The Assistant

Phil gets up from the kitchen table to grab his lantern from the top of the fridge. The storm outside sounds vicious and in the now dark house the lightning seems even more intimidating. He lifts Churchill from his lap and, after meowing a loud protest, the old cat quickly moves to a suitable hiding place as another clap of thunder sounds. Phil turns on the lantern and begins picking up news and magazine articles he and Churchill had managed to strew across the floor when the initial thunderbolt boomed directly overhead. As Phil places the articles in the box he had organized them in earlier he notices one across the room under his credenza. He stoops to retrieve the article and sees the Bible James loaned him had landed there as well. "How on earth did you get all the way over here?" Phil asks as he gets down on both knees to reach under the credenza and pull it out. "I hope it hasn't been damaged" he thinks as he pulls it across the floor to himself. "I seriously don't want to spend money replacing a Bible." Thankfully, it was solidly in tact. It had landed face-down but open to the book of Luke, chapter 21. James had highlighted much of the chapter and scribbled other references to the sides. One particular paragraph outlined in red caught Phil's attention as he was picking the Bible up: "But be on your guard. Don't let the sharp edge of your expectation get dulled by parties and drinking and shopping. Otherwise, that day is going to take you by complete surprise, spring on you suddenly like a trap, for it's going to come on everyone, everywhere, at once. So, whatever, you do, don't fall asleep at the wheel. Pray constantly that you will be able to escape these things." "Escape" Phil says out loud. He immediately thinks of Churchill and the way his clueless cat escapes all worries just knowing Phil is going to take care of his needs. He "escapes" to Phil's lap on a regular basis for comfort, for sleep and for those treats that have added more pounds to him than what seems reasonable. Phil drops the Bible and the article in the box with the others and places it on the kitchen table. He pulls out his little indoor generator to use if the power doesn't come on before he goes to bed. "At least everything has a full charge for now." he thought. Phil grabs the soda he had left from supper and pulls the box closer to his lantern. The article he retrieved from under the credenza headlined "Franklin Graham bringing hope to Manchester with the God Loves You Tour". "Hope to Manchester" Phil muses. "Maybe that's the escape - hope. There's sure not much hope in many of the other things I'm seeing lately."

The storm moves on almost as quickly as it had arrived leaving Phil and his neighbors sitting in darkness. From inside everything seems to be intact so he decides to wait for morning light before going out to survey for damage. In the meantime he has an idea for assistance with research on AI and Revelation before turning in for the night. A couple of hours should give him some good discussion points for meeting with James tomorrow afternoon. As Phil settles down with his soda, the Bible and the box full of articles he grabs his phone. "I'm going to see what my Google Assistant says about AI and the book of Revelation" he thinks. He hesitates for a moment then asks Google "Is AI in the book of Revelation?" There is only a slight pause then his little Google helper displayed more than he expected. Phil begins reading from Google's Gemini:

"Many contemporary theologians, scholars, and Bible commentators argue that certain prophetic symbols in Revelation 13 strongly parallel the capabilities, tracking, and deceptive potential of modern AI technology. The primary passage linked to AI is Revelation 13:14–15, which describes a global religious deception led by a figure known as the False Prophet."

Phil remembered James had notes on this topic.

"Scholars like Oxford mathematician John Lennox note that ancient readers could only imagine a magical or supernatural statue. Today, observers point out that generative AI, large language models, and humanoid robotics literally create the illusion of life, allowing synthetic systems to communicate, translate scripture, and mimic human consciousness. Commentators also argue that the systemic control required by the end-times 'Beast system' is technologically impossible without advanced AI."

Phil remembers James saying something about this as well. He takes a sip of his soda, makes a note for later research then reads on.

"Revelation 13:16–17 mandates a 'mark' required for anyone to buy or sell. Fulfilling a global economic lockdown requires computing power beyond human capacity. Modern parallels include AI-driven digital currencies, automated social credit systems, and global facial recognition networks that can instantly track transactions and flag dissenters." That's the amazing part to Phil. Revelation was written over 2000 years ago but yet it predicts the very things we are now witnessing in real time. As Phil gets to the end of his informative AI help he reads "If you are researching a specific perspective, let me know if you would like to explore mainstream evangelical views, academic historicist interpretations, or how specific tech developments are being mapped to these prophecies." He feels a cold chill run down his spine. "I wonder if James has used AI to do any of his research? I'll have to ask him that tomorrow."

There was one more thing Phil wanted to ask his assistant. "According to the Bible how can man escape a world of trouble?" Gemini quickly gave him the answer:

"According to the Bible, man escapes the ultimate consequences of a fallen world through salvation in Jesus Christ, and escapes present-day trials through God’s faithfulness and divine peace. The Bible does not promise an escape from all earthly hardships, but provides specific spiritual routes to navigate them."

Phil thought of James and how he seemingly has had no worries even through some terrible times he has experienced lately. This certainly describes his neighbor. Phil's reading continues:

"Here is how the Bible describes overcoming the troubles of this world: The foundational escape from the spiritual weight, sin, and ultimate judgment of this world is through Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul writes in Galatians 1:4 that Christ 'gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age.' The author of Hebrews 2:3 warns against ignoring this grace, stating, 'how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?' When it comes to the trials, pressures, and sins of everyday life, God provides a 'way out' to prevent you from being crushed.  1 Corinthians 10:13 promises, 'God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.' The original Greek word used for "way out" is ekbasis, which literally means 'an exit' or a way to 'walk out' of a trap or difficult place. Instead of running away from problems, the Bible teaches that believers can escape the anxiety of this world by relying on God's presence. Jesus said in John 16:33, 'In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.' Believers are encouraged to cast their anxieties on God and seek His peace through prayer, as detailed in Philippians 4:6-7. Ultimately, the final and complete escape from a world full of sorrow, pain, and death is realized at the end of the age. Revelation 21:4 promises that God will wipe away every tear, and 'there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.'

Phil thinks back to some of the "utopias" being described by AI creators and, from deep down in his gut, he feels their utopia is just a forgery of the real thing. He has quite a few questions for James but, oddly enough, very few of them relate to today's headlines. Phil is becoming increasingly interested in the writings of men from the times of Jesus...and there's a curious stirring in his mind that has never been there before. He's actually looking forward to tomorrow afternoon and his meeting with James.

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