Robot Wars, Skynet, the Beast and the False Prophet

ROBOT WARS, SKYNET, THE BEAST AND THE FALSE PROPHET

Copyright 1994 - 2008 Endtime Prophecy Net

Last Updated : January 26, 2008

My Interest In Robotics And Nanotechnology, Locusts Of The
Apocalypse, Modern Fighter Helicopters And Tanks, Image of
The Beast, US Military Drones And Robotic Vehicles, DARPA,
The Darpa Urban Challenge, Roboticist William L. Whittaker,
Positive And Negative Contributions Of Modern Technology,
George W. Bush And The Illegal Invasion Of Iraq, Body Bags,
Masters Of Science Fiction - Jerry Was A Man, Future Wars
Fought with Automated Machines = No Accountability, Science
Fiction Is Becoming Reality, America Was Founded Upon War,
America Survives And Increases Her Empire By Waging Wars,
Gov't. Propaganda Machines And Malleable, Gullible Public,
Shock And Awe Wars, Robot Wars Of The Beast & False Prophet,
Battle Of Armageddon, The Beast And False Prophet Defeated,
Their Armies Devoured By Birds, Terminator Movies And SkyNet,
Great Tribulation And Humankind On The Brink Of Destruction
What Will Stop The Endtime Madness?, God's Chariots Of Fire

As some of my regular readers may already know, I have been
a follower of developments within the fields of robotics and
nanotechnology for a number of years now. Not only do I find
these topics interesting, but I believe that it is important
that we have a grasp of where these fields are heading, as
they may possibly help us to better understand some of the
rather cryptic visions which are found in the Apocalypse, or
the Book of Revelation, as it is commonly known. For example,
in chapter nine, after the fifth Angel has blown his trumpet,
we find the following intriguing Scriptures which describe
the deadly locusts which ascend out of the Bottomless Pit,
led by the demonic leader known as Abbadon, (or Apollyon in
Greek); which literally means the Destroyer:

"And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses
prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were
crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were
as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were
breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as
the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And
they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in
their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months."
Revelation 9:7-10, KJV

Obviously, these creatures are not regular locusts as we know
them. Is it possible that they've been genetically modified;
or could it be that they are not locusts at all, but rather
something entirely different? We need to consider that given
the time period in which John was given his visions, and the
unusual appearance of these creatures, the best that he could
possibly do was to compare them with something with which he
was familiar, and that apparently was locusts. According to
Thayer's Greek lexicon, the word translated in these verses
as "locusts" is derived from the Greek word "akris", which it
defines as follows:

----- Begin Quote -----

A locust, particularly that species which especially infests
oriental countries, stripping fields and trees. Numberless
swarms of them almost every spring are carried by the wind
from Arabia into Palestine, and having devastated that
country, migrate to regions farther north, until they perish
by falling into the sea. The Orientals accustomed to feed
upon locusts, either raw or roasted and seasoned with salt
(or prepared in other ways), and the Israelites also were
permitted to eat them."

----- End Quote -----

I honestly don't know what John saw. However, according to
information I read years ago, some writers have suggested
that these "locusts" may represent fighter helicopters of
one kind or another, which are used by national militaries
all over the world. The sound that John describes might very
well be attributed to the helicopter's engines. The "hair of
women" might possibly be a reference to the fast-spinning
propellers. The "faces of men" could possibly be a reference
to seeing soldiers through the transparent windshield on the
front of the craft. The "teeth of lions" might be referring
to "teeth" painted on the front sides of the helicopters in
order to make them look more fierce. As you'll already know,
it is a common practice of war pilots to do this in order to
scare their enemies. Last of all, the sting in their tails
might be referring to the ability of helicopters to shoot
missiles from their tail sections.

Further down in the very same chapter, after the sixth Angel
has sounded his trumpet, we read of a great army comprised of
two hundred thousand thousand, (or 200,000,000) horsemen; but
again, the horses upon which these riders ride do not sound
like regular horses at all. In verses 17-19 we read:

"And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat
on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and
brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of
lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and
brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed,
by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which
issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their
mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto
serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt."
Revelation 9:17-19, KJV

Again, I really can't say what John saw. One speculation that
I read a number of years ago suggests that John may have seen
a battlefield full of army tanks. Tanks shooting artillery
shells would certainly fit John's description of these horses
shooting fire, smoke and brimstone from their mouths. As far
as their tails being like serpents with heads that hurt, the
picture I am given is of a poisonous snake striking out at
something which it perceives as a threat, and then recoiling.
If we think about how when fired, an artillery gun on some
of these tanks will sort of spring forward momentarily, and
then draw back again, it makes perfect sense to describe them
as serpent heads.

Taking into consideration these explanations, theories that
they may be, does suggest then that some of the things that
John saw in his visions may have actually been war machines
of the future, and not real locusts or horses. But the real
question is, how far into the future?

We find another Scriptural example which suggests futuristic
technology in Revelation chapter thirteen, where the Prophet
John describes the amazing "Image of the Beast", which seems
to come alive through the power of the False Prophet. Verses
fourteen and fifteen state:

"And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of
those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the
beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they
should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a
sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the
image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both
speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image
of the beast should be killed."
Revelation 13:14-15, KJV

In the previous verses, according to Thayer's Greek lexicon,
the word "image" is derived from the Greek word "eikon". It
means "image, figure, likeness". It's from this word that we
also get our English word "icon". In other words, the False
Prophet will encourage the world to make a statue bearing a
resemblance to the Beast. But how can a statue possibly be
made to speak? In John's day, such a feat would have been
impossible; but today, given our technology, the answer is
as simple as using a speaker; or it could possibly be that,
as I have suggested before, the phrase "Image of the Beast"
is referring to a computerized image of the Beast, such as
on a huge monitor; or it might even be some kind of robotic
entity. To John, seeing a futuristic-looking robot suddenly
move or speak, would indeed seem like a statue coming to
life by some unseen spiritual power.

What actually inspired me to write this commentary was some
news articles I have been reading in the New York Times over
the last several years, regarding the US military's efforts
to create robotic vehicles which it plans to use in its wars
of the next decade. At this current time, as you may know,
the American government has already been deploying drones in
foreign countries. These pilotless vehicles are used, among
other things, to map terrain, to spy on the activities of
perceived enemies, and even to fire missiles on selected
targets with deadly precision.

In order to pool ideas, and speed up the development of its
battle machines of the future, during the last three years
or so, a special US Government agency known as DARPA, which
is an acronym for Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency,
has been sponsoring a robot race that has drawn participants
from major corporations and universities all across America.
These include Stanford, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Virginia Tech,
and other prestigious institutions. While the race, currently
called the "Darpa Urban Challenge", is a lot of fun for the
participants, we should not lose sight of the fact that the
primary goal of these races is to help the Pentagon to build
its next generation of war machines. In fact, it should be
noted that this year's race was held at a former Air Force
base located in Victorville, California, according to the
New York Times.

Of course, these universities aren't just participating in
the DARPA races because they are a lot of fun, or even just
because they are American patriots. There is a lot of money
involved. This year's race involved navigating a sixty-mile
course through a simulated urban environment; and the robotic
vehicles had to accomplish this task in less than six hours,
in order to qualify for one of the three prizes, which were
two million dollars, one million dollars, and five hundred
thousand dollars.

There were eleven entrants in the "Darpa Urban Challenge",
and the grand prize went to a vehicle designated as "Boss",
which was designed by noted roboticist William L. Whittaker
and his team at Carnegie Mellon University. According to the
information I have read, Professor Whittaker was one of the
original individuals to propose using these kinds of vehicle
races as a means to advance robotics. Since earning his B.A.
and Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon University in the mid-70's, he
has been deeply involved in the field of robotics. In fact,
in the same year that he received his Ph.D., the infamous
Three Mile Island nuclear accident occurred, and Whittaker
and his team constructed robots to inspect and repair the
damage which had occurred in the reactor's basement. Later,
in 1986, Whittaker would perform a similar function when
the Chernobyl nuclear disaster occurred in Ukraine.

In addition to his experience with nuclear reactor meltdowns,
beginning in the late 1990's Professor Whittaker and his team
designed and created a robot called Nomad the meteorobot; the
purpose of which was to search for fallen meteorites in the
glacial ice fields of Antarctica. This project was funded by
a $5 million dollar grant from NASA's Telerobotics Research
Program in the Space Science Office. Furthermore, the project
was a prelude to sending exploratory robots to the Moon, as
well as to Jupiter's frozen moon, Europa, and also to the
red planet, Mars. Furthermore, Whittaker has been involved in
projects which have sent robotic vehicles into the craters of
active volcanoes, and also into collapsed mine shafts.

While there are obviously some ways in which these races can
benefit society as whole, such as by leading to the eventual
production of regular vehicles which will be safer for the
general public, nevertheless, as I read these news articles
regarding the DARPA project, it occurred to me how dangerous
these developments can be as well; and I will now explain to
you why I feel this way.

As I have pointed out in earlier articles, modern technology
can be very beneficial for humanity in many different ways.
Through a plethora of modern inventions, no one can deny that
our lives have become so much easier. As a result of modern
medicine, lives have been prolonged, and the suffering of a
lot of people has also been eased. However, just as there is
potential for a lot of good to be derived from this modern
technology, there is likewise potential for evil being done
as a result of it as well. It depends on who has access to
the technology, what their motives are, and how they intend
to use it. On one hand, well-meaning scientists may create
prosthetic limbs or an artificial heart, while on the other,
they also invent nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

To understand how evil this is, stop and consider how much
of the world is opposed to America's illegal, ill-conceived
war in Iraq.

As a direct result of George W. Bush's foolish invasion of
that sovereign nation, literally millions of people's lives
in Iraq have been negatively affected. Iraq's government, as
well as its military forces, was shattered. Social order was
destroyed. Iraq's economy was obliterated. Its infrastructure
was in large part destroyed, and basic social services came
to a standstill. Furthermore, as the mass media has revealed,
millions of people have been displaced; thousands of people
have died, or been physically or psychologically crippled
needlessly, and poverty, sickness, starvation and misery
have become more widespread.

But in America, as past wars have shown, what makes a war
unpopular, is when the body bags begin to come home, or when
soldiers arrive home horribly disfigured, missing limbs, or
psychologically messed up. If the numbers rise to high, that
is when the American public begins to say "Enough is enough".
This is precisely what occurred during the Viet Nam war era,
and this is what is happening now with the Iraq war. As a
result, next to the economy, the war in Iraq has become one
of the most important issues to American voters as the 2008
presidential election approaches.

In spite of the fact that President Bush has done everything
in his power to keep the full truth from the American people
regarding how many American dead and injured there have been,
enough of the truth has leaked out, to where a large portion
of the American population are now sick of the war, sick of
Bush's lies and deception, and they want American forces out
of Iraq. What was supposed to be a war that would last a few
weeks, or a few months at the longest, has now turned into
almost a five-year war, and Bush and his cronies insist that
America needs to remain there even longer, years in fact.

So how does the war in Iraq relate to our main discussion?
Well, what would happen if instead of there being thousands
of Americans casualties, plus thousands more of American
soldiers maimed, disfigured and psychologically messed up,
there were only hundreds, or perhaps even dozens, or less?
After all, Norman Whitaker, the DARPA project manager for
this year's race stated "We've been looking at the problem
of protecting people on the battlefield". Exactly what did
Whitaker mean by that? Well, what better way would there be
to protect American soldiers on a foreign battlefield, than
by not having to use real people at all, or at least very
few of them? This is not as far-fetched an idea as you may
think; and all indications are that this is precisely the
ultimate goal of those who deal with these things.

Last year I had the opportunity to view a short-lived sci-fi
television show called "Masters Of Science Fiction". One of
the four episodes was called "Jerry Was A Man". It turns out
that Jerry was an android designed, like his fellow androids,
to clear mines in a battlefield. Sometimes the robots would
take the wrong step and would be blown up. Jerry, however,
was different. In a particular test, he clearly demonstrated
the will for self-preservation when he purposely bumped into
another android, which subsequently stepped on a mine, and
was blown up. The reason why I find this story interesting,
is because, as we have seen through other examples of modern
technology, our science fiction is slowly catching up with
us. What does this say about our future, and the future of
human warfare?

That is precisely what could happen in the not-too-distant
future, if an American president, or any world leader for
that matter, could fight a war primarily using intelligent
robotic machines. The high-flying drones that are now in use
are just the beginning, and the tip of the ice berg, of what
terrible wars could lie in the world's near future. Can you
perceive the danger of such a scenario? As a result of this
kind of advanced technology, an American president, or any
world leader, could wage a secret, endless war against his
enemies, and not be held accountable for it, because there
would be very few, if any, body bags coming home from the
war front. Many Americans have become so callous, that as
long as there are no American casualties, and as long as the
economy is doing well, they would probably offer very little
protest.

It is a well-established historical fact that the U.S.A. was
founded upon war. America, and its economy, have survived to
this day, as a result of being almost in a constant state of
war, somewhere in the world. The U.S.A. has repeatedly used
war, or at least the threat of war, as a means to spread its
imperialistic empire around the world. The America government
has repeatedly used war to punish its perceived enemies, and
to force "belligerent" nations into submission to the will,
and foreign policy objectives of the war hawks in Washington
D.C.

Given America's clear history over the past two hundred plus
years, it can be honestly said that the American people are
really a war-prone people. While they claim to be a peaceful
nation, the record reveals that the USA has resorted to war
in order to achieve its objectives, more than any other major
world power during the last seventy years. Whenever Americans
have hesitated to engage in a war, the president, along with
his propaganda agent, the mass media, has always found a way
to convince them that waging war is in their best interest.
The war, so he claims, will make them a lot safer, and it
will protect the comfortable American way of life, which no
American is about to give up, for any price.

The prevailing attitude seems to be that it is far better to
make the other fellow, in some other country, pay the price
for Americans' luxury, and wasteful lifestyle. Thus, through
a constant barrage of slick propaganda, Americans are lulled
back to sleep, and the war, legitimate or not, is waged by
their Commander-In-Chief. While I have highlighted America's
war sins, it should be noted, of course, that the American
president is not the only world leader who engages in such
subtle tactics. All world leaders, when embarking on the war
path, have to first convince their constituents, that a war
is a just and necessary cause, even if it is a distasteful
one; and like the American president, they too will promote
patriotism, and will spin whatever lies are necessary, in
order to convert the populace to their way of thinking.

As I pointed out earlier, if robotic vehicles and automated
fighter machines are used in future wars, it means that the
human casualty rate on the American side will be very low,
if not totally nonexistent. As a result, lethargic American
society will have nothing to complain about, and a president
could potentially wage a war for years, without ever taking
any negative heat for it. As long as the economy is strong,
and the public continues to enjoy their materialistic life-
style, everyone is happy; except, of course, for the people
in the targeted country, whose lives are being destroyed by
America's merciless, "shock-and-awe" wars.

So this is the potential evil which may some day result from
fighting wars with only machines. It is interesting to note
that the Bible tells us that the coming world leader known
as the Beast will have such tremendous military might at his
disposal, that no one will be able to resist him, or prevail
against him. The Book of Revelation seems to indicate that
he will be the absolute ruler of the world. Is it possible
that this strong military advantage over other nations will
be a result of possessing advanced robotic technology? The
Book of Revelation tells us:

"And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the
beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like
unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? . . . And
it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to
overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds,
and tongues, and nations."
Revelation 13:4, 7, KJV

As I explain in "From Armageddon To The New Earth", having
subdued their earthly enemies by their great military power,
the Beast and the False Prophet make a very serious mistake
when they defy God, and challenge Jesus Christ at the Battle
of Armageddon. In spite of the advanced military technology
which they may possess at that time, Revelation informs us
that this devilish pair will be soundly defeated by the King
of Kings, and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ, as we see by the
following verses:

"And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great
river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that
the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I
saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth
of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of
the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of
devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of
the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the
battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as
a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his
garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he
gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew
tongue Armageddon."
Revelation 16:12-16, KJV

"And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their
armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat
on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken,
and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before
him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark
of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both
were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone."
Revelation 19:19-20, KJV

Concerning the armies of the Beast and the False Beast, who
blindly follow them into battle, we are informed that their
rotting bodies will be devoured by the fowls of the air, as
we see here:

"And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a
loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of
heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper
of the great God . . . And the remnant were slain with the
sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded
out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their
flesh."
Revelation 19:17, 21, KJV

As I mentioned earlier in this article, due to the current
pace of technological developments, what was once considered
to be merely writing tools deployed in the science fiction
genre, are now, in certain cases, actually becoming reality.
Many of you reading this article have undoubtedly viewed the
highly popular "Terminator" movies, and perhaps the American
television spin-off program, "Terminator: The Sarah Connor
Chronicles". While the writers have obviously taken a lot of
artistic license in inventing the sinister "SkyNet" threat,
and ask us to suspend our disbelief, I can't help but wonder
if, like the Patriarch of old once stated, we might in fact
bring upon ourselves those things which we fear the most; in
other words, by the inventions of our own hands. As Job said
in a moment of desperation:

"For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and
that which I was afraid of is come unto me."
Job 3:25, KJV

At this current time, the general consensus within the realm
of science is that computers will become as smart as, or even
smarter than human beings, around the middle of this century.
Is it conceivably possible that SkyNet will begin to evolve?
While that is indeed a scary thought, I don't think that it's
going to come to that. My reason for stating this is simple.
What the previous verses seem to indicate, is that while the
wars of the future may involve a lot of automated technology,
apparently, at the time that the Battle of Armageddon occurs,
there are still going to be a lot of human beings engaging
in warfare; although they may be enhanced human beings; that
is to say, what are referred to as "super soldiers". These
rebellious souls will be devoured by the fowls, so they are
obviously not robot fighting machines.

I suspect that it may in fact be the Second Coming of Jesus
Christ which will stop humanity from reaching the point of
no return where fully automated armies become a reality, and
where intelligent machines begin to take over the world, as
per the "Terminator" franchise. In the twenty-fourth chapter
of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus plainly stated:

"For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since
the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall
be. And except those days should be shortened, there should
no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall
be shortened."
Matthew 24:21-22, KJV

So exactly what will be the cause of this Great Tribulation,
such as the world has never seen before? Will it just be the
armies of the Beast and the False Prophet waging war against
the people of God, and the nations of the world? Will we be
facing complete annihilation due to multiple nuclear wars?
Will it be the result of the many earthquakes, famine, and
disease which will plague the world? Or is it possible that
the "Rise Of The Machines" will begin to become a reality,
and Christ will have to put a stop to it, lest there is no
one left alive? Please notice that Jesus clearly states that
if it weren't for the fact that He is coming back, and thus
shortening the days of this time of great trouble, no flesh
would be saved; in other words, no one would be left alive.
That, my friends, means complete and total annihilation. Or
does it infer extermination by a superior evil force?

Interpret His words as you will. Personally, I am just glad
that Jesus Christ will arrive just in time to put a stop to
the world's, and Satan's, madness; and I hope that you are
too. As Jesus stated in that same chapter:

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the
sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and
the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the
heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of
the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of
the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in
the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he
shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and
they shall gather together his elect from the four winds,
from one end of heaven to the other."
Matthew 24:29-31, KJV

Exactly how Jesus will save us out of this world is another
interesting question I pondered some time ago. If you would
like to know what I think, you may want to consider reading
the intriguing series called "Chariots Of Fire: A Voluntary
Voyage To Heaven?". It is rather challenging; particularly
for conservative-minded Christians. You may marvel at the
creations of the writers of science fiction, but your mind
will be blown when you discover what God may have. Even the
crew of the Starship Enterprise would be jealous.

In conclusion, John and Sarah Connor may be cool in the world
of science fiction, but I'd rather put my trust in Jesus any
day. How about you? With these words, I'm going to bring this
article to a close. I pray that it has been a blessing to
many.