TECHNOCHASM & THE END TIMES

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A chasm has opened in America… a great divide. On one side… a new aristocracy, amassing more wealth, more quickly than any other group in American history. Today, the one percent makes more money in one month than most people make in a lifetime. On the other side… The opposite is happening. Wealth is flowing out of the pockets of ordinary Americans at an unprecedented rate. Today, nearly 80% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck.

This chasm between the rich and poor is only going to get larger and is one of the reasons Jesus must return to restore righteousness. Prior to God destroying this Earth by fire, it has another 1,000 years with Jesus ruling and reigning with the glorified Saints. The nation God established for His purposes, Israel, will finally fulfill its destiny but only with Jesus ruling from a new Jerusalem.

“From His (Jesus) mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” Revelation 19:15-16

Then we will have had 6,000 years of unregenerate man ruling the world under the influence of Satan and his demons followed by 1,000 years with Jesus and the Saints ruling the nations with a rod of iron. At 7,000 years this Earth’s history is complete.

“Then comes the end, when he (Jesus) delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” 1 Corinthians 15:24-26

Then comes the second resurrection of the dead followed by the White Throne judgement and only then does John see a new Jerusalem descending from a new Heaven onto a new Earth where only the righteous dwell.

CHASM BETWEEN RICH AND THE POOR

Over the last four decades, advancements in computing power, data storage, communications gear, artificial intelligence, and other technologies have followed a trajectory like you see on the left side of the chart below. This is because they started at very low levels. But after many years of advancing at exponential rates, technologies are entering the “liftoff” phase.

This rapid increase in the rate at which the world is changing has stunning business and investment ramifications. The world around us is changing at never-before-seen speeds… the speed and capabilities of our computers are increasing at unfathomable rates… And it’s catching many people off guard.

This is creating a gigantic shift in the way our economy works and how we build wealth. Today, the acceleration of our technological progress allows companies to operate with just a fraction of the number of employees businesses used to require. Forty years ago, it took the work of tens of thousands of people to build a business worth $20 BILLION or more. Now, some businesses can do it with less than 2,000 people. For example, in 2019, the workplace software company Slack achieved a market value of $23 BILLION. It had less than 1,700 employees. Getting to a $23 BILLION valuation with just 1,700 employees never used to happen! Back in 1989, Kodak had about 145,000 employees and was valued at around $16 BILLION… But in 2017, Snapchat achieved a $24 BILLION valuation and had just 1,800 employees. Back in 1964, AT&T had more than 750,000 employees… But in 2017, Google was a bigger and far richer company than AT&T with 92% fewer employees sharing the wealth. Plus, people who invested in Google when it went public made about 17 times more gains than those who invested in AT&T over the same time.

The best new companies of today simply don’t need many people compared to companies from a decade or two ago. The number of great jobs is decreasing while the pay for these employees getting the jobs is radically soaring! This is why the wealth gap gets wider and wider every single year. The incredible rise in computing power, automation, and robotics makes all these things possible. The rules of business and building wealth are being rewritten in front of our very eyes. Over the last few decades, it took on average about 20 years for the typical Fortune 500 company to reach a market capitalization of $1 BILLION.

In 1998, Google reached $1 BILLION in market cap in just eight years, which was considered incredible. By 2004, Facebook had done it in just five years. By 2009, Uber had done it in under three years. In 2012, virtual reality firm Oculus did it in under two years. From 2012 to today, Facebook shareholders enjoyed as much as a 1,507% return on their investment. From 2010 to today, Tesla investors have made as much as 9,100% gains. Snapchat investors have made as much as 1,213% since 2018. By now, you can see how in many cases the time it takes for massive change is getting “compressed.” Industries are being transformed in a short time. As a result, new industries are springing up at a rapid and ever-increasing pace… while old industries are being disrupted at a rapid and ever-increasing pace. It will wreck family businesses, careers, and investment portfolios. New industries are springing up at a rapid and ever-increasing pace… while old industries are being demolished at a rapid and ever-increasing pace. As Uber and Lyft soared to billion-dollar valuations, the old taxi industry was devastated. It lost millions of dollars in revenue.

Since 2004, at least 1,800 American newspapers have ceased publication. The sector has shed 47% of its jobs during this time. Amazon has transformed the way we shop and get our stuff. In the process, it’s driven dozens of old-school “brick and mortar” retailers into bankruptcy. Department stores have lost 18 times more jobs than coal mining since 2001. In less than seven years, Uber demolished the “old” taxi industry. Airbnb now offers more rooms than the top five hotel brands, including Hilton, Marriott, and Hyatt, combined… Google has taken over information… by 2012, Encyclopedia Britannica published its final volumes, after 244 years of circulation. Spotify and iTunes have turned the music world upside down. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram have disrupted traditional media outlets… 

The information in this post was taken from an article by Louis Navellier of Investor Place (an investment advisory service)

THE TECHNOCHASM AND BIBLICAL END-TIMES PROPHECIES

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“But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” Daniel 12:4

This is just one of the amazing end-times prophecies given to Daniel. The 70 Weeks prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27) is the standout as it summarises Israel’s entire future including the last seven years before their Messiah returns to restore righteousness. Moreover, as I have posted here often, many of the end times prophecies are playing out in our day.

Considering the number of people flying here there and everywhere, and knowledge has increased in our day as never before, this prophecy given to Daniel about the time of the end is accurate and should increase our confidence that God’s Word is inspired by Him and He is in control of all events that happen in His world.

The speed with which new technology is changing our world is mind-blowing; Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, the Internet of Things to name a few. Also, godless debt-ridden governments are taking more control over people’s lives using Covid and climate change as reasons why they need this control. The WEF/UN great financial reset is next with digital money the only way transactions can be made. This is the first step to everybody being required to take the prophesied Mark of the Beast (Antichrist).

“Also, it (the Antichrist) 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.” Revelation 13:16-17

We are fast approaching the prophesied return of Jesus Christ (2000 prophecies). A time when Jesus will take His Saints to heaven before pouring out His wrath upon an unrepentant Earth.

Look at this video of Waymo’s fully driverless vehicles doing passenger trips in the suburbs outside Phoenix, Arizona. Evidence that we are in that time, Daniel prophesied 2600 + years ago. Fulfilled Bible prophecies and http://www.creation.com provided the proof I needed that what the Bible reveals about God and His World is true. What about you?

DEVELOPMENTS IN A.I. ANOTHER REASON FOR JESUS IMMINENT RETURN

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Some technologies possess such incalculable and unpredictable power that their impact can extend far beyond the wildest guesses of their inventors. AI is one of those technologies, just as much as the research into cloning and DNA does. It is why I have featured AI in so many of my recent posts. If you have not watched the Jordan Peterson interview on AI you need to take the time to do so. It is part of my recent post: AI is Already Doing Terrifying Stuff. Chat GPT is not terrifying stuff but it demonstrates how far AI has come.

What makes ChatGPT so amazing is you can ask it a complex question and it will give you an answer in a matter of seconds.

It can also perform other complex tasks involving language… for example, if you ask it to… it will write a poem in the style of Walt Whitman or describe Newton’s laws of motion.

Introducing ChatGPT Plus

We’re launching a pilot subscription plan for ChatGPT, a conversational AI that can chat with you, answer follow-up questions, and challenge incorrect assumptions.

Dr. Geoffrey Hinton, the “Godfather of AI,” has been expressing similar thoughts and regrets recently. He made headlines two weeks ago by resigning from his post at Google so that he could speak freely about the risks of AI.

AI could become increasingly dangerous, Hinton warns. “It is hard to see how you can prevent the bad actors from using it for bad things,” he said recently.

He worries that AI technologies will upend the job market by replacing professions like paralegals, personal assistants, and translators. Down the road, he frets that future versions of the technology might pose a threat to humanity itself.

Hinton’s angst about AI places him in the company of dozens of tech insiders who fear it could lead humanity down a destructive and irreversible path.

As The New York Times reports…

Gnawing at many industry insiders is a fear that they are releasing something dangerous into the wild. Generative A.I. can already be a tool for misinformation. Soon, it could be a risk to jobs. Somewhere down the line, tech’s biggest worriers say, it could be a risk to humanity.

After the San Francisco startup, OpenAI released a new version of ChatGPT in March, more than 1,000 technology leaders and researchers signed an open letter calling for a six-month moratorium on the development of new systems because A.I. technologies pose “profound risks to society and humanity.”

Several days later, 19 current and former leaders of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, a 40-year-old academic society, released their own letter warning of the risks of A.I.

Even Sam Altman, the co-founder of OpenAI, acknowledges the bipolar potential of AI technology. He has said he fears what could happen if AI is rolled out recklessly into society… yet this fear did not stop the billionaire from rolling out ChatGPT and simply giving it away to anyone who chooses to use it.

Elon Musk, who co-founded OpenAI with Altman but parted ways with five years ago, complained in February that OpenAI had lost its way. What started as an open-source nonprofit that could serve as a counterweight to Google, Musk explained, has now become a “closed-source, maximum-profit company effectively controlled by Microsoft. Not what I intended at all.”

Even Warren Buffett has joined the chorus of AI skeptics. At last week’s annual shareholder meeting for Berkshire Hathaway, the Oracle of Omaha remarked: “[AI] can do remarkable things… like checking all the legal opinions since the beginning of time. It can do all kinds of things. And, when something can do all kinds of things, I get a little bit worried, because I know we won’t be able to uninvent it.“

Biblical prophecies continue to astound me: six hundred years before Jesus Christ, look what the Angel Gabriel told Daniel about the end times: “Many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall increase.” How accurately this describes the time we are living in. Young people are travelling like no generation before them and knowledge is exploding as never before with the internet and now artificial intelligence (chat GPT is mind-blowing).

“But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” Daniel 12:4

Jesus has given us sufficient prophecies about the time before His return so that we will not be taken by surprise. In fact, we can use these prophecies to demonstrate that God is in control of all that happens on Earth He created. We can then preach the Good News of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf so that we can inherit eternal life.

TECHNOCHASM PART 2 – MORE ON AI

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Some technologies possess such incalculable and unpredictable power that their impact can extend far beyond the wildest guesses of their inventors. AI is one of those technologies.

“But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” Daniel 12:4

This prophecy given by the Angel Gabriel to Daniel 600 years before Jesus Christ is astounding. Young people today are travelling like no generation before it and knowledge is increasing exponentially like no generation before it, We are living in the prophesied end times prior to Jesus Christ’s return. Lawlessness is increasing, persecution of Christians is increasing, apostasy/falling away – many church denominations are compromising with the world, the number and intensity of natural disasters are increasing, all of these are prophesied end times signs.

Last Monday, executives at International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) said they expect to freeze hiring for jobs that they believe AI can do. In an interview with Bloomberg, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna estimates that up to 7,800 jobs could be affected by the freeze. Then on Monday evening, during his company’s earnings call, Chegg, Inc. (CHGG) CEO Dan Rosensweig said: In the first part of the year, we saw no noticeable impact from ChatGPT on our new account growth and we were meeting expectations on new sign-ups. However, since March we saw a significant spike in student interest in ChatGPT. We now believe it’s having an impact on our new customer growth rate. The online education company’s shares tumbled a massive 48% on Tuesday. With AI, we’ll see more wild news like that out next week… and the week after that… and every week after that.

Just five days after the release of ChatGPT, more than 1 million people tried it out. Shortly after that, ChatGPT reached 100 million active users, making it the fastest-growing computer application in history.

Companies that are beginning to use so-called generative AI like ChatGPT and DALL-E (a tool for AI-generated art) are seeing huge success.

In the most recent round of Big Tech earnings, the CEOs from Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) and Alphabet, Inc. (GOOG) talked at length about the potential for AI, from building their own models to rapidly integrating AI into their products.

Bank of America, Corp. (BAC) noted in a recent report on AI trends that “Big Tech is now engaged in an AI arms race developing their own ChatGPT-like chatbots and incorporating AI into their search engines.” They go on to say they estimate that AI could contribute up to $15.7 trillion to the global market by 2030.

So the uses and implications of AI are beyond enormous. At its core, AI is a technology that has the ability to analyze trillions of data points, in real-time, to make stunningly accurate predictions about the likelihood of future events.

The AI assault on jobs and businesses is starting. Even lawyers are feeling the pinch. AI is better at drawing up contracts than lawyers.

What about the use of AI for investment advice: harness the power of AI in your Portfolio says Louis Navellier of Investor Place: “My AI-powered stock selection system can predict a stock’s success OR failure – weeks and even months ahead of time. It is designed to identify the optimal entry and exit points for fast-moving stocks.“

Look what Investor Place is saying about AI and major corporations such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet.

 The AI world consists of two broad categories: AI creators and AI appliers.

Within the former category, many of the leaders are either private companies or small divisions within large public companies. So the universe of investible AI creators is relatively small.

On the other hand, AI appliers are everywhere… and growing by the day – companies as diverse as beauty-products purveyors, manganese miners, industrial-solutions providers, and renewable-energy managers. Each of these companies is applying specific AI technologies to its processes. But that doesn’t mean these companies are “AI plays.” Although they are all utilizing some type of AI – and will continue to do so – AI is not yet a significant contributor to their overall profit growth trajectory.

Big Tech names like Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), and Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) are best positioned to capitalize on the early phases of the coming AI boom. For one thing, these companies have been quietly investing billions of dollars in AI during the last several years. AI is building an entirely new foundation for explosive growth – a growth of such incalculable proportions that it could add trillions of dollars to the trillion-dollar market values Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet already possess.

Two years ago Microsoft spent nearly $20 billion to buy Nuance Communications, “a pioneer and a leading provider of conversational AI and cloud-based ambient clinical intelligence for healthcare providers.” Incredibly, 90% of the world’s hospitals use Nuance’s solutions.

Earlier this year, Microsoft poured $10 billion into OpenAI, the creator of the ChatGPT bot that has become an “overnight” sensation. Microsoft previously invested $1 billion in the AI company in 2019.

Alphabet Inc is also investing billions into AI technologies of various sorts. Obviously, the company invests heavily in the AI that powers its Google search engine. But Alphabet has also become a major investor/player in healthcare AI. Its GoogleHealth division is investing in cutting-edge AI applications like genome analytics, deep learning from individual health records, and accelerated diagnoses of certain ailments.

Amazon’s AWS web services division may be its single greatest AI asset. AWS offers the industry’s most comprehensive set of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning services, infrastructure, and implementation resources. More than 100,000 customers use AWS for their AI/ML workloads. And since AWS is the world’s largest cloud service provider, it is not hard to imagine that the nascent AI boom will produce an echo boom of profit growth at AWS. Already, Amazon’s “Intelligent Cloud” division is the company’s largest source of revenue and profit.

TECHNO CHASM, CLIMATE CHANGE, AND PESTILENCE CAUSING CHAOS

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What is causing the big difference between those that have and those that do not have? New industries are being created at a phenomenal rate. The Law of exponential progress is what is causing the rate of change we see happening in the world today. Computer power is growing at an exponential rate and the cost is going down at an exceptional rate. Look at your digital phone and its computing power. Just look at what Netflix has done to the entertainment industry. Look at what Robotics is doing to all manufacturing and distribution companies. What about Google and information. The incredible rise in Computing power, Robotics, and Artificial intelligence is going to further speed up the loss of jobs in traditional businesses.

Another important understanding is the Network Effect (NE). NE occurs when each new user increases the usage of the service. It is called Positive Feedback Loop. Google is the best example of this network effect. Uber is another good example of the network effect. What about Facebook, it became popular because it was popular.

Many companies will attempt to counteract the operational risks of the next global pandemic by shifting more of their processes to robotic or “smart” machines of some sort, rather than human beings. Jobs will be lost at a phenomenal rate.

YTD September 2022, $29.4 billion of video games were sold in the U.S. – a 23% increase from the same period the previous year. The majority of that increase was in content, but sales of hardware (consoles and accessories) have also seen double-digit increases since the pandemic began. Consumers are buying more consoles, and those who already have consoles are buying more games to play on them. This is what is influencing the minds of our young people; video games whose content is largely violent, and includes aliens. Satan is preparing them for demonic deception. More and more of their time is spent on their phones and less time developing relationships with family and friends.

The stock market is also chaotic: Facebook’s parent company, Meta Platforms; Amazon; Apple; Netflix and Google’s parent company Alphabet were down 26.6% on average to start the year. Meta and Netflix have taken the brunt of that with 45% losses in less than three months. All have recovered significantly since these sudden drops. You can also find plenty of smaller, lesser-known companies with tons of promise that are way down. Palantir Technologies, one of the top data-analytics stocks in the world with tremendous upside potential, plummeted over 40% for the year.

Technochasm on top of the global pandemic is causing chaos that has caused governments to rack up unsustainable debt and move to more control over every facet of people’s lives. Add to it, governments around the world’s inability to manage the transition to clean energy which is resulting in enormous energy and consumables price hikes and shortages. Lawlessness and anarchy are the inevitable outcomes of this chaos.

This is exactly what the Bible tells us will play out prior to Jesus’ return, first to rapture the Saints and then to pour out His wrath on an unrepentant world.

Jesus Foretells Wars, Famines, Pestilences and Persecution
“Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences.” Luke 21:11

“And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:12-13

“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him… Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4

Is your church preparing you for what is coming next? Probably not, if they are not preparing you for the increasing persecution that Jesus warned us would escalate prior to His return. The following Scripture is very explicit:

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:9-14

Are you concerned, your unsaved loved ones are facing the coming wrath of God?

You need to be certain God is in control, and if you are available, He will use you to achieve His purposes. Do you believe that with your whole heart and soul? Regardless, it is true. If you do not believe it then get on your knees and repent and commit the rest of your time on His planet to His purposes. If you were born again and received the Holy Spirit then you have been grieving the Holy Spirit and quenching His work in your life. How foolish is that, and yet I have to admit, I have found it easy to let the world, its pleasures, and its concerns, engulf my time. Each morning, as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane we must say in prayer to our Heavenly Father, “Not my will but yours be done” this day and every day.

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30

“Do not quench the Spirit.” 1 Thessalonians 5;19

The following verse spoken by David seems appropriate. God requires the discipline of waiting upon Him.

“Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation;
On You, I wait all the day.” Psalms 25:4-5

TECHNOCHASM

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Technology is advancing exponentially and its adoption is also experiencing exponential growth. Our lifestyles are set to change dramatically as a result. At the same time governments have recklessly taken on so much debt they are unable to govern responsibly. Money printing is rampant and interest rates close to or at zero. A great financial reset is inevitable. As well, Covid has given governments much more control over their citizens which they will not readily relinquish. Covid has also changed dramatically how businesses operate and in fact how we live our lives. The scene is set for Technochasm. Eric Fry, editor of Fry’s Investment report first used the word Technochasm to describe the phenomenon that is dividing our economy — and our stock market — into distinct groups of winners on one side … and losers on the other. Tech-focused and tech-enabled companies are leaving their old-school counterparts in the dust — both on Main Street and on Wall Street.

Crown prince Mohammed bin Salman told Bloomberg in October 2018 that Neom will be completed in 2025, and phase one is nearing completion.
  • Saudi Arabia is building a futuristic mega-city called Neom deep in a desert bordering the Red Sea.
  • The state has pledged at least $500 billion to make it happen, and is soliciting further investment.

Another good example of technological change is Electric Vehicles and Driverless vehicles both developing at a phenomenal rate, made possible by 5G. Experts predict that by as early as 2030 – that 95% of new car sales will be Electric Vehicles (EV) largely due to the development of solid state batteries when 1000 km range will become the norm, and charging time cut to 5 minutes (80 per cent). EV self driving cars will reduce the traffic volumes by 80% on the roads. Imagine the impact this will have on our how we live our lives. You will not own a car, you will order a driverless car for each occasion. A minicar for one person to go to work or an eight person vehicle for the family to go on an outing. Homes will no longer need garages. The vehicle that takes you to work will immediately be sent on another errand or to a Battery Recharge Station.

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What about robotics? Amazon already has a robotic warehouse. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and for the most of the time it does not need the lights on. Robots make few order processing errors so the Customer Service Department was reduced dramatically.

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Robot restaurants are popping up all over downtown San Francisco, as a futuristic option for people to grab fast food for cheap. The latest example is Creator, a robotic restaurant that specializes in making gourmet hamburgers with their all-in-one burger robots. This video takes you behind-the-scenes of their appointment-only smart kitchen to learn more about how robots will be the future of food in urban cities. Why they say Robot restaurants won’t take your job is because without robots these restaurants would not exist because the owners could not afford the space needed nor pay the staff costs required for a restaurant using manual labour.

Blockchain technology is another big disrupter, its impact will be almost if not bigger than the internet. Blockchain technology will break the shackles of centralization and provide better options to end-users. At the core, blockchain is a decentralized, peer-to-peer ledger-based network where there is no central authority. It will take the middle man out of so many transactions across most sectors of industry (trade and finance) and government.

Another aspect of the Digital Revolution is digital money. Bitcoin is already mainstream but in addition China is set to launch the digital yuan latest 2022. America will not be far behind as they realise the digital yuan will give China an edge to challenge America as the dominant international currency.

Put all this radical exponential technological change together with Governments that are no longer able to govern wisely and we have Technochasm. The rich are getting richer and the middleclass and the poor are getting poorer. The young believe previous generations, particularly this generation have destroyed the planet to the extent it now threatens their existence. They are taking to the streets and to violence to effect change, anarchy and lawlessness is escalating. I believe the scene is being set for the prophesied Antichrist to step onto the stage, the strongman able to solve the worlds problems. However, Bible prophecy tells us we still have two significant middle east wars before the little horn (Antichrist) of Daniel 7 & 8 is revealed. Regardless, time is short, Christians need to get about our Master’s business to share the Gospel, the only good news for a world that is facing the wrath of God.