By Jason Charles on 7/20/2016 (7 years 273 days ago) Theology & Religion
Many people who are simply infatuated with End Times scripture and prophecy are always looking at new technological wonders that deal with human tracking capabilities that could fit the description of the “Mark of the Beast” spoken of in Revelation.
So the question is, is the implantable RFID microchip the Mark of the Beast lauded by Christians for decades? Or is the RFID chip a giant fraud, a devilish red herring technology to distract from a higher technology that is more suitable towards the aims of economically enslaving the rich and poor alike the world over?
We must first understand that essentially, there are two Beasts being discussed in Revelation Chapter 13. The “Image of the Beast” that demands all take a mark, is set up by the 2nd Beast in honor and worship of the 1st Beast.
The 1st Beast (Revelation 13: 1-10)
- The 1st Beast exercises satanically established, global authority “…and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.” (Rev. 13:2, also 13:7)
- The 1st Beast himself or power structure is wounded suddenly to the point of death, yet suddenly healed, causing all of the world to wonder in awe at the power of the Beast. “…his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” (Rev. 13:3)
- The 1st Beast’s healing was so momentous that it caused all of the people to both worship the Beast and the Dragon, meaning direct worship of Satan who is seen to be behind the power of the Beast. “And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast…” (Rev. 13:4)
- The 1st Beast was set up to blasphemy God continually. “And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God…” (Rev. 13:6 also 13:5)
- The 1st Beast sought to kill Christians through war. “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them…” (Rev. 13:7)
- The 1st Beast will be so persuasive, so powerful, and so ruthless every nation and tongue will worship him, save the remnant Christians of this time. “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life…” (Rev.13:8)
- The 1st Beast was allotted a small window of time to rule “power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.” (Rev. 13:5)
We are then told in verses 11-18 about the rise of the 2nd Beast. We are not told what happened to the 1st, nor are we told how much time transpires between the two Beasts of Revelation.
The 2nd Beast (Revelation 13: 11-18)
- The 2nd Beast is as powerful as the first in every way. “And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him.” (Rev. 13:11)
- The 2nd Beast caused all to worship the 1st Beast, with special emphasis noting that this 1st Beast had a wound that was healed. “…causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.” (Rev. 13:11) and then in (Rev. 13:4) that this wound was given by a sword.
- The 2nd Beast has miraculous powers such as fire from the sky (Rev. 13:13) and that these miraculous powers were enough to deceive the masses. “And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles…” (Rev. 13:14)
- The 2nd Beast though exercising the authority and power of the 1st saw fit to set up an image of the 1st Beast for mandated worship. “…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.” (Rev. 13:14)
- The 2nd Beast had the power to make an inanimate image of this 1st Beast come alive and also speak. “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak…” (Rev. 13:15)
- The 2nd Beast also gave the power to kill anyone it was determined was not worshiping the Image of the 1st Beast. “…and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. “(Rev. 13:15)
- The 2nd Beast implemented a mandated tracking system that was taken by all people rich and poor, and this system served as the sole means to participate in the marketplace and also could detect who worshiped the Image of the Beast and who didn’t. “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 13:15-18
So we have the 1st Beast who is a wounded blasphemer, war monger, and global tyrant, making way for the 2nd Beast who is a miracle worker and tyrant that demands the total religious worship of the Image of the 1st Beast. To assure this worship and participation in the global economy a mark is given to everyone.
The interesting thing about this passage in the beginning of verse 18, the prophet actually encourages people to exercise wisdom and understanding when trying to decipher the meaning behind these cryptic passages. With that in mind let’s look at these passages in detail.
When trying to understand passages like this, we have to look very closely at the words being used to describe these concepts. Let's look at a few words in this passage. Words like “Beast”, “Image of the Beast”, "Receive" and the “Mark” all give very important context as to what the “mark” can be and what it cannot be.
The Greek Word for “Beast” describes an animal. This is a term that is often used in the Bible to convey anyone that is devoid of reason, divine violation, and even a conscience. This is someone who acts according to their own will, passions and law, absent of any fear of God. This is closely related to the definition of anti-Christ. If Christ is for law, brotherly love, charity, and righteousness, then someone who is antichrist is set in opposition to Christ and works through their devilish, beastly nature without regard to what God wants of us and even mocks and blasphemies God.
θηρίον thēríon, thay-ree'-on; diminutive from the same as G2339; a dangerous animal:—(venomous, wild) beast.
The Greek translation of the word for image is where we get the word icon. Like the religious paintings and icons of the Renaissance era, it literally means a replica or likeness. This word is often associated with idols and denotes a religious sentiment and worship being directed at them.
εἰκών eikṓn, i-kone'; from G1503; a likeness, i.e. (literally) statue, profile, or (figuratively) representation, resemblance:—image.
The word for mark, is used for both marking or scratching on an engraving or statue, and also used to describe the process of marking an animal or slave signifying that it is property.
χάραγμα cháragma, khar'-ag-mah; from the same as G5482; a scratch or etching, i.e. stamp (as a badge of servitude), or scupltured figure (statue):—graven, mark.
Now an interesting word that we have to look at when speaking of the Mark of the Beast is the word "receive" in verse 13:16. This word in almost every reference has to do with the act of giving and receiving, like a promotion or gift. It is used in a way that indicates something the receiver recognizes as being positive, something they willingly accept.
δίδωμι dídōmi, did'-o-mee; G1325 a prolonged form of a primary verb (which is used as an alternative in most of the tenses); to give...
So essentially what we have in these last couple of verses of chapter 13 dealing with the Mark of the Beast is it is a mark of economic enslavement, it is a etched or a carved symbol of worship, and it is also willingly accepted by the masses who worship the Image of the 1st Beast.
The Tech
Our modern minds immediately go to overlaying technology onto the meaning of these passages, the reason being is only technology can allow for the tracking, control, and even ability to remotely kill someone who is not in possession of the mark. Almost everyone in Christian circle immediately thinks of the implantable RFID microchip popularized by Dr. Carl Sander's.
There are three problems with this understanding.
One, nobody will joyfully take a implantable microchip under the skin, this is not something people will receive willingly. This is something that will have to be forced onto a person without their consent. The threat of death, would just heighten the rejection of such a technology.
Two, the RFID chip is not a real solution. The RFID chip has been shown to cause cancer around the areas of implantation. These chips are most often used in animals and pets for now and there is case after case of these animals developing cancer around the site of injection. This has been shown to be true in multiple studies as reported in the Washington Post.
"The transponders were the cause of the tumors," said Keith Johnson, a retired toxicologic pathologist, explaining in a phone interview the findings of a 1996 study he led at the Dow Chemical Co. in Midland, Mich." (Washington Post)
Also see the website antichips.com.
Three, the RFID chip was popularized as the "Mark of the Beast" in the 80's and 90's by the man Dr. Carl Sander's who toured all over America speaking to church congregations. He stated that he oversaw a 100 man team that worked on the RFID chip in these lectures. These claims after extensive investigation turned out to be total fabrications and lies in an attempt to build credibility with his audience.
"When I pressed Carl on this issue, he told me that in the beginning of his meetings, he tried to preach Christ and holiness and call people to repentance, but the response was not there. However, when he began talking about the end times and the development of the microchip, people responded in mass, and suddenly he was drawn into this message. Carl told me that with each meeting the old LIE WOULD GET BIGGER AND BIGGER. Suddenly he found himself back with the old lie, and he did not know how to get out of it. Carl then told me he felt that the message was so important, he began to invent his degrees in order to have more credibility with people. The Lie was now getting bigger and bigger as Carl became known nationally and internationally. Then followed the TV interviews, the radio programs, meetings in large churches and prophecy conferences." (Source)
Conclusion
So when we think about the Mark of the Beast we need to keep in mind that first we must see the rise of not just one global tyrannt, but two before it even comes into fruition. This is something we are yet to see. Also we need to keep in mind that this whole idea of implantable microchip is largely a red herring. The technology doesn't work because of the effect the RFID frequencies have on soft tissue, and it is based around a total lie, popularized by a conman and nothing less.
There are plenty of other technologies that can fill our imagination with images of the Mark of the Beast. We now have advanced biometric scanners that can read facial "forehead" features and fingerprints from a distance of 20 ft as you pass through the door. Consider the infamous 3D scanners used in airports by the TSA, this is the same technology that can be used for apparel design, and entertainment and gaming. Meaning they can take a real life scan of a person and develop 3D models of a person complete with hi resolution texture of every hair, wrinkle, mole, and fingerprint. That should make people ask why are they forcing everybody through these machines? Is it really to take high resolution biometric scans, or security like they say? It has been recently reported that the FBI now has the largest biometric database in the world and that there are technologies that can even identify you through your thermal heat signature now.
So the church body needs to stop focusing on the RFID as being the Mark of the Beast, this is a limited application that doesn't fit the description in Revelation 13. What we need to do is recognize that technology has surpassed our wildest imaginations, and now there are systems in use that can mark us, and track us without even laying a hand on us. Whether it is our facial features or the beloved smart phone in our pockets or an actual engraved mark on our skin we won't know until the system is totally globalized around a central figure who is blasphemous to God to the infinite degree.
We are most likely a long way off from something like this, but the language dealing with the Image of the Beast is especially telling. Considering this is something that was inanimate or an object that comes alive. Does that mean, a walking talking robot in the resemblance of the 1st Beast, or a computerized Artificial Intelligence system? Who really knows, but what we do know is the Bible is absolutely clear not to take the Mark, and not to worship the Beast in anyway shape or form, even if means having to live outside of the economical system in place at that time. Revelation Chapter 17 deals with the interpretation of the passages in Chapter 13, and makes it abundantly clear that the wrath of God will be poured out on all those that accept the Mark, and worship the Beast.
Those that don't accept this system of worship and commerce no matter what it materializes as are shown in Revelations 20:4 to be richly rewarded.
"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." Revelation 20:4
Let's be clear, we have technologies that seem to be the fulfillment of this prophecy, but there are many, many things that need to happen before the Beast arises and implements this system. Instead we need to keep working toward the fulfillment of the Great Commission. As interesting as these passages are, by the time all these things come to pass, these current technologies so many finger as the Mark of the Beast will look like a child's toy next to the actual mechanism of control implemented by that final Beast. Please Like our Facebook Page, and Sign-up for our newsletter for this weekly column.
It is urgent that we win souls to Christ, as well as be aware of the enemy, and not given over to fear in these times.
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