(OPINION) Charisma – The Bible has much to say about the end times. And if you’ve been watching the news, you may be wondering if we’re in those prophesied last days. In many ways, it seems evil in our culture, and across the world is getting worse and worse. Are all these wars, political scandals, and natural disasters coming to a head now? Is the Antichrist about to introduce the mark of the beast?
I recently discussed this topic with Pastor Mark Biltz for my “In Depth With Stephen Strang” podcast, which you can listen to here or at the end of the article. Biltz has been studying the Scriptures from a Jewish perspective to decode the end times and the Antichrist’s future system. He says many Christians have a false sense of confidence that they will never take the mark of the beast. The mark the Antichrist chooses, he points out, will be extremely enticing.
“I think parents are going to run for the mark of the beast,” Biltz says. “They’re going to want it because it’s going to be so tempting. It’s not going to be some ugly thing. It’s going to be something that will let you access the internet with your thoughts. So I think people will be deceived because they’re going to be passionate about the things of this world.”
Biltz writes about his findings in his new book, Decoding the Antichrist, which I’ve had the privilege to publish through Charisma House. Early sales have already far exceeded our expectations, indicating the book will be a huge success. One point he made in our interview, which he talks more in-depth about in his book, is that artificial intelligence will likely play a huge role in creating the mark of the beast—and perhaps even the Antichrist himself.
“In this age of artificial intelligence, some are wondering if the Antichrist might be some kind of super-intelligent hybrid human cyborg that will want to be worshipped,” he says. “Top experts are warning us of the malicious use of artificial intelligence.”
Biltz is right; artificial intelligence is advancing at a frightening pace. After all, Google keeps track of more than just what you research online. It tracks where you’ve been, what you order, and even what you do. Just recently, Google gave me a weekly update on everywhere I’ve been. Even though the report wasn’t harmful, it still concerned me that a computer was keeping such detailed track of me. Who’s to say an evil person or organization can’t use such powerful technology to harm God’s people? READ MORE