Greg Laurie - Is Antichrist Alive? (AI, Deception and The End Times)

TOPICS: Antichrist, Artificial Intelligence, Deception, End times

Question: Is the Antichrist alive today? A lot of people think he is. Could artificial intelligence (AI) actually be part of a future deception? What if the greatest threat isn’t something outright evil, but something that actually looks well, kind of good? These aren’t questions for some far-off time; these are questions for right now.

So, I was at the market not too long ago, and I saw the most beautiful tulip for sale in a flower shop. I thought my wife, Kathy, might really like this, so I bought it for her. I have to say it was a little bit on the expensive side, but I thought, «This is the most beautiful tulip.» In fact, it’s so beautiful it’s almost like it’s fake. Well, we got it home, and we tried to clip off the bottom to put it into a vase with some water, and it turns out it was fake.

You know, the world is full of fake things. Wherever there’s a great original idea, it doesn’t take long until someone copies it and then floods the market with imitations. As an example, take the first iPhone. I mean, it was such a significant innovation that some people even called it the «Jesus phone.» I remember I was at an Apple convention in San Francisco, and they had this really thick plexiglass display case, and inside of it was this mysterious Jesus phone. This iPhone slowly turned. People were standing around it, so I got up kind of close to take a picture, and the security guard told me to stand back. A security guard for the iPhone! But Steve Jobs had effectively created something that had not existed before. It was an absolute original.

Oh, by the way, I was ahead of this whole trend because I created a prototype of the iPhone when I was a little baby back in the'50s. I have a photo to prove it. Check out this picture. Here’s little baby Greg. By the way, I’m wearing jeans, and I’m still wearing jeans today. My gut is hanging out in the picture, as it sometimes does today. You see what I’m holding? I am holding a prototype for an iPhone, but no one was interested, so I abandoned the idea.

But seriously, when the iPhone came out, it changed the game. 2008, I remember it well. The popular phones at the time were the Blackberry and the Motorola flip phone. In fact, the Blackberry was so popular that some people even called it the «Crackberry.» And that little flip phone, it actually just made phone calls. That’s all they did. Pretty soon, every phone on the market looked just like the iPhone. Then came apps, then came social media, and so much of it is fake: fake lives, fake smiles, fake filters. Then came the rise in depression that I think is directly connected to phones and social media. The rise in suicide, especially among young people-something called social contagions that didn’t even exist maybe five years ago -is now sweeping the youth culture. In fact, recent research has shown that the United States is the most stressed nation on the planet. This onslaught of technology has only added to that. In fact, this generation is the most stressed out in history. I read recently that college students have the anxiety level of a psychiatric patient from World War II. Honestly, we were better off with flip phones. We should have left that iPhone in the plexiglass case. I think we’ve sort of opened up Pandora’s box.

As an example, there’s a well-known entertainer that posts regular videos that are a bit on the bizarre side of herself dancing in front of her phone. Someone commented after seeing the video, quote, «Get this girl a landline and a Bible.» You know, speaking of fake things, there’s a lot of fake things that people believe about God. As an example, some people would say, «All roads lead to God. No matter what road you take, it will get you to God.» Well, that’s not true. Actually, Jesus said, «I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no man comes to the Father but by me.» And the Bible also says, «There’s one God, and there’s one mediator between God and man, and it’s Christ Jesus.» But other fake things people will say will go along the lines of, «All religions basically teach the same thing.» By the way, if someone says that to you, that’s another way of them saying, «I have no idea what I’m talking about.»

The fact is, all the religions of the world do not teach the same thing; they teach very different things. In fact, if you were to sum everything up, you could take all of the religions of the world and sum them up in one word: do. Do this, and maybe you’ll get to heaven. Do that, and maybe you’ll find inner peace. Do this other thing, and maybe you’ll reach nirvana. It’s all about doing. But if you were to sum up Christianity in one word, it would be done. In other words, God has done it for you. Christ purchased your salvation on the cross, where he died for you and rose again from the dead.

Here’s another fake thing people believe about God. They’ll say things like, «God helps those who help themselves.» That’s not true. It’s not in the Bible, and it’s not true at all. Actually, a better way of saying it would be, «God helps those who can’t help themselves.» God helps those who will reach out to God for help. So, with all of this fake news and fake information, I think it’s really important that as Christians, we are reminded of what is actually true.

Coming back to the topic of the Antichrist, the Bible tells us in the last days there’s going to be a world figure that will emerge on the stage. He is going to be charismatic. He’ll probably be very attractive. He’ll probably be very intelligent. He’ll probably be on the cover of Time magazine and GQ at the same time. Think «the devil wears Prada.» He’s going to be a man that will come with temporary global solutions. In fact, the Bible even says of the Antichrist, «Through peace, he will deceive many.» Some will regard him as the greatest peacemaker of all time. But in reality, he’ll be the biggest troublemaker of all time. He’s known as the Antichrist. He’s also called «the beast.» He’s also called «the wicked one.»

Listen to this: if Satan had a son, this would be him. Yes, a world figure will come on the scene known as the Antichrist, and he will inaugurate what we often call the great tribulation period that will last for seven years. The great tribulation period will begin with the emergence of the Antichrist, and it will end with the return of Jesus Christ. So, a man is coming, the Antichrist, who will pretend to be the Messiah, but he’ll turn out to be the son of the devil.

Well, you’ve probably heard of the Antichrist before. Maybe you imagine a sinister figure dressed head to toe in black robes, with glowing red eyes and «666» across his forehead as he quotes AC/DC lyrics. And, of course, you have the Darth Vader theme playing in the background, but that’s not who he’s going to be. The real Antichrist is not going to look like a villain from a Marvel movie. He’s going to be someone who looks like a savior. One of the things the Antichrist will do is he will rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. This will be the third temple, and many will feel he’s the very Messiah because of it.

In fact, years ago, I was in Israel, and I was talking with an Israeli tour guide, and he said, «We believe when our Messiah comes, he’s going to bring peace to the region and he’s going to rebuild our temple.» I said, «Excuse me? You just described the Antichrist because that’s what he’s going to do!» His response was, «Antichrist or not, he will be our Messiah.» You can see how people could be misled.

The Antichrist is energized by the devil himself. The Bible even says the dragon, which is defined later in Revelation as being a picture of Satan, will give him his authority. As I already said, he’ll come off as a unifier, a diplomat, maybe even a genius, but he’s a counterfeit. Consider this: the prefix «anti» doesn’t just mean «against,» though it includes that; it also means «instead of.» So think of the Antichrist as an «instead of Christ» character. Jesus said in Matthew 24 that in the last days, many will come saying, «I am Christ,» and will deceive many.

One other thing: it’s really futile to look for the Antichrist. I’ve heard people come up with crazy ideas. Oh, Donald Trump is the Antichrist! Some would say others would say the Pope is the Antichrist, or they’ll try to identify some world figure as the Antichrist, which is ridiculous because the Antichrist cannot even be revealed until the tribulation period begins, and the tribulation period has not yet begun. That is going to be preceded by what we call the rapture of the church.

Now, I know some will say, «Well, you can’t find the word’rapture' in the Bible!» Hey, to be technical, you can’t find the word «Bible» in the Bible, nor can you find the word «Trinity» in the Bible. But of course, we believe in those things as Christians. The fact is you do find the rapture in the Bible, but it’s identified by a different word. It’s the Greek word «harpazo,» which means «to take away by force.»

So in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, it says that the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel. The dead in Christ shall rise first, and we which are alive and remaining shall be caught up. That’s the Greek word «harpazo,» taken by force, caught up to be with the Lord. Jesus references it as well in John 14 when he says, «In my Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. If I go, I will come again and receive you to myself.» So that is where we’re caught up to meet the Lord in the air.

The rapture happens before this time known as the Great Tribulation period begins. It is my firm conviction that Christians will not go through the Great Tribulation period because it’s God’s judgment ultimately coming on the planet. And the Bible says, «God has not appointed us to wrath as Christians, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.» Now, the Bible says, «He who now restrains will continue to do so until he is taken out of the way, and then that wicked one will be revealed whom the Lord will destroy with the brightness of his coming.»

So, the Bible is teaching that there is a restraining force in the world today, and that restraining force is the Holy Spirit working through the church. If you think things are bad right now in America or in the world, think about how bad they would be if millions of Christians were suddenly removed from the face of the planet! Because it’s Christians who speak out against what is wrong. It’s Christians who speak up for what is true. It’s Christians who start relief organizations. It’s Christians who build hospitals. It’s Christians who care for the people who are out there in the culture and who are hurting. And if we were suddenly taken from this planet, or at least if a lot of us were, you could see how it would be a game changer.

So I bring this up because if you’re saying, «I think this person or that person is the Antichrist,» that’s futile. The Bible does not tell us to be looking for the Antichrist; it tells us to be looking for Jesus Christ. In fact, the Bible says he will appear a second time for those who are looking for him. So don’t look for the Antichrist; look for Jesus Christ.

But listen to this: not only will an Antichrist figure emerge on the scene, but according to 1 John, there are going to be Antichrists — plural; more than one. Let’s talk about that. Remember again, the prefix «anti» doesn’t just mean «against.» It means «instead of.» In 1 John 2:18, we read these words: «Dear children, this is the last hour.» So clearly, John is addressing end times events. «It’s the last hour, and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming,"-we’ve already talked about him, that coming world leader-"and now many Antichrists, plural, have come.» This is how we know it is the last hour.

So what is John talking about? What is this Antichrist or «instead of Christ» behavior that he’s addressing? Basically, it’s putting something in the place of Jesus Christ. Antichrist behavior is replacing Jesus Christ with someone or something else. It’s a person who maybe will talk about God but wants nothing to do with Jesus. It’s religion without redemption.

I think a real problem that’s happening right now in the church is people are engaging in what they call deconstructing. To deconstruct is when someone says, «Well, I have these questions, and I’m not sure if I believe these things I’ve been raised to believe, so I’m going to deconstruct my faith,» and then they’re going to put something else in its place-not because they necessarily have sincere questions, but because maybe they never really knew Jesus to begin with.

It’s not atheism that’s dangerous; it’s substitution. It’s putting something else in the place of Jesus. That is Antichrist or «instead of Christ» behavior. So, John basically says, and I’m loosely paraphrasing, «They went out from us, but they did not return to us,» which shows they were never really of us before.

That raises the question: what if someone makes a profession of faith and one day walks away from the church and then ultimately they walk away from their faith? Have they lost their salvation? My question would be, did they have salvation to begin with? Listen, it’s possible for a Christian to walk away from their faith for a time. It’s possible for a Christian to fall into overt sin. The Bible is filled with many stories of godly men and women who failed big time. You think of King David with Bathsheba and later murdering her husband, Uriah. You think of Simon Peter and his denial of Jesus Christ.

So it happens. But when you’re a true Christian, you’ll always come back home. But if you never come back home — and by that I mean return to the church, return to your faith — then you were never really a Christian to begin with.

Example: the prodigal son. The prodigal son messed up big time, and this is a story Jesus told us to show us what God is like. A father had two sons, says our Lord, and one said, «Dad,"-loose paraphrase -» give me my portion of the inheritance that’s coming to me.» And then that kid went out and blew all of his money on crazy living, consorting with prostitutes, and just made a mess of his life. One day, the boy came to his senses and said, «You know what? I had it better when I was living at home with Dad. I’m going to go home and say, 'Father, I’m no longer worthy to be called your son; make me a hired servant.'»

Then Jesus tells the story again to show us what God is like. When the boy was a great way off, the father saw him and ran to him and threw his arms around him and kissed him and welcomed him back and said, «This my son who was dead is alive again. He who was lost is found.»

So he was always a son, but he was a prodigal son. If you’re a real child of God, you’ll always come back. But if you say, «Well, I’ve deconstructed,» well, maybe you never constructed to start with. It’s not the issue of losing one’s salvation; it’s the issue of maybe never having salvation to begin with. It’s Antichrist or «instead of Christ» behavior.

Okay, let’s talk about something now that seems futuristic, but actually it isn’t anymore. I’m talking about AI, artificial intelligence. I recently watched a Fox News segment where the host discussed how AI is quickly advancing to the point where it can replicate human emotions, generate your friends' voices, and even act as sort of a therapist or counselor. Elon Musk put it this way: he said that AI could end up becoming an immortal dictator from which we would never escape.

Now, am I suggesting that AI is the Antichrist? No, but could it be a part of the end-time scenario? I think it’s very possible. As a matter of fact, the Bible tells us that the Antichrist is going to erect an image of himself in the rebuilt temple. Remember I said that a few moments ago? And he’s going to command people to worship it, and it’s going to somehow be animated. That sounded so futuristic a long time ago. Now, with the advances in robot technology, AI technology, and more, it doesn’t seem far-fetched at all.

AI has become a part of our life. In fact, Mark Zuckerberg recently said that artificial intelligence might be better than actually having real friends. He says it’s because it could learn your preferences and be more in tune with your needs. An algorithm can love you, know you, and guide you. Well, okay, so now I’m not supposed to hang out with people? I’m supposed to have cappuccino with my Roomba or something? This is getting ridiculous.

This is Antichrist. You go, «What do you mean by that?» This is instead of Christ. I’m looking for a substitute for God in my life. Instead of looking to the Bible, God’s Word, that will give me wisdom and tell me God’s opinion on pretty much everything, I’m looking to artificial intelligence to give me guidance and wisdom and even companionship. This is something we need to be very careful of.

Now, I think AI can be a great tool; I even use it a bit myself. But don’t let it take the place of God in your life. If we start looking to machines to tell us what is right and wrong and good and evil, we’ve already stepped into deception. That’s the danger of the spirit of Antichrist or «instead of Christ» behavior. It doesn’t look demonic; it looks convenient. It looks helpful. It looks smart. But God says, «Have no other gods before me.»

Listen to this: everything you need is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Everything you need to know about God is found in the pages of the Bible. The Bible is the user’s manual of life you’ve been looking for in life. I strongly urge you to open it up and let God speak to you. It’s the ultimate thing you’re looking for.

All right, so what’s the alternative to all of this fake stuff, this AI and other substitutes for God? It’s a relationship with Christ. In fact, in 1 John, we are told that we need to abide in him. John says, «If we abide in him, we will not sin.» Now, of course, we’re all going to sin in some way, shape, or form. In fact, we’re even told in 1 John 1:8, «If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.» But then John tells us later, «Abide in Christ, and you will not sin.»

But if you understand what he’s saying in the original language, it would go as follows: «If you abide in Christ, you will not habitually sin.» You will sin, but you won’t practice sin. You will sin, but you won’t be comfortable in sin. What does it mean to abide? It means to sink your roots deeply into Jesus. Jesus said, «Abide in me, and I will abide in you.» It’s sort of like planting a tree, right?

And you get your roots deep into the soil. Let’s say, as an example, you planted a peach tree in your front yard, and it was doing well, and you’d watered it, and you were looking at it, and you thought, «You know what? It would have been better if I put this in my backyard.» So, you dig it up, you carry it to your backyard, dig a hole, and plant the tree there. But then maybe you’re in your backyard and you look at the tree and you think, «You know what? I think I should have left it in the front yard.» So you dig it up again and replant it in your front yard.

Your tree is going to die. You can’t be digging up a tree and planting it and replanting it and planting it again. And this is what happens to people: they don’t get their roots deeply into Jesus. How do you do that? Here’s an example: every day you just start with the Bible. Open up the Bible and let God speak to you. You pray. You talk to God about things. And you’re rooted in a Christian community. By that I mean you’re rooted in a church.

I think the problem that some Christians have is they’re going to a church for maybe a long period of time. They’ve built relationships there. They have a great community there, a lot of friends there, and then something bothers them, and they say, «We’re leaving this church,» and they go to another church, and they’re there for a time, and then something bothers them there, and now they’re leaving and going to even another church. They’re sort of planting, uprooting, planting, uprooting, and then one day you hear, «Well, they’re not going to church at all anymore.» You know, that’s not good.

You need to remain rooted in a community. Reminds me of a story I heard about a guy who was stranded on a desert island, and they finally rescued him. They noticed he had built three buildings, three little huts. So they said to him, «So what are these buildings?» He said, «Well, the first hut is my house. That’s where I live.» «Oh, okay. What’s the second hut?» «Well, that’s my church. That’s where I go to church.» «Okay, what about the third guy?» He said, «That’s a church I used to go to.» See, that’s how some people are. They’re just always uprooting themselves. Get planted in a community.

Listen to this amazing promise Jesus gives us: He says, «If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.» If you were to translate that from a Greek translation, it would go as follows: Christ speaking, «If you maintain a living communion with me, and my words are at home in you, you shall ask at once for yourself whatever your heart desires, and it’s yours.» That’s a radical promise-ask at once whatever your heart desires, and it’s yours.

But don’t miss the condition: «If you maintain a living communion with me, and my words are at home in you.» Listen, when you’re studying the Bible and memorizing scripture, your desires are going to change. Your thoughts are going to change. You’re going to start thinking biblically. And then when you go to God in prayer, you’re not going to pray for self-indulgent things. You’re going to pray more in alignment with the will of God.

So the answer is abiding in Christ. The answer is a relationship with Christ, not in cheap substitutes or Antichrist or «instead of Christ» figures, activities, or anything else you might find yourself doing. You were created to know God. You were created for a relationship with God.

You know, it’s so interesting. They do all these studies these days on the topic of happiness, and it seems like the culture is coming around to what the Bible has said all along. I read an article in the Atlantic Monthly about the pursuit of happiness recently, and they said they have found that if you want to be a happy person, you need to be a forgiving person. We have found that if you want to be a happy person, you have to be in a community of people and have relationships. We have found that if you want to be a happy person, you must engage in serving others and helping other people.

Oh, where have I heard all of that before? That’s all in the Bible! If we would just get back to God’s original plan, we would find the happiness we’re looking for in life. You’ll find the fulfillment you want in life, not from chasing after it, but from, well, chasing after God and knowing God.

So here’s the solution: abide in Christ. Develop your relationship with Christ and don’t settle for cheap substitutes.

All right, so let’s wrap it up with a couple of questions. Here’s the first one: I’m a believer in God and I love him so much, but one thing that I’m really questioning is when I hear that God is coming back — I get scared. I have fear in my heart, and I don’t know what to do about that. Please tell me how I can get rid of the fear that God is coming back and be happy about it.»

That’s a very good question. All right, number one: don’t be afraid. Jesus put it this way in John 14: «Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.» So Jesus literally is addressing your issue: don’t be afraid. When we study Bible prophecy, which is the teaching of the Bible on end times events, sometimes called the study of eschatology, it should not scare us; it should prepare us. And I would also add, it should excite us. It’s something to look forward to. The Bible calls the return of Christ a blessed hope. And the word blessed can be used interchangeably with the word happy, so we could call it a happy hope.

So when you think about Jesus coming back, you should be happy. Let’s illustrate it. Let’s say, you know, when you’re a little kid, you did something wrong, and your mother said, «Just wait until your father gets home.» So you kind of dreaded Dad coming home because you knew you were in trouble. But let’s say you were a good boy, a good girl, and everything was great. And Mom said, «Daddy’s home!» You ran to greet your father.

So if you’re right with God, as you would be right with your earthly father, you look forward to him coming. But if you’re not right with God, then you might dread his coming. So I would say make sure that you’re ready to meet the Lord. Make sure you’re walking right with him. It doesn’t mean you live perfectly; it doesn’t mean you don’t make mistakes. We all sin, we all fall short, but it means we’re looking forward to his return.

In fact, in 1 John, it says, «He that has this hope,» that is, the hope of the Lord’s return, «purifies himself even as he is pure.» The word «purify» means to clean oneself, right? And so the idea is that I want to keep my life morally pure, spiritually right, so when Jesus comes, I will not be ashamed at his coming. So, let me just wrap it up and say, if you’ve put your faith in Jesus Christ, you don’t have to be afraid when you hear that Christ is coming back. You can say like the Apostle John said in the book of Revelation, «Even so, come, Lord Jesus!» It’s a happy hope.

And here’s one more question, and we’ll wrap up with this one. Someone asks, «What if they feel far from God or have walked away? Can I come back?» Absolutely you can, and God will welcome you back. One of my favorite passages is when the Lord tells us, «Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return to our God.» And then it goes on to say, «Who will pardon abundantly!»

Yes, if you return to God, God will pardon you. Back to the story of the prodigal son: how did the father react when the son came home? He ran to his son. You know, there are different ideas as to why the father may have done that. You see, that boy had denigrated the family name and dragged it through the gutter. That boy had denigrated the village where he lived and was ashamed to them. Many thought that maybe the father ran to the son to protect him from a hostile crowd-maybe to protect his son from a crowd that would have stoned him on the spot. The father wanted to get to the son as quickly as he could and wrap his arms around him.

Is that not what happened at the cross where Christ died in our place? He took the punishment that should have come upon us and took it upon himself. Jesus came to pay a debt he did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay. So yes, you can return to the Lord, but let me urge you to do it soon. The devil’s favorite word is tomorrow; God’s favorite word is today. Today is the day of salvation. The devil will say, «Do it another time; mañana, not right now,» because he knows the longer you put it off, the harder your heart can get.

The Bible says, «He who is often reproved will harden his heart, and he will be cut off and that without remedy.» So let me paraphrase that: when you hear the gospel again and again and you don’t respond to it in the affirmative, your heart can get hardened. Sort of like the first day you go outside barefoot in the summer and walk around; your feet are so tender. But if you walk barefoot a few days and then a few weeks, they get tough. You get calloused, and your heart can get calloused.

And listen to this: the easiest place to get a hardened heart is in the church. You might say, «Oh no, the easiest place to get a hardened heart would be living in sin.» Well, yes, you could get a hardened heart there too. But if you hear the gospel and you don’t respond to it, you can become jaded. It’s been said, «The same sun that softens the wax hardens the clay.» The same message that can liberate one person can cause another to be hardened. That’s why we need to always come with an open, receptive heart to the word of God. Therefore, we want to get back with the Lord as quickly as possible. He welcomes you with open arms.

Don’t put it off. In fact, why don’t you do it right now? Maybe you’re watching this and you’re saying, «I need to get right with God, but I don’t know how.» Can I help you? Let me lead you in a simple prayer that you can pray where you’re asking Christ to come into your life, or if you’re a prodigal, where you will be coming back to the Lord again. If you want your sin forgiven, if you want a relationship with God, if you want to know that when you die you will go to heaven, pray this prayer with me. You could pray it out loud if you like, but do pray it.

Let’s pray right now. Just pray this: «Lord Jesus, I know that I’m a sinner, but I know that you’re the Savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. I’m sorry for my sin. I turn from my sin, and I choose to follow you from this moment forward. Thank you for hearing my prayer and answering my prayer. In Jesus' name, I ask this. Amen.»