Fear the Machines

Bill Gates is the latest technology guru to warn us about the danger artificial intelligence poses for humanity.   He joins entrepreneur Elon Musk and physicist Stephen Hawking in being concerned that AI is well on its way to being a threat to mankind.  This sounds like science fiction but it is uncanny the rate at which the sci-fi ideas people have envisioned have come to fruition. 

In this case, Bill Gates and the others fearing AI are right to be worried.  The Bible tells us of a day when machines will be used to enforce compliance with the coming world government: "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" (Revelation 13:15, NKJV).  Since the Antichrist will not be omniscient as God, technology will be employed to take up the slack.  There will be many images of the beast used to make sure people are yielding to his will. 

In times past believers would just have to think the image of the beast needed demonic forces to work.  But in modern times, technology has advanced to the point where robots duplicate many human capabilities.  Automation has improved manufacturing but will be used by the Antichrist to facilitate his controlling people.  Today we have machine vision that can read people’s facial expressions, body language and gestures.  Artificial intelligence makes decisions without the need for human involvement. 

During the Tribulation to come, those who “rage against the machine” will be hunted down and killed as an enemy of society.  For all who fear the coming tyranny of the machines, the best way to do that is to escape the Tribulation by being a follower of Christ before this current Church Age comes to its dramatic end.