AWAKE; XIII: - A
Where Does it All Lead?
Even though we see it all so clearly, it's still difficult to comprehend. What does it all mean? Where is it all leading? Why is there so little peace in the world when we have such unprecedented knowledge and unlimited potential?
The book of Revelation describes the end times. It speaks of a One World Government, a godless dictator, total regulation of all business, plagues, crime and rebellion, and devastating disasters. To many, it seems like something in the distant future. But there are "signs of the times" in today's headlines - signs Jesus said would herald His return.
Some people argue that the characteristic of 'end time' people have been our character throughout the ages and that people haven't really changed. In its simplest form, that is true. It's not that we don't do the same things, what's relevant is that we do it with increasing intensity and we are teaching new ways of doing it. Certainly, these things have been happening since the beginning of time. However, the intensity of these things today is such that we dare not blind our eyes to their meaning.
Jesus said, "You can read the signs of the weather in the sky, but because of spiritual blindness you cannot read the signs of the times." Our Lord was saying the Jews of that day were blind to the signs of their time. He indicated that only those who have spiritual illumination and discernment from the Holy Spirit can hope to understand the trends and meanings of history.
After his first imprisonment in
We are now living in the "last days!"
The only way to understand the big picture is to look at the Bible and the various categories of signs that the Bible predicted would come together just before the return of Christ. The key to understanding current events is in some familiar old scriptural passages. Jesus Himself gave us the best insight shortly before his execution on the cross.
General 'signs' Jesus said would be visible prior to His return:
A.) Deliberate deception by men of God’s Word;
B.) Rise of false Christs;
C.) Increase in wars and rumors of wars;
D.) Famines, Pestilence & Earthquakes;
E.) Discrimination and hatred against Christians;
F.) Backsliding, turning from the faith, betrayal;
G.) Hatred of Christian against Christian;
H.) False Prophets and “New Age” leaders;
I.) Lawlessness abounding;
J.) Love and concern for others grows cold;
K.) Gospel preached worldwide.
There are signs that we are heading ‘head-over-heels’ right into the ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT. This was one of the things, foretold in Holy Scripture, as a sign of the end times.
The biggest advance in the history of the world, that will help to usher in the One World Government, is in the field of TECHNOLOGY.
The book of Revelation reveals that the Antichrist will be able to track and control all financial transactions and that NO MAN will be able to buy or sell anything unless he has the mark.
“He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark of 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]
Not until recent times did people understand how this prophecy could possibly come to pass. There was simply no way that anyone could control the buying and selling activities on such a large scale. Certainly it will be a monumental task to keep track of all men, and their financial transactions, all across the globe.
Advances in computer technology have placed the world on the verge of an identification system capable of monitoring virtually every human transaction - an ominous development for serious students of Bible prophecy. Modern technology has created a new electronic world without borders. With modern computer technology, satellites, and devices like the Global Positioning System device can track anyone within 3 feet anywhere in the world. And new developments in biometric and smart card technology make such a feat seem more plausible as well.
In just six years, the advancements have been breathtaking. Indeed, Antichrist’s world government is not only believable but seems to have arrived. No one knows how the mark will be imprinted on the hand or the forehead and I am not saying everything described here will necessarily become the mark of the beast. Given rapidly evolving modern technology, if the Lord tarries a bit longer there may be some development that would fit the bill even more closely. However, there are some good candidates and numerous ways this could be accomplished today, they are:
Subcutaneous implant:
The technology now exists and has been successfully tested to allow an identification device of some type, including a tiny microchip, to be implanted under the skin of the hand.
Programmable subcutaneous visible implants could contain bio-sensors to monitor temperature and blood pressure, and display these readings -- clearly a medical advancement. But the devices could have a more serious purpose. They could be used for electronic tagging. Whenever anyone wanted to buy or sell something, he /she could be required to wave his hand over a scanning device that would read the chip, identify the buyer or seller, and validate or invalidate the sale.
Interval Research (
We have already demonstrated our willingness to accept devices to electronically tag or track individuals. It has become quite commonplace, for example, for law enforcement agencies to require individuals to wear electronic bracelets in order to monitor their activities.
Digital Angel:
The Digital Angel™ technology incorporates a microchip that can be worn close to the body and includes bio-sensors that can measure the biological parameters of the body and send the information with RFID (radio frequency identification) technology to a ground station or computer. It will also have an antenna that can receive signals from GPS satellites, thus pinpointing the location of the wearer.
According the Digital Angel™ website, "While a number of other tracking and monitoring technologies have been patented and marketed in the past, they are all unsuitable for the widespread tracking, recovery and identification of people due to a variety of limitations, including unwieldy size, maintenance requirements, insufficient or inconvenient power-supply and activation difficulties.” For the first time in the history of location and monitoring technology, Digital Angel™ overcomes these limitations.
Some of it's potential uses, according the their web site includes: monitor patients by doctors, commodities supply chain management, locating people such as small children and the elderly, tracking parolees, people under house arrest, and individuals in witness protection programs, trace valuable items such as art pieces or computer equipment. Of particular interest is its application as an important security measure. It can carry personal identification information and transmit this information via wireless communication with personal computers.
The Digital Angel human implant, called Veri-Chips, was recently approved by the FDA for storing medical information and the company is going forward to market their implantable chips that would provide easy access to individual medical records. (WorldNetDaily, October 21, 2004) Applied Digital Solutions, based in
All it takes is a syringe-injected microchip implant for patrons of the
Iriscans:
Iriscan technology is already being introduced in financial organizations here and abroad that require non-intrusive, non-contact, and accurate electronic identification. Iriscan technology identifies people by analyzing the unique pattern in the iris of the human eye. The iris is the colored ring of tissue that surrounds the pupil of the eye and is a complex combination of patterns that can be recorded and stored by the computer. The iris-recognition product captures a photographic image of the iris, analyzes its unique visual structure, and then compares it to previously stored Iris codes for authentication of identity. ["Security for Your Eyes Only," Byte, May 1998.] Imagine this technology being in place providing access control to facilities and point-of-sale control. It's already in place at some bank ATMs.
Thermograms:
Thermograms are a type of imagery that translates a person's heat-emitting facial features into an infrared image. Registering the various heat peaks and valleys in surface, the Thermogram looks like a colorful, face-shaped topographic map. Like a fingerprint, each person's face creates a unique thermal pattern. Captured by a special infrared camera, the image can be digitized and stored in a computer. Later, the person is re-photographed and the new thermal image is electronically compared with the old. ["Smile, You're on Thermogram," ID Systems, August 1995.]
Bar Codes:
Bar codes are everywhere: they are as familiar as a trip to buy groceries. Now part of almost every package that crosses the supermarket, drugstore, and retail counter, bar codes stand poised to move into many other facets of society.
In their quest for better device identification, the
This next generation of identification codes needs no centralized database. Instead, the symbol itself can contain all the necessary information, says Bravman. Thus these codes can help companies and the military keep better track of products that "cross organizational boundaries," he adds. When the device, substance or person travels to a new warehouse, store, hospital or location, all its data go along, in compact form, accessible to anyone with a machine that can read the symbol.
"It's a portable data file," says Doug Mohr, mechanical engineer in program development at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory in Idaho Falls, who is evaluating these technologies for use by the federal government. At the Wilford Hall
Miniaturized, some of these new codes can identify electronic components, jewelry or even medical devices. "It represents a giant step in component traceability," says Robert S. Anselmo, president of Veritec, Inc., in
Besides the various chips, scans and barcodes, there is the so-called “smart cards”. The smart card - a piece of plastic with a computer chip on its face - is becoming entrenched in the
For businesses, the card is a shortcut to valuable market research. With your card in its computer, a company could learn your ZIP code, shoe size, what magazines you subscribe to, or the date of your sporty sedan's last oil change, and respond accordingly. Already, the Vision marketing system for supermarkets is tailoring coupons to
New computerized systems are being implemented for driver’s licenses. Instead of the cumbersome Polaroid’s, the new system will use a special camera that will store the photographic image that is on the card on a computer instead. Weight, eye color, and signature will be stored on a magnetic strip on the card as well as to a computer data base. Copies will be shared with the
Next week, Jan. 3, 2008 The Conclusion to the
“AWAKE YOU WHO SLEEP” series.
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