Is the RFID Chip the Mark of the Beast?

[candle glow]

If the current trend of banking technology continues, eventually an implantable microchip will become common place. And then eventually it will replace cash altogether in everyday buying/selling.

If you look back at the evolution of money, and then especially at the time when electronic money was introduced, it's clear that electronic money will replace cash, just as cash replace gold/silver coins.

When people become more and more dependent on the microchips which manage these electronic bank accounts, it will make sense to eventually put the microchips in the body, especially since that technology is available.

If that day comes, will you accept a microchip in your body, for the purpose of buying and seliing, even if you do not believe it is the Mark of the beast?

 

[SilverBlade]

For me, I'm covering both options: I won't get an implant in my right hand or in my forehead.

That also brings up a question: How would this be implement in a country where they don't have the same electronic infrastructure like the US and Canada? Internet access is plentiful in the developed countries, but in some 3rd world countries, and others (like North Korea), internet access is severely limited, if not, non-existent, or prohibitively expensive for anyone outside of a government or military office..

 

[Luke1433]

Silver, Candle and I have both had extensive experience in Kenya, one of the poorer countries in the world, and you see people using mobile phones everywhere, even those living in mud huts with no power or running water. The telecommunication companies know how to make the phones available to literally everyone, even if they have to give them away for free.

And Kenya has been used for a few years now, as a testing ground for electronic money. People everywhere use their phones to send and receive money, including even very minor amounts. Information from this testing is being studied by banks around the world, in order to develop schemes for introducing similar programs around the world.

 

[LeoWyatt]

I should make some RFID Blocking Gloves, I could make a mint

That shouldn't be too hard with metallic threads.

 

[Luke1433]

I wasn't real clear on what blocking gloves are, but this link may be helpful for anyone who is thinking of getting into this:

Tutorial: Blocking Gloves - Miriam Felton

 

[Luke1433]

I wasn't real clear on what blocking gloves are, but this link may be helpful for anyone who is thinking of getting into this:

Tutorial: Blocking Gloves - Miriam Felton

 

[candle glow]

I wasn't real clear on what blocking gloves are, but this link may be helpful for anyone who is thinking of getting into this:

Tutorial: Blocking Gloves - Miriam Felton

I just email this to the AC. He's extremely angry. I wonder if you should consider removing it?

 

[Luke1433]

 

[Breezee]

Thanks for your comments, Silver Blade. It does not change the fact that the mark is used for buying and selling, for starters. But the point you raise about it also relating to what we worship is a good one.

The Bible says that whomever we give ourselves as servants to obey, his servant we are.

Jesus wanted to illustrate the two options we have with regard to worship or service, and he did so by saying that no servant can work for (i.e. serve or worship) two masters at the same time. Now you would just naturally assume that he would say that the choice is between worshipping/serving God or worshipping/serving Satan. But he did not express it that way. He said that we will either love money and hate God or else love God and despise money; we cannot worship or serve both God and money (or "mammon", which includes all the things that money can buy.

So we're not really stretching things at all by saying that the Bible predicts it will ultimately come down to a choice between God or money... God or the mark.

So it's not likely to be about worshipping in some special way or on some special day. It's going to be about WHO you worship (God or money). One or the other is going to take control of your life, consuming all or most of your waking hours. And there is going to be something about taking the "mark" which demonstrates to God and the world that you have chosen to worship money rather than God.

I think it is precisely because of this that you hear people coming up with some of the most obscure theories about the mark... i.e. they want to believe ANYTHING except what it is really all about, that God wants you to let go of money and step out in faith. Scary, I know. But I think that's what Jesus was saying from go to whoa with his disciples. He was teaching them how to live by faith in a different King, building a different kingdom, and trusting their heavenly Father to take care of them in the process.

If we could get back to something that was said a few days ago. Luke1433 made what I thought were pretty good points about the connection between serving and worshiping. People spend their time on so many different things, but the one thing they have in common is money. Maybe money is the religion of the Antichrist?
Pteriax brought in some quotes from Exodus about the Mark being an actual physical mark. I wasn't convinced but it did make me think about how the Mark of the Beast is going to affect God's people when it does come into effect. The way I see it, it's going to be like the biblical exodus of God's people from Egypt. If the Mark becomes manditory (or worship of the image, or something) then we will quite literally have to head out into "the wilderness" to be fed on mana like the Israelites. Maybe that is what "the woman in the wilderness" is all about in Revelation 12:6 and 14 ?
I agree with Luke, it seems almost certain that the Mark of the Beast is going to come down to a choice between God or Money, whichever way you look at it. That makes a lot of sense.

 

[candle glow]

it did make me think about how the Mark of the Beast is going to affect God's people when it does come into effect. The way I see it, it's going to be like the biblical exodus of God's people from Egypt.

In Revelation 17, God commands his people to "come out of Babylon or be punished with her". In Revelation 17 and 18 Babylon is presented as a harlot with fabulous wealth.

It could be talking about leaving a physical location or a spiritual ideology (like, come out of the monetary system) or both at the same time.

This does somehow relate to the Mark because the Mark will be used for buying and selling. There are some people, like idealists and artists, who talk about refusing to allow money to dictate their goals. They talk about not wanting to "prostitute" their ideals, time, or creativity for the sake of money.

It is understood that when people only act for the sake of money it is like they are prostituting themselves. If we give our time to making money then we are acting like Babylon. If we give our time to working for love then we are acting like the Bride of Christ.

Jesus seems to be telling us to "come out of" the spiritual prostitution that represents giving our Christian love to others for the sake of getting money. If we demand payment for our love, then how is that different from what a prostitute does?

The Mark and the prostitute are intimately connected by this issue of buying/selling.

It's so very similar to all the warnings in the old testament, about how the Israelites went off "whoring" after other Gods and idols. God was always comparing himself to the husband, and the Israelites to his bride, calling them unfaithful etc.

That theme continues all through the gospels and the epistles. People spend their lives demanding payment from one another because they believe they cannot live without it. Certainly payment (money, buying/selling etc) has become an idol. In Col. 3 and Eph 5 Paul compares greed to idolatry, and in 1 Tim 6 he says the love of money is the root of all evil.

All throughout the NT there is this consistently connected them of money, love, relationships, faithfulness and cheating. The Mark is the ultimate (spiritual and physical) symbol of that adultery against God.

 

[Luke1433]

I notice that with so many of the other theories about the Mark, they are built on relatively obscure and fairly limited proof texts, whereas the lesson about greed is one that ties together pretty much the whole Bible. You start seeing the connections everywhere, and it's quite overwhelming. The whole "harlot of Babylon" thing is just part of that.'

Sadly, the church world today has tried to hide that whole message and to preach Christianity without it. As a result, you come up with a kind of schizoid faith, where religion is very carefully packaged and compartmentalised... which is consistent with people thinking that spending their whole lives working for money and just giving God the leftovers does not amount to worshipping money (since there are no religious artefacts, rituals, etc.)

A very popular Bible verse which is often used when "leading a person to Christ" comes from Romans: "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord." Most of us are familiar with the usual (and quite correct) understanding of that verse. However, it is worth pointing out that even here, there is the contrast between "wages" (the devil's way, which leads to spiritual death) and "gifts" (God's way, which leads to eternal life).

 

[like eagleswings]

Is Google planning a micro chip for people's brains? Engineering boss at internet giant says sci-fi-style technology will begin by helping disabled people control wheelchairs | Mail Online

 

[Luke1433]

I think even the banks enjoy getting people to freak out over bizarre and extreme uses for the microchip implant, simply because it makes the use of an implant for the purpose of buying and selling seem so innocent by comparison. I personally find it quite impossible to think of anyone agreeing to having a microchip implanted in their brain, so that Google can feed them with advertising against their will! But even if they did, I don't see that it would relate to what the Bible says about the Mark of the beast.

It's for "buying and selling", guys. Not mind control. The devil pretty much already HAS control of our minds, as soon as he gets us convinced that we could not live without money.

Gosh, it's hard to get professing Christians to confront that very simple and obvious truth!

 

[SilverBlade]

I would discount Google particular technology, as it's aimed at disabled people, where "The Mark" needs to be aimed at everyone, regardless of their ability.

 

[4LivingCreations]

The mark of the beast is the obsession with trying to figure out the mark of the beast.

And the beast is "self."

 

[Norah63]

Stopping back by this thread to catch up a little.
If it (the mark) can be done away with by not thinking wrong,(head) or not doing wrong(hand), then any Christian can take it and be assured of their eternal salvation?
Just asking. Sounds like the threads that do away with hell, because it is too inconvenient also. We sure are living in an age where everything is 0.k.
Like the little guy that say's 'what me worry'. Ya just die and all is settled?

 

[Luke1433]

Good post, Norah!

 

[Lollerskates]

Stopping back by this thread to catch up a little.
If it (the mark) can be done away with by not thinking wrong,(head) or not doing wrong(hand), then any Christian can take it and be assured of their eternal salvation?
Just asking. Sounds like the threads that do away with hell, because it is too inconvenient also. We sure are living in an age where everything is 0.k.
Like the little guy that say's 'what me worry'. Ya just die and all is settled?

But Norah, your first point is categorically impossible for every human living except Christ. No imperfect human can "do no wrong," or "think no wrong," because of our imperfect composite. Moreover, the mark is much more than simply "doing wrong," or "thinking wrong." If this is the case, even the elect are disqualified as God's elect, because they may be sanctified, but they aren't perfect.

I know my belief of the mark tends to be seen as controversial or lacking in this thread, but I stand by my belief that the mark of the beast is a spiritual phenomenon that is primarily ethereal/cognitive/mental. In fact, it is this cognitive prime that has brought the mark into mental existence, and soon into physical fruition: pride and rebellion. That is what it is about. The mark is an alignment of the mind toward rebellion of God: total rebellion. You can do this by being ignorant and apathetic (lukewarm,) or you can do it willingly (polarized.) Now, in terms of physical composition, the mark could be anything that promotes and substantiates the mental rebellion.

My problem with the mark as solely or primarily a chip is it categorically excludes other subtle things that could also be the mark, in addition to reducing the affect of the mark as something primarily physical in and of itself. What if there is no chip given to anyone, yet the end has come?

 

[Norah63]

yes Lollarskates I hear you. Judgment day will come for each of us.
Our time here on earth is precious. Only one life so soon is past, only what's done for Christ will last.
Keep the faith.

 

[Jb9]

That's what I used to think too. That rfid chip was the mark of the beast but the scriptures say that the people will take the mark when the antichrist is known by the world. Meaning everyone will know who the antichrist is and forced to worship him. Everyone will know who he is and they won't have any excuse for getting the mark of the beast. There's not gonna be any "ohh I didn't know it was the mark, my friends got it so I thought it was normal." Everyone will know that if you get the mark, you will have to worship the antichrist. But as of the rfid chip, people are getting them without knowing what it's really for so there is a chance that it isn't mark of the beast. But still I strongly recommend to all christians to not get any kind of chips in your body that God has given us.