There are any number of references to the Anti-Christ in Scripture, especially the New Testament, and most especially in the Book of Revelation. The End Times in Revelation are vividly portrayed, factually, colorfully, but most urgently. The coming of the Anti-Christ signals the end of the age, THE END.
Now comes the theory and the warning that the Anti-Christ may not arrive as an obvious tyrant, but one who promises global safety from catastrophic risk and consolidates worldwide power as these promises are made. While promising the world that he will end wars, deal aggressively with plagues and disease, stomp out poverty, and more, he convinces the world he is acting for the good of human kind, when in fact, says Scripture, he is evil incarnate, the representative of Satan himself.
The Anti-Christ, say these digital disciples, will not engage in typical mental warfare and persuasion, but will wage what is now called:
COGNITIVE WARFARE.
This new psychological battle will be waged through the existing systems and platforms that millions consult daily for news, guidance, emotional support, and moral reasoning. This so-called Digital Anti-Christ will use these existing platforms to manipulate perception, distort truth, and influence populations at scale, in our very own homes, and especially on the devices now used by our children. The weapons, among others, will be deepfakes, synthetic media, and algorithmic manipulation. The new battlefield of the Digital Anti-Christ will be the hearts and minds of human beings.
We are told in Scripture by our Lord that in the last days, the End Times, evil deception would intensify, so much so, and so expertly done, that it would even lead astray the elect, the very strongest of Christians. That would happen partially because We The Christians do not “test the spirits to see whether they are from God.” The Scriptures demand we who believe must exercise the most critical discernment as we mentally digest the new information provided by the Anti-Christ in the cognitive warfare.
The question is whether or not We The Believers and our church of our Lord Jesus Christ are, in fact, exercising that discernment, aware, concerned, resisting, and staying in the Truth, now more than ever.
With these new digital weapons, it is easier than ever to manipulate, distort, and change the Truth, especially the moral Trust of Christianity and Scripture. The younger generation can indeed be more seriously influenced. Scripture makes it clear that in addition to the role of the Real Church, moral instruction, right and wrong, Biblical Truth, is the responsibility of the parents of the children, and to train up the child in the way in which he/she should go, cultivating the discernment of right and wrong. Teach your children diligently, says the Scripture. You can not delegate that responsibility to a platform, an algorithm, to Artificial Intelligence.
Diversity was the obvious intention of the Creator of our universe. It exists in so many ways, and especially between peoples. The differences in language, culture, color, and lifestyle were what God intended. But, the Anti-Christ would use these incredible digital means to make one world, one people, one belief system, like the intentions of the old Tower of Babel, and with that, exercise extreme power and control over all humankind. In Genesis 11, the Tower of Babel had a similar objective to produce a humanity united by common language and technological ambition, attempting to create a self-sufficiency which would have no need of or reference to God.
The technology companies of today have very much the same goals and ambitions. America must compete, and, in fact, must have the objective of leading the research and development of AI. If that leadership is co-opted by China, or any other nation, the outcome can have incredibly serious existential results, disastrous to Christianity. China’s AI ecosystem is designed for social control at scale. We can never let that happen in America, or, for that matter, the world.
AI is here to stay and will continue to develop, grow, and become more powerful, but it must be kept as a tool to be used by mankind and never to become dominant. So, there is a public reckoning, and there must be a public awakening. The alarm must be sounded by pastors, by parents, by policymakers, and by people of faith, real faith, and in the know, and fully recognize the new enemy in the new cognitive warfare in these End Times.
Christians must understand the incredible power of AI and its potential and usage for good or evil, for the truth or for the lie. God has not given us a Spirit of fear, about AI or anything else in this world for that matter, but of Power, Love, and of a SOUND MIND. It is that God-given Sound Mind we must use now, more than ever, to discern the signs of the times. We must heed now, more than ever, the admonition of the Apostle Paul, who told us as Believers we should:
SEE TO IT THAT NO ONE TAKES YOU CAPTIVE THROUGH PHILOSOPHY AND EMPTY DECEPTION.
AI does not need to introduce a new theology. It simply needs to influence, distort, and re-interpret your beliefs, and especially your beliefs in Christianity and Jesus Christ. It wins, you lose, and evil triumphs gradually, but thoroughly, and eventually permanently. There is, for Believers, but One Truth, says Jesus of Nazareth:
I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE.
AI would seek to corrupt that truth, that wisdom, the love of Jesus Christ. Don’t let it happen, my fellow Christians. Watch carefully what happens, understand the times, discern the times, judge and evaluate AI. Never let a machine replace the love of the man who died for you and me at Calvary.