Continuing
our stroll through Revelation, we have reached the point where the false
prophet introduces the infamous “mark of the beast” to control all business
transactions across the globe.
Revelation 13:16–18 “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.”
Until
the development of current technology, it seemed impossible to think that such
worldwide economic control could be possible.
I think it is important to note that neither economic nor social status
will be considered with regard to compliance with this dictate. No one will be allowed to buy or sell
anything without this mark.
The first
step in conditioning the public to accept such “marking” was to introduce the
technology as part of vital medical treatment and as a means of improving the
safety and security of pets and children.
In the push to get to a cashless society, it is now being touted as the
most effective safeguard against identity theft, money laundering, thwarting
terrorist operations, etc. As I continue
to watch the news, it appears to me that many will turn to chip implants or skin
tattoos just for the convenience they provide.
Very few seem to consider the fact that these implants or tattoos also greatly
enable the development of a “big brother” surveillance society similar to that pictured
in George Orwell’s, 1984. A chip
under the skin allows the powers that be to track a person’s movements and
access the personal information it stores.
I was surprised to find a report by Jay Stanley and Barry Steinhardt of
the ACLU from January 2003 warning against the dangers connected with being
part of a “Surveillance Society.” A pertinent
quote from that report follows.
“If we do not take steps to control and regulate
surveillance to bring it into conformity with our values, we will find ourselves
being tracked, analyzed, profiled, and flagged in our daily lives to a degree
we can scarcely imagine today. We will
be forced into an impossible struggle to conform to the letter of every rule, law, and guideline, lest we create
ammunition for enemies in the government or elsewhere. Our transgressions will become permanent Scarlet
Letters that follow us throughout our lives, visible to all and used by the
government, landlords, employers, insurance companies and
other powerful parties to increase their leverage over average people. Americans will not be able to engage in political
protest or go about their daily lives without the constant awareness that we
are – or could be – under surveillance. We will be forced to constantly ask of
even the smallest action taken in public, “Will this make me look suspicious?
Will this hurt my chances for future employment? Will this reduce my ability to get insurance?” The exercise
of free speech will be chilled as Americans become conscious that their every word
may be reported to the government by FBI infiltrators, suspicious fellow
citizens or an internet service provider.”
It’s
interesting to me that John clearly reveals that the mark will consist of “the
name of the beast or the number of his name.
He even identifies the number as the number of man—666. In spite of this clear declaration from
scripture, people will line up to comply with this directive. The LORD has in the past and in the future
will continue to verify the truth of scripture through the fulfillment of
prophecy. In spite of an abundance of fulfilled
prophetic revelations, men continue to fall for the deceit of the enemy and
reject the truth of His word. You would
think that the widespread availability of the truth of God’s word today in
light of biblical prophecy would promote a great revival of faith, repentance
and acceptance of that truth. The pride
of Satan and those that follow him in rejection of God as Lord of His Creation
seems to trump truth and reason; they would rather believe a lie than submit to
the Creator. This too is in fulfillment
of scripture.
John 8:44 “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts
of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not
in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he
speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”
John 5:43 “I am come in my Father’s
name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will
receive.”
2 Thessalonians 2:8–12 “And then
shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of
his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the
working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all
deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received
not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God
shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all
might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness.”
The intro phrase to verse 18 is
intriguing. After looking at several translations, it seems to be
saying—You are going to need wisdom (understanding, learning, cleverness) to
figure out what I am going to say next. Count or compute (from the Greek)
the number of the beast. It is the number of a man; man’s number is
666. Who knows in what direction this takes you. We know that both
the letters of the Hebrew and Greek alphabets were assigned numbers.
There are so many ways you could count or calculate; yet, I believe that those
who need and are seeking understanding will probably know exactly what this
scripture means when the time comes. That is the whole purpose of
revelation—revealing information. God intends for us to understand when
He gives us warning.
(to be
continued…)
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