"Technological Deception"

'Seeing is believing'  became obsolete once Photoshop made sure we could no longer believe our eyes.

Now we've got the equivalent for our ears: A "voice manipulation" app, VoCo made by the software firm Adobe.

"The software makes it possible to take an audio recording and rapidly alter it to include words and phrases the original speaker never uttered, in what sounds like their voice," according to BBC News.

"At a live demo in San Diego recently, Adobe took a digitised recording of a man saying "and I kissed my dogs and my wife" and changed it to say "and I kissed Jordan three times."

The edit was simple and took only seconds.

By using a text-based tool to create a synthesized voice track, it is now possible to put words in the mouth of another.

Horrified by the development, Dr. Eddy Borges Rey, a lecturer in media and technology at the University of Stirling said:

"It seems that Adobe's programmers were swept along with the excitement of creating something as innovative as a voice manipulator, and ignored the ethical dilemmas brought up by its potential misuse.

"Inadvertently, in its quest to create software to manipulate digital media, Adobe has (already) drastically changed the way we engage with evidential material such as photographs," Dr. Rey said, referring to Adobe's Photoshop.

"This makes it hard for lawyers, journalists, and other professionals who use digital media as evidence."

Not to mention the risks associated with no longer being able to believe anything you see or hear.

Having come through one of the most contentious election cycles in recent history, just imagine (if you will) the extra added attraction of a voice-mimicking app in the wrong hands. The 2020 Election should be interesting.

Welcome to the age of deception.

A wise man once said: "God's word is the same, yesterday and today and a million years from now." -- Franklin Graham

"Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you," declares the LORD. Then the LORD stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me: "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down. To destroy and to overthrow, To build and to plant." Jeremiah 1:9-10

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News:

• DEBKAfile: Iran re-deploys at new Syrian sites opposite Israel's border; no explanation offered
• FNC: 2020 Dems unleash profane attacks on Trump, Republicans following mass shootings; Trump condemns 'white supremacy'; calls for 'strong background checks'.
• CBN NEWS.com: U.S. officials rush to stop Turkish invasion of Northeast Syria; Turkey has amassed tens of thousands of troops on Syrian border.

"Selling Your Soul To FaceApp?"

Every move we make online is being scrutinized.

Don't believe it? Only a few years ago, we reported on a creepy website called 'clickclickclick', developed to demonstrate how our online behavior is continuously measured.

According to news.com.au: "Dutch media company VPRO and Amsterdam-based interactive design company Studio Moniker are the masterminds behind the site, which observes and comments on your behaviour in great detail."

Why would they do such a thing?

The designers claim it was an experiment done in a "lighthearted" way to prove a point: Big Data has destroyed your privacy.

"From the minute you visit the website, it begins detailing your actions on the screen in real-time."

And get this--there's a voice offering a running commentary about your behavior.

"What we do is just a little funny: we use a voice, a kind of psychologist who will assign properties" (to your behavior), they say.

While VPRO and Studio Moniker may just be conducting a funny little experiment to bring awareness, Big Data is busy tracking and analyzing our every move.

Nothing funny about it, especially when you consider:

news.com.au now reports the FBI has been called in to investigate the wildly popular FaceApp over privacy concerns that could pose "national security and privacy risks for millions of U.S. citizens."

A wise man once said: "Your web searches about sensitive information might seem a secret between you and your search engine, but companies like Google are creating a treasure trove of personal information by logging your online activities and making it potentially available to any party wielding enough cash or a subpoena." -- Electronic Frontier Foundation

"Therefore, whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops" -- Luke 12:3.

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News:

• The Wall Street Journal: Facebook and Google Algorithms Are Secret--but Australia plans to change that; Government considers limits to big tech's power
• Daily Mail: AI experts: pre-crime algorithms more magic than reality; comes with consequences
• Business Insider: Hacker reveals how to create the best password; use a "pass phrase"

"Eyes On The Prize"

"Throughout the New Testament, the Christian life is compared to a race," says Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship.

"With that in mind, we need to realize that it is not a short sprint, but a long-distance run."

Throughout all the twists and turns, ups and downs, good times and bad, Laurie contends the answer is the same: "A successful runner must keep his eyes on the prize."

In other words, remember what the race is all about.

"We must bear in mind," says Laurie, "for Whom and to Whom we are running: Jesus Christ. In essence, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus."

Corrie ten Boom, a Dutch Christian who survived the horror of Hitler's concentration camps during World War II, often said, "Look within and be depressed. Look without and be distressed. Look at Jesus and be at rest."

"God will see us through to the end," says Laurie. "He has given us His word."

"And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again."-- Phil. 1:6

 A wise man once said: "It's good to remind ourselves of God's faithfulness and the hope we have in Him...The same God who has been faithful in the past will continue His love for us in the future." --  James Banks, Christian author

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News:

• Reuters: Iran claims to have arrested 17 CIA spies amid escalating international crisis; Trump says "totally false".
• DEBKAfile: UK intelligence warns pro-Iranian sleeper cells ready to strike across Europe.
• Alt-Market.com: California launching creepy "cradle to career" data system to track children.

"Supernatural Instructions"

"The words Read This First have taken an important role in the packaging of modern consumer products," says Bible editor Barry J. Beitzel, PhD.

Why? Because most of us think life is too short to read instruction manuals.

The Bible is a supernatural instruction manual; all of it "is given by the inspiration of God" (2 Timothy 3:16), but the Gospel of John is the Read This First of the Bible.

The Gospel of John was written "to tell individuals how to find eternal life" (John 20:31), says Beitzel.

"This clearly identified purpose sets the Gospel of John apart from the other Gospels. It is not so much a life of Jesus as it is a powerful presentation of His deity.

"Every chapter presents evidence--both signs and statements--for His divine authority. According to John, believing that Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior of the world, is the beginning of eternal life (John 3:14-17).

"What could be more important? John's statement about his Gospel is as good as a Read This First sticker for one's eternal life."

A wise man once said: "The Gospel of John is a persuasive argument for the deity of Jesus. It concentrates on presenting Jesus as the Word, that is, God (John 1:1) who became a man (John 1:14). Thus John meticulously records the statements and describes the miracles of Jesus that can only be attributed to God Himself." -- Barry J. Beitzel, PhD

"Jesus said, 'I assure you, unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God...Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven. So don't be surprised at My statement that you must be born again.'"                   -- John 3:3, 5-7

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"Current Technology Described in Revelation?"

Any sufficiently-advanced technology can seem indistinguishable from magic, especially waaaay back in, say, A.D. 95 when the Apostle John wrote the Book of Revelation.

Remember, John was instructed to write down the things "that he saw" (Rev. 1:2) and most of what he saw was nearly 2000 years in the future.

Talk about mind-blowing future-shock! How would a 1st century prophet describe things like:

• advanced attack helicopters
• armored vehicles
• biological and chemical weapons
• fighter jets
• nuclear warfare

Imagine the difficulty a primitive, non-technical man from the 1st century would have trying to make sense of modern advances and warfare--never mind trying to put it all in writing.

We take today's technological advances for granted, but back in John's day they must have seemed like magic.

In Revelation 13, John describes a statue that come to life and is able to speak. Some believe John is using symbolic language. We believe he's probably describing a technology.

"Holoportation" is a new type of 3-D capture technology that allows high-quality 3-D models of people to be reconstructed, compressed and transmitted anywhere in the world in real time. When combined with mixed reality, they are actually present in the same physical space. Communicating and interacting with remote users becomes as natural as face-to-face communication. 

A wise man once said: "John was catapulted by God from one time period to another so that his extensive "visions" would have the authority of an eyewitness. The prophet then unknowingly encoded a warning for the generation in which these things would happen with conviction, accuracy and authority." -- Hal Lindsey, author

"He was permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die" -- Revelation 13:15.

"Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near" -- Revelation 1:3. 

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News:

• The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Weighs Options In Denuclearization Talks With N.Korea
• Associated Press: Quakes Alert Californians To Be Ready For The Dreaded "Big One"; shaken residents clean up after two biggest earthquakes in decades
• DEBKAfile: Iran to increase its uranium enrichment beyond ceiling mandated by 2015 nuclear deal

"Don't Trip On The Stairway 2 Heaven"

Is there such a thing as an unrepentant Christian?

Not according to the Bible, says biblical answers site GotQuestions.org.

"Biblically, to become a Christian, one must repent and believe; a believer in Christ is one who has repented of their unbelief. What, then, of professed believers who live in unrepentant sin? Most likely, they are not saved; they are mere professors, with no work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts."

The apostle John states it bluntly:

"If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth"  (1 John 1:6).

"The other possibility," according to GotQuestions, "is that people claiming to be saved yet living in unrepentant sin are saved, but acting in disobedience--in which case their unrepentance is a temporary hardness of heart, and God's discipline will eventually restore them to fellowship." (see 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 for examples of sin to be repented of).

"Repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of action. True repentance leads to life (Acts 11:18), and is a necessary part of salvation.

"God commands everyone to repent and have faith in Christ (Acts 2:38; 17:30; 20:21). Unrepentance  is therefore a serious sin with dire consequences. The unrepentant live in a state of disobedience to God, unheeding of His gracious call. The unrepentant remain unsaved until they turn from their sin and embrace Christ's sacrifice on the cross."

A wise man once said: "The tragedy is that, even as some people are experiencing the horrendous consequences of their sin, they will continue in their state of unrepentance." -- GotQuestions.org

"Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:31-32).

"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord" (Acts 3:19).

How To Go To Heaven

 A Divine Encounter--YouTube

News:

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"L.A. Crawling With Rats, Fleas & Homeless: An Epidemic Waiting To Happen?"

Rats rule the streets of Los Angeles--and we don't mean politicians (exactly).

According to NBCLA News, "The city's rodent population is exploding and posing a serious health risk", while experts say L.A.'s rat problem is out of control.

"The rat problem," reports NBCLA, "is not only confined to downtown L.A., but is growing more visible across the city."

Cameras spotted rats in surrounding areas along with mountains of trash and feces teeming with cockroaches, lice, and fleas generated by miles of homeless encampments.

According to Conservative Review: "In a throwback to medieval times, Los Angeles is facing an infectious disease epidemic caused by flea-borne disease linked to rat-infested streets. Last October, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued a health alert surrounding an outbreak of flea-borne typhus in the homeless population in the downtown area.

A month later, Deputy City Attorney Liz Greenwood was diagnosed with typhus, which she claims came from fleas carried by rats that are infesting City Hall, where she works.

"There are rats in City Hall," Greenwood said. "There are enormous rats and their tails are as long as their bodies."

Last year set a new record for the number of typhus cases--124 in L.A. County, according to the California Department of Public Health.

But Dr. Drew Pinsky, radio host and addiction medicine specialist, made a frightening prediction last week:

"I want to give you a prediction here. There will be a major infectious disease epidemic this summer in Los Angeles.

"We have tens and tens of thousands of people living in tents. Horrible conditions, sanitation. Rats have taken over the city. We're the only city in the country, Los Angeles, without a rodent control program. We have multiple rodent-borne, flea-borne illnesses, plague, typhus. We're gonna have louse-borne illness. If measles breaks into that population, we have tuberculosis exploding. Thousands of lives may be at risk, not only in L.A., but in San Francisco, and maybe even San Diego."

Pinsky compared local politicians to Nero, the infamous Roman Emperor who fiddled while his nation burned.

A wise man once said: "It's like nothing I've ever seen in my life. I feel like I'm on a train track waving at the train and the train is going to go off the bridge. The bridge is out and the California politicians are giving me the finger. I want to go after them for reckless negligence." -- Dr. Drew Pinsky

"There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and epidemics in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs in the heavens."  (Luke 21:11)

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News:

• The Hill: California governor says Republican Party is headed "into the waste bin of history"
• Associated Press: Vatican formally opens debate on married priests
• DEBKAfile: Iran threatens to exceed permitted enriched uranium ceiling