He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave,
to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one
could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the
beast, or the number of his name. (Revelation 13:16-17)
CityWatcher.com, a provider of surveillance equipment, attracted little notice until a year ago, when two of its employees had glass-encapsulated microchips with miniature antennas embedded in their forearms.
The "chipping" of two workers with RFIDs -radio frequency identification tags as long as two grains of rice, as thick as a toothpick - was merely a way of restricting access to vaults that held sensitive data and images for police departments, a layer of security beyond key cards and clearance codes; the company said.
"To protect high-end secure data, you use more sophisticated techniques." The Cincinnati-based company, compared chip implants to retina scans or fingerprinting. There's a reader outside the door; you walk up to the reader, put your arm under it, and it opens the door; innocuous, maybe.
But the news that Americans had, for the first time, been injected with electronic identifiers to perform their jobs fired up a debate over the proliferation of every-more-precise tracking technologies and their ability to erode privacy in the digital age.
To some, the microchip was a wondrous invention-a high-tech helper that could increase security at nuclear plants and military bases, help authorities identify wandering Alzheimer's patients, allow consumer's to buy their groceries, literally, with the wave of a chipped hand. But a large-scale of chipping plan that was proposed illustrates the stakes, pro and con.
In our high-tech age of possibilities brings to light the biblical truth written thousands of years ago; leading us into our world of technology today. What appears in our day; unique and commendable technology, transforming our world into a world of peace and build security, will one day be used directly by the Antichrist to transform and reduce our security and peace. His name is SATAN; whatever name he chooses, lying to the world.
Identifying his mark is not as important as identifying the purpose of the mark. Those who accept it are showing their allegiance to Satan, their willingness to rebel against God. To refuse the mark means committing oneself entirely to God, preferring death to compromising one's faith in Christ.
Satan is real, not symbolic and is constantly fighting against those who follow and obey God. We are living in the last days, and Satan's work has become more intense. Even though Satan is very powerful, as we can see by the condition of our world, he is always under God's control. Satan is desperately trying to recruit as great an enemy force as possible for this final battle. He will establish worldwide dominance and demand that everyone worship him. Many will worship him - everyone except true believers.
The Antichrist will be a counterfeit of Christ and people will follow and worship him because they are awed by his power and miracles. He will unite the world under his leadership and he will control the world economy. People are impressed by power and will follow those who display it forcefully or offer it to their followers. But in following the Creature, they are only fooling themselves; he uses his power to manipulate others, to point to him, and to promote evil plans. God by contrast uses his infinitely great power to love and serve.
The Antichrist will appear as an answer to the world but through his own deceitful past will lead the world toward his intended destruction. Big brother is watching all around us; perhaps in areas we are unaware; thankfully we have a God above that watches over us; from the moment we entered this world, until we leave earth, when we give our life and heart to Him. We will live eternally with our heavenly Father above; the one that gave his only son that we may live secure in His presence eternally.
Copyright 2007 by Christine Ulmer
