2nd Peter 1: 19 We have also a more, sure word of prophecy whereunto you do well that you take heed as unto a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns, and the day star arises in your hearts.
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Great changes are coming our way, and they will be coming so fast, and so furiously, that if persons are not grounded in the truths of God’s word, there will be a great risk of being swept off of one’s feet. The principle of gradualism is employed by the kingdom of darkness, to bring the proverbial frog through a slow boil process, and thus cook him to death in his comfort zone.
For every good thing God has given to us devils have come up with a substitute, and one of the strategies employed with marvelous success is to overload the information highway by flooding the earth with too many variations of anything and everything, so that the honest seeker for truth could become confused, frustrated or bewildered in doing so.
In the 1990’s supermarkets carried an average of 7000 items that persons could choose from. But as if that isn’t daunting enough that number has grown to between 40,000 and 50,000 items for the regular supermarkets, with Walmart and Costco carrying up to 142,000 articles for sale.
And so, if you’re not really focused you can become confused and bewildered, and often in that state of mind, persons can make purchases they never ever intended, especially if certain items were on sale. It has to do with the strategy of flooding such stores with an overload of products, so that persons could become dizzy in the buying experience.
Back in the day when Henry Ford was coming on the scene, there were very few options for customers to purchase. But since that time, over 6300 different models have been made and with the advent of Evs, the stunning array of models available is scheduled to explode even further. And thus, overloading your options can get persons confused.
The same is true of Bible versions, denominations, and various ministries. Currently there are over 100 versions of the Bible, including the Queen James version.
There are over 45,000 denominations globally and on any given day you can browse through hundreds of thousands of different ministries, and sermons to suit every fancy and yes, one can become confused because of the sheer multitude of interpretations, options and variations found on the information highway.
The prophets of old therefore pointed forward to a time when the unadulterated word of God would be an increasingly scarce asset, to the point where folks would be running to and fro in search of the word, and would often come up emptyhanded. Let’s read:
Amos 8: 11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:
12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.
This is not to say that there will not be any Biblical information to be found; the problem is that there would be too much Biblical information to be found, so that it could become very difficult to know if, and when you have come across the truth.
It is an indisputable fact, that with the proliferation of interpretations you’ll also have a proliferation of confusion. In our day, the phenomenon of artificial intelligence is being added to the fray, and if you’re not very careful, a person can miss the mark, as far as finding the truth is concerned.
With the advent of various chat bots, and with our near total dependence on Google and other search engines, it cannot be ascertained to what extent the truth of God’s word is being modified, and by whom it is being tampered or tinkered with. All we know is that it is gradually being tilted in favor of error, for the most part.
When in need of information persons now turn to Alexa, Google, Bing, Firefox, and Chatgpt, just to name a few, but the question is: who is supplying the information to these various search engines?
And could those sources be trusted to deliver truth when asked, or will the information given be tainted with current cultural biases, and preferences which have become all too common in our day?
As was stated before, these entities are never to be condemned, for they make available both good and evil, and thus, those of us who are on the receiving end will have to sift through the maze of info, so as to decipher truth from error.
Intelligence is defined as the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills. Artificial intelligence on the other hand is defined as a branch of computer science, dealing with the simulation of intelligent behavior in computers.
However, God will have us understand that behind every artificial intelligence there is real intelligence, and therefore, in the pursuit of truth, one must be mindful of the fact that we are engaged in a battle for our souls and great care must be exercised when seeking for truth.
This caution will become even more pertinent with the heavy reliance on artificial intelligence to do the research, and draw conclusions, and therefore, the trumpet must be given a certain sound in our day to alert us to present and future dangers, as is clearly referenced in the following passage. Let’s read:
1st Peter 5: 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
9 Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
As a general rule devils do not care how, and when individuals are devoured, once they are devoured. If they can devour some on the internet they will, and if a more direct approach that appeals to a person’s intelligence will do the trick, then they will go that route, for the end game is to devour, and that at all costs. Let’s read:
[The Great Controversy pp 583] With many, a philosophical idol is enthroned in the place of Jehovah…. Though in a different form, idolatry exists in the Christian world today as verily as it existed among ancient Israel in the days of Elijah.
The god of many professedly wise men, of philosophers, poets, politicians, journalists, the god of polished fashionable circles, of many colleges and universities, even of some theological institutions, is little better than Baal, the sun-god of Phoenicia.
However, there are certain things we would need to understand about the Bible in the context of current artificial intelligence. The study of the word of God cannot be approached using the same methods and strategies as persons would employ in the study and investigation of secular material.
With the study of the Bible persons would need real intelligence, coming from a real person, in the form of The Holy Ghost.
In the secular realm, persons studying physics can seek out a university or school; they could do their research; they can study authors, and philosophers such as Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, and Stephen Hawking who specialize in that area of learning, and if such a person is diligent, he/she could graduate as a physicist.
But when it comes to the study of the Bible, entirely different approaches have to be employed, or else, persons would be studying, and studying and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.
To study, and understand truth, persons will have to pray, and ask God to guide them with His Holy Spirit, so as to arrive at correct conclusions, and persons will have to be willing to obey whatever was studied in the Bible, and understood.
The Ethiopian eunuch under Candace, was reading his Bible, but he was having difficulty understanding what he was reading. So, The Holy Ghost came upon the scene through the agency of Phillip, to grant the sincere seeker for truth the correct interpretation.
The rest is history, because after his understanding was opened through study, he immediately sought to obey that which he was studying. That attitude is a key component of the prerequisites needed when approaching a study of the Bible. Let’s read:
Acts 8: 30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias and said understandest thou what you are reading?
31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
In addition, the student of the scripture would have to be willing to surrender any preconceived ideas to the contrary, because the word of God should never be tailormade to suit one’s fancy, even if the truth may rub a person the wrong way.
This will call for humility, with the seeker for truth being willing to be led by God in his or her research. God is a Spirit, and thus, the ways and means which are employed in secular study will never work when it comes to the study of the Bible.
There were experts of the scriptures in Christ’s day, who would ask of Him questions, and Jesus would be amazed at their ignorance and their utter lack of understanding, even though several certificates and doctoral achievements could be found, hanging in their offices.
That is because, in many instances they only sought for a theoretical knowledge of the truth, without an intention to obey, and thus, they became pregnant with information but barren with interpretation and that is why Jesus was moved on one such occasion, to answer them, the way that He did. Let’s read:
Matthew 22: 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David.
43 He saith unto them Why then does David in spirit call him Lord, saying,
44 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?
45 If David then calls him Lord, how is he his son?
46 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither did any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.
The following are important excerpts, and pointers coming from the servant of The Lord, as we prepare to delve into our topic today. Persons would need to exercise great caution with artificial intelligence and various chatbots in their search and investigation of the truth. Let’s read:
[Testimonies Vol.3 pp 703>704] When we come to the Bible, reason must acknowledge an authority superior to itself, and heart and intellect must bow to the great I AM. We shall advance in true spiritual knowledge only as we realize our own littleness and our entire dependence upon God.
There are many things apparently difficult or obscure which God will make plain and simple to those who thus seek an understanding of them. It is sometimes the case that men of intellectual ability, improved by education and culture, fail to comprehend certain passages of Scripture;
While others who are uneducated, whose understanding seems weak and whose minds are undisciplined, will grasp the meaning, finding strength and comfort in that which the former declare to be mysterious or pass by as unimportant. Why is this?
There are mines of truth yet to be discovered by the earnest seeker. But our success in finding it does not depend so much on our intellectual ability as on our humility of heart and the faith which will lay hold upon divine aid.
Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we shall be continually liable to wrest the Scriptures or to misinterpret them. There is much reading of the Bible that is without profit and in many cases is a positive injury.
When the word of God is opened without reverence and without prayer; when thoughts and affections are not fixed upon God or in harmony with His will, the mind is clouded with doubt; and in the very study of the Bible, skepticism strengthens.
The enemy takes control of the thoughts, and he suggests interpretations that are not correct. Whenever men are not seeking, in word and deed, to be in harmony with God, then, however learned they may be, they are liable to err in their understanding of Scripture, and it is not safe to trust to their explanations.
Therefore, there are some questions we must ask as it pertains to Artificial intelligence and the multitude of search engines, to demonstrate just a few of the grave concerns and risks to truth that are posed by their use.
The answers to the questions will be given without bias, so as to ascertain what risks there might be to persons trusting these sources in the verification or pursuit of truth.
Question [1] Is it true that behind all artificial intelligence there is real intelligence?
Answer: Yes! Artificial intelligence did not come about on its own, it is the product of intelligent minds.
Question [2] When information, data, algorithms, history, and scriptural information are gathered, and input, who is vetting the sources for correctness and accuracy, or are we leaving the proverbial “fox” to guard the chicken coop?
For instance, when a very straightforward Biblical question is asked of your search engine, could it be trusted to deliver the unadulterated truth on the matter in question, or will it randomly pull all kinds of information treating on the subject?
Furthermore, will the search results be without bias, unaffected by popular majority opinions? And will priority be given to scriptural truth at the top of the search results, or would the search engine naturally defer to error? To find out, Let’s ask Yahoo:
Question [1] Which day is the Sabbath Day? (Yahoo)
At the top of the search you would find references to Sunday as being the day that Christians worship on as the Sabbath. Then, as you scroll down, you’ll find references to the seventh day of the week as being the Biblical or Jewish Sabbath, but go down further, and you will find this: Got Questions “Your Questions, Biblical Answers”
This search result is quite interesting, for it purports to give persons only true, scriptural answers to their questions. So, let’s see what they have to say on our first question: Which day is the Sabbath?
“It is often claimed that “God instituted the Sabbath in Eden” because of the connection between the Sabbath and creation in Exodus 20:11”
“Although God’s rest on the seventh day (Genesis 2:3) did foreshadow a future Sabbath law, there is no biblical record of the Sabbath before the children of Israel left the land of Egypt”
“Nowhere in Scripture is there any hint that Sabbath keeping was practiced from Adam to Moses. God’s intent for giving the Sabbath to Israel was not that they would remember creation but that they would remember their Egyptian slavery and the Lord’s deliverance”
Now let’s go to the scriptures to verify whether the above statements are true:
“There is no biblical record of the Sabbath before the children of Israel left the land of Egypt”
Genesis 26:4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
Question: Which commandments and laws could The Lord be referring to?
Genesis 39:7 And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.
8 But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master knows not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;
9 There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?
Exodus 5:5 And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.
Question: What is this “Rest” pharaoh is referring to? If it is, rest as in sleeping, then pharaoh will have to be an absolute lunatic to expect the workers to work non-stop. Therefore, he must be referring to the Sabbath rest, in his protest to Moses. Let’s read:
[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 258] In their bondage the Israelites had to some extent lost the knowledge of God's law, and they had departed from its precepts. The Sabbath had been generally disregarded, and the exactions of their taskmasters made its observance apparently impossible.
But Moses had shown his people that obedience to God was the first condition of deliverance; and the efforts made to restore the observance of the Sabbath had come to the notice of their oppressors.
Question: What happens when we die?
There we go again with the search engines, for the information coming from the search results would be found to be heavily tilted in favor of error. You would have to go digging for real, in order to come up with the truth that is written in the Bible on this topic.
The same is found to be true concerning topics such as Creation and Evolution. Even though a vast array of information is gathered, and dispensed by Chat- Gpt and others, it would be discovered that in the majority of cases those conclusions that are drawn, and the information dispensed on sacred topics are tainted with error, or otherwise favor deductions that are unscriptural.
Great care has to be taken if persons use the search engines, and artificial intelligence in the preparation of God’s word, especially if it has to be delivered to His people. The preparer must be intimately familiar with the scriptures, so as to detect any diversions to the contrary.
Ultimately, real intelligence, coming from the Holy Ghost is a must, because He will never be fettered, or defined by artificial intelligence, or any search engine, for His work in the salvation of souls is a personal intelligent work, never to be defined by apps.
These resources may be used prudently to let folks know of The Savior, but in doing so, the soldiers of the cross must be careful not to digitize The Spirit of God, especially by allowing the search engines, and artificial intelligence to do the thinking for them. Be very, very careful not to surrender your personal intelligence in favor of some app or Ai.
If such resources are used, the conclusions drawn and the information dispensed has to be carefully vetted for errors and sentiments that may not be in line with the scriptures, for if this is not done, one would be putting their trust in man, against which the Bible warns us in several passages.
We are living in momentous and tumultuous times, and final movements will be rapid ones. The things which are happening upon earth, and developments that are taking place would make the Bible prophets turn in their graves, yet the Christian is to be always vigilant, keeping Christ ever before our faces.
Let us be wary of surrendering the use of our own minds to artificial intelligence, for the kingdom of darkness would love nothing better than to have others, think, conclude, and decide for ourselves. We therefore end with a passage of scripture that will enable us to live victoriously in an age of many browsers, search engines and Ai. Let’s read:
2nd Timothy 2: 15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
God Bless