September 5, 2032 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John (2SoJ)

The Difference Series…

for the Christian who is struggling

Honoring Jesus is your path to meaning, purpose, and fulfillment.

There are many Christians, true believers, who struggle with their Christianity. There are unanswered prayers, relationships without love, loneliness—without friends to share with, and the feeling that God does not care or see what is taking place in your life.

Start honoring Christ is all you do. Do everything to Christ; live as if Christ is your best friend standing next to you 24/7; any free time you have pray to Christ, sing songs to Christ, read the Bible verses about Christ; and you will begin to see things change around you because you are changing to be more like Christ.

Making a difference by being the difference.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed…Romans 12:2

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What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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September 5, 2032 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John (2SoJ)

The Difference Series…

for the Christian who is struggling

Honoring Jesus is your path to meaning, purpose, and fulfillment.

There are many Christians, true believers, who struggle with their Christianity. There are unanswered prayers, relationships without love, loneliness—without friends to share with, and the feeling that God does not care or see what is taking place in your life.

Start honoring Christ is all you do. Do everything to Christ; live as if Christ is your best friend standing next to you 24/7; any free time you have pray to Christ, sing songs to Christ, read the Bible verses about Christ; and you will begin to see things change around you because you are changing to be more like Christ.

Making a difference by being the difference.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed…Romans 12:2

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http://www.twitter.com/wwjwmtd

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What would Jesus want me to do?

America’s Battle of the Books

Alonna D. Wentland, Business Manager/Owner

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September 4, 2023 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John (2SoJ)

A Series on the Last Days, What Must I Do?

#6 How to Approach the Last Days

It will not be easy to survive in the Last Days, Jesus said this in His warnings to His disciples (read the Gospels), and the Book of Revelation gives details of what is to take place. All this was done and recorded in the Bible so we would recognize the Last Days and prepare ourselves for what is to come.

It will not be easy, but God has given us all the tools to become victorious in Him and at peace in Christ while all of God’s judgment takes place. I personally find comfort not in knowing what will take place (the events scare me), but I find comfort in the guidelines God has given me through Scripture and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

I believe there are three critical characteristics everyone needs in order to survive. One, to be completely in love with Jesus Christ. Not your typical love but love that allows no other love to be in your life (this love is mentioned in Revelation). Two, to have patience, that is, to keep believing, trusting, and doing the works of Christ no matter what comes, no matter how hard it gets! Three, when things get so terrible, I mean really bad, turmoil humanity has never before experienced on earth, that you have stored up “oil in your life” so when Christ comes you hear His voice and see the angels of God moving through the earth, that you ignite the light of Christ within you so to find your way to be able to ‘go out’ and meet Him. This is the Holy Spirit, the oil of God in your life, so you can see, do, and respond to God, when He tells you to “come to Him”.

You will not be able to find your way without the Holy Spirit actively working in your life. This ‘oil in your lamp/life’ is what will guide you and prepare you to meet Christ when He comes. The Holy Spirit becomes the critical ingredient in everyone’s life in order to meet Christ when He comes. I suggest you pay close attention to Psalms and Isaiah. You will need ‘oil in your lamp/life’ in order to be prepared for Christ’s return. I would read a portion of these two books (no matter how large or small) of the Bible every day.

The preparation of the Holy Spirit working in your life is critical every day now that we see the ‘Coming of Christ’ becoming closer each day. One needs to store up the ‘oil of the Holy Spirit’ so when you hear Christ’s voice, you can ‘go out’ and meet Him (Christ) during the time of great darkness and the time of the Anti-Christ.

Things are going to get much worse, the Church will have to store up ‘oil in their lamps—the Holy Spirit’ in order to have patience while waiting for Christ’s return.

I see so many Scriptures being fulfilled, but I do not know the time/date of Christ’s return. It could be here shortly and then again not until within the generation of my grandchildren, when I am gone. In either case, we are to prepare and store all the oil of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Each person could be a little different as to what the Holy Spirit would be asking them to do—the point is to do it! Love Jesus, do not give up-have patience, and lastly, put all the oil of God the Holy Spirit will give you into your life.

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What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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August 22, 2023 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John (2SoJ)

A Series on the Last Days, What Must I Do?

#5 Waiting and Watching with Praying

It is not easy to wait for God to act. Patience is a quality that mankind does not produce nor uses it. People no longer want to wait for anything. People are simply impatient, especially Americans.

The Bible says God has patience for the ‘fruits of the early and latter rain’. If you are in Christ, you also are waiting for God’s timing in all you do. This is why God gives peace, and endurance, without which the Bible says, you will not see God.

This will be the hardest thing to do in the last days—to wait for God and allow the patience of the Holy Spirit to keep your mind and strength in Christ and the likeness of Christ, while God is placing all things under the feet of Christ. It isn’t easy to ‘just do nothing’ while you see the world falling apart.

If you are like me, I want to do something instead of waiting for God to show up to get things done. But that is exactly what God wants of His Church (read the Book of Revelation of Jesus Christ—the last book of the Bible and the only road map of Christ’s return).

If I told you what is to come it would take a few pages and the end result would be frightening for you. You would not know where to turn and you would feel trapped and without hope. The world has little hope now and soon there will be no hope for civilization—the time of the Beast and the Antichrist will come for all to see.

What does God ask of us who are called by His name, “To wait, watch, and pray.” We do not take enough time to pray. I have always liked what the Rev. Billy Graham said when he was asked what he would do differently if he had the chance to relive his ministry. He simply said, “I would pray more.” Not do more, not make better decisions, not love more—just pray more!

All the Scriptures and examples of Jesus’s ministry point to prayer. Not just to pray when needed but to be in a constant state of prayer. Paul said that he prayed more than all his followers. Jesus prayed all the time, by escaping up into a mountain to pray all night or most the night. Bible says, “to be always in prayer” and “to pray in secret so the Father hears and answers your prayers.”

The Holy Spirit was given to Christ’s followers at Pentecost for this one purpose, Christ said, “To be Comforted.” The Holy Spirit is not just about power, gifts, and fruits, but to be comforted! How does this happen, by praying in the Holy Spirit (praying in tongues secretly). Why did Jesus go off to pray, to be alone, and to pray in the Spirit and talk to His Father. This is what the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the manifestation of the gift of tongues does for the believer. There are so many examples and teachings in the Scriptures that cannot be refuted and so many examples in history stating the ability to pray in the Spirit in a language no one understands but God—this is prayer in its purest form. (I have heard multiple teaching and read doctrinal studies about how praying in tongues is wrong and even from Satan himself. Oh, how foolish these doctrines are. The Scripture does not support these lies and misguided teachings.)

If you want God’s fullness in your life, you need to pray more and not just Biblical prayers and casual speaking to God but praying in the Spirit. The more you spend time in prayer the more you will be at peace, the more you will feel clean and forgiven, and the more your natural language prayers will be heard.

Want more of God? Want to be ready for the Biblical End Times? Want to experience peace in the storm? It is not what you can do but what the Holy Spirit does for you when you pray not knowing what to pray or understanding the words that come out of your mouth, but it is what the Holy Spirit does through you by sending your requests to the Father. This is the ‘oil in our lamps’. This is faith in action that cannot be stopped. This is what Jesus did and He wants you to do also. This praying, changes everything!

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What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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August 12, 2023 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John (2SoJ)

A Series on the Last Days, What Must I Do?

#5 Kermit the Prophet, Not Kermit the Frog

Guest author and friend

This article came to me from my friend Otis which he took from a book he was reading, “How to Hear God” by Pete Greig, and Pete writes historical accounts (stories) he discovered through his life’s journey. This book by Pete is a must-read for every Christian! If this article does not bring you hope in areas of your life, your heart is hardened. It is indeed time for the Fire of God to burn in all our lives!

Thus spoke the Prophet Kermit Before I was born the LORD called me; from my mother’s womb, he has spoken my name. —Isaiah 49: 1 I’m talking to a man who looks a lot like the skinny younger brother of Santa Claus. Snow-white beard, twinkly eyes, a ready laugh, abuzz with nervous energy. Ken Helser is telling me the stories of his hippy days touring America, signing record deals, doing drugs, and all the rest. It was 1970. He was sitting in a yoga position, smoking a massive joint, and reading a Bible when he heard a voice: “Hear God,” it said, “and you will live.” It was an experience that set Ken on a spiritual quest, traveling from church to church in his native North Carolina, asking the same questions wherever he went: “Does God really speak today? If so, how does he speak? And how do you know it’s him?” For three months, he says, no one anywhere could answer him.

At last, he found a Baptist pastor who knew what he was talking about. He seemed to have countless thrilling stories of hearing God’s voice for himself. “So can you teach me to hear God?” Ken asked eagerly, sensing that his twelve-week pilgrimage might finally be coming to a conclusion. “No!” snapped the pastor. “You are bowing down to an idol. Music is your god. If you want to hear God, you need to make Jesus Lord.” Longing to “hear God and live,” Ken Helser made Jesus Lord. He repented of his sins, kicked drugs, quit the band with its promise of fame, and solemnly recommitted himself to be faithful to his wife and two daughters. “I began to discover,” he says, with his eyes twinkling, “that in everything God has a voice.” I would go about my day talking to him, asking, “What are you saying in this situation? Where are you at work in this place? What was that encounter all about?” A few years later, a retired schoolteacher by the name of Kermit came to see Ken. They’d only met once before, but Kermit announced that he had a message from God and proceeded to describe an encounter with God he’d had one evening while praying on the baseball field. The Lord had appeared to him and said, “Tell my servant Ken Helser that I have healed his seed. He’s going to have a son who is to be called Jonathan David. He’ll play the harp and sing like an angel. He’ll write prophetic songs for his generation, and his music will go out all over the earth.” What Kermit didn’t know as he delivered this message was that Ken’s wife Linda had cancer of the uterus. She was just two weeks away from a scheduled hysterectomy, which was going to make conceiving another child medically impossible. Neither did he know that Ken was hiding a secret fear that his years of hard drug abuse had damaged “his seed.” He hadn’t told Linda, but this was the real reason he’d always resisted the idea of having a third child.

But now, with his faith turbocharged, Ken rushed home to pray for Linda’s healing before persuading their gynecologist to conduct just one more preoperative test, explaining that they had prayed. The results came back, and the pathologist was baffled. In fact, he kept checking that this really was the same woman, because there was no longer any sign of the cancer. As for the gynecologist, when he came down the corridor to break the good news to Ken and Linda, he was whistling. “That’s gotta be a good sign!” chuckled Ken. “I’ve been in practice thirty years,” the doctor said, “and I think I just witnessed my first miracle.” He paused to let the words sink in. “Ken, your wife is two hundred percent okay!” Jonathan David Helser was born the following year, the fruit of a miracle attested by science and promised by God. But growing up, he showed no interest at all in music; his sole obsession was sports. Wisely, Ken and Linda never put any pressure on him, never shared the details of Kermit’s prophecy. And then, at the age of nineteen, he finally asked his dad to teach him a few chords on the guitar and went off to the UK to train with Youth with a Mission at its base in Nuneaton. Ken went to visit and listened in awe as, for the first time ever, he heard Jonathan David play one of his own songs— a call upon his generation to rise-up and take back the land. Today, Jonathan David Helser makes music with his wife Melissa that truly circles the earth, just as the prophet Kermit predicted all those years ago. In fact, I was with him the day he heard the news that his song “Raise a Hallelujah” had reached number 1 on the airplay charts. And as for his award-winning anthem “No Longer Slaves,” it contains some especially poignant lines: From my mother’s womb You have chosen me Love has called my name I’ve been born again Into Your family Your blood flows through my veins I’m no longer a slave to fear I am a child of God.

Greig, Pete. How to Hear God (p. 115-117). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

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What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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August 7, 2023 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John (2SoJ)

A Series on the Last Days, What Must I Do?

#4 Rejoicing & Crying

As stated earlier in this series on the last days, ‘God’s love includes judgment’. This truth is not only evident in the Scriptures and through the working of the Holy Spirit but is also in the hearts and minds of God’s kids. I indeed feel the Scripture about ‘being fearful when failing into the hands of God’.

What I am about to share with you should scare you but also cause you great rejoicing. God is at work and if you are not ‘spiritually blind ’ or have a ‘harden heart’, you will see and understand what God is doing in these last days.

The Bible verse to remember is Philippians 1:9-10a NIV:“And this is my prayer: that your lovemay abound more and more in knowledge and in all judgment (KJV),so that you may be able to discern what is best.”Love and judgment are linked and work together to make one pure when Jesus comes back.

There is cause for great rejoicing. God’s love always brings hope that cannot be measured, and faith immediately follows, our response to god’s requests. I am reminded that ‘the grave could hot hold Him (Jesus Christ)’ and my sin could not keep a hold on my life (because of Jesus Christ). Joy is found in redemption and forgiveness always brings freedom—the freedom to rejoice in all God can do, does, and will do for His kids.

There are mini-awakenings, personal revivals, and organizational renewals happening all over America happening even as I write this article. I read about them almost every day. Spiritual awakenings are moving people to put God back into their lives, causing individuals to exercise their faith, and people are placing ‘Jesus First’ in all they do. They are not afraid to speak of God and they speak often of the peace and hope their feel through the Holy Spirit. (Not to be prideful but I told you that this would be coming. Not coming like a whirlwind or dramatic events but together they are the start and beginning of the Second Pentecost which God wants me to call what is happening. It will only become greater and greater, and it will not go away. Furthermore, God also told me over two years ago not to call this new movement of the Holy Spirit a ‘Revival’!)

Most people in the Body of Christ have never been part of any great revival—I have been part of three major revivals all starting within California. This one will begin everywhere and will bring hope and peace at first, then move to individuals having faith without any sense of fear or being afraid, but total boldness of the Spirit and faith so great it will so surprise even the most mature-Christians. God spoke to me a few weeks back to write more about “hope” that we have in Christ. I will be doing this more but first I must warn America that very terrible things will be coming shortly. I do not have times or days, but I feel the trouble coming and now see the ‘understanding’ of many past prophesies that were spoken in the past century.

California will soon be destroyed, the San Joaquin Valley will no longer exist as we now know it, earthquakes and weather events will precede the doom which will take place without warning. God brought revivals to California because of His great mercy, and to forewarn this state of the judgment and destruction that will soon take place. All Christians in California need to be prepared to leave quickly, leaving their homes and business behind. When God says, “Leave!”, make sure you leave that very day. The abundance of rain and snow was/is a precursor/sign to what will take place after a short and drastic drought. God is never mocked and what He said to His Church in California will take place shortly. You have been warned!

Our hope of redemption is only in Christ. I want everyone to read Isaiah chapter 65 repeatedly. Do not interpret what you are reading, but read as if it is the first time you are reading this chapter, and make sure you believe every word of the chapter, claiming the promises in this chapter as if they are for you and you alone. This chapter will become your hope!

I have written this article while crying yet rejoicing in hope.

My Jesus be with us in all we do!

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July 27, 2023 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John (2SoJ)

Part #2 Arrogant Individualism & Truth Decay by Timothy Brinkley

Part 2:This version of the OpenAI is programmed to answer very diplomatically. A customized version of ChatGPT could be programmed to answer very differently. Please note, that it is people that are making the changes to ChatGPT. It is people who are making decisions that affect everyone else.

ChatGPT is a man-made tool that can be used for good or for evil, for self-gratification or for serving others. Could a product like ChatGPT be used to deceive billions? For sure. Already projects like WormAI are freely accessible with most of the A.I. standard restraints and protections removed, and it is likely helping criminals and warlords design new weapons as well as helping humans seek their own degraded pleasures. As Marc Nuttle writes “AI can orchestrate truth to any destination of perceived morality” (Nuttle, 2023).

As we mature as believers, God gives us the wisdom to separate the wheat from the chaff, the truth from the lies, action from inaction, the valuables from the mass-produced common goods. The question is, will we continue to choose God’s light in the face of growing darkness? God’s word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

The temptation faced in the Garden of Eden was to believe the lies of the Enemy in the face of what God has already spoken. We have to choose whose side we are on. As humans we like to be told what to do. This is why change is so hard for many people. This is why many convicts released from prison end up committing another crime, because prison is like a warm blanket where things are predictable, and everything is provided for you. Making choices that honor and obey God upsets this predictability and the daily routines of life. It is part of what Jesus warned us would happen if we followed Him, “If anyone would come after me, let them deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). There are many verses on this:

· have humility and treat others as more important than yourself (Phil. 2:3),

· giving away your stuff and your time (Matt. 19:21),

· carry others’ burdens (Gal. 6:2),

· seek good for others and build others up (Rom. 15:1; 1 Cor. 10:24),

· be interested in others’ interests (Phil. 2:4),

· live for Christ (2 Cor. 5:15),

· live by the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16),

· love (1 Cor. 13:5, John 13:34),

· consider it all joy when it gets difficult because it is a special assignment from God to help you become more like Jesus (James 1:2-4)

God knows about our tendency to only do what we are told to do and how we crave consistency. He often allows young believers to grow through very stable times until they are more mature in their knowledge of God and relationship with the Holy Spirit before giving them challenges that test their mettle, capabilities, and relationship with God. However, as a first-world Church, we are preaching that God is easy-going all the time, which is NOT the full story.

The believers of Elijah’s day had to make a choice (1 Kings 18:21) between Creator God and Ba’al on Mount Carmel. True followers of Jesus during the Crusades had to choose between a religious behemoth mobilized to war against Muslims and a different path of peace and pacifism. Christians of the American Revolutionary War had to choose between an oppressive, powerful, wealthy, unjust king-pacifying response and a war that could potentially cause the loss of everything they held dear. Christians of World War 2 had to choose between pacifistic laissez-faire mindsets and the dictatorship of Hitler with his extermination of millions of people. Pre-believers in creative-access countries today must choose Jesus knowing the consequence could be eviction from the community, forced separation from family, loss of job, beating, jail, or even death.

Today we have gross issues that affect the whole earth that we also must choose a position:

· On human trafficking and sex-trafficking

· On abortion, fostering, and adoption,

· On prayer, Bible, and God in public education,

· On illegal immigrants,

· On freedom to choose who your business serves,

· On homelessness,

· On pollution of the world’s skies, oceans, and lands, and

· On overuse of the world’s sky, land, and ocean resources.

God is not like ChatGPT—an answering machine giving advice from its breadth of human knowledge. God is a person who wants a relationship with you and me. He is the Creator-God of everything you are, everything you see, and touch, and experience including time. He is a loving Father that wants us to grow up into productive, contributing-to-society individuals with His heartbeat and dreams within us. Are you just asking God for things, or do you genuinely want to know what He wants too? Are you taking time to get to know Him?

Deception has many flavors, which one are you enjoying right now? Ask God to expose them. If you have rejected all deception, you can be guaranteed that new ones will arise soon and you will have to make another choice. Now world change is akin to nuclear energy and the atomic bomb has arrived in the form of artificial intelligence. What will be our response? The atomic bomb came to be dropped on the Japanese city of Kokura, but they put up such a counteroffensive that the plan was changed to Nagasaki. The observers of Nagasaki thought that it was just a spy plane like any other day and did not have as many resources to mount an air defense. Will you get equipped with the wisdom, experience, and knowledge that you need to counteract the onslaught of deception that could be released through the Internet and AI?

Antidotes to Selfishness

Phi 2:3 (NET) Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself.

Matthew 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 19:22 But when the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he was very rich.

Galatians 6:2 Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Romans 15:1 But we who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak, and not just please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to build him up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself, but just as it is written, “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”

1 Corinthians 10:24 Do not seek your own good, but the good of the other person.

Phillippians 2:4 Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests but about the interests of others as well.

2 Corinthians 5:15 And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised.

Galatians 5:16 But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.

1 Corinthians 12:5 [Love] is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful.

John 13:34 (NASB) "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another."

Galatians 5:6 (NLT) For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.

Jas 1:2-4 (NASB) – Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have [its] perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

References

3 Surprising Ways to Use Nuclear Energy. (2022). Energy.gov. https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/3-surprising-ways-use-nuclear-energy

Allen, Bobby. (2020, June 24). ““The Computer Got It Wrong”: How Facial Recognition Led to False Arrest of Black Man.” NPR, 24 June 2020, www.npr.org/2020/06/24/882683463/the-computer-got-it-wrong-how-facial-recognition-led-to-a-false-arrest-in-michig. Accessed 22 July 2023.

ChatGPT, Jesus: Son of God, and Scripture. (2023). Openai.com. https://chat.openai.com/share/610dade5-f68b-4b6a-8782-6696f71fb784

‌Frangipane, F. (2023, July 21). A Heart Without Idols, Email to subscribers of https://www.frangipane.org/subscribe.html.

Heinz, F. (2023, May 18). TAMU-Commerce Instructor Accuses Class of Using ChatGPT on Final Assignments. NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth; NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/tamu-commerce-instructor-accuses-class-of-using-chatgpt-on-final-assignments/3260731/

‌Nuttle, Marc‌. (2023, July 19). Nuttle Report – July 19th, 2023, Email to subscribers of http://www.marcnuttle.com/subscribe-to-the-nuttle-report.html.

Reddit – Dive into anything. (2023). Reddit.com. https://www.reddit.com/r/ChatGPT/comments/13isibz/texas_am_commerce_professor_fails_entire_class_of/

‌The End of the Beginning of the End of Civilization as We Know It (Part 1)? (2023, June 13). EEJournal. https://www.eejournal.com/article/the-end-of-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-civilization-as-we-know-it-part-1/ ‌

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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Arrogant Individualism & Truth Decay by Timothy Brinkley

Part 1: The advent of generative artificial intelligence has been compared to the advent of the nuclear bomb (Nuttle, 2023). It was a new technology that changed the course of history. When used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, it killed “between 129,000 and 226,000 people” (Wikipedia contributors, 2023).

Truman then warned Japan: "If they do not now accept our terms, they may expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this earth. Behind this air attack will follow sea and land forces in such numbers and power as they have not yet seen and with the fighting skill of which they are already well aware." (Truman Statement on Hiroshima – Nuclear Museum, 2022)

After Hiroshima, the next primary target was Kokura, but Kokura put up such a counteroffensive air fight, that air commander Sweeney decided to go on to the secondary target of Nagasaki. Nagasaki observers thought it was just another spy plane flying over

After Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Hirohita, emperor of Japan at the time, wrote a capitulation letter and surrendered despite a coup-d’etat to stop him from doing so. In it he writes:

Moreover, the enemy has begun to employ a new and most cruel bomb, the power of which to do damage is, indeed, incalculable, taking the toll of many innocent lives. Should we continue to fight, not only would it result in an ultimate collapse and obliteration of the Japanese nation, but also it would lead to the total extinction of human civilization. (Yosha Research, 2013)

As the memory of the bombing faded from society’s conscience, the new generations have forgotten the very real effect of nuclear bombs. The victims who survived those bombings re-inspired today’s pop culture view of the zombie apocalypse: burn victims struggling to walk, eye’s falling out, looking for someone to help.

Nuclear power is still accessible, but it is not used militarily. Nuclear powers are used “beyond providing electricity for homes and businesses. They can also be used to power desalination plants, provide heat for metal refining, and even generate hydrogen as a clean burning alternative fuel for vehicles” (3 Surprising Ways to Use Nuclear Energy, 2022).

When we compare the new nuclear technology of yesteryear, with today’s generative artificial intelligences, we see some commonalities. People said they both are the end of civilization as we know it (The End of the Beginning of the End of Civilization as We Know It – Part 1, 2023). They both are changing the way we behave: all the school drills for a nuclear bombing back in the 1940s, many are turning to AI to answer their questions today. Both are changing our societies.

OpenAI is being used for image generation, image restoration, movie making, the text for auto-generated voices, writing poems, search engine optimization, scripts, essays, project planning, grant writing, designing apps, websites, and even robots. It is a powerful open-source resource that anyone can use or modify for their own purposes.

Using AI is not bad in of itself, just like harnessing nuclear power is not bad in and of itself. It is how you use it. For example, the Internet has been compared to a knife (NetSmartz, 2014), it can be used to make amazing meals, or it can be used to kill people.

The big difference here is that the nuclear bomb was accessible to a few rich nations with smart scientists. With OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google Bard, and knockoffs like WormAI, they are accessible to anyone in the world with Internet access and a computer device. More fundamentally, how is this technology affecting our relationship with God?

I personally am excited but also have many concerns with generative artificial intelligence. Do I think it is going to take over the world, no. But I do believe that it will distort truth and the image of God. Here are some examples of how it is already misleading many people:

· A New York court lawyer ended up accidentally citing non-existent cases because he used ChatGPT in a trial he was defending. He had to apologize to the judge and send in an official report, cited here (Mata v. Avianca, Inc., No. 22-cv-1461 (PKC) (S.D.N.Y. June 22, 2023). ChatGPT even said that the cases it was citing were real cases, but after being asked directly to cite its source, apologized and said it was fake.

· An agriculture professor at A&M University did not understand how ChatGPT works and used it incorrectly. He copy/pasted the full text of each student’s paper into it and asked ChatGPT if it had written them. When ChatGPT responded that it had written them, the professor gave all the students an F and they were not able to graduate (Heinz, 2023).

· In one case, “ChatGPT invented a sexual harassment scandal and named a real law prof as the accused” (Verma & Oremus, 2023). Although the events in the made up story did not match up to reality and it was dismissed, it is a good example of how incorrect these AI’s can be.

· In another case, AI facial recognition software falsely identified a black man named Robert Williams in Detroit, Michigan, who appeared to be in a retail fraud video and was arrested (Allen, 2020). Only after 30 hours of incarceration was he released, his case was thrown out of court over lack of evidence, and he is eligible to get it expunged from his record (2020).

Let me share some positive personal experiences with A.I. Recently I have been using the paid version of ChatGPT (both versions 3.5 & 4.0) to help me write some grants for my high school students to go on field trips. The responses have been helpful by giving me suggestions of educational places to take students near the beach, identify lessons that I could use to connect the field trip to the subjects I teach, identify costs, find vehicles available to rent, hotels to reserve, and quickly create budgets based on various variables. In this sense, it has been a great administrative assistant.

I am also using it to help me redesign and update a mobile app that I previously created for school. I asked it to write the app in a language I am still learning called Dart which will allow me to more easily manage future updates and low-level changes I need to make as well as release it on Apple iOS, Google’s Android devices, Windows, and Apple desktops. Again super helpful and helping me learn a new programming language.

I also copy/pasted in the weekly meal plan one of my sons had developed and asked it to make me a shopping list of things I would need at the store and gave me a list of grocery items broken down by categories such as Vegetables and Fruits, Meat and Alternatives, Dairy and Alternatives, Pantry items, Baking Needs, and Spices with a list of items under each one. Again this is super helpful.

However, in other areas it is raising red flags. I asked it to help me write a persuasive essay on why GitHub should be allowed to be used at high school. It originally gave me a great outline and even recommended some real scholarly sources that I could use. But as I developed it further, asking it to write more of the essay, it started to give me bogus sources. When asked about the sources of a specific paragraph, it said that they were example sources which I would need to replace with actual ones, but if I had not asked I would not have known. I would have been deceived if I had not actually searched for the original sources it was referencing.

Even more fundamentally problematic is how I started to notice how my prayers to God had very similar verbiage to my ChatGPT questions. “Could you please give me a …,” and “Could you please suggest …” are both questions I ask both God and ChatGPT. This led me to question many things. Will this affect the way I pray? Will it affect my relationship with God? Could A.I. become an idol? Exodus 34:12–14 says:

Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, lest it become a snare in your midst. But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim—for you shall not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

This reminds me of a recent newsletter from Francis Frangipane where he wrote “What mankind has done is move the pagan temples from the high places of the countryside to the hidden places of the human heart” (Frangipane, 2023). He continues:

The world has taken its bloodlust out of the ancient Roman arenas and put it into violent movies. They have taken the goddesses of fertility from the Greek hillsides only to idolize sex in our theaters and televisions. What mankind has done is move the pagan temples from the high places of the countryside to the hidden places of the human heart. (2023)

The Internet has made a kind of idolatry possible that is much more widespread than in ancient times, and now ChatGPT is perfectly lined up to become another one that pulls the masses farther away from Jesus.

When OpenAI’s ChatGPT was asked if Christ is from God or not, its last paragraph of response is:

It’s essential to recognize that religious beliefs vary widely, and people’s views on the nature and significance of Jesus will differ depending on their faith traditions. Respect for different beliefs and open dialogue are crucial when discussing matters of religious significance. (ChatGPT, Jesus: Son of God, and Scripture, 2023)

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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July 24, 2022 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John (2SoJ)

Saying for the Week

Hate changes nothing, but Love changes everything.

(The attitude of hate is only valid when one chooses to hate sin but never the sinner.)

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What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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July 23, 2023 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John (2SoJ)

A Series on the Last Days, What Must I Do?

#2 The Wrath of the King

God’s love includes judgment. This truth is evident in the Scriptures and through the working of the Holy Spirit in these last days. It is both scary and obvious to believers and non-believers alike that God not only offers love but also judgment. God’s judgment can either be in your favor or it works against you. One cannot have it both ways.

As the Bible states in Hebrews 10:13, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God,” when we find God, we find not only His love but also His judgment. The justice of offering love and judgment is that you have a choice. God does not pressure you into a decision nor does He force Himself on anyone. You get to choose, and it is your choice (an act of faith) that opens a door to His love or to His judgment.

We always have a choice that’s what makes God a fair and righteous judge. Your choice, your consequences, your outcomes. But make no mistake, God’s judgment is always right and just no matter what you might feel or desire. This is the essence of the Fear of the Lord. This is how the concept of the Last Days or Armageddon will play out in this world. It is embedded in the Wrath of the King and a fair and righteous judge.

Repeatedly through examples in the Scriptures, it is the Fear of The Lord that guides individuals into the will of God and eventually receive God’s great mercy and redemption (Isaiah chapters 61 through 63. The best two examples of the fear of God manifesting itself are the life of Job (Book of Job) and the death of Christ (the Four Gospels). When everything is falling apart God’s judgment is at work and your redemption is only found in the fear of God. It is this truth—from the judgment of God, keeping the fear of God, to eventually the redemption of God.

John, the disciple of Jesus, saw it all—all the events of the last days and the coming of Christ. It scared him. He saw the Christ of Judgement and when he did, he fell at the feet of Christ as if he was dead, but it is this Christ that we find redemption if only we will accept the will of God, the wrath of the King, and the redemption Jesus offers through His blood in these last days.

God showed John all that was to come and what is to lead up to the Second Coming of Christ (read the Book of Revelation). John was fearful, he had never witnessed the Wrath of the King (the wrath of Jesus Christ), but at the end of the Book of Revelation, John says, “Come, Lord Jesus, Come.” John accepts this Jesus—His wrath, His dominion over all creation, and His redemption.

We must do the same. All nations will be destroyed even America. It will not be easy to accept yet those that do not give up their faith, trust, and love of Jesus Christ will be saved. Satan, the Devil, the Antichrist, and the Beast will offer you hope, but not before you worship him, accept his ‘mark of the beast’ in your body, and do what the Devil tells you to do.

That is why I pray almost every day too, “Come, Lord Jesus, Come!” Scared yes, without hope no. I want and accept God’s will to be done—this is the Fear of the Lord, and this fear will save me and all those who also fear the Lord.

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Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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