Epiphany 4 (6)

Deuteronomy 18:14–22 NIV84

14 The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so. 15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. 16 For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.” 17 The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. 19 If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account. 20 But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death.” 21 You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” 22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.

Recently concern has been raised about a number of posts on social media regarding Taylor Swift. The very popular and wealthy musical pop star has drawn much attention because of her relationship with NFL football player Travis Kelce. Connected with this growing interest have been numerous posts about her which apparently have been fabricated by AI.

In the news over the past few days, you might have seen that George Carlin released a new stand-up comedy special, that explicit photos were taken of Taylor Swift and celebrities like Steve Harvey hawking Medicare scams on YouTube.

Except these didn't actually happen − they were all faked using artificial intelligence. An AI-generated Carlin audio special has drawn a lawsuit from his estate, filed Thursday. The same day, deepfaked pornographic images of Swift circulated on X, formerly Twitter, were viewed millions of times before being taken down by the social media site. YouTube said it terminated 90 accounts and suspended multiple advertisers for faking celebrity endorsements. These fakes have drawn fierce criticism, but they're hardly the first celebrities to be recreated with AI technology, and they won't be the last.

And the AI problem is only going to get worse as the technology improves every day while the law drags behind.

It's only a matter of time before there will be no way to visually differentiate between a real image and an AI-generated image. "I'm very confident in saying that in the long run, it will be impossible to tell the difference between a generated image and a real one," says James O'Brien, a computer science professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

"The generated images are just going to keep getting better."

Concern over the real source of information is really nothing new. This thread emphasizes that you can’t necessarily trust who the spokesman is. This leads us to a deeper question, where does real truth come from? Science, man’s ability to think, or the spiritual realm.

Thousands of years ago the people of Israel faced a challenge which many modernists today refuse to believe. [That there is a source of information and revelation that comes from beyond normalcy.] The ancients believed in supernatural knowledge and that it could be revealed to mankind from spiritual forces. It is a foundational belief of Christianity. We believe that there is a God who transcends us who has chosen to reveal himself to us so that we can have knowledge that would otherwise not be available to us. The writer to the Hebrews states this in

Hebrews 1:1 (NIV)

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.

and St. Paul asserts this when he writes about divine mysteries. Jesus himself teaches us that the content of he message came from beyond even himself and that he revealed what God, the Father, had given to him.

Luke 10:21–24 (NIV84)

21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. 22 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” 23 Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

John 7:16–18 NIV84

16 Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. 17 If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.

So the question for them wasn’t whether messages came from the people themselves or people pretending to be those people. The question was whether the message came from a supernatural being that was divine or one that was demonic and if the person presenting it was inspired by God, led by a demon, or had concocted the ideas on his own.

Moses speaks to this as he refers to the current situation and what the people could expect in the future.

Deuteronomy 18:14–16 (NIV)

14 The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so. 15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. 16 For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.”

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 18:9–14

(3) The use of magic and divination (vv. 10, 14) was a refusal to acknowledge the sovereignty of the LORD. (4) Reliance on these practices indicated a corresponding failure to trust the LORD with one’s life. People who are knowledgeable of the occult and demon possession quickly point out that the practices mentioned in verses 9–14 have led many into satanic bondage.

Divination (vv. 10, 14), from the verb qāsam, “to divide,” means to give false prophecy or seek to determine the will of the gods by examining and interpreting omens. (Qāsam is also used in Josh. 13:22; 1 Sam. 6:2; 28:8; 2 Kings 17:17; Isa. 3:2; 44:25; Jer. 27:9; 29:8; Ezek. 13:6, 9, 23; 21:21, 23, 29; 22:28; Micah 3:6–7, 11; Zech. 10:2.) Sorcery (‘ānan, Deut. 18:10, 14; cf. Lev. 19:26; 2 Kings 21:6; Isa. 2:6; Micah 5:12, “cast spells“) is the attempt to control people or circumstances through power given by evil spirits (demons). To interpret omens is to tell the future based on “signs” such as the movements of birds, fire, or rain. Witchcraft (kāšap̱) involves practicing magic by incantations. One who casts spells is literally “one who ties knots” (ḥāḇar), thus one who binds other people by magical mutterings. A spiritualist is one who supposedly communicates with the dead but who actually communicates with demons. One who consults the dead may mean the spiritist’s attempt to contact the dead to gain advice, information on the future, or help in manipulation.

Such detestable practices were one reason the Lord used Israel to destroy the Canaanites. Therefore it was understandably detestable for an Israelite to become involved in those things. By avoiding them the Israelites would be blameless of their terrible sins.

Moses does not deny that such revelation was possible. In the Life of David we see an example of how the witch at Endor was able to conjure up the spirit of Samuel. Warning against such practices and that they are evil presuppose that the threat is real. Did Jesus not drive out evil spirit?

But the Bible consistently commands against such practices. At the same time, the Bible is very up front about God’s ability to reveal himself and his plans to us by his chosen messengers. One such person was Moses. You could study the life of Moses and review all the times God spoke directly to him. But how would God reveal his promises and warnings after this spectacular prophet died? Moses reveals God’s plan. A double prophecy about future prophets and the fulfillment in Jesus.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Chapter 18)

15. The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet—The insertion of this promise, in connection with the preceding prohibition, might warrant the application (which some make of it) to that order of true prophets whom God commissioned in unbroken succession to instruct, to direct, and warn His people; and in this view the purport of it is, “There is no need to consult with diviners and soothsayers, as I shall afford you the benefit of divinely appointed prophets, for judging of whose credentials a sure criterion is given” (De 18:20–22). But the prophet here promised was pre-eminently the Messiah, for He alone was “like unto Moses” (see on De 34:10) “in His mediatorial character; in the peculiar excellence of His ministry; in the number, variety, and magnitude of His miracles; in His close and familiar communion with God; and in His being the author of a new dispensation of religion.” This prediction was fulfilled fifteen hundred years afterwards and was expressly applied to Jesus Christ by Peter (Ac 3:22, 23), and by Stephen (Ac 7:37).

The “litmus test” of a true prophet was whether or not what he predicted came true.

One example of the conflict between true and false prophets is recorded here: Ezekiel 13:1–12 (NIV84)

1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: ‘Hear the word of the LORD! 3 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! 4 Your prophets, O Israel, are like jackals among ruins. 5 You have not gone up to the breaks in the wall to repair it for the house of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the LORD. 6 Their visions are false and their divinations a lie. They say, “The LORD declares,” when the LORD has not sent them; yet they expect their words to be fulfilled. 7 Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, “The LORD declares,” though I have not spoken? 8 “ ‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because of your false words and lying visions, I am against you, declares the Sovereign LORD. 9 My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD. 10 “ ‘Because they lead my people astray, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash, 11 therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down, and violent winds will burst forth. 12 When the wall collapses, will people not ask you, “Where is the whitewash you covered it with?”

Although we may not be as conflicted over whether or not people practice divination or sorcery or false prophets, we should still be on our guard against so called prophets who predict a future which they claim is based on biblical prophecy.

Are there modern prophets today who are not from God and what are they saying? One current example is the conflict in the Middle East.

Is the current war in Palestine a prelude to the end of the world?

For most observers, the war in Gaza is a horrifying escalation of tensions in the Middle East, pitting a heavily armed Israeli state in a self-styled “existential” crusade against a stateless civilian population, bringing a brutal toll of casualties and the prospect of permanent displacement. Yet for many in the American evangelical world, the news out of Gaza is a crucial foretaste of redemption—the prelude to the final battle for earthly power, to be followed by Armageddon and the Rapture.

American evangelicals have long prided themselves on their undeviating support for Israel—but the basis of this alliance is not a standard convergence of diplomatic interests, and it’s certainly not a flourish of faith-based solidarity with the Jews. Instead, it’s a matter of the opportunistic choreographing of the foreordained final act of history. Believers in the literal interpretation of “endtimes” prophecy see the fortunes of Israel as a key harbinger of the Final Judgment and the elevation of fallen human history into the realm of the divine. In secular leftist politics, advocates of rapid escalation of class and geopolitical conflict are known as accelerationists; in endtimes prophecy belief, acceleration is left to God, but his Christian emissaries still retain the awesome power of recognizing and celebrating the signs of the pending judgment—and urging earthly powers and principalities to get in line with the divine plan before it’s too late.

The best-known promoter of this worldview is Texas-based Pentecostal televangelist John Hagee, the founder of the advocacy group Christians United for Israel (CUFI). Hagee is a longtime fixture in the endtimes media complex, claiming that the march of time is rapidly aligning with the events foretold in Revelation and other prophetic books of the Bible. After Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, he took to his pulpit at his Cornerstone Church in San Antonio to urge immediate US intervention against Iran, as several Israeli diplomats looked on, and right-wing members of Congress offered taped testimonials of their own.

“The righteous rage of America must be focused on Iran,” Hagee announced, as journalist Lee Fang, who recently released a documentary on the evangelical-Israeli alliance called Praying for Armageddon, reports. “Let me say it to you in plain Texas speech: American should roll up its sleeves and knock the living daylights out of Iran for what they have done for Israel. Hit them so hard that our enemies will once again fear us.” Hagee’s son and co-pastor, Matt Hagee, took up the same refrain in lurid prophetic language. “The secretary of state is not going to get us out of this one,” he declared in a burst of self-satisfied scriptural omniscience. “God has a hook in the jaws of these nations, and he’s drawing them here. God tells Ezekiel exactly how he’s going to defend Israel. He speaks about raining down fire and hail and brimstone. That’s a heavenly air assault.”

This is just one example of people using biblical passages to try to predict when and how the world will end. But what does the prophet whom Moses said was coming have to say?

Matthew 24:4–14 NIV84

4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. 9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

In the mean time trust in the Word of God, the Bible, in which God reveals who he is and our relationship with him.