DEW, AI, & Rev 13
In Revelation 13 there is another beast that assists the first beast. This second beast has the capability to publicly demonstrate a system to project pyr (fire, lightning) from an ouranos (sky, space) platform.
Rev 13:13
He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.
Among defense industries around the globe, laser weapon platforms and space-based Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) seem to be all the rage these days.
Some might suspect a connection between these systems and the recent Hawaiian wildfire, but that would imply the coming global government already controls military assets, which of course we assume couldn't be true...
Additionally, the second beast also will didōmi (furnish, artificially) a pneuma (spirit or rational intelligence) into an eikōn (image, icon) of the first beast. The word image is used in a similar way as we would say "disk image". It's also the origin of our modern word icon. In modern terminology, you could say the second beast develops an artificial intelligence (AI) clone of the first beast. Maybe this is as simple as tapping an icon on your phone and opening an app to receive (evil) advice or guidance from the virtual AI assistant provided by the world government.
Rev 13:15
He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
Recent leaps in development tools make it easier than ever to build AI algorithms into everything. As a result, there has been an explosion in smartphone apps providing AI assistants, virtual influencers, virtual girlfriends, both translation and corruption of Biblical text, and supposed ability to "talk" with historical figures.
Inserting a disembodied rational intelligence into an app-image in computer memory, then accessing it through the touch of an icon, would sound unintelligible to anyone who didn't live in today's world.
I can imagine John, receiving this Revelation of the future about our present time now, shaking his head at the insanity of it all.
You can quickly begin to see where this is leading when AI is credited with the ability to create religions, write sermons, and conduct services. Recently smartphone apps have come out that reach an unimaginable depth of evil (I'm not even going to link to it): claiming to impersonate Jesus and satan, but both impersonations originate from the latter.
Thankfully, we can rest in the knowledge of the Blessed Hope that Jesus will be returning soon! None of this takes the Lord by surprise -- all of it was foretold -- helping our faith and giving us wisdom, while we wait for His Return.