Articles

Are we living in the End Times? What is the Mark of the Beast? Will AI be used to facilitate it?

What did Jesus say we would see before His return?

Luke 21:10-11

“Then he said to them: ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.”

Will we see another pandemic, world war, or fearful signs from above?

Knowledge and travel will also increase in the End Times.

Daniel 12:4

“But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”

In 1982, futurist and inventor R. Buckminster Fuller estimated that up until 1900, human knowledge doubled approximately every century, but by 1945, it was doubling every 25 years. And by 1982, it was doubling every 12-13 months. In retrospect, this may sound a little quaint since experts estimated that by 2020, human knowledge would double every 12 hours. And it is now 2025!

What are some events that happen during the End Time period?

A satanically empowered man will gain worldwide control with promises of peace (Revelation 13:1; Daniel 9:27). He will be aided by another man, called the false prophet, who heads up a religious system that requires worship of the Antichrist (Revelation 19:20).

How can one man gain control of the world?

Revelation 13:7

“It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.”

What is the Mark of the Beast?

Revelation 13:16-17

“It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.”

If you could not buy or sell, how would you live? How would you survive without medical care, food, water, shelter and other basic needs?

With AI, one government, one man, could control your finances, and you could not buy or sell without his approval.

We are now seeing a worldwide push for digital money with central bank digital currencies and cryptocurrencies.

Will a huge downturn in the economy push the world to digital currencies? And digital IDs or AI verification assigned to each person?

Recently, it was announced that in the near future, you will need a digital ID to work in the UK.

Digital money and digital IDs will allow your actions to be monitored and your money controlled.

Currently, there are 137 countries on board to move to a digital currency.

How could someone keep track of all that information?

There are over 11,800 data centers in the world, and many more planned in the near future. Companies have planned to spend over 700 billion dollars in the next several years to build more centers.

Data centers consume staggering amounts of electricity and water. Both resources we have been told for years to conserve. One data center planned in Wyoming will use more electricity than all the homes combined in that state. And just 1 of 27 data centers in the Kansas City area is projected to use up to 9.5 million gallons of water per day. The average KC household uses about 100 gallons of water per day.

It is also estimated that AI will replace 60% of our workforce and is reported to be able to, at some point, record and report everything that is going on.

Is there any way to escape all of this?

Prior to the Mark of the Beast, Jesus will rescue all believers and children under the age of accountability during the rapture of the church.

What is the rapture, and where is it in the Bible?

The rapture of the church. Christ comes in the clouds to “snatch away” all those who trust in Him (1 Corinthians 15:52). At this same time, the “dead in Christ” will be resurrected and taken to heaven, too. From my perspective today, this is the next event in the eschatological timeline. The rapture is imminent; no other biblical prophecy needs to be fulfilled before the rapture happens.

What happens to me if I miss the rapture?

Those left on earth after the rapture will suffer through a horrible time called the Great Tribulation.

The Great Tribulation in Revelation is described as a time of unparalleled suffering before the Second Coming of Jesus. It is a period of divine judgment, intense persecution, and global chaos, unlike anything the world has ever seen.

It is (Matthew 24:21) “a time of distress” (Daniel 12:1) and “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7, NKJV).

The tribulation will be marked by various divine judgments, celestial disturbances, natural disasters, and terrible plagues (see Revelation 6—16). In His mercy, God sets a limit on the duration of the tribulation. As Jesus said, “Those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again. If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive” (Mark 13:19-20).

How can I be assured that I will not miss the rapture?

Why do I need to be saved?
We are all infected with sin (Romans 3:23). We are born with sin (Psalm 51:5), and we all personally choose to sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20; 1 John 1:8). Sin is what makes us unsaved. Sin is what separates us from God. Sin is what has us on the path to eternal destruction.

Saved from what?
Because of our sin, we all deserve death (Romans 6:23). While the physical consequence of sin is physical death, that is not the only kind of death that results from sin. All sin is ultimately committed against an eternal and infinite God (Psalm 51:4). Because of that, the just penalty for our sin is also eternal and infinite. What we need to be saved from is eternal destruction (Matthew 25:46; Revelation 20:15).

How did God provide salvation?
Because the just penalty for sin is infinite and eternal, only God could pay the penalty, because only He is infinite and eternal. But God, in His divine nature, could not die. So, God became a human being in the person of Jesus Christ. God took on human flesh, lived among us, and taught us. When the people rejected Him and His message, and sought to kill Him, He willingly sacrificed Himself for us, allowing Himself to be crucified (John 10:15). Because Jesus Christ was human, He could die; and because Jesus Christ was God, His death had an eternal and infinite value.

Jesus’ death on the cross was the perfect and complete payment for our sin (1 John 2:2). He took the consequences we deserved. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead demonstrated that His death was indeed the perfectly sufficient sacrifice for sin.

What do I need to do?
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). God has already done all of the work. All you must do is receive, in faith, the salvation God offers (Ephesians 2:8-9). Fully trust in Jesus alone as the payment for your sins. Believe in Him, and you will not perish (John 3:16). God is offering you salvation as a gift. Will you accept it and follow Him the remainder of your life?

Sources:

Knowledge doubling–is there any way this isn’t nonsense? – Factual Questions – Straight Dope Message Board

Starmer says people will not be able to work in UK without Digital ID: What are Digital ID Cards, how will they work, will they be mandatory? – EXPLAINED – Technology | ET Now

CBDC Vs. Cryptocurrency – The 2025 Relationship Explained

Data Center Surge: USA Tops Global List with 5,388 Centers, AI Adoption Fuels Growth

From Billions to Trillions: Data Centers’ New Scale of Investment | Data Center Frontier

Cheyenne to host massive AI data center using more electricity than all Wyoming homes combined | AP News

KC data centers could use millions of gallons of water per day, records show

70% of jobs can be automated via AI, McKinsey thought leader says | Fortune

Billionaire Drools That “Citizens Will Be on Their Best Behavior” Under Constant AI Surveillance

Citations:

“The Great Tribulation in Revelation: What you need to know.” Grace Shepard https://www.gracefilledpathways.com/great-tribulation-in-revelation/

“What is the end times timeline?” GotQuestions.org. https://www.gotquestions.org/end-times-timeline.html

“How can I be saved?” GotQuestions.org. https://www.gotquestions.org/how-can-I be-saved.html

Genesis 22:6-14

“So, Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.⁷ But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, ‘My father!’ And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, ‘Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?’

⁸ And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So, the two of them went together. ⁹ Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.

¹⁰ “And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹ But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ So he said, “Here I am.” ¹² And He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.’

¹³ Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So, Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

Once again, we are looking for Jesus in the Old Testament. We have explored Melchizedek in Genesis 14; we looked at the Man who came to visit Abraham, and then judged Sodom in Genesis 18-19, and on we can go.

Today, we will look at one of the most heart-wrenching stories in the Old Testament, and in it, we will find Jesus written into the very core of the story.

Abraham has a son from his own loins, his own blood, and his name is Isaac. He is now a young man. If you recall, Abraham and Sarah had Issac when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90. The young man was now a teenager or more likely in his early 20s. He is growing well, healthy, and God’s promise is secure.

In Genesis 22:2, God calls Abraham to go and sacrifice his son; specifically, he is called ‘his only son,’ the son of the Promise. Then He said, ‘Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’” Normally, this kind of request may have shaken a younger and untried Abraham. But God had brought him through some things; God had demonstrated His faithfulness and His ability to prevail out of nothing if need be. In the New Testament, we see Abraham’s attitude in the whole matter:

Hebrews 11:17-19, “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, ¹⁸ Of whom it was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called: ¹⁹ Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.”

Abraham knew in his heart that God CANNOT break a promise and that if needed, God would raise up Isaac from the dead. Why? Because Isaac was the son of the promise, not another son. It is not that he and Sarah could have another son, NO! God would raise up this promised son from the dead if need be. Abraham had seen some things in his 100+ years, and he had confidence in God’s ability. So, off they go, Abraham, a few servants, and his son, Isaac. They come to Mount Moriah, which is the future site of Solomon’s Temple, and this is confirmed in history. Jewish tradition confirms this, as well; the Bible calls this place ‘the mount of the Lord.’ This is Jerusalem for sure. This is the place where Solomon built the Temple.

Abraham, in full confidence of the Lord’s ability to raise the dead, took Isaac, his ONLY son, and began the process of sacrificing him. Isaac notes to his father that they have just about everything that is needed to do a sacrifice except the lamb. When confronted with this dilemma, Abraham issues a dual prophetic statement for us to consider: verse 8, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.”

So, in the immediate, Abraham believed that God would provide a substitute for his son, and then we know that this is a prophecy about the coming Son of God, who would be our final sacrifice. God will provide Himself a sacrifice. In verses 11-14, God sends a substitute, and Isaac is spared. Abraham calls the place, ‘The Lord Will Provide,’ and indeed it is in this place that the Lord provides the whole world with a Savior, Christ the Lord.

Then, in verse 15 and on, the Angel of the Lord, also called Lord in the same verse, says “by Myself I have sworn,” referring back to Genesis 15 and the covenant there, that there is a confirmed blessing on Abraham:

“Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, ¹⁶ and said: ‘By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— ¹⁷ blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. ¹⁸ In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.’ ¹⁹ So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.”

What are we to learn from this passage?

First, who or what is your God? Is there someone or something that you put ahead of God? Abraham was willing to do whatever it took to obey God, even to sacrifice his ONLY son.

Second, do you and I truly trust God? Do we trust that God cannot lie to, cheat on, or defraud us ever? Do we truly believe that God can keep His promises? Have we raised our kids to trust God like we do?

Are you saved? Have you submitted yourself to God’s sacrificial gift on our part? Can you see how God had one plan, one way, one means of redemption from the very beginning?

Jesus is the entire story of the Bible. He is the thesis, the hero, the body, and the end of the story.

Dr. Sean Gooding
Pastor of Bethany Baptist Church
70 Victoria Street, Elora, Ontario

The End Times, AI, and Mark of the Beast:: By Tim Dycus

The Entire Story of the Bible is About Jesus, Part 5 :: By Sean Gooding