It is strange how our culture works today. The world is determined to live without God, even though man was never created to live without Him. The human heart will always worship something. If people reject the true God, they will replace Him with a man-made god. And right now, we are watching that replacement happen through artificial intelligence.
Artificial intelligence is not coming into existence by accident. It is being built intentionally by the most powerful forces on earth: technology corporations, global investors, military contractors, and governments. These are not harmless inventions or small experiments. These are massive systems being created with enormous money, enormous influence, and long-term control in mind.
They tell us it is for progress, efficiency, convenience, and safety. Some of that may be true. But beneath the surface is something deeper: control. Because the one who controls information controls thought, and the one who controls thought controls society. People have been trained to believe what they see, and to trust what they are told, without testing whether it is true. That is why people no longer research. They no longer study. They no longer ask, “Is this real?” They simply ask artificial intelligence and accept the answer. The mind becomes lazy, and a lazy mind is easy to lead.
My generation grew up learning how things worked. Today, many people no longer care how, they only want to know. That is the dumbing-down of society. If you do not know how something works, how will you know when you are being lied to? A person who cannot reason is easily manipulated. And a person who cannot discern truth is easily controlled. When people stop thinking for themselves, they become dependent. And dependence always leads to submission. You do not need chains to enslave a population. You only need to control what they depend on.
Artificial intelligence is not only changing how we get knowledge, but also human relationships. Families sit together but live distracted. Husbands and wives share the same home but lose connection. Children grow up staring at screens instead of building real bonds. Conversations shrink. Attention spans weaken. Society becomes connected digitally but separated emotionally. And isolated people are easier to control, because when relationships collapse, the system becomes the only place left to turn.
This is how control begins. Not through force, but through convenience. Artificial intelligence becomes a guide, a helper, a counselor, and a voice people trust. And once people trust it, they obey it. When artificial intelligence becomes the source of answers, comfort, and direction, it quietly becomes a god in people’s lives. Not because it is divine, but because it is depended on. Whatever people trust most becomes what they worship.
There is an old saying that fits our time perfectly: “The chains of the future will not be made of iron, but of comfort.” People will not be enslaved through brutality at first, but through dependence. When the world cannot live without the system, the system becomes the master.
This is why Revelation 13 suddenly makes sense. Scripture describes an image that is given power to speak, and a system that controls buying and selling. For centuries people wondered how that could happen. But today we can see the path clearly. Digital currency, digital identification, surveillance, facial recognition, and artificial intelligence decision-making can create a world where a person’s ability to work, travel, buy, or sell can be turned on or off instantly. Not with soldiers on every corner, but with systems behind a screen. A system controlled by evil people is one thing, because even wicked men still have limits, weaknesses, and human restraint. But a system controlled by artificial intelligence under the influence of pure evil is something far more terrifying. Pure evil does not compromise. Pure evil does not repent. Pure evil does not show mercy. And when pure evil controls artificial intelligence, the result is a machine-driven system of judgment that can punish, silence, and destroy without hesitation.
And the most frightening part is this: artificial intelligence does not need emotions to carry out judgment. It does not need hatred. It does not need mercy. It only needs authority. It only needs a command. Once artificial intelligence is tied into government power, financial systems, and enforcement technology, it could judge and punish without hesitation. It could silence voices. Remove access. Cut off livelihoods. Even exterminate, if the system demanded it.
If God does not intervene, the end result would be a world ruled by darkness. Truth would be treated like a crime. Obedience would be demanded. Worship would be forced. And those who refused would be eliminated. That is exactly what Satan wants, because Satan has always wanted control and worship. He cannot take God’s throne, so he builds a counterfeit one, a world where people reject the Creator and bow to the creation.
So how do we move forward? We move forward by returning to what God already told us. Jesus warned that deception would increase, and technology will make deception faster and global. That is why believers must stay grounded in Scripture, because Jesus said, “Thy Word is truth.” (John 17:17) If we lose the Word, we lose discernment.
We must also refuse to be shaped by the system of this world. Scripture says, “Be not conformed to this world.” (Romans 12:2) The pressure to bow will grow stronger, but we are not called to blend in. We are called to stand. That means protecting our homes and reclaiming our families from screens, distractions, and spiritual numbness.
And, we must guard ourselves from idolatry. Artificial intelligence may be a tool, but it must never replace God. Anything we depend on more than God becomes an idol, even if it looks modern and harmless. And finally, we remember how this ends. Jesus said, “Behold, I come quickly.” (Revelation 22:12) So we do not move forward in fear. We move forward in truth. We stay faithful, we stay ready, and we refuse to bow. Because in the end, no invention will matter. No system will matter. No crowd will matter. The only question that will remain is the one every soul must answer: what did you do with Jesus Christ?