There's a Spiritual Battle Over Biblical Truth Within the Body of Christ! Are You in the Fight -- Or Part of the Apathetic Church?

As I concentrate my personal studies in the Bible around the Last Days before Jesus's return, I can feel the tension in my spirit as I recognize the compromise and deception that is propagating within the Body of Christ and The Church in regards to Biblical Truth. 

Let me start by clarifying something ... I prefer to make reference to "the Body of Christ" rather than "the Church", and let me tell you why. To me, the Body of Christ signifies those of us who are part of a unified entity of individuals following the example of Jesus Christ, the Holy and sanctified Son of the Almighty God of the Universe. As the Body of Christ, we gather together to encourage and uplift each other, and at the same time, have access to a personal, individual, and spiritual relationship with Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer. We see the Word as our guide to staying committed to the statutes and commands given to man since our creation; infallible, unerring, and true. There are so many other attributes of that term, [the Body of Christ], but these are the aspects that pertain to this blog post. 

On the other hand, I see "the Church" as an organization that has grown into an entity unto itself; an institution that often transforms the Word of God into something that benefits and supports itself -- professing faith in the Father and the Son, but oftentimes choosing to follow the world in compromise and agreement; or as 2 Timothy 3:5 says, "having a form of godliness but denying its power". 

And as a Watchman on the Wall, [commissioned by God to walk in His instruction as described in Ezekiel 33:1-9] I recognize the spiritual battle we are in. Too many, within both the Body of Christ and the Church, have let the Enemy come in through "the wide gate", a metaphor for one path available to us to live our lives on this earth. This wide gate is a path that leads to destruction, both in the here and now, as well as eternally. It is characterized by taking the easy, unrighteous way and seeking the popular choice. The "narrow gate" represents the more challenging path of following Jesus's ways that lead to Life, again both in the here and now, and in eternity.

And it is by believing and following the Truth of the Word, that we stand a chance of being delivered into that sanctified Life. Jesus IS the Word, and the Bible reveals Him and the Life-saving Truth that delivers us and guides us. But ever since my husband, Mark, and I said YES to His calling on our lives, the Lord has been revealing to us the battle in the spiritual realms to dissuade and discourage the acceptance of this Truth. The Enemy has entered the wide gate, made available to him and his followers. And Satan brought DECEPTION with him!

Simply put, this deception comes in many forms, but its purpose is always meant to mislead someone, or cause someone to believe something that is contrary to God's nature, according to Scripture. If Satan can corrupt God's Truth in the Bible, and then get us to question it or modify it so that it resembles authentic Truth, [with a satanic twist that denies its real power], then he will continue to make inroads towards cancelling God and claiming authority over man and the earth. He certainly made progress towards that goal in 1963 when he convinced the US Supreme Court to rule 8-1 against Bible reading in public schools. By eliminating God's established Truth in the Bible, the Enemy can send in his troops to distort, corrupt, or cancel the Truth and establish his anti-Christ theology. Likewise, by establishing the IRS 501(c)3 tax-exempt status, prohibiting attempts to influence legislation or participate in any political campaign activities, the devil can manipulate God's Truth [for example] about whether Abortion is intentional murder. If the Church avoids that difficult question and hides behind the law of the land, it is denying that God's law [established in His Truth] takes precedence. And Satan wins that round!   

But Remember! God never changes -- His Truth is not relative; it does not change according to your personal perspective. Yet, we hear individual Believers, as well as Leaders in the Church, declare their own "biblical justifications" on topics like the War in Iran; the Jew's position in Israel; Abortion; Same-sex marriage; Christian Nationalism; Illegal Immigration; God's Judgment; the Rapture; Social Justice; Gender Identity, and on and on. 

Folks, the Bible is a guide for every problem known to man; a manual for helping us to discern the narrow path and the way in which Jesus leads us. But it takes time to study it, to research it, to listen to God in order to hear His voice and understand, to practice it, to examine how to walk it out, to embed it in your heart, mind, soul and spirit. And the more time we spend in this powerful and symbiotic relationship with Him, we will learn to trust our discernment in His Truth. He will never steer us wrong or lead us astray! And if you are solidly walking this world with Him, you cannot miss the Spiritual battle over Biblical Truth. The question is ... what are you going to do about it? Will you stand in alliance with the Word ... or will you take the wide and easy path that yields the most self-comfort and join the part of the Church that has grown apathetic and lacking in the Spirit?

As I watch this battle playing out in the Spirit and on the earth, I am left wondering, "How much deception is the world willing to tolerate when it comes to Biblical Truth?" We can't define what makes someone a woman? REALLY?!?!  And Matthew 24:24 warns us that even the elect have the potential to be deceived. When someone like Bill Johnson, who has devoted his spiritual life to knowing God and trying to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, can be deceived and succumb to Satan's lies and treachery, then we see our own prospects for being led astray. He opted to protect his Church's ministries and reputation rather than look at (and reject) the sin that Jesus admonishes and rebukes. Johnson offered mercy and grace for the sin, but did not require repentance for forgiveness. As the Ekklesia, the Body of Christ needs to look at the fruit of the actions taken -- do they mirror God's Truth in His Word? Who better than Jesus to recognize the Truth; He, who had reason to soften God's commandments, to make them more convenient, palatable, and less painful for Himself? Instead, He showed us the self-sacrifice and reckoning that is required to pay the price for our sins against God and His Truth. 

I despise having to call out the agreement with Deception among the Body of Christ and in the Church! My assignment as a Watchman finds me often looking like a "Negative Nelly", as my grandmother would say. It's not that I don't see the goodness and authenticity of pure faith and obedience... it's that the lawlessness, led by Satan, is becoming so prevalent, that the Lord is highlighting His message to His Watchmen: Blow the trumpet loud and warn your people that they might be saved from My Judgment that is coming! Please believe me, I don't issue these warnings and thoughts for my own pleasure. I do not wish to see anyone denied entry into God's House or Family! But I don't want to be responsible for their blood on my hands! We all need to work together, from whatever assignment you've been given by God, to see the narrow path flooded with people of the world seeking the righteous path of Jesus Christ. Let's leave no one behind! The Lord is about to mount up on His Steed of Righteousness! Encourage the people of the Earth to hear the warnings!

1 Timothy 6:12    Fight the good fight of the faith [in conflict with evil]; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and [for which] you made the good confession of faith in the presence of many witnesses.  

          

 

 

 

 

AI, Humanity, and the Image of God: It's a Battle Between Rival Kingdoms!

It's no secret that I am becoming increasingly concerned about the growing influence of technology in our world, and specifically in our lives. Because I have the privilege of age, and have therefore experienced life through an amazing time of rapid growth, modification and change in our daily existence, I am able to discern the effects that technological engineering have made on humanity. 

Before I proceed with the purpose of this post, I want to briefly define what I mean by the foundational terms of my hypothesis: Artificial intelligence, Humanity, and the Image of God. I am trying to listen intently and clearly to where the Holy Spirit is leading me. So, I am beginning to gather my scattered [yet inspired] thoughts into a spiritually informed and cogent argument for why we need to be very careful with how we proceed with the next generation of technological advancement. Of course, I am beginning with Artificial Intelligence (AI), the "new science" that has captured the imaginations [and machinations] of men with what I think are questionable motives. 

I was actually astounded to discover that the existence of artificial intelligence is not a new idea. There are confirmed mythical, fictional, and medieval legends of artificial beings -- ranging from a creature made of bronze, by the name of Talos, in Greek mythology, charged with acting as a guardian for the island of Crete; to the Swiss alchemist Paracelsus, who claimed he could fabricate an "artificial man" by placing the sperm of a man in horse dung and feeding it the "secret or mystery" (Arcanum) of man's blood, which after 40 days, would result in a living infant. 

According to Wikipedia, the earliest written account regarding animation of a Golem (the assignment of human traits, emotions, and in relation to this post, intelligence, to non-human entities such as clay figures - or a computer) is found in the writings of Eleazar ben Judah of Worms in the early 13th century. It was believed that the animation of a Golem could be achieved by insertion of a piece of paper with any of God's names on it into the mouth of the clay figure to receive information. Alchemy (chemistry, magic, sorcery, witchcraft, enchantment) was a huge part of these endeavors. 

Again, Wikipedia says that modern artificial intelligence was born in the 1940s when the study of logic and formal reasoning led to the invention of the programmable digital computer, a machine based on abstract mathematical reasoning. This invention inspired scientists to begin discussing the possibility of building an electronic brain. Fast forward to the early 2000s when "machine learning" was applied to a wide range of problems in academia and industry. With the advent and availability of powerful computer hardware, the collection of immense data sets, and the application of solid mathematical methods, "deep learning" became a reality, and we now have a breakthrough that has led to the rapid scaling and public releases of "large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT".  That is a short (and simple) synopsis of the idea of artificial intelligence. 

Moving on to the term Humanity, I consider it to be the condition, quality, and state of being human, which includes compassion, empathy, kindness, and understanding towards others. It is the consideration of humans as a group; the human race. That's a rather detached definition of the qualities of humankind, devoid of what I consider is the most important attribute of our state ... we are created in the Image of God, an immaterial spirit, capable of communing with our Maker. As GotQuestions.org elucidates, we are an "Image-Bearer" of God's likeness mentally, morally, and socially. We can reason and choose, which is a reflection of God's intellect and freedom. We were created in righteousness and perfect innocence, a reflection of God's holiness and image. We are created for fellowship, which reflects His triune nature and His love for us; and whenever we marry, make a friend, hug a child, or gather together in the Name of Jesus, we reflect the likeness and image of God. 

The problem, as I see it, and the reason for my concern, is the very clear intentions of some members of our humanity to use AI to separate us from our understanding of what it means to be a human and created in the image of God. Our identity as a created being [in His image] is a fact and a truth that sets us apart from any other form of creation -- including [and especially] computers. We alone are a reflection of His values and purpose as Creator. A computer cannot reflect God's spiritual attributes; it can't show holiness, love, or fellowship. 

We must realize and see that modern proponents of Artificial Intelligence are attempting to apply human [and therefore God-like] qualities to machines, describing their ability to "think", "learn", and "understand". This serves to confuse [and conflate] the nature of man and machine. No matter how close these machines and computers can come to mimicking human intelligence, they are not made in the image of God! They don't have spirits, or a soul, and they are incapable of inviting Jesus to sit on the throne of their heart ... because they don't have a heart, let alone any ability to "engage in moral or spiritual reflection", as Cheri Givens writes in her astute article on Medium.com.  

I think the thing that disturbs me the most is the attempt to minimize the miraculous and divine design of God's creation of man by insinuating that we are merely "advanced biological machines", which leads to drawing a dangerous parallel and connection between man and technological devices. As the advances continue in the abilities of AI to take over [and eventually surpass] man's human abilities to solve the challenges we face [to preserve human life], I fear that we will increasingly undervalue God as the answer to our problems. 

And when we attempt to minimize God's blueprint, so to speak, in our bodies by encouraging the merger of man and machine, then we are advocating Transhumanism, the philosophical and intellectual movement that says we can enhance our human condition [and overcome its limitations] by integrating machines into our physical environment. In other words, there is a very real effort to separate humanity from our divine link to our Creator.

And that's a battle that has been waging since the Garden of Eden! Ever since the Fall of Man, Satan has tried to convince us that we don't need God. In fact, he's tried to convince us that we can become our own god and be in control of our own destiny. It's all part of Satan's plan to usurp the government of God's Kingdom on earth in order to establish his own kingdom, based on deception and convincing us that we don't carry a spiritual significance in our relationship with God. But we're not just physical cells, muscles, tissues, and blood. We are made in His image, and we are spirits, as well. 

If Satan can keep the culture focused on the intellectual value that AI can bring to humanity, we will neglect [and eventually lose] the spiritual connection to God in favor of greater physical advancements. And it won't take long until we are augmented with computer parts that promise a transformation that unfortunately no longer aligns with God's creation of our bodies or His will for us. We are created to set our minds on spiritual matters, and focus on heavenly things that will lead to lives devoted to God; worshiping and glorifying Him alone. AI and Transhumanism are focused on annulling our covenant and divine relationship with our Creator, and enslaving us to the kingdom of Satan. . 

The bottom line is that Satan wants dominion of the earth for himself, establishing his own kingdom populated with beings who invalidate their divine connection to the God of the Universe, in favor of worshiping the deceptions offered by science. He whispers that humanity can "save their lives" by advancing, enhancing, revolutionizing, improving, streamlining, and enriching themselves in the areas of healthcare, environmental conservation, social welfare, education, etc. All we need to do is abdicate our spiritual relationship with the One who created us, and join forces [and our brains] with the machines that will give us all the wisdom and knowledge we need without the need to spend eternity with God.

I know this probably sounds like I've gone over the cliff, but every ounce of my spiritual being is crying out warnings! I fear for our younger generations who have only known the modern age of computers. It has been easy for them to be enticed by Satan's lying whisper ... I can offer you more. The advancements in AI are coming rapidly and deceptively; disguised as progress and growth in the advancement of human potentiality. I'm not denying that we could benefit from some of the developments. But there's danger in the undercurrents of wicked forces who are promoting an anti-God agenda in the mix. Please pray for discernment for our leaders. Pray for Godly men to keep this powerful tool in check. And ask the Holy Spirit to give us the fullness of His work in our lives, so that we might correctly navigate this critical time in the age of Humanity: Give us the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of Wisdom, the Spirit of Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel, the Spirit of Might/Power, the Spirit of Knowledge, and the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord. Amen!

2 Corinthians 7:1     Therefore, since we have these [great and wonderful] promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, completing holiness [living a consecrated life -- a life set apart for God's purpose] in the fear of God.