“Surely you will be ashamed of the sacred oaks in which you have delighted; you will be embarrassed by the gardens that you have chosen.” — Isaiah 1:29
Idolatry has come a long way since those Old Testament days when the prophet Isaiah pronounced God’s judgment against those who shamefully set up heathen altars among tree-lined gardens in high places. People today, in their “evolved” sensibilities, may not understand the sinful attraction to this primitive form of worship. They find it quite ridiculous that early mankind would even think to kneel before a dumb statue made of wood, stone or molten metal. This is why the sin of idolatry is often stripped of its pagan roots and specifically defined as tantamount to covetousness, or the desire to possess earthly things more than God, as taught in Colossians 3:5 and Ephesians 5:5.
Sadly, however, the graven images of yesteryear have not really gone away. They have simply morphed into the digitally-created avatars of our time. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence and CGI technology, we now have the ability to fashion more sophisticated gods who can speak and move with stunning lifelike characteristics that easily merge with our three-dimensional world to confuse our senses and bring a feeling of awe or perhaps a quasi-religious fervor.
A recent outdoor music festival in Tulum, Mexico, provides a striking example of how this advanced digital technology can be used to create the next false god to stimulate man’s rebellious imagination and seduce the masses into a type of idolatrous devotion. Pictured above (in a scene that evokes the same pagan energy as Canaanites worshiping in their sacred gardens), the large crowd sways under the stars to the D.J.’s pulsating techno-beat as they become transfixed by the looming appearance of a one-hundred-foot-tall, AI-generated transhuman idol leading them into the throes of a sensorial trance-like state of enthrallment.
The scene not only depicts the latest advancements in digital sight-and-sound entertainment, but seems to provide ample evidence that our new high-tech toys will surely be used in the future to bring about a resurgence of Old Testament idolatry and the cultish adoration of dead celebrity holograms, cinematic deep-fakes and mythological gods that can now be brought to life before our eyes by our magical innovations.
HOW IT ALL STARTED
If we could travel in the Wayback Machine with Mr. Peabody to the times of ancient Scripture, we would easily see the similarity between this glorification of our digital illusions and how early man worshiped their false idols in the “sacred groves” cultivated by the Canaanites to be a “counterpart of the garden of Eden” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown).
As explained by theologian Adam Clarke:
“Sacred groves were a very ancient and favourite appendage of idolatry. They were furnished with the temple of the god to whom they were dedicated, with altars, images, and every thing necessary for performing the various rites of worship offered there; and were the scenes of many impure ceremonies, and of much abominable superstition.”
Way back then, despite their extraordinary covenant with Jehovah God, the chosen Israelites were often tempted to worship the idols of the surrounding cultures. A major reason for committing this spiritual adultery was in their exposure to a bewitching type of “quid pro quo” religion where pagan gods seemed to provide worldly prosperity in exchange for their veneration. Thus, a subtle shift in thinking began to take place among God’s people when some in their ranks started to feel there was temporal profit in acknowledging these gods (alongside the true God) for personal gain.
As explained by Third Millennium Ministries, the wayward Israelites, like the pagans around them, “were not moved to worship in the high places out of a compelling need to worship God; they went to the high places to get what they could out of God. The high places were for their sakes, not God’s. The final result is that they accomplish neither. Whatever temporary satisfaction they got in their worship, they lost what they needed most — their covenant relationship with God.”
Today, we are seeing the same mad delusion. Wants are many for the masses, but our idols of the imagination are never in short supply to provide for those selfish demands in exchange for our devotion. This is the covetousness that the Bible defines as the heart of idolatry. Indeed, with their godlike ability to offer mankind almost anything one could conjure up in their wildest dreams, these neo-pagan gods shaped in the digital forges of our technology have found a new foothold in our increasingly-immoral society, and worse, in the compromise and tolerance of the visible Church.
HOW IT IS GOING
To be sure, the idols of our day are no longer dumb statues, but are being engineered to speak and move as 3D holograms, humanoid robots, or perhaps existing as animated beings in a virtual reality that makes them seem all-so-real and yet all-so-spiritually-dangerous. Says John Canning, a successful expert in the field of digital media: “We are creating digital humans today with amazing lifelike fidelity.”
For example, Mo Gawdat, a former Google executive, has recently stated that AI-powered robots will soon usher in a “redesign of love and relationships” in which people will be unable to tell the difference between real-life sexual encounters and those created artificially. “It’s all signals in your brain… and, if you really want to take the magic out of it, it can be simulated,” he said.
In fact, in recent years we have seen the use of holograms to bring Tupac Shakur and Whitney Houston back from the grave to perform on a live stage. “Deep fake” technology has also been used to return famous actors to the screen long after they have kicked off their mortal coil.
And in yet another recent music festival, CGI technology was used to create a gigantic snake-skinned “wood nymph” dancing to the beat of electronic music as the creature beckons the crowd with “come hither” gestures to pull them further into the immersive sights and sounds that excite the flesh but numb the soul.
If you are a student of the Bible, this technological development should come as no surprise. The creation and implementation of a lifelike digital avatar is eerily similar to the mysterious description in Revelation of the “image of the beast” being given “breath” and the power of speech to deceive those who dwell on earth (Revelation 13:14–15).
No wonder the younger generations are so spiritually confused, having lived most of their lives in the midst of this digital age. Just like the pagans of old who worshiped their agricultural idols in the hopes of a good harvest, the lost souls of today are bowing down to a cutting-edge technology that can give them almost anything their covetous hearts might desire. Indeed, these made-to-order techno-gods can offer any number of worldly gratifications that bring a temporary sense of satisfaction and happiness, but eventually will eat away at the soul.
As Dr. Robert Malone recently surmised, “Our technology development is guided by the dreams of the young.” If this is so, then what are we to make of the fact that our latest science and technology is often geared towards escapism from a seemingly-inevitable dystopian future? Certainly so many people in our society, young and old, have immersed themselves more and more into a fantasy world ruled by digital gods who divert their attention from their expeditious path towards an acceptable totalitarianism — or worse, towards unrighteousness, death and an eternity in hell.
Sadly, like the pagans and backsliding Israelites of old, “their hearts are going after their idols!” (Ezekiel 20:16).
HOW IT CAN TRULY BE
Despite the sinfulness of this transhumanistic age, there is still great hope! The grand solution to this wanton idolatry in these digitalized times is the Gospel pronouncement of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Here the weary sinner will find the answer to their dire spiritual predicament. They may want to find love and joy in the self-prescribed solutions that are offered by our cold-hearted technology, but it is a path void of any righteous energy of God.
When all is said and done, today’s idolaters must see their need of the true living God and receive His Son in a work of God’s grace through faith (Ephesians 2:4-5, 8-9; John 1:12-13; Titus 3:5). Then, when the quickening of the Holy Spirit brings this supernatural rebirth (John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:3), the truth will be revealed to the believer that the false gods of this age will never be able to match the perfect love which God displays to His people through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. As the inspired Scriptures remind us:
“Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love” (Jonah 2:8).
And Who, pray tell, gives that steadfast love? Without question, this constancy of God’s grace is supplied through Jesus Christ alone Who proved His love to the world. How so? “For at just the right time, while we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8).
Thus, the inspired word of God brings real direction in this age of digital illusion and easy idolatry that often sets our minds on satisfying our fleshly desires instead of obtaining the spiritual “life and peace” found only in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:6). “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry” (1 Corinthians 10:14), go to Him in faith and experience the steadfast love and true joy that no earthly idol can ever give you.
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13).
