The Mark of the Beast

Revelation 13:16-18 "He causes all, both
small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark
on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may
buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast,
or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has
understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the
number of a man: His number is 666."

From embedded microchips to RFID tracking, the cashless
society roll out is now happening with lightning speed, even
though most are unaware of just what is really going on. The
possibility of a "Big Brother" society is now
unstoppable! The fulfilment of Revelation 13 is no longer science
fiction, but technically possible. All that’s required is
the Antichrist in political power.

In every aspect of life the RFID is either evident or planned.
We now have trendy clubs around the globe who have begun to
surgically implant their VIP customers with microchips that they
can use to pay for their bar tabs, making it "cool" to
get chipped. Now customers in clubs like this won’t have to
bring their wallet out with them to have a good time.

Soon RFID tags will be in everything from pharmaceuticals to
clothing. Exclusive clothiers are already using the tags to
recognize customers as they walk in the door from what they are
wearing.

This is a global system. Our passports will now be biometric,
the information stored on an RFID chip. National ID legislation
has been passed in most countries with the same "Big
Brother" technology onboard.

With cameras (mostly biometric) already on almost every street
corner of major cities and the ongoing media hurrah for all this
"wonderful" technology that can "protect us from
terrorism" and "make life easier," ask yourself,
"What is this all for?" Simply this. The globalists are
setting up the beast system so there is nowhere to hide. Cash
itself will be traceable, so one day every transaction you make
will be identifiable. You will be always be on camera and
"Big Brother" will always know where you are and what
you do. Welcome to the cashless society. Welcome to the New World
Order.

Let’s now examine what is happening in more detail,
beginning with the above Bible prediction that has engrossed
every serious Bible student concerning these issues.

How these trading conditions involving the mark actually work
out in reality and how we understand the REAL meaning of 666 is a
little more veiled. Most of us are probably aware of some of the
various end time possibilities of how the rule of the Antichrist
will be implemented in the last of the last days. What some of us
may not know is that Barry Smith way back in the early 1980s
first promoted the emerging barcode technology as possibly being
connected to the Mark or the Antichrist in some way.

BARCODES

The interest in barcodes was underpinned by the revelation
that the leading, central and end double bars of every barcode
were in fact representative of the number 6. Putting the 3 of
them together, sends a not so subtle message of 666 as the base
number of every barcode.

We know now the connection with the Revelation Scripture has
to do with the principle of scanning. Barcodes have introduced
the idea of scanning as a means of doing business that has become
so common that most of us no longer think about it. We go to the
grocery store to buy groceries, the checkout person runs our
selections over the scanner, there’s an audible beep each
time, and then we’re told how much money we owe.

The patent for barcodes was issued in 1952. It took twenty
years before a standard for barcodes was approved, but they still
didn’t catch on. Ten years later, only 15,000 suppliers
were using bar codes. That changed in 1984. By 1987 - only three
years later! - 75,000 suppliers were using barcodes. So what
changed in 1984? Who, or what, caused the change? Wal-Mart! Who
are they, you ask? They are the USA’s largest retailer.
When Wal-Mart talks, suppliers listen. So when Wal-Mart said that
it wanted to use barcodes as a better way to manage inventory,
barcodes took off. If you didn’t use barcodes, you lost
Wal-Mart’s business. That was the death knell for most of
their suppliers who were not prepared to modernise.

The same thing is happening in commerce today, but with a
different technology. The barcode’s days are numbered.
There’s a new technology in town that is going to be a big
part of our future. And how do I know this? Pin it on Wal-Mart
again; they’re the ones making the big push behind this new
technology. So what is it? RFID tags!

RFID CHIPS

Invented in 1969 and patented in 1973, but only now becoming
commercially and technologically viable, RFID tags are
essentially microchips, the tinier the better. Some are only 1/3
of a millimetre across, acting as transponders
(transmitters/responders), always listening for a radio signal
sent by transceivers, or RFID readers.

When a transponder receives a certain radio query, it responds
by transmitting its unique ID code, perhaps a 128-bit number,
back to the transceiver. Most RFID tags don’t have
batteries. Instead, they are powered by the radio signal that
wakes them up and requests an answer. I have one in my car,
supplied by Queensland Motorways, to get me over the Gateway
Bridge without stopping to pay the toll.

Most of these "broadcasts" are designed to be read
between a few centimetres and several metres away, depending on
the size of the antenna and the power driving the RFID tags. RFID
chips cost up to 50 cents, but prices are dropping. Once they get
to 5 cents each, it will be cost-efficient to
put RFID tags in almost anything that costs more than a
dollar.

RFID CHIP CIRCUITRY

RFID is already in use all around us. In developed nations,
your pet dog or cat is probably chipped with an ID tag. Apart
from use on non-humans, there is now an array of RFID use
overtaking us in every aspect of society. Here is an incomplete
list:

CONTAINER TERMINALS

Three seaport operators - who account for 70% of the
world’s port operations - agreed to deploy RFID tags to
track the 17,000 containers that arrive each day at US ports.
Currently, less than 2% are inspected. RFID tags will be used to
track the containers and the employees handling them. The United
States Department of Defence is moving into RFID in order to
trace military supply shipments. During the first Gulf War, the
DOD made mistakes in its supply allocation. To streamline
operations, the U.S. military has placed RFID tags on 270,000
cargo containers and tracks those shipments throughout 40
countries.

STAR CITY CASINO

Here in Australia, we have an RFID implementation which will
instantly resonate with security pros who are looking for means
of tracking and tracing real property. Star City Casino in
Sydney, Australia has placed RFID tags in 80,000 employee
uniforms in order to put a stop to theft. This idea will mushroom
in Corporate situations worldwide very soon. In all of the
instances so far, RFID use seems reasonable. It is non-intrusive,
and it seems to balance security and privacy. Other uses for
RFID, however, may be troublesome.

VISA CARD + RFID

Visa is combining smart cards and RFID chips so people can
conduct transactions without having to use cash or coins. These
smart cards can also be incorporated into cell phones and other
devices. Thus, you could pay for parking, buy a newspaper, or
grab a drink from a vending machine without opening your wallet.
This is wonderfully convenient, but it is leading us further away
from privacy and luring us closer to totalitarian control.

MICHELIN TYRES

Michelin, which manufactures 800,000 tyres a day, is going to
insert RFID tags into its tyres. The tag will store a unique
number for each tyre, a number that will be associated with the
car’s VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). Good for
Michelin, and car manufacturers, and fighting crime. Potentially
bad for you. Who will assure your privacy? Anyone, including
"Big Brother", will be able to use available scanning
equipment at the side of a highway and record the details. Do you
really want your car’s tyres broadcasting your every move?
I certainly don’t!

EURO NOTE

The European Central Bank are considering embedding RFID chips
in the euro note. Ostensibly this is to combat counterfeiters and
moneylaunderers. It would also enable banks to count large
amounts of cash in seconds. Unfortunately, such a move would also
make it possible for governments to track the passage of cash
from individual to individual. Cash is the last truly anonymous
way to buy and sell. With RFID tags, that anonymity would be
gone. In addition, banks would not be the only ones who could in
an instant divine how much cash you were carrying; criminals can
also obtain power transceivers. Imagine someone in a street with
a scanner, assessing how much money each passer-by was
carrying.

WAREHOUSING

Several major manufacturers and retailers expect RFID tags to
aid in managing the supply chain, from manufacturing to shipping
to stocking store shelves, including Gillette (who have already
purchased 500 million RFID tags for its razors), Home Depot (the
Bunnings of the USA), The Gap, Proctor & Gamble, Prada,
Target, Tesco (a United Kingdom chain), and Wal-Mart. Especially
Wal-Mart.

This retail giant, the largest employer in America, is working
with Gillette to create "smart shelves" that can alert
managers and stockboys to replenish the supply of razors. More
significantly, Wal-Mart already has demanded, and received
agreement, that its top 100 suppliers fully support RFID for
inventory tracking. Wal-Mart is now able to point an RFID reader
at most of the 1 billion sealed boxes of "widgets" it
receives every year and instantly know exactly how many
"widgets" it has. No unpacking, no unnecessary
handling, no barcode scanners required.

Right now, you can buy a hammer, a pair of jeans, or a razor
blade with anonymity. With RFID tags, that may be a thing of the
past.

JEANS TAGGED

Some manufacturers are already tagging just the packaging, but
others are in the process of tagging the actual product.
Legislators have not kept up and are left in the dust. There is
currently no law in any nation requiring a label indicating that
an RFID chip is in a product. Once you buy your RFIDtagged jeans
with RFID-tagged money, walk out of the store wearing RFID-tagged
shoes, and get into your car with its RFID-tagged tyres, you
could be tracked anywhere you travel.

Barcodes are usually scanned at the store, but not after
purchase. However, RFID transponders are, in many cases, forever
part of the product, and designed to respond when they receive a
signal. Imagine that everything you own is "numbered,
identified, catalogued, and tracked." Anonymity and privacy?
Gone in a hailstorm of invisible communication, betrayed by your
very property.

DOCUMENTS

Let’s not stop there. Others are talking about placing
RFID tags into all sensitive or important documents: Quote
– "It will be practical to put them not only in
paper money, but in drivers’ licenses, passports, stock
certificates, manuscripts, university diplomas, medical degrees
and licenses, birth certificates, and any other sort of document
you can think of where authenticity is paramount." In
other words, those documents you’re required to have, that
you can’t live without, will be forever tagged.

LUGGAGE

Presently, some airlines are now placing RFID tags on personal
luggage before a flight takes place. This will become universal
in the not too distant future.

HUMAN APPLICATION

Consider the human body as well. Applied Digital Solutions has
designed an RFID tag - called the VeriChip - for people. Only
11mm long, it is designed to go under the skin, where it can be
read from four feet away. They sell it as a great way to keep
track of children, Alzheimer’s patients in danger of
wandering, and anyone else with a medical disability. This is
just the thin end of the wedge.

In May 2007, delegates to the Chinese Communist Party Congress
were required to wear an RFIDequipped badge at all times so their
movements could be tracked and recorded. Is there any doubt that,
in a few years, those same badges will be replaced by
VeriChip-like devices?

Surveillance is getting easier, cheaper, smaller, and
ubiquitous. Sure, it’s possible to destroy an RFID tag. You
can crush it, puncture it, or microwave it (but be careful of
fires!). You can’t drown it, however, and you can’t
demagnetize it. Washing RFID-tagged clothes won’t remove
the chips, since they’re specifically designed to withstand
years of wearing, washing, and drying. You could remove the chip
from your jeans, but you’d have to find it first.

That’s why we should demand that our Government
legislate that consumers be notified about products with embedded
RFID tags. We should know when we’re being tagged. We
should also be able to disable the chips in our own property. If
it’s the property of the company we work for, that’s
a different matter. But if it’s ours, we should be able to
control whether tracking is enabled.

TRANSPORT MONITORING

It was also announced that Red China is going to install
sensors along the I-35 NAFTA superhighway corridor in order to
monitor its products as they are shipped by truck. All containers
from China are to contain RFID, or radio frequency identification
transmitters. Lockheed Martin tracking technology is being used
in the project as well.

What they are not telling us is that the equipment being
installed along the highway can also read the microchips
implanted in humans, providing a continual checkpoint system. In
Communist countries, we used to hear of the little booths along
the roads at check points, and all cars were stopped and
inspected. Now the United States will have the same pro- gram
except that it is to be electronic with no need for the little
booths as the traffic rolls on.

"Big Brother" will know where you are at all times.
It is also interesting to note that Michael Chertoff, the current
US Director of Homeland Security, recently made a statement
regarding national identification cards. In a recent CNN report
regarding the ID cards, Chertoff used the words,
"Resistance is futile!" Remember, the word
‘Chertoff’ literally means "Son of the
Devil" in the Russian language!

Security professionals need to realize that RFID tags are dumb
devices. They listen, and they respond. Currently, they
don’t care who sends the signal. Anything your
companies’ transceiver can detect, the bad guy’s
transceiver can detect. So don’t be lulled into a false
sense of security.

With RFID about to arrive in full force, don’t be lulled
at all. Major changes are coming, and not all of them will be
positive. The law of unintended consequences is about to
encounter surveillance devices which are smaller than a full stop
at the end of this sentence.

BIOMETRICS

Recently, airports have installed face recognition software at
point of entry immigration booths. That has quickly been
superceded in potential by the premium Multi-Image Biometric
Camera. This high-resolution camera captures multiple face images
of non-cooperative subjects in a fixed field of view, under
non-optimal lighting conditions while subjects are moving. The
camera is ideal for surveillance in areas where subjects are
expected to pass through without stopping such as border
clearance checkpoints, airport security, terminal gates, park and
stadium entrances, and military installations. The Premium
Multi-Image Biometric Camera captures pictures optimized for
biometric face recognition applications. The technology first
gained public notoriety in January, when Tampa, Florida, police
used it to scan the faces of unsuspecting football fans at the
Super Bowl and compared their faces with known images of
terrorists and other criminals.

THUMBSCANS

We now have children thumbscanning to get their lunches and
amusement park goers biometrically scanning for entry, we are
being trained to use our biometric signatures as payment and
identification. This thing will not go away – its far too
late, and as sure as God made little apples, in time this
technology will be abused in a major way by those who have the
power to make decisions that suit their own ends.

BLOOD VESSEL BIOMETRICS

Vein recognition is the next area of identity recognition that
is being implemented. This has already been foreshadowed by
various newspaper articles in the mainstream press.

COMPANIES USING RFID

There are a growing number of powerful companies who have
already gone down the path of planning to use RFID in a huge
scale.

What can we make of all this? The end result will be human
implant. The prophetic words of an infallible Bible will come to
pass. Our greatest problem has been making the mental jump from
theory to reality. Too many of us have tried to imagine it
happening and have discounted it as being way in the future.

Yet the one thing we must get fixed in our minds is this. No
one will be forced to take the mark. In fact the world will
embrace it. How is this? It will be exactly the same scenario as
today with your "flexible friend", the credit card. We
are past reaching the point where people cannot live without
them. Millions could not cope without their "plastic
friend."

People will want the mark because they will already be used to
living with the idea and the notion of no cash and the use of
biometric/RFID scanning to buy and sell. People will not be asked
to make a huge leap, but a little step. Beware! You have been
warned!