Averting the Revelation 13 Principle

In America, we should deeply consider the emergence and fallout of ESG, an acronym for Environmental Social Governance. ESG goals presented by government leaders include limiting carbon emissions, eradicating gas/fuel products and services (supported by hyper climate change advocates), and the social inclusivity agenda and policies. Although I agree that we need to properly steward the environment through creation care, some ESG policies can also be motivated by the desire for some special interest groups to wield more political power. 

New and tighter regulations and restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions in North America have already started negatively impacting many corporations and investors. Also, the recent NYC ban on gas use in new buildings (another example of ESG) threatens to strain the city’s electric grid tremendously. In addition, many companies are under pressure to promote and advertise to special interest groups using ESG guidelines or face consequences.

This ESG stranglehold on business, aligns with the concept of “social credit scoring,” which gives companies, banks, and governments the capacity to control buying and selling based on an individual’s score. 

A social credit system combines government and business surveillance tracking, giving citizens a “score” based on their social behavior and trustworthiness. This score may be used to restrict citizens’ actions, such as purchasing airline tickets, acquiring property, and accessing loans. Based on the response from several American companies, such a system may be embraced by our country soon. Coupled with self-generating artificial intelligence and its access to all websites, social media, Wikipedia, and all internet content, “social credit scores” may be used shortly to empower “the beast” to limit the ability to buy and sell. The USA may even do this to stop “domestic terrorism” (a term used to describe parents who protested the LGBT curriculum and agenda in their children’s kindergarten and grammar school during public hearings).     

(“The beast” mentioned in Revelation 13 refers to both a demonically inspired secular empire or the leader of such an empire. Although AI may not be a direct fulfillment of biblical prophecy, Revelation 13 can be illustrated in principle in the scenarios presented here.)

Revelation 13:15-17 states:

And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.”

This “beast” may be enhanced by an AI-generated “universal religion,” projecting a holographic image to any neighborhood, city, or region for population compliance. The possibility also exists for abuse of advanced AI chat systems in producing a holy book composed of a synthesis of the Holy Scriptures with ideological input from Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Islam, to support a one-world religion.

The following is a summary given to me by Elijah Low (an economic leader) regarding possible solutions to avert this Revelation 13 scenario: 

1. Systems are already in place in the USA for some form of “social credit scoring.” It is not one system, but rather the way classification works and information access to make it work. It is a form of narrow AI (classification) and is used in all industries.

(The nice defense for it is that the companies have “plausible deniability” because a deep learning algorithm is essentially a black box. The main issues are its application of it, the level of government intervention, and the defense from its oppression.)

2. I believe that in the political and economic system in which we live today, keeping options available is the only defense. Anti-trust legislation needs to play a more prominent role. Large companies should be labeled anti-competitive and should be broken up because competition is the best defense for freedom. 

3. With many different distributed currencies like crypto, it will be hard for the digital dollar to be oppressive.

4. Giving the states more power will provide a defense against possible oppression. The founding fathers got it right when they didn’t want the central government to be too strong.

5. “Some banking platforms (Citigroup, Inc., Apple Pay, Paypal, and others) already have announced a ban on certain legal purchases, such as firearms.” This action may be oppressive if all payments must go through the same banking platforms. However, when people have a choice of payment platforms, open-market competition and profitability will ensure our freedom to purchase firearms.

6. The Supreme Court must continue to uphold the sovereignty of states to ensure competition in the marketplace. Also, maybe it’s time we break up tech companies, like Facebook, that are creating a non-competitive environment. An indicator of possible oppression is when there is only one good option in a marketplace sector. Competition in the marketplace is essential to maintain balance and prevent abuses.  

7. Christian leaders need to equip and systematically discipline the next generation to serve within the federal government and courts with an understanding of their capacity to leverage their influence. The competition will be a sustainable form of long-term defense. These same leaders must be challenged and willing to raise “Daniels” capable of being educated in the elite and Ivy League schools of society, such as Harvard and Stanford.

8. The Church needs to understand the time and seasons. There are seasons where “Samuels” need to be raised and other seasons where “Daniels” are required. Many churches today have a culture set up to raise “Samuels” and not “Daniels” (especially in education). 

May the Church raise a new generation of “Daniels” poised to penetrate and influence AI and emerging technologies. (The purpose: promotion of proper guardrails & standards.)

Please check out the latest book from Joseph Mattera here!