There is an explosion of knowledge in our world today. A technically informed person said that
around the time of World War 2, knowledge doubled every 25 years; and now, with all our technology
it doubles every 12 hours. While it is hard to confirm or deny this, it is nevertheless clear to most
everyone in the modern world that knowledge is increasing at a speed so dramatic that the average
person simply cannot keep up with it. Mankind seems to be entering a very new territory. At the end of
his prophetic book, Daniel was informed by a majestic angel that at the end of times “knowledge shall
increase” (Dan. 12:4). The angel did not elaborate on this, but as time has gone by, information is
indeed expanding at an incredible rate.
Adam and Eve and Science. Human beings alone were created in the image of God, and they alone can be truly educated, and grow in knowledge beyond the previous generation. Human beings were not only given dominion over the creatures of the earth but were commanded by God to “subdue” the earth (Gen. 1:28). Dr. John J. Davis observed that this word “subdue” “implies a degree of sovereignty, control, and direction over nature. This call to rule is a call to advance civilization and regulate natural forces” (Davis, “Paradise to Prison”, p. 81). God was giving Adam and Eve the open door to scientific investigation.
The Holy Spirit and Knowledge. Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the “Spirit of truth” (John 15:26; 16:13). One of the Spirit’s ministries is to convince the world that it needs a savior (John 16:8-11), and another is to help believers understand the Word of God (1 Cor. 2:6-13). Only believers can fully understand the Scriptures. However, all people can learn and (as given to mankind originally) can increase knowledge and build upon the knowledge of preceding generations.
Missional AI 2025. In April, 2025, some 500 people from over 100 organizations met in Plano, Texas to discuss how Artificial Intelligence (AI) might be used by the Church of Jesus Christ. How might AI be used to expand missionary activity, Bible translation and other aspects of the church’s ministry? Along with addressing these issues were questions related to the place of the Holy Spirit and the danger of people being replaced by technology.
Artificial Intelligence—Amazing and Frightening. AI is seen today as a great boon to mankind, but warnings are also being heard from those who understand AI. The warning is that there is a very real danger with this amazing technology. AI has been around for decades, and its presence is widely experienced. Today, AI can think far faster than people can and are able to “learn”, coming up with things that humans never thought of. Mankind benefits today with AI changing business approaches, making medical breakthroughs, processing language, countering cyber-crime, making self-driving vehicles, advancing image recognition and so many more innovations. But numerous individuals, such as Dr. Geoffrey Hinton (the “godfather of AI”), are now issuing warnings about AI. They point out that digital intelligence is rapidly becoming better than our biological intelligence, and the potential is there that it will soon pass and take over human intelligence. The concern is that there is no present solution to steer or control AI if a system goes rogue. Some say that mankind has just a few years (with 2030 as the outside limit) to figure this out. The fear is that AI will begin to control human society through such things as disinformation, controlling access to resources and opportunities, falsely replicating voices and pictures as well as powerful new weapons. And while it might be nice to have our AI coffee maker brew our coffee consistently the way we like it; the reality is that in the future AI may become far more malevolent. It is said that the one who will control AI, will control the world. What is clear is that the world is going to change dramatically in the very near future. Apparently, man won’t have to wait too long for this.
A Lesson from the Internet. One clear lesson from the Internet is that it can be used for good or bad. It does make our lives much easier in many ways and can enrich our lives. However, the Internet has contributed immensely to evil in our world as it regularly promotes a myriad of sinful things. It is used to seduce people with its ever-present pornography. Untold thousands have had their bank accounts drained dry by unscrupulous Internet thieves. Many lives have been deeply harmed by their “meetings” on the Internet. While it is true that many have had a wonderful exposure to the Gospel, it is also true that false philosophies and religions have sprung up everywhere on the Internet. While the Internet can be used for good or evil, given the fallen nature of mankind, it seems that evil has the upper hand these days. The same will likely be true of AI.
Satan’s Coming Wonders and Deceptions. Will AI impact the future as laid out in the Scriptures? Satan’s miraculous demonstrations and breathtaking deceptions during the Tribulation are beyond dispute. Jesus declared that “false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.” (Matt. 24:24). In this succinct statement, two basic facts are given. First, these signs and wonders are “great”. Jesus was indicating that these supernatural acts are far beyond Satan’s usual activities. It will be a unique time. The second fact is that they will be very deceptive, so that even God’s elect would be fooled by them (if they were not protected by the Lord).
Paul, in speaking of the Antichrist, says that his satanic connection is clear and that he will execute Satan’s program, “with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness” (2 Thess. 2:9-10). “All power” being granted to the Antichrist strongly suggests that God is going to allow certain unprecedented satanic miracles to take place, and that these are miracles that will lead into that which is false.
Another apostle, John, declared that “the dragon (Satan) gave him (Antichrist) his power and his throne and great authority” (Rev, 13:2). Whatever God is going to allow Satan to do, will be passed along to Satan’s two key minions, the Antichrist and the False Prophet. John is the first and only one to reveal the end time individual known as the “false prophet” (Rev. 13:11-18; 20:10). He is a religious figure that will receive miraculous powers.
“And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast (Antichrist), telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. And there was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast might even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.” (Rev. 13:14-15).
This unique portion of scripture unveils an end of days phenomenon; that of an animated “image” of the Antichrist. Clearly demonic deception and empowerment is seen. Ten times in this final section of Revelation, this strange, but deadly, image is mentioned, which will plague the world during the second half of the Tribulation. The image can know who does not worship the Antichrist and will put them to death. It is the False Prophet that brings the image to life. How he does this is not detailed by John. However, the kind of worldwide activity and control that is described opens the possibility of the use and involvement of Artificial Intelligence. This sounds so “science fiction”, but AI is very real.
Revelation 13 also reveals that the False Prophet is the one who will institute the well-known “666”, the mark of the beast. It will be placed on individuals which will control many of their activities. It does seem that Satan, the Antichrist and the False Prophet could well use technology for their deceptive and evil purposes. And it may turn out that future technology will go far beyond things presently known.
God’s Tribulation Activity. At this point, there needs to be some clarity given. God will not need to employ advanced technology to accomplish His purposes in the Tribulation period. One of the major challenges for those who interpret biblical prophecy is to keep separate “what” God is going to do, from “how” He is going to do it. The interpreter must always keep in mind that the emphasis of scripture is on what God will do. And the interpreter must remember that God’s primary purpose of this end time of Tribulation is to bring Israel, and then many gentiles, to faith in Himself. To do that, it is His hand that must be clearly seen. Remember, if God had chosen to bring this age to an end in 1725 or 1825, when modern technology did not exist, He somehow would have managed to exactly fulfill all that Revelation talks about. And the interpreter ought to be aware that should the Lord put off the end times for another 50 years, we probably cannot imagine where man’s technology will be. Therefore, we need to take care about saying “this is how God will do it.” God does not need AI, computer chips, the Internet or any other technology to accomplish His goals of saving multitudes of people and judging sinful men and nations. When the end times come, mankind will curse God (cf. Rev. 16:9, 11, 21) but it is clear that mankind will be fully aware that the Sovereign God controls this universe.
Our Response. We can be sure that the Lord will accomplish everything He said He would. He will save multitudes of people, and He will judge those who refuse His grace. He who is far greater than AI can be counted on to fulfill every promise to His own.
Like the Internet, AI can probably be used to advance the Lord’s work in the world. However, one of the ongoing dangers for believers is becoming too enamored with technology, including AI, so that focus shifts subtly from an active dependence on the Holy Spirit to the latest technologies. It is often said that the church must update its methods while not changing its message. Sounds good, but the church has constantly failed in this regard. Changing methods has often altered the message. And AI, along with other evolving technologies, must be carefully dealt with; using it but with that constant question: “am I really depending on the leading of the Spirit of God in His ministry?” For example, is the preacher going to forgo the hard work of study, personally wrestling with the Scriptures, with AI doing the “heavy lifting” for him. To be effective the Word must flow through the mind and heart of the one proclaiming God’s truth. Long ago, Moses said the truth must be “on your heart” (Deut. 6:6) before it is given forth. Anything less than this personal involvement produces deficient teaching. There is a real danger that the Holy Spirit will be put in a secondary role.
Our response today must be to serve Him faithfully. We don’t know the exact future of all this technology, but we do know that “everything pertaining to life and godliness” is found in the Scriptures (2 Pet. 1:3). The Word of God and the Spirit of God are ours and those are the essentials for godly living and ministry.