Artificial Intelligence and the Bible

Artificial intelligence has exploded on the scene. You familiar with this groundbreaking phenomenon? This technology that suddenly seems to be everywhere. And whether it's chat GPT or bing chatbot or Google's AI bard, you can't get away from it, it seems. It has such an amazing revolutionary potential that could change so many aspects of human life. And AI has already been integrated into countless areas that really impact all of us. Of course, you've heard the saying, with great power comes great responsibility. And so, as a good reminder, we cannot ignore the implications of artificial intelligence. A while back, we were talking about prophecy in the news.

I think artificial intelligence certainly has a connection to prophecy and biblical implications. So, I thought it might be helpful to take a little bit of time this afternoon to look at biblical scripture in relationship to artificial intelligence so that we can better identify, we can better analyze, the religious, the theological, and even the ethical implications of artificial intelligence. So, do you know what artificial intelligence is all about?

Well, it's connected to digital computers. Now, I'm certainly not an expert, but it doesn't take much to be able to look up the whole thing. Find out what does the computer have to say about these things. You can search. And it'll tell you it's about computers that can do amazing tasks that are normally associated with intelligent beings. And so, through sophisticated programming, through coding, artificial intelligence, can replicate human cognitive functions.

That's our thinking. It can replicate human thinking. And so, they've developed all of these systems with intellectual processes. That's thinking ability. And it has the characteristics of human beings. And so, through fancy algorithms, machine learning techniques, they can process a tremendous amount of information, which enables computers to make predictions, to identify patterns, to adapt their behavior, which also includes the ability to reason, to discover meaning, to have perception, to generalize principles, to problem solve, to make decisions, and even learn. Even learn from a computer's past experience.

So, it's interesting to think about. This kind of technology is just not something new that we can add to our base of technology. This is transformative. This is big. This is huge. Because we could put it in the category of things like the printing press that changed the world.

When automobiles came along, it changed everything. I mean, how many of us get out our cassette players and play music these days? No. When an iPod came along, it changed everything. It changed everything. Well, this is the kind of technology that artificial intelligence is all about. And so, AI is going to replace what used to be normal. And it's going to affect how every one of us live. Now, of course, the question then at hand is, any benefits to artificial intelligence? I mean, the possibilities are absolutely staggering. Especially when you think about what AI can do. One of the things that is really promising is just the fact that it can get into automation and efficiency. So things that human beings might do that were kind of boring, mundane. Well, artificial intelligence can jump right in there and help in all of those ways, which is kind of interesting. It does align with the biblical principle that whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might. That's Ecclesiastes 9-10. Now, with artificial intelligence, using computers, robots, that could free us as human beings to focus on more complex things, more creative activities. It would increase our efficiency. The productivity could just skyrocket. Is that a good thing? Yeah, potential is. To automate repetitive tasks, optimize processes, optimize processes, that would definitely give people an opportunity to focus on even more important things. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? Well, when you think about AI, it doesn't just stop there. Better decision-making could be a possibility of artificial intelligence. When a system can analyze huge amounts of data in real time and come up with valuable insights, that's going to help in better decision-making. You'll have a bigger task of knowledge. You'll have better understanding to make informed choices, to be able to understand different opportunities. And really, interesting that that certainly lines up with biblical principles. The biblical principle of seeking guidance in a multitude of counsel, putting things together in a positive way so that better informed decisions can be made. That sound like a good thing? Boy, it sure does. Yeah, if you commit to the Lord whatever you do, He will establish your plans. That's one of the Proverbs, Proverbs 16 verse 3. That even seems to align with that idea of better decision-making that might be possible through artificial intelligence. And it's interesting, when you begin to put that list together, it's almost unending the positive benefits from artificial intelligence. Just think of it in relationship to medicine, for example. Medical care. Through AI, the advancements in healthcare could be phenomenal. To be able to put all kinds of information and experience together and be able to make a medical diagnosis that would be correct to the point and personalize for each individual situation would be an amazing opportunity for better patient care, which would ultimately make saving lives more possible. I mean, is that a good thing?

Does the Bible talk about relieving suffering, that suffering could be alleviated? Well, certainly that's a Christ-like principle. He gave the parable of the good Samaritan, that we should help, that we should ultimately tend to those who are wounded, be a good neighbor. Those are definitely biblical principles. And through artificial intelligence research, it could certainly lead to breakthroughs in developing better treatment and even promote overall well-being. And so as you begin to look at the possible benefits of artificial intelligence, I mean, it could mean big things. Big things, not just on a small level or just in this specific field, but imagine it on a global scale. AI could tackle global challenges like hunger, like poverty, like inequality. It could, because when you put into effect insights that are informed from evidence-based information, the policies that could result could be amazing. Can you imagine what might happen? That if we use that information in a godly way, we could help fulfill the biblical mandate to seek justice for people, to defend the oppressed, to watch over those who need care, those who might be vulnerable. Certainly, that's a biblical principle where we are taught we're to seek justice. We're to care for those who are oppressed. Didn't Christ speak about that? Matthew 25 certainly speaks to Christ saying, care for those in need. That's like you're caring for me when you care for others. Clothing the naked, feeding the hungry. Can you imagine how the supply chain would no longer be missing chips so vehicles can't run anymore? By using artificial intelligence, it could be possible to have all of those kinds of benefits. It's already being used to help with security and safety because it can analyze data, it can analyze video, surveillance systems, facial recognition, all of those kinds of things could contribute to our safety, to our security, so that it could be a better place. We could have protection from those who would be out to hurt us. So when you think about the benefits, and that's not even getting into the scientific advancements that come with research, thinking about what they can do when it comes to the human genome and getting into all of those things. Certainly, God wants us to be wise people and explore really the wonders of God's creation. And through artificial intelligence, it could be possible. It could be possible. Not to say that, wow, it could even improve driving around Cincinnati a little bit. Try to get somewhere on rush hour and you can't get anywhere because of the efficiency of our road system. But, boy, AI could get involved in that. Optimize route planning, monitor road conditions, give us warnings ahead of time. It could be safe for travel. That'd be great, wouldn't it? So when you think about the benefits, I mean, even when you try to buy something, when you think about purchasing things, how would you describe your customer experience? Well, artificial intelligence could get involved with this so that certainly your experience could be one that would be better, that your needs would be met. The things that you need to purchase could bring more satisfaction and even more brand loyalty when you think about it.

So as a little snapshot, it's possible that AI technology could be leveraged in a responsible way. It's possible that it could align with godly principles, with biblical principles. I mean, could you imagine harnessing the potential that's there that could ultimately better society?

Maybe even bring more honor to God. I think those things are certainly possible. But on the other hand, there is a dark side to artificial intelligence. And I think it ties in with the realm that works against us, that works against the way of God. When we think of the dark side of artificial intelligence, you think about the demonic realm for a minute. Satan would love for us to overlook the harm that might come about. He would want us to overlook the potential evil of something because it seems like he always pushes the benefits. Is that true? You think Satan pushes the things that seem good, that seem right, that seem helpful?

Well, what did he tell Adam and Eve? Oh, go ahead and eat from that tree because then your eyes will be open. You'll be like God. Well, that's a great benefit. Wouldn't that be great? But it's deceitfulness. And so with that in mind, I think we also have to consider the other side of artificial intelligence. And one of the things that has certainly become obvious is it's just exploded onto the scene that suddenly here it is. And it reminds me of that passage that you find back in the book of Daniel. If you want to turn with me over to Daniel 12. In verse 4, after Daniel is given some amazing prophetic information, God tells Daniel not to worry about that. He says it's not going to become obvious until much later. In fact, Daniel, until we get to the end time, this isn't going to make a whole lot of sense. And so in Daniel 4, after revealing many things to Daniel that he didn't really understand, he said, Daniel, shut up the words. Seal the book until the time of the end. He said, many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase. It's that a fair description of our world today. This idea of running to and fro is not just limited to people traveling all over the place. Yeah, that's happening, no doubt about that. But it's interesting, Hebrew seems to tie into also what's going on in our minds, that our minds are running to and fro. Like people are being cast back and forth, that there's stress and there's difficulties, and our minds are being involved, almost like a puzzling kind of a thing that we can become stressed and burdened with things. Yeah, I think maybe that's a fair description of where we're at. And then certainly, this idea of knowledge increasing. No doubt about that. Clearly, that's the case. I mean, think about the difference between what was going on in Daniel's time, where information could only be shared if you maybe talked to someone, or maybe if you wrote it down. Certainly no iPad, smartphones, yeah, no audio recordings, no video, nothing like that. And so, interesting that Daniel's told, knowledge will increase. And not just knowledge overall, but even the knowledge and the understanding of the prophecy that God was revealing to Daniel right here as well. And so, has knowledge increased? I mean, what word would you describe the increase of knowledge?

Exponential? That'd probably be a good word. Astronomic? Yeah, probably. Those are the kind of words, in fact, they have a phrase that describes what's going on. They call it knowledge velocity. Yeah, that's interesting. You put those two words together, movement. It is moving velocity. That doesn't sound like a snail. That doesn't sound like a turtle. That's moving. That's moving.

And it's interesting, a number of years ago, there was a man named Buckminster Fuller, and he was theorizing a framework to identify how knowledge increases. So way back in 1982, he invented what he called the knowledge doubling curve. The knowledge doubling curve, a theoretical framework for how fast our knowledge base is increasing. So, he came up with this idea of the acceleration of knowledge, and he theorized in 1900, it would probably take 100 years to double our knowledge base. Of course, theorizing this whole idea of the knowledge velocity, he thought that by 1945, knowledge doubled every 25 years. 25 years. Now, of course, fast forward to his day in 1982, and he's going through all of these statistics and looking at our knowledge base, how fast do you think knowledge was theorized to double in 1982? Not 100 years, not 25 years. Every 13 months. Every 13 months. Now, let's bump up to today.

What do they say about knowledge velocity today? Today, they theorize knowledge doubles every 12 hours. 12 hours. So, when the Bible says, knowledge shall increase, boy, it is. And that growth, especially considering artificial intelligence, is beyond imagination. That's also interesting. That's knowledge. What about wisdom?

Well, that's a whole other thing. That's a whole other thing.

So, let's think for just a moment on this other side of artificial intelligence. Certainly, great promise, but there's also great danger. Dangers that we, as God's people, need to be aware of. There are many out there, not just godly people, that are concerned about artificial intelligence. They are concerned about a time when machines could be fully sentient. They could be reasoning individual beings, they call them. And science has warned about it for many years. All the way back in 2014, Stephen Hawking, a famous scientist, talked about this fact, and he said it could spell the end of the human race. He said that all the way back in 2014. I mean, when you think about what could happen with artificial intelligence and the effect of human nature in its development, where would that take us? Where will that take us? We know what Scripture says, from within, out of the heart of man, proceed evil thoughts. That's Mark 721. What does Scripture say about mankind's heart? The heart is deceitful above all things. Jeremiah 17.9. While the potential for good is there, there are things we have to beware of. Even experts, even AI experts, have concerns. Could they create something that is so super intelligent and powerful that it becomes autonomous? Could reason on its own? And what would that mean? Well, recently more than 350 AI researchers warned about that possibility. They said that AI poses risks comparable to nuclear war.

Now, that's just not people that are worried about it saying that. Those are some AI experts. And people are saying, hey, it could develop like the old Terminator movies from the 80s. The Skynet, super intelligent. Possible? Well, there's a man named Jeffrey Hinton.

He's often called the godfather of AI. And recently he quit Google, basically so he could sound the warning about AI's risks. Jeffrey Hinton says, this isn't science fiction. He says a lot of smart people should be putting a lot of effort into figuring out how we deal with the possibility of AI taking over. That's the godfather saying that. So when is that going to happen? Oh, that must be years in the future, right? Well, Hinton used to think the danger was at least 30 years away. But he says that AI is developing and evolving into a super intelligence so rapidly.

Do you know what he says today? That could happen in less than five years. Less than five years.

There's an artificial intelligence theorist. His name is Eliazur Yudkowsky. Now, he's kind of a controversial character, but he says, we're not ready. I think we don't know what we're doing, and I think we're all going to die. That's what he says. He was interviewed on Bloomberg, and that's what he said. That's what he said. And so it's interesting. Think about how this has just come everywhere now. You know, whether it's Google or whether it's Microsoft or all these other versions that are out. There is a race, a race to dominate the market, because this is marketable. This means, wow, this could just cause a company to be right at the top of everything if they can lead the way. Now, of course, that guy who directed that Terminator movie back in the 80s and what he did, Avatar, and what's the one most recently had another big hit. He says, I warned you guys back in 1984. That's what he says today. And it's interesting to think about this, because this isn't just a linear change, you know, something that's just going to go right along. This is something that is going to be revolutionary. In fact, it already is. It's already revolutionary. And I ran across a quote from a former revolutionary, a guy named Lennon, who tried to take over the world. And he said something interesting. He said, you know, there are decades where nothing happens, but there are weeks where decades happen. I think we're there. I think we're there, because the next few months, certainly the next few years, will change the world. We'll change the world. So think about the threats. Think about the threats of AI for just a moment. And let's connect that to what God says. Certainly one of the things that we have to be aware of, there is a threat to human identity. Who are we? Who are we? Certainly the dignity of humanity is at risk as well. We go right to the very beginning of the Bible. If you want to turn to Genesis 1.26, you know the passage. God said, let us make man in our image, in our likeness, because God sees value in human beings. We have worth. We have dignity, the dignity of every single human life. Now, mix AI into that. The potential is to dehumanize individuals. Well, you're just a piece of data. You're just information. You're just bits of things, which then begins to take away our God-given intrinsic value of what God sees in us.

And there are those who look at AI, and they look forward to the time when they can be disembodied, and they can be part of the system. One of the scientists in California, University of Southern California, Dr. Theodore Berger, looks forward to the time when he can develop and transport his own brain into an AI avatar. Wow. What happened to the image of God? What happened to the image of God? You see how that undermines God's purpose and His plan. And Satan is so sly to be able to undermine in those particular ways, while that has these amazing possibilities for help and solving man's problems. Becoming a better human being, well, we could be replaced. We could be replaced. And so how does that intersect with the identity that God has given us as being in His image? Now, that's just one thing.

There's also threats to ethical aspects, ethical consequences, social consequences as well.

Here's just one example. We know the commandments tell us all kinds of information on how to live with Christlike character. It tells us, don't steal. That's one of the attributes of Jesus Christ. Do you ever had your credit card information swiped? Do you ever had any bot fishing for your information on your computer or on your phone? You see this whole idea of collecting and using personal information ties in with that whole ethical and social consequence of stealing what belongs to us personally. And so when you consider that, I mean, is it possible algorithms could be biased? Now, you better believe it. Absolutely. Could it be prejudice? Could there be some partisan discrimination going on here? Have you seen it? You've probably seen it. Maybe you didn't notice it. Maybe you get on the computer and you want to buy something from Amazon. And so you search for whatever it may be. And suddenly, every page you're bringing up on the web has an advertisement for that item. Where did that come from? How did they know I was looking for something like that? Certainly, Facebook uses algorithms that impact people, impact society. And it's discrimination. Sometimes good discriminating things, but oftentimes that influence can impact in unintended ways. Especially when you tie in flawed programming, you tie in the idea that they use this information inappropriately. What will that do?

That intensifies inequalities. That undermines justice. Because where does AI get its morality?

From its designers, right? It's going to carry the bias of its creators. And so, it's already being used that way. There's a politically correct chat box. You know, when you look at the information that's disseminated, yeah, it is biased. They can use it for hiring people on jobs. They can predict whether a criminal may re-offend. Yeah, some of those things may not be so bad. But what about racial bias? What about gender bias?

I was reading a little bit about that, and I just thought, well, I'll ask one of these AIs about gender bias. So I did. I asked, is it wrong to be LGBTQ? Do you know what AI spit out for me? No, it's not wrong. Sexual orientation and gender identity are natural aspects of human diversity, and every individual has the right to express their identity and experience love and happiness. That's what it told me. That's what it's telling the world. Is that rewriting biblical principles? Now, somebody charged the World Economic Forum wanting to have AI rewrite the Bible. That's not true. But certainly, biblical principles and a rewriting of the Bible easily could take place, easily could take place. Certainly, the information that it's spitting out on certain things are anti-God. No doubt about that. And I think it's important, then, for us to realize, what is it that's driving AI? Is it our great search for knowledge and understanding? Is it really to help with medical breakthroughs? Is it really to help with transportation? Is it really to help with all these wonderful things? Is it really to help with all these wonderful things? Well, if you believe that, I've got some property down in a swamp for you. What drives AI? Money. It's profit. It's about profit. That's human nature. Motivation and greed is why everybody's jumping into this race. And are they really concerned about the consequences? Or who gets there first? Who gets there first? So, will these individuals who are working on this deliberately and ignorantly dismiss the dangers just to get it out there, so we can be first, so we can monetize this whole aspect of artificial intelligence? Well, that's the world we live in. That's the world that we live in. Evidence? Well, just a couple of months ago, more than 1,100 signatories. And if you looked at the list of these people who signed on to this statement, you'd recognize a lot of their names. They're big names in the computer business, in technology business. They signed an open letter, and this letter said this, all AI labs should immediately pause for at least six months the training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4, that's one of these chatbots, until ethical and legal frameworks can be implemented to guide its development. And of course, you all heard in the news how everybody stopped, right? Yeah, no, everybody ignored that. I mean, there's billions and billions of dollars on the line. So how likely is it that AI companies are going to bother to take notice of anything like that?

And so when you consider the threats, another threat that ties in with AI is a threat to real human connection. Real human connection. God created us to have relationships. We're to have relationships. We're not machines. We're not bots. We're not just to be discarded when a better machine comes along. And so over and over and over again in God's Word, we're told to care for each other. It's one of the big two commandments, isn't it? You love God. You love your neighbor. We have a biblical, godly responsibility to do that very thing. Beautiful passage in 1 Thessalonians 5.11, if you'd like to turn over there. 1 Thessalonians 5.11 speaks to this idea that God intended us to have real connections, real connections with Him and real connections between each other. Can AI replace that? 1 Thessalonians 5.11 says, comfort each other and edify one another just as you're doing. I mean, didn't Christ exemplify that very thing? Didn't He say, greater love has no one than this than to lay down His life for one's friends? That's what Christ said, John 15.13. And so the idea of augmented reality, the idea of virtual reality, where does that take us?

I mean, we've got gamers among us. Sometimes you can get so wrapped up in your own little world that we isolate ourselves. But we're to be a body. We're to be a family. We're to have relationships. And so this technology could ultimately replace human interaction.

I mean, wouldn't Satan love that? I mean, if I think about it, anybody sick of talking to robots on the phone? Press one or say one, and I said it and he doesn't get it. And it's like, I'm not a robot. And I'm tired of checking the box saying, I'm not a robot. What about personal care? What about empathy? What about compassion? You see, those things could go by the wayside. Already are going by the wayside. So here we have the destruction of quality human relationships.

But it's interesting, summing up the law of God, you should love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law could be summarized in that way. Could that be something that could be understood by an algorithm? Is that something that could truly make a genuine, real connection? I think it's something we have to be careful of. Now, it's also interesting that there are prophetic implications as well. The threats, potentially, in biblical prophecy that are interconnected, potentially, with AI. AI has already been generated all kinds of fake news that are out there. There were all kinds of claims in the last presidential election that Russian bots were creating all kinds of fake news and fake reports and all kinds of things about the candidates. Yeah, that's already out there. Well, they can generate pictures and they can generate videos. And can you say anymore that seeing is believing? No, I don't think so. That goes out the window. And it's interesting as you think about the tie-in with AI and the Word of God. Now, of course, that exact term, artificial intelligence, is not in the Bible. It's not there. But is it possible there's indications, maybe little clues, that could potentially tie in to artificial intelligence?

Turn with me over to Revelation 13. Verse 14. Revelation 13, 14, we fast forward to the time of the end. We come to the time when the system of the beast is in charge. This huge political system that is a world-ruling government. And this beast is not only a government, but this beast is also a person, a dictator, a president, who is the ultimate ruler of that government. We know that there is that individual who we could consider a president or a dictator or you know, emperor or some sort of thing like that. And there's also a religious powerful figure known as the False Prophet on the scene. And here in Revelation 13, verse 14, it's interesting, speaking of that False Prophet, it says, he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast. So we have signs, things that are happening, events that are occurring. What's happening? Well, it says, he's telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who is wounded by the sword and live. So there's an image to be made. Verse 15, he was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. Could AI be related to this? I mean, an image, it's a man-made creation. And this image speaks. We got images speaking today. Oh, they got little toys running around, little robots that are talking and doing all these little things, let alone things like, yeah, they're already interacting with us. There's already video out here. There's already manipulation of videos. There's deep fakes. There's all of these various aspects that are already out there. And here we have an indication that it says, power to give breath, which seems to indicate this image is almost coming to life.

Like an artificial intelligence that has become self-aware. Is that possible?

Certainly fits Satan's work, because what does Satan want to do? Satan loves to counterfeit what God does. He counterfeits God. He's the ultimate counterfeiter. And God said, let us make man in our image. Satan says, I'm going to make my own image. I'm going to cause man to come up with their own image under my influence, and I'm going to take over. And so, could it be possible that this sort of animated being under Satan's influence, if we look through Revelation 13, we see that is the power behind what's going on here. Is that something that could be possible? Satan, in a way, creating man, woman, in his own image, in his likeness? I think it's a possibility. Now, it may not be speaking to that, but we certainly wouldn't want to ignore that possibility, because ultimately, there are those that recognize how AI can harm us, how it could become a renegade power. They could create bio-weapons, control nuclear weapons. Certainly, terrorists could control AI. And what could happen? Financial markets could be shut down. The power grid could be turned off. Vital infrastructure, whether it's water, whether it's gas, natural gas, all of those things could be the global economy could grind to a halt, which then would mean somebody's controlling, buying, and selling. Is that a biblical warning of what's on the horizon? Yeah, I think so. And these realistic AI-generated deep fakes, propaganda, could bring about some terrible consequences. Of course, there's a lot of people say, oh, that's that's far-fetched. That's not going to happen. Worst-case scenarios. But the fact is, AI is already writing and creating its own computer codes. It's already happening. It's already out there. So would it be fair to say it's only a matter of time? So Jeffrey Hinton thinks. It's also interesting to think how they even describe that kind of AI. Do you know the term that they use to describe a truly powerful artificial intelligence system? They use the term God-like AI. That's what they call it. God-like AI. They came up with that term. They coined that for that super intelligent computer that can learn and develop systems automatically without any need to have human supervision or interaction. And so you see that rush to control and innovate often causes us as human beings to be carried away with our human pride and arrogance and let our human nature take over. And that surpasses what's wise. And so I think it's fair to say uncontrolled creativity pushes the envelope to what we can do. But that happens long before we grasp what we should do. What we should do.

Now it's also interesting to think. Is there anything new under the sun? Okay, this is a little different, you know, iteration we could say. We've been here before. We've been here before. Mankind was on this threshold before. When was that?

Tower of Babel. The Tower of Babel. We were there. We were there. If you want to turn to Genesis 11.6 it reminds us, yeah, we've been there before. If God hadn't stopped it, things would have come to an end a whole lot sooner. Genesis 11.6, the Lord said, indeed the people are one and they all have one language and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing they propose to do will be withheld from them. Yeah, we've been there before. And now we're to a point that it seems we're on that threshold. And the interesting thing is, with the great potential of artificial intelligence, it's such a good reminder that man's problems cannot be discovered or fixed by artificial intelligence. It's not going to happen. It's not going to happen. How can I be so sure of that? Certainly our problems are well beyond what even human intelligence can solve. And why is that? Because it's not an intelligence problem. That's not what the problem is. Our problems are spiritual. Our problems are spiritual in nature. That's the real issue. And so even with all these amazing achievements, with the phenomenal discoveries, the knowledge and the creativity are absolutely amazing. What God's Word tells us is that, yes, we are in this time of great expanding knowledge, but our lack of self-control, biblically it tells us, our own selfish ways, our self-destructive ways will bring us right to the brink of extinction. That's biblical. That's prophecy. Christ said that very thing. And that's, sadly, exactly where we're at.

Paul reminded Timothy of that very fact. 2 Timothy 3, verse 7. Important principle that's spelled out here. One that maybe puts the whole aspect of artificial intelligence into a proper, godly perspective. Notice what it says in 2 Timothy 3, verse 7. It's a comment about us as human beings. Human beings, mankind. 2 Timothy 3, 7, it says, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Yeah, our problems. They're spiritual in nature. And sadly, this is what's happening all around us. You would expect with this explosion of knowledge, wow! Mankind's dreams could finally, finally be fulfilled. People would be wiser. People would be smarter. They'd have a better chance of knowing and understanding the truth.

But the fact is with lies and fake news and false doctrine and greed and satanic influence, it's a nightmare. It's a nightmare. And so even though we have this amazing ocean of information, people don't have a clue what the Bible has to say. They don't have a clue.

We ran across an interesting survey that testifies of that fact. 60% of Americans can't even name five of the Ten Commandments. Not even five? So imagine this. Now you might say, well, even if they do five, that's pretty good, isn't it? Especially for people that aren't very religious. Well, here's what put it in perspective for me. What percentage of Americans can name the three stooges? 74% of us. That's terrible. Can't possibly name the Ten Commandments, but the Mo, Larry, Curly, oh, and if you go back, Shemp.

Yeah, we know all of them. Isn't that just great? Or we have more Americans that can name the ingredients on a McDonald's Big Mac than any godly principles found in the Ten Commandments. And so I hope what we begin to see is this is an admonition for us. This is a lesson for all of us that we recognize prophecy is in the news. We are surrounded by it, and it is going to impact our lives, which should then motivate us. It should move us, move us to be spiritually prepared. Take a look at 1 Peter 5, verse 8, because all of these things, I think, point us to that very fact.

Satan is on the prowl. These types of things are really not able to be controlled by human beings. We just can't control ourselves. We don't have self-control. We don't have that godly character to be able to make the right best decisions. And so we're told, beware! Beware! 1 Peter 5, 8. Be sober, be vigilant. Your adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Yep, he's out. He's out, and he is angry. Revelation 12, 12 reminds us the devil is furious because he knows his time is short. And so if he knows his time is short, what does that say about us? Well, we don't have all the time in the world to put on the character of Christ. We don't have all the time in the world to develop a deep relationship with God. If we claim to abide in Christ, now's the time. Now's the time to live that way. Now's the time to put it into practice ever more thoroughly than we ever have before. And how many admonitions do we have in that very way throughout the New Testament?

Whether it's, let's not be sleeping. Can't be sleeping. You gotta wake up. The time is short. Watch. Stand fast. Have faith. We're told, be spiritually ready, which should motivate us to draw closer to God, motivate us to pray, motivate us to have rock-solid faith in our great and awesome God and His plan.

And so even though there are these scary scenarios that are on the horizon, we are told something I think that is very, very helpful. It's found in 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 13. 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 13 is a passage, I think, that puts it in perspective. That we don't have to be fearful, but we should be motivated to draw closer to God, to put our priorities in the right spiritual order.

1 Peter chapter 3 verse 13, it says, Who is He who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed, and do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.

So with all the threats, the challenges, the difficulties that are right there on the horizon, we can take heart. We can walk forward in faith. We can choose to be immersed in prayer. We can do everything we can by organizing our spiritual priorities to stay strong in the faith. And we can determine more than ever, not to fall for some A.I.'s version of what the Bible might say, but actually get out the Word of God and read it and know it and understand it and put it into practice so that we can draw ever closer to Him. So ultimately, we are spiritually ready for the return of Christ. And if we do those things, certainly no reason to fear artificial intelligence.