End Times. Keep looking up. The King is coming. 

00:00 / 12:28