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The mark of the beast has been the topic of countless books and magazines on end time prophecy. Many have theorized about what the mark will be and they range from credit cards to embedded microprocessors. Up until a few months ago, microchip technology was little more than science fiction and had largely been used for the purpose of identifying pets and farm animals. But when the September 11th terrorist attacks occurred the State Department started looking more seriously at its possibilities. This is what a recent February 2002 Associated Press article had to say about the microchip:
A Florida technology company is poised to ask the government for permission to market a first-ever computer ID chip that could be embedded beneath a person’s skin…For airports, nuclear power plants and other high security facilities, the immediate benefits could be a closer-to-foolproof security system. Just a computer chip - about the size of a grain of rice - that would be difficult to remove and tough to mimic.
Other uses of the technology on the horizon, from an added device that would allow satellite tracking of an individual’s every movement to the storage of sensitive data like medical records, are already attracting interest across the globe for tasks like foiling kidnappings or assisting paramedics.
“The problem is that you always have to think about what the device will be used for tomorrow,” said Lee Tien, a senior attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a privacy advocacy group.
“It’s what we call function creep. At first a device is used for applications we all agree are good but then it slowly is used for more than it was intended,” he said.
It would not surprise me if this chip takes on worldwide acceptance in the next two to three years, especially if terrorism continues to haunt the free world.
But don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that this will be the future mark of the beast, but it could normalize the acceptance worldwide of being identified in some way. When the antichrist does make his demands it won’t be seen as anything out of the ordinary and it will be accepted freely by most.
Although it should be understood, when the antichrist takes over he won’t be writing proposals for why the world should adopt his ‘mark’. This will be a life and death decision. He will be in complete control and the world will do it, most willingly and others out of fear. After destroying the greatest powers of that time most will do whatever he says. Revelation 13:4 states, “And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: And they worshipped the beast, saying, who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” No one will be able to oppose him or stand in his way. As far as I’m concerned it could be as simple as a tattoo. It really doesn’t matter, without it you will have little chance of surviving.
Whatever the means, there will be one purpose, to make those on earth completely and totally dependent upon the antichrist. He will be their center of worship and the reason they exist. Unlike God’s perfect plan of salvation, Satan’s plan will not incorporate choice. Without this mark no one will be able to buy, sell or trade. All those refusing to take the mark of the beast will be executed. But God will still be at work and many converts will be martyred for their denial of the antichrist and his mark.