End Times
As Amazon’s Alexa Passes 100 Million Units Sold, It Will Now Be Always-On And Always Recording And Storing All Conversations In Your Home
Amazon’s patent application for an always-on feature for Alexa, its popular voice-activated personal assistant, has raised a lot of concern.
Amazon’s patent application for an always-on feature for Alexa, its popular voice-activated personal assistant, has raised a lot of concern.
Understanding of Bible prophecy is a lot like driving into a smog-filled city like Los Angeles, where I lived for a time before getting saved back in the last 1980’s. When you view LA from a distance, it is very obvious that the whole city is ringed with a dark, brownish-gray layer of smog. But as you get closer, a funny thing happens. That same smog that was crystal-clear from a distance virtually disappears as you drive into it, and once inside, is nearly invisible. So it is with Bible prophecy as it gets closer to the time of its fulfillment.
“And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 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, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.” Revelation 13:11,13-18 (KJV)
When I got saved and started doing Bible study, prophecy in particular, it seemed to me that nearly all of the Church was acutely aware of things like the coming Mark of the Beast. Writers like Hal Lindsey wrote and warned against the creep of technology, as did many movies of the time. We wondered would our televisions start spying on us, and really had a great awareness of things. Not so in 2019. In our day, billions of us wear and carrying global tracking devices which we call our mobile devices, and millions of us have put spy gear like Alexa and Google into our homes. Gone is the nervousness and apprehension of the One World Government and the Mark of the Beast. Now we openly embrace these things. And yes, our televisions are spying on us.
The reason why this is happening is because in the 28 years since I got saved, we are now right on the very edge of Bible prophecy and its fulfillment. The Pretribulation Rapture of the Church, the event that will kickoff the end times officially, remains as of this writing only a kitten’s whisker away from taking place. An unsaved world is right now wholeheartedly embracing these end times tracking devices, just as they will fervently adopt the Mark of the Beast in the days when Antichrist shall rise and rule. Getting all that, Alexa?
To the computers that now surround us, speech is just another form of data.
FROM BLOOMBERG: “If you’re already freaked out by the privacy implications of smart speakers like Amazon’s Echo,” says Gizmodo, “we have some bad news.” A headline in ScienceAlert is even more direct: “Newly Released Amazon Patent Shows Just How Much Creepier Alexa Can Get.” You get the idea.
But the anxiety is much ado about nothing. An Alexa that’s always listening will likely prove more useful than an Alexa that isn’t; and, in any case, always-on devices are certainly our future.
As of January 2019, Amazon had sold more than 100 million devices that include Alexa. That number is certainly dwarfed by the billions of devices that include Siri and Google Assistant. But the difference is, those features come bundled with your smartphone, which has many other uses. When you purchase an Alexa device, you are choosing to invite Amazon into your home to listen to you.
Even those who have no interest in obtaining an Alexa-linked device know how the thing works, if only from Amazon’s flood of television commercials. You say “Alexa, what’s today’s weather?” — and it tells you. Whenever Alexa hears its “wake word,” the software assumes that the user wants its attention. Thus Alexa “wakes,” listens and processes the words that follow as a command.
The difficulty arises because, in the words of the patent application, a wake word “may not always precede a spoken command, and may sometimes be included in the middle of a spoken command.” The application gives an example: “Play ‘Mother’s Little Helper’ by the Rolling Stones.” As currently configured, the system will respond if the user prefaces the request with “Alexa” (that is, “Alexa, play ‘Mother’s Little Helper’”) but not if the wake word comes at the end (that is, “Play ‘Mother’s Little Helper,’ Alexa”).
Put otherwise, Alexa as currently configured does not match the way people speak. The user must structure each command around a relatively formal grammar. The invention described in the patent application would deformalize the means for addressing the device, thus enabling Alexa to fit more easily and naturally into everyday life.
Here’s Amazon’s solution: Alexa already stores what it hears in a buffer. Under the new configuration, according to the application, once Alexa detects a wake word, “the device will go backwards through the audio in the buffer to determine the start of the utterance that includes the wakeword.” After finding what it scores as the most likely start of the command, Alexa will perform a similar calculation to find the end. The command will then be processed exactly like one that was preceded by the wake word.
It all makes a great deal of sense. Why then the concern? It seems to me that there are two potential issues.
One is a worry about what happens to the information from the audio buffer. Alexa currently retains recordings for a period of time, helping it model the user’s needs and wants. This feature, which can be partially disabled, has already caused privacy problems. Courts have issued subpoenas for Alexa recordings. And as Bloomberg News has reported, human beings at Amazon already listen to much of what Alexa hears, in an effort to improve the algorithm. But no always-on feature was necessary for those recordings to survive.
- RELATED STORY: Amazon dethrones Google as top global brand
The second concern might be that an Alexa which listens more closely, responding to natural language commands, will soon become an Alexa that fades into the background. The relative formality with which the device must be addressed serves as a reminder that we are addressing just that — a device. The more casually we can speak, the more casual we will likely be about using it. We might, quite literally, forget that Alexa is there. Only the consumer can decide whether that is a feature or a bug.
Amazon says that it has no current plan to change the way Alexa listens, but bear in mind that the always-on feature can be implemented whether or not it is ever patented. In other words, if the notion of a device that is always awake worries you, the fact that a patent application has been filed shouldn’t cause you to worry more. Any device that listens to you can already be made always-on. (Including, by the way, your smartphone.)
We accept that our laptops and smart televisions are recording the choices we make and sending them we know not where. The only reason we imagine that our spoken words are safe is that speech is an older, more instinctive technology. We still think of speech as special, a distinctively human function, and when we are in spaces we consider private, we consider our voice as something heard only by our most intimate and trusted acquaintances.
But to the computers that now surround us, speech is just another form of data. The various voice-commanded devices of today, whether in our homes, smartphones or cars, work just like keyboards or touchscreens. The only difference is that the human input is a voice. And the only way they can get that input is to listen for it.
So let’s calm down. Yes, it can be fun to imagine a future in which our homes are entirely connected and yet we’re able to keep private everything we want to keep private. But that ship sailed long before Amazon decided to seek a patent on a minor and welcome change to Alexa. READ MORE
Amazon Alexa Echo Recorded Conversation And Then Sent To Contact
A woman in Portland, Oregon, says her Amazon Echo secretly recorded her conversation and sent the recording to a contact on her husband’s phone. Amazon said it was the result of an “unlikely” series of events.
Amazon workers reportedly listening to your conversations with Alexa
ROBO Global CIO Bill Studebaker discusses the report that thousands of Amazon employees are listening to people’s conversations with Alexa.
Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last days before the Rapture of the Church
HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our GoFundMe page
When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the building of the recording studio, but it also goes to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. Even all the way to South Africa. We even restarted our weekly radio Bible study on Sunday nights again, thanks to your generous donations.
CLICK IMAGE TO ORDER YOUR BOX OF NTEB GOSPEL TRACTS
But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. If every one of the 12,832 people on our daily mailing list gave $4.50, we would reach our goal immediately. If every one of our 151,781 followers on Facebook gave $1.00 each, we would reach 300% of our goal. The same goes for our 14,000 followers on Twitter. But sadly, many will not give, so we need the ones who can and who will give to be generous. As generous as possible.
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJV)
“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB
HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our GoFundMe page
Christian Persecution
Street Preacher In England Warned By Police Office That The John 3:16 Scripture On The Back Of His Van Could Be Considered ‘Hated Speech’ Crime
Street preacher Mick Fleming in England was recently warned by police over the John 3:16 Bible verse he placed on the back of his van that it could be considered ‘hate speech’
I was browsing my news feed this morning when I came across this article on a street preacher in England, Mick Fleming, who lives in a van and ministers through his Church On The Street ministry. I have never heard of this guy before, know almost nothing about him, but I got saved on John 3:16, so anytime I see an article about that verse it always catches my attention.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (KJB)
The world is changing rapidly, the spirit of Antichrist is rising, and this lost world is preparing itself from the coming 7-year kingdom. England is a nation that have embraced Socialism, Islam and the LGBTQ, kind of sounds like America, doesn’t it? Any nation who embraces those things inevitably will, at some point, turn again the Bible and the people who believe the Book. Don’t think it could happen here? That’s what every people group thinks right before it happens. Use what freedom you have left, Christian, while you still have it to use. That’s the memo.
Police officer warns Prince William’s vicar friend that John 3:16 Bible verse on his van ‘could be considered hate speech
FROM THE DAILY MAIL UK: Pastor Mick Fleming has been warned by a police officer that the bible verse on the back of his van ‘could be considered hate speech’. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Mick said: ‘I just thought “wow”. I just wondered what people watching this thought.
‘It’s not to argue but where have we moved to as a country where a bit of Christian scripture on the back of a van can be seen as hateful or spiteful? Maybe society is moving to a place where they don’t want faith-based people sat around a table in discussion with them… for me it’s an integral message of how real change is possible.’
The law says it could be considered hate speech if the wording is threatening or inciting hatred based on protected characteristics such as religion or sexual orientation.
Mick insisted that he has no plans to remove it as he asked his viewers to give their opinions on whether the scripture could be deemed as offensive.
He said: ‘I am not going to change it, I am going to leave it one but I thought it quite interesting about how it can be perceived. I have never thought about that being something spiteful or hateful in any shape or form. I wondered what you thought – do you think people would take offence to that, and if they did, why?’
Displaying bible verses publicly is generally lawful in the UK. But the law says it could be considered hate speech if the wording is threatening or inciting hatred based on protected characteristics such as religion or sexual orientation. After recently giving up all of his belongings, Mick now lives in a campervan which has the bible verse John 3:16 printed on the back.
The verse reads: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Now the priest has revealed he was approached by a police officer while at a petrol station in Lancashire, who told him ‘the writing could be seen as hate speech in the wrong context’. Despite being told he wasn’t there to arrest Mick, the officer said that ‘if someone reported it police would investigate, and he could end up in trouble’. READ MORE
Church on Wheels: Could this Bible verse be seen as hate speech?
Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church
- HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page
When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.
But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)
“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB
End Times
REVELATION WARNING: A 51-Foot Idol Of Lord Ram Rises Up Over Mississauga As Canadian Government Calls The Event A ‘Moment Of National Significance’
A 51-foot idol of Lord Ram in North America was unveiled on Sunday at the Hindu Heritage Centre in Mississauga in Canada.
The Bible is quite clear, in the last days after the Pretribulation Rapture of the Church, Antichrist will come on the scene and he will be a very religious entity. So much so that the people in that dispensation will be having a 7-year revival of Old Testament idolatry. Not content to wait, they are getting the party started a little early. That’s the memo.
“And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:” Revelation 9:20 (KJB)
The idol of the Hindu god Ram up in Canada stands at an impressive 51 feet high, but he has company. Down in Texas, a 90-foot idol is up in Sugar Land, a 25-foot idol is up in Hockessin, Delaware, with plans to install a massive 151-foot idol in Moncure, North Carolina. Kinda makes you think that someone has a plan to make idolatry great again here in America, doesn’t it?
North America’s tallest Ram god idol rises in Mississauga Canada
FROM THE HINDUSTAN TIMES: Thousands of devotees gathered for the inauguration, joined by prominent political leaders including Minister of Women and Gender Equality Rechie Valdez, President of the Treasury Board Shafqat Ali, and Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu. Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons was also in attendance, marking the event as a moment of national significance.
The unveiling of North America’s tallest Lord Ram statue in Mississauga sparked emotional reactions across social media. “From Ayodhya to Ontario, the name of Shri Ram echoes louder than borders. This is not just a statue, it’s a statement of faith and identity standing tall across the world,” wrote one user. Another noted, “Toronto, Canada: The tallest Murti of Bhagwan Shri Ram now stands tall in Mississauga — a proud moment for the global Hindu community In a land where Hindus have faced rising hostility from fringe Khalistani elements, this Murti is more than a symbol of faith — it’s a statement of resilience, peace, and presence. Sanatan stands tall.” Others chimed in with messages like, “Let’s make Canada great again,” and, “Grand and beautiful ❤️.”
“This is a spiritual gift to the community,” said Acharya Surinder Sharma Shastri, founder of the Hindu Heritage Centre. “The installation of this murti is not just a moment of pride, but also a reminder that righteousness must always be the guiding factor in our lives.” The statue’s location has made it an even more iconic symbol for new arrivals to Canada. As Sharma pointed out, planes landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport often fly over the temple. Now, among the first sights to greet passengers will be the majestic figure of Lord Ram — arms outstretched, a towering symbol of peace and resilience. READ MORE
Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church
- HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page
When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.
But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)
“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB
End Times
NAME THAT TUNE: Words To A Long-Forgotten Sammy Hagar Song From 1977 ‘A Crack In The World’ Called For A ‘Great Divide’ To Take Place In 2025, It Just Might
A Sammy Hagar song from 1977 called ‘A Crack In The World’ seems to be a good fit for the end times mood here in 2025
We live in a world that has largely tuned out the God of Heaven, and taken His Book and thrown it on the trash heap. But oh, what manner of things He has hid in that Book if we would but read it, and believe it! In the Bible, we read about a God who likes to do small things, strange work and bring mysteries to come to pass. He has hidden the Truth in plain sight. That’s a little of what went through my mind as I read an email from NTEB’er James who wanted to bring an ancient song by Sammy Hagar to our attention. It’s called ‘A Crack In The World’, and before you just dismiss it, let’s open up our King James Bibles and see what the LORD would have to show us.
“Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.” Psalm 96:13 (KJB)
The Bible says “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;” When He came to the Earth, He came as a baby in a manger and not as the all-powerful King of Kings. God almighty in plain sight, but without the Scripture, you’d have no idea what you were looking at. Israel on May 14th is mere ‘Zionist aggression’ if you don’t have a Bible, it’s a fulfillment of prophecy if you do. Take a look at these lyrics written in 1977, by an unbeliever.
A Crack In The World by Sammy Hagar
I found out what it is that’s been driving me mad
There’s no room to breathe between the good and the bad
A crush in-between, there’s a thin, thin line
But just ’round the corner, there’s a change in design
I wish I could walk away
And dig what the preachers say
But those words don’t satisfy me no more
There’s a crack, there’s a crack in the world
There’s a crack, there’s a crack in the world
There’s a crack, there’s a crack in the world
Just fifty more years we’re all gonna know
Why, when, where, how, and who gets to go
So let’s all have a good time before the great divide
‘Cause things will start separating come 2025
So look for the subtle clues
It won’t make the front-page news
That depends upon which side that you choose
There’s a crack, there’s a crack in the world
There’s a crack, there’s a crack in the world, yeah
There’s a crack, there’s a crack in the world
How odd that these lyrics seem to echo so much of everything we have all experienced since 2020, that this world is literally being pulled apart by the tech overlords who are intent on building the platform on which Antichrist will rule for 7 short years. Interestingly, the song doesn’t appear to be referring to nuclear war or military conflict, but rather to an unseen spiritual force that will create a ‘great divide’ between the ones who will be leaving, and the ones who will be staying. The timing as well is quite curious as it places it 48 years into the future of 2025, the time in which we now find ourselves.
Consider the following:
- Global virus released in the end of 2019 – 3 million killed
- Global lockdown begins March 16th of 2020
- Global vaccine released in December of 2020 – 17 million killed
- Mandatory vaccine ID in 2021
- Executive Order to study creation of a digital US dollar in 2022
- Executive Order to create a digital dollar in 2025
- UN to declare a state of Palestine in September of 2025
You and I who are alive and remain have thus far witnessed a ‘crack in the world’, one that continues to grow and deepen with each passing day. The world will crack again when Palestine is recognized, and crack again when we who believe are removed in the Rapture. Somebody send Sammy Hagar a Bible, he’s gonna need it.
Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church
- HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page
When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.
But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)
“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB
THE BIG STORY
Support Now the End Begins
We have many ways that you can financially support this end times ministry. You can send us a donation here through PayPal, or you can mail a donation to us. You can also purchase NTEB Gospel Tracts that you see above this box.
Donate by mail to:
NOW THE END BEGINS
PO Box 213
Palatka, FL 32177
You can also donate through the WayGiver link right below. We need and appreciate your support, thank you!
END TIMES
CHRISLAM
FALSE TEACHERS
THE METAVERSE
REAL UFOS
ISRAEL
THE MOTB
CATHOLIC CHURCH
FAKE NEWS
ABORTION
THE THIRD TEMPLE
BILL GATES
GEORGE SOROS
-
George Soros9 years agoProof Of George Soros Nazi Past Finally Comes To Light With Discovery Of Forgotten Interview
-
Election 20169 years agoDEAD POOL DIVA: Huma Abedin Kept Those Hillary Emails That The FBI Found In A Folder Marked ‘Life Insurance’
-
Election 20169 years agoCrooked Hillary Campaign Used A Green Screen At Today’s Low Turnout Rally In Coconut Creek FL
-
George Soros9 years agoSORE LOSER: George Soros Declares War On America As Violent MoveOn.Org Protests Fill The Streets
-
Donald Trump9 years agoDonald Trump Will Be 70 Years, 7 Months And 7 Days Old On First Full Day In Office As President
-
Headline News9 years agoIf Hillary Is Not Guilty, Then Why Are Her Supporters Asking Obama To Pardon Her? Hmm…
-
Election 20169 years agoWikiLeaks Shows George Soros Controlling Vote With 16 States Using SmartMatic Voting Machines
-
End Times9 years agoFalse Teacher Beth Moore Endorses The Late Term Partial-Birth Abortion Candidate Crooked Hillary