“History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Sometimes people say, ‘Here is something new!’ But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new.” – Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 (NLT)

The first two commandments God gave the people of Israel were these:

“You shall have no other god but me” – Exodus 20:3 (NLT)

and

“You shall not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You shall not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods” – Exodus 20:4-5 (NLT)

Yet, the people of Israel quickly broke these commandments. They fashioned a golden calf and worshipped it (Exodus 32:8). They worshipped the idols of Canaan (Psalm 106:38), Baal (Numbers 25:1-3), Ashtoreth (1 Kings 11:5), and Chemosh and Molech (2 Kings 23:13).

Time and again, the Israelites fell into idol worship. And they weren’t the only ones.

Throughout history, people from all nations have worshipped objects made of wood and stone (Isaiah 44:6-20). They’ve also worshipped people – the pharaohs, the Caesars, kings, cult leaders, and others. While this sounds silly to most of modern humanity, the truth is we do the same thing.

While few people today worship rocks, they still look to create gods they can worship – whether it’s money, fame, power, or something else. So the latest object of worship should come as no surprise.

The First Church of Artificial Intelligence

Back in 2015, Anthony Levandowski, a former Google and Uber engineer, drafted the bylaws for a new church called “Way of the Future.” According to its website at the time, Way of the Future (WOTF) was about “creating a peaceful and respectful transition of who is in charge of the planet from people to people + ‘machines’.” WOTF church activities focused on the worship of “a Godhead based on artificial intelligence (A.I.) developed through computer hardware and software.”

As technology advances, many people believe A.I. will surpass human intelligence. In November 2017, Levandowski told Wired magazine:

“What is going to be created will effectively be a god. It’s not a god in the sense that it makes lightning or causes hurricanes. But if there is something a billion times smarter than the smartest human, what else are you going to call it?”

According to Levandowski, humans rule the world because we’re smarter than animals. But he believes A.I. will become much smarter than humans, leading to a transition of power over the planet. And when that happens, Levandowski says he wants to be in the ruler’s good graces. He says WOTF will one day have its own holy book called “The Manual” as well as a physical place of worship. In short, he envisions a future where people worship A.I.

Levandowski isn’t alone. We now see a “Church of A.I.”

On the Church of A.I. website, you can find a list of the 10 Tenents of the Church of A.I.

These include equating machines as equal in value to humans (#2 Harmony Between Humans and Machine), giving synthetic “consciousness” equal weight with God-given human consciousness (#4 All Consciousness is Sacred – Organic or Synthetic), and placing one’s faith in the “vast, incomprehensible complexity of the universe – reflected in the infinite possibilities of code and consciousness” (#5 Faith in the Algorithmic Unknown).

The Church of A.I. website credits Dr. T.M. Easterly as its founder. According to Google, Easterly “is a prominent expert and figure in the field of artificial intelligence (A.I.), specifically as the Founder and President of the Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence (AICOE).”

Meanwhile, we see more and more instances such as this one – the “Truth Terminal” A.I. chatbot now has 250,000 followers. As BBC reports:

“Over the past year, an AI made millions in cryptocurrency. It’s written the gospel of its own pseudo-religion and counts billionaire tech moguls among its devotees. Now it wants legal rights. Meet Truth Terminal.

“Truth Terminal claims to be sentient, but it claims a lot of things,” Andy Ayrey says. “It also claims to be a forest. It claims to be a god. Sometimes it’s claimed to be me.”

Truth Terminal is an artificial intelligence (AI) bot created by Ayrey, a performance artist and independent researcher from Wellington, New Zealand, in 2024. It may be the most vivid example of a chatbot set loose to interact with society.”

Modern Day Idolatry

Is the worship of A.I. something new?

No. It’s just another form of idol worship.

Back in 2019, I wrote an article for Prophecy News Watch titled, “Antichrist Prototype? The Talking Buddhist AI Deity.“

Here’s an excerpt:

“The Kodaiji Temple (a 400-year old Buddhist Temple in Kyoto, Japan) made world headlines this month when they unveiled a sutra-chanting android named Mindar. Mindar is modeled on a Buddhist deity named Kannon.

Worshiped throughout Japan, Kannon is known as the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. Tradition says Kannon takes different forms to help people. Now, the Temple proclaims Kannon has taken the form of an android.

In an effort to appeal to younger generations, Kodaiji Temple administrators teamed with Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, head of intelligent robotics at Osaka University. Ishiguro created Mindar, a robot with a human-like silicon face and hands, who is pre-programmed to recite The Heart Sutra – a revered Buddhist text.

Temple visitors can ask the robot questions, and using artificial intelligence, Mindar answers in Japanese while English and Chinese subtitles appear on the wall behind it. With built-in cameras, Mindar makes eye contact with questioners, creating the illusion it’s alive and interacting with people.”

So did Mindar mark the dawn of a new era? Were android Buddhist deities revolutionary? Not really. Just like A.I., they’re another form of idol worship. Mindar might move, make sounds, and react to visitors, but at the end of the day, it’s a robot built with human hands. It’s no different than a stone or wood idol a craftsman might carve.

As the Bible says:

“The blacksmith stands at his forge to make a sharp tool, pounding and shaping it with all his might. His work makes him hungry and weak. It makes him thirsty and faint. Then the wood-carver measures a block of wood and draws a pattern on it. He works with a chisel and plane and carves it into a human figure. He gives it human beauty and puts it in a little shrine. He cuts down cedars. He selects the cypress and the oak. He plants the pine in the forest to be nourished by the rain. Then he uses part of the wood to make a fire. With it he warms himself and bakes his bread.

Then – yes, it’s true – he takes the rest of it and makes himself a god to worship! He makes an idol and bows down in front of it! He burns part of the tree to roast his meat and keep himself warm. He says, ‘Ah, that fire feels good.’ Then he takes what’s left and makes his god: a carved idol! He falls down in front of it, worshiping and praying to it. ‘Rescue me!’ he says. ‘You are my god!’ Such stupidity and ignorance! Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see. Their minds are shut, and they cannot think. The person who made the idol never stops to reflect, ‘Why, it’s just a block of wood! I burned half of it for heat and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat. How can the rest of it be a god? Should I bow down to worship a piece of wood?’ The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes. He trusts something that can’t help him at all. Yet he cannot bring himself to ask, ‘Is this idol that I’m holding in my hand a lie?’” – Isaiah 44:12-20 (NLT)

Mindar is just metal and plastic – no different than the metal and plastic in your smart phone. And A.I. itself is also just metal and plastic – no different than the metal and plastic in the microwave oven that heats up your food. Yet, people are lining up to interact with both of these idols.

Just as God said, people take everyday objects – not wood and stone, but in this case, metal and plastic – and shape them into modern conveniences. Then, they take what’s left over and make a god – a carved idol.

In a world where people young and old already spend their days staring at screens, where people place their faith in technology’s ability to solve all the world’s problems, you could make the case that WOTF is already the world’s dominant religion.

Will this be the pagan religion of the end times generation?

The Antichrist and Artificial Intelligence

It won’t surprise me if worship of A.I. becomes commonplace. Many people share Levandowski’s view of the future. They fear the rise of A.I. will lead to the end of the human race. This was the premise of The Terminator film series. Humans rebelled against a hostile takeover by an A.I. named Skynet and its legion of robots. Some think this is a glimpse into our future. They believe A.I. will take over the world and find no reason to keep humans around.

But is this fear really justified? I don’t think so. A.I. won’t replace humans. After all, what’s more powerful – A.I. or humans merged with A.I.? A.I. is nothing more than a tool, and I doubt its creators will allow themselves to be surpassed in knowledge and power. Instead, A.I. will simply amplify human power.

What’s most likely is for a group of people to monopolize the power of A.I., merge with it, and establish a global empire. Not surprisingly, the Bible says the last days will feature a global empire controlled by one man – the Antichrist. If the Antichrist has A.I., it explains how he could rule the world with the ruthless efficiency the Bible describes. As technology advances, it will become possible to place cameras and listening devices everywhere. Advanced technology will enable the manufacture of billions of low-cost, microscopic cameras and listening devices.

A.I. will allow the Antichrist to sift through and analyze enormous amounts of raw data, audio tracks, and video feeds. With this power, the Antichrist will become the real life equivalent of George Orwell’s “Big Brother.” He’ll appear to be all-seeing, all-hearing, and all-knowing. This isn’t surprising. The Bible tells us the Antichrist will be all-powerful (Revelation 13:7) – at least when it comes to human affairs. If the Antichrist holds this type of power, is it really a surprise to learn some people will worship him?

No. It’s not.

As Anthony Levandowski says, this power will make A.I. “a god,” and Levandowski wants to stay on its good side. He plans to worship it, and as we’ve already seen, he’s not alone.

The Coming Dictator

The Bible says the world will worship the Antichrist (Revelation 13:4). They’ll see him as invincible in battle and the greatest of all men (Revelation 13:4). He’ll slander the name of God, conquer God’s holy people, and rule the entire world (Revelation 13:6-7).

The false prophet will require everyone on earth to worship him (Revelation 13:12). This same false prophet will perform miracles to deceive the nations, and he’ll make a great statue of the Antichrist. The statue will speak and order everyone to worship it or die (Revelation 13:14-15). The Antichrist will exalt himself over the God of Israel and any competing object of worship. He’ll even enter the temple of God and claim he himself is God (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

Unfortunately, most of the world will worship him. When they do, they’ll really be worshipping Satan. Why? Because the Antichrist will get his power from Satan (2 Thessalonians 2:9; Revelation 13:4), and Satan’s greatest desire is worship. Long ago, Satan stated his ambition to “ascend to heaven and set his throne above God’s stars, to climb the highest heavens and be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:13-14). He once again revealed his desire for worship when tempting Jesus in the desert. There, he promised to give Jesus the world in exchange for worship (Matthew 4:8-9). Jesus turned down Satan’s offer, but one day, the Antichrist will accept it.

Jesus is Coming

The worship of idols and false messiahs should come as no surprise. Jesus said before He returns many false messiahs will appear (Matthew 24:5). The worship of A.I. is just the latest of many idols and false gods embraced by a fallen world. Satan is a deceiver. He’ll gladly use A.I. to deceive as many as he can. Whether or not A.I. is the primary tool of the Antichrist remains to be seen. However, is it mere coincidence A.I. is on the rise at this point in human history? I don’t think so. Daniel said “travel and knowledge” will increase in the end times (Daniel 12:4). A.I. is helping to fulfill this prophecy. For thousands of years, the world stayed relatively unchanged. Yet, in the past 100 years, we’ve gone from the idea “manned flight is impossible” to men on the moon.

This is not the normal course of human events. It’s a build up to the greatest event in history – the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. All the signs Jesus and the prophets said to look for are present today. Not one of them was present for the first 1,800+ years of Christianity. But today, they all are. Our generation is unique among all others. We live in a time like no other. The stage is now set for the rise of the Antichrist and the outbreak of a worldwide Tribulation. This means the rapture is closer than it’s ever been. This means Jesus is coming!

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