"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!" These famous words from The Wizard of Oz were spoken by a desperate charlatan, attempting to maintain his illusion of power even as his deception was being exposed. Today, we find ourselves in an eerily similar situation, though on a far grander and more consequential scale.
The Great and Powerful Oz(s)
Just as the citizens of Oz were mesmerized by smoke, mirrors, and thunderous proclamations, we're being captivated by an unprecedented spectacle. On one stage, we have President Trump and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) promising to "drain the swamp" through AI-powered government restructuring. On another, we have Project Stargate's architects – Sam Altman, Larry Ellison, and their cohorts – painting pictures of an AI-driven utopia where aging is optional, poverty is eliminated, and humanity reaches new heights of achievement.
Project Stargate: A Modern Tower of Babel
Project Stargate represents perhaps the most ambitious technological undertaking in human history – a $500 billion initiative that promises to revolutionize American AI infrastructure. At its core are twenty massive data centers, each spanning 500,000 square feet and powered by nuclear energy, to be built initially in Texas. But just as the Tower of Babel was built with bricks and mortar, Project Stargate builds with silicon and algorithms, reaching not for physical heaven but for digital omniscience.
The project's scope is breathtaking:
- OpenAI managing operations under Sam Altman's direction
- Oracle providing cloud infrastructure through Larry Ellison's vision
- SoftBank overseeing financial aspects under Masayoshi Son
- Microsoft deeply integrated through its Azure platform
- International funding including Abu Dhabi's MGX fund
The stated goals sound benevolent: ensuring US dominance in AI, revolutionizing healthcare, preventing pandemics, even developing cancer vaccines. As the serpent told Eve, "You will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5). Today's promise is similar – through AI, we will gain god-like knowledge and power over disease, aging, and death itself.
But beneath these grand pronouncements lies a darker reality. Each data center will consume "energy equivalent to a small city," creating unprecedented centralization of computational power. The initiative's true scope becomes clearer when we consider its integration with other projects:
- Worldcoin's global biometric identity system
- Oracle's surveillance infrastructure
- Neuralink's neural interfaces
- DOGE's government restructuring
This is not merely technological progress – it's infrastructure for control. As Revelation 13:16-17 warns about a system where "no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark," Project Stargate provides the computational backbone for such total economic and social control.
The project's massive data centers, capable of processing exabytes of information, create the foundation for what Larry Ellison envisions as a "super surveillance" state. When he speaks of using AI to analyze "vast networks of surveillance data," we're reminded of Daniel 7:25's warning about a power that would "intend to change times and law." Through Project Stargate's infrastructure, such changes become technologically possible for the first time in human history.
Leaders cite urgency driven by competition with Chinese AI companies. But as Christians, we must ask: Is this really about national security, or is it about building the infrastructure for a system of control that transcends national boundaries? Are we witnessing the technological foundation for what Revelation describes as a global system of economic and social control?
These are compelling visions, to be sure. Who wouldn't want to live in a world free from disease, scarcity, and the ravages of time? Who wouldn't applaud efforts to make government more efficient and responsive to citizens' needs? The promises are as alluring as they are grand:
- The end of aging and death
- Universal abundance through AI
- Perfect governance through machine intelligence
- The elimination of language barriers
- The eradication of social suffering
But just as Dorothy's dog Toto revealed the truth behind the Wizard's curtain, we must look beyond these dazzling promises to see what's really being orchestrated.
The Real Agenda
The Prince of the Power of the Air – a biblical title for Satan that seems particularly apt in our digital age – has always been a master of misdirection. While we're debating the merits of DOGE's efficiency measures or marveling at Project Stargate's promises, something far more fundamental is being constructed: the infrastructure for total control.
Consider the components being put into place:
1. Digital Identity and Verification
Sam Altman's Worldcoin project (now rebranded simply as "World") presents itself as a solution for universal basic income and distinguishing humans from AI. However, examining the details reveals a more concerning agenda – the creation of a global digital identity system that makes every human trackable and verifiable through iris scans and biometric data. The initiative's true scope becomes clear when we consider Project Stargate's massive data centers in Texas, capable of processing exabytes of biometric information.
This system bears striking parallels to the prophetic warnings in Revelation 13:16-17: "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark." The integration of this system with Project Stargate's healthcare AI infrastructure creates a framework where participation could become mandatory for accessing essential services – a modern manifestation of the biblical warning that none could "buy or sell" without the mark.
2. Surveillance Infrastructure
Larry Ellison's vision for AI-powered surveillance goes far beyond simple monitoring. He advocates for using AI to analyze "vast networks of surveillance data – security cameras, police body cameras, and other sources – to constantly monitor and analyze citizen behavior." This system would encourage citizens to remain "on their best behavior" through perpetual observation. While Proverbs 15:3 reminds us that "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good," Ellison's system serves not divine justice but human control.
The Abilene data complex, designed to aggregate electronic health records and doctor decision-making patterns, demonstrates how this surveillance infrastructure could extend into every aspect of human life. This total monitoring system, justified through benevolent applications like improving healthcare, creates the technological foundation for the kind of control system described in Revelation 13.
3. Neural Integration
Elon Musk's vision through Neuralink and his broader AI initiatives represents perhaps the most direct assault on human autonomy and the Imago Dei. Through neural implants, Musk seeks to create what he calls a "tertiary layer of intelligence" – an AI agent residing within human minds, interacting directly with the limbic system and cerebral cortex. This isn't merely about enhancing human capabilities; it's about creating direct access to human consciousness.
As Scripture reminds us, "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit" (Hebrews 4:12). But what happens when that piercing comes not from divine truth, but from artificial intelligence? This transhumanist vision fundamentally challenges the Christian understanding of human nature and our unique spiritual identity as beings created in God's image.
4. Economic Control
David Shapiro's prediction of widespread job displacement within 5-10 years takes on new significance when viewed alongside Project Stargate's $500 billion investment in automated infrastructure. The sources reveal that "each Stargate data center uses energy equivalent to a small city," prioritizing AI efficiency over human labor. This isn't merely technological progress – it's the creation of a system of dependency.
Shapiro's vision of society extends beyond mere job displacement. He predicts the "end of office work" and fundamental changes to cities and suburbs, dismantling traditional economic structures that support human independence. When he speaks of eliminating social suffering through AI and automation, he's unknowingly describing a system where independence becomes impossible. As Scripture warns, "The borrower is slave to the lender" (Proverbs 22:7), and in this new system, we would all be borrowers, dependent on the AI-driven infrastructure for our basic needs.
This economic transformation aligns disturbingly well with Revelation 6:5-6's vision of economic collapse and rationing, particularly when considered alongside Project Stargate's unprecedented scale and the consolidation of power under unaccountable multinational entities.
The Ultimate Deception
The most brilliant aspect of this deception is how it uses our own desires and fears against us. We're so focused on the immediate promises – efficiency, longevity, prosperity – that we fail to see the larger picture emerging. It's a modern Tower of Babel, where technology becomes our means of trying to become like God.
But unlike the original Tower of Babel, this new tower isn't being built with brick and mortar, but with algorithms and data. It's not reaching for heaven physically, but seeking to replace divine authority with artificial intelligence. The end goal isn't just to "make a name for ourselves" but to fundamentally reshape what it means to be human.
Seeing Through the Smoke
How do we see through this deception? The same way Dorothy eventually saw through the Wizard's illusions – by paying attention to what's behind the curtain rather than the spectacle in front of it. We must ask:
- Who really benefits from these systems of control?
- What happens to human free will in a world of AI governance?
- How does digital identity and neural integration affect our relationship with God?
- What becomes of human dignity in a system of total surveillance?
The Way Forward
As believers, we're called to be "wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16). This means:
- Remaining engaged but discerning
- Understanding the technology without being seduced by it
- Maintaining our humanity and faith in an increasingly artificial world
- Preparing for resistance when these systems demand compromise of our beliefs
Remember that while the Prince of the Power of the Air may be crafty, his power is limited and temporary. "Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4).
Conclusion
The spectacle of President Trump, Musk, Ellison, Altman, and their grand projects serves a purpose – to keep us looking at the wrong thing. While we debate the merits of DOGE or marvel at Project Stargate's promises, the real work of establishing control continues quietly behind the scenes.
But unlike the Wizard of Oz, whose reveal showed him to be merely a harmless humbug, what's behind this curtain is far more serious. It's nothing less than an attempt to establish a system of control that would make genuine human freedom – and with it, genuine faith – increasingly impossible.
The good news is that just as Dorothy always had the power to return home, we too have access to a power greater than any technological system. Our task is to remain vigilant, to see through the deception, and to remember that no matter how impressive the smoke and mirrors become, the true power lies not with the men behind the curtain, but with the God above it all.
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12).
