Rise of AI Deception: How AI and Deepfakes Are Fulfilling Jesus’ End-Time Warning

Life in the age we have entered means that we must have a basic understanding of new technology.

This isn’t easy for us as we grow older because people my age don’t generally embrace change, and we’re happy to leave those new-fangled innovations to the expertise of the younger generation. Unfortunately, we cannot do that anymore and here is the primary reason why: deception.

We were warned that the development of artificial intelligence (AI) would skyrocket like nothing we have ever seen before, and indeed it is. Like so many other advancements and inventions, AI is being used in ways that benefit humanity, but also in ways that will shift our lives in a direction we don’t like and never asked for. How many of these morally questionable ambitions are enhancing lives? And how many are Frankenstein creating another monster?

This technology is here to stay and it’s accelerating rapidly, with or without our approval. The one thing that will halt its advancement is the electrical grid going down. Instead of ignoring it and hiding from it, your mission should be to learn as much about it as possible, if for no other reason than to keep yourself from being deceived.

I already wrote a book on Artificial Intelligence, so I won’t repeat myself too much here. However, one disturbing aspect that has become a mounting problem is that this technology is being used to create content that appears to be real but is not. The entire world is entering a time when lies, misinformation, and disinformation will be masked as truth, and images will be manipulated to deceive the masses. This is already happening while spiritually blind and bound people are falling for it without even questioning it.

Let’s consider a technology creation called “deepfakes.” People, some of them nefarious, are using a form of artificial intelligence called “deep learning” to create fake images, videos, and recordings that appear genuine but are not real. They can take a snippet of someone’s voice and use their picture or an online video, digitally alter it, and make it look and sound like the person is doing or saying something they never did or said. They create ads of well-known people pushing a product they never advertised. They create videos of ministers teaching content that the minister did not teach and might not even believe.

This is all modification and manipulation. When the person creating the deepfake is not highly skilled, the above average person can watch or listen to it and notice that something seems off. The more the creator practices and the better the technology, the easier it is to fool someone who is not an expert in the field of artificial video creation.

The danger of deepfakes cannot be underestimated. Our ministry is forced to deal with these, and it is distracting and annoying for the tech team, who must stop their normal work and deal with convincing YouTube or other social media to remove fake videos and fake accounts.

Some people are so twisted in their minds and reprobate in their spirits, they don’t care that they are harming individuals with their lies, false narratives, and fabricated content. These people are like classroom bullies, except now they can make money off the clicks when people view their content. With global media platforms such as YouTube, manipulated media and deceptive content is on the rise. It is becoming increasingly difficult for the casual viewer to detect authentic videos.

The Fake Vision of Heaven

Not long ago I noticed a YouTube video with a picture of my friend Jentezen Franklin, and the headline stated that he was sharing his vision of the Rapture. I thought, Wow! He never told me he had a vision of the Rapture! When I texted him, he replied, “I have never had a vision of the Rapture.”

The entire video was a hoax. It was created by a deception peddler who used a well-known person’s name to acquire more views. More views translate to more income from monetized videos. Yet, people are falsely led to believe this was a true story and Jentezen himself was telling it. Even corporations that own the media applications have been caught off guard as they rush to develop guidelines for how to handle these social media opportunists without banning legitimate accounts in the process.

This counterfeit content reminds me of the warning Christ gave concerning the time of the end. In Matthew 24 and 25, the Olivet Discourse details events (signs) that will happen prior to and after Christ’s return. In chapter 24, Christ warned four times of being deceived, a Greek word that refers to wandering off the path, going astray, or being seduced. The adversary is a liar and deceiver. Those who believe lies, in whatever form they take, are deceived.

Detecting the Fake

In John 10, Christ talks about His sheep knowing His voice and following Him and no other. When we follow Christ, study the Bible, pray, listen, and obey, we begin to know His voice. If we are students of the Word and someone teaches unsound doctrine, we discern that it doesn’t align with the Word. If we sense something pulling us in the wrong direction, we recognize that it is not from God.

A similar process helps you discern the fakes online. If you listen to or watch someone regularly, you learn their voice, speech patterns, movements, and mannerisms. You become familiar with the content they teach. When you hear a deep-fake, you recognize that the voice sounds flat and monotone, or the content is not something this person would say. When people report deepfake videos to our office, they make observations such as, “I knew that didn’t sound like Perry,” or, “I knew Perry would never teach that.”

Also, pay attention to the channel you are watching. I’ll use myself as an example. Our YouTube channel is simply “Perry Stone.” Not Mr. Perry Stone, Pastor Perry Stone, Perry Stone Legacy, or any other such channel. If you are not watching the correct channel, you could be watching phony or stolen content. You could be watching content that was created by scammers overseas, or even criminal cartels. The same applies to other channels; for example, Joseph Z, Destiny Image, Jonathan Cahn Official, and Mario Murillo are the legitimate channels. Make sure the channel you are watching is a legitimate church or ministry channel. I recommend subscribing to the correct channel so you will know for sure that you are watching real content. Subscribing costs you nothing, but it will help you verify real content.

When you watch a video that shows a minister’s picture, along with an outlandish headline that creates bait for you to click and watch (called “clickbait”), you are putting money in the hands of unethical people. Save yourself the chance of believing a lie and go straight to the original source. Don’t be deceived by a picture and a headline that was designed to reel you in for the purpose of creating income for the deceiver.

Often, I receive criticism from people online when I warn our audience to be careful who and what they listen to and what information they repeat and repost. If the source is wrong and the tale is falsified, those who parrot the same nonsense are guilty of repeating false information. We could make the biblical argument that repeating the lie makes you a liar, too. We will give an account on the day of judgment for every idle and careless word we speak (Matthew 12:36).

I also advise my audience not to watch those people who continually attack churches, ministries, pastors, and Christians. A true follower of Christ should block such individuals, as nothing they say is faith building, edifying, or encouraging. There is no need to listen to people who have a critical spirit, a religious spirit, or people who are reminiscent of the Pharisees who thought Jesus could do nothing right. Eventually their belligerence and bitterness will defile your spirit, just as it defiled theirs (Hebrews 12:15).

The greatest key to not being deceived is to pray and let the Holy Spirit guide you into truth. Ask for the gift of discerning of spirits, which is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Some people falsely believe they have “discernment” when in fact they have a critical spirit.

If you have a question about the legitimacy of a video, photo, or anything else, instead of repeating something that might not be true, contact the person, church, or ministry and ask. They might be unaware that such content is online and spreading.

Jesus warned that we must guard our hearts against deception before He returns. This requires common sense, discernment of spirits, and the ability to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit.