Ever get the feeling somebody’s watching you?
In this age of ramped-up technology, surveillance and artificial intelligence, someone probably is.
In his new book, Decoding the Antichrist and the End Times: What the Bible Says and What the Future Holds, pastor and author Mark Biltz writes extensively about AI, cameras in every corner and even the possibility of a technology-driven Antichrist.
“It can take our breath away to realize how advanced AI surveillance has become,” Biltz said. “With all the advances in technology—the ability to produce avatars, holograms and computer software installed in our bodies so our thoughts and emotions, as well as our purchases and our movements, can be monitored—there is no doubt that we are at the culmination of one age and entering the threshold of another.”
Recent headlines tell us that AI now has a role in our everyday lives, sometimes in the most mundane of scenarios.
- Walmart is now utilizing high-resolution cameras in one of its busiest Neighborhood Market grocery stores. The camera can alert staff of everything from overripe bananas and empty shelves to a spill on the floor and long checkout lines.
- Chinese authorities in Xinjiang are building a comprehensive database that tracks the precise locations of its citizens, their mobile app usage, their religious habits and even their electricity and gasoline consumption as part of a technology-driven crackdown.
- Amazon is considering AI doorbell cameras to help identify “porch pirates” who steal packages from doorsteps. The application for the patent highlights Amazon’s efforts in thwarting neighborhood crime but also brings attention to its controversial interest in facial recognition.
“While writing Decoding the Antichrist, I had a frightening thought as I was contemplating all this,” Biltz added. “We know that evil spirits can possess people. Spirits like to possess material objects whether they are human or not. But can you imagine a scenario where a humanlike AI robot is created, having superintelligence and the ability to access all information in an instant, and then an evil spirit takes over the controls? Or a scenario where many autonomous robots are taken over?”
The central theme of Decoding the Antichrist is the role of technology in our future, as Biltz takes an in-depth look at some of the deepest questions surrounding the Antichrist:
- What does the Bible say about the Antichrist, his tactics and his motivation?
- Will he be a Muslim, a Jew or a professed Christian—or something else?
- Will the Antichrist work through modern technology to seize control?
Mark Biltz is founder of El Shaddai Ministries and a well-known and popular commentator on the feasts of the Lord. In fact, he has produced a series of DVDs on the feasts that have gone around the world. Biltz is also the author of Blood Moons and God’s Day Timer. His research and theories have led to guest appearances on both radio and television as well as being featured on the covers of magazines.
Decoding the Antichrist and the End Times was released last month by Charisma House, which has published books that challenge, encourage, teach and equip Christians.
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