Intro
Many people have heard of the notorious and dreaded “Mark of the Beast”. This “mark” is prophesied in Revelation 13:16-17 and reads: “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.”
There has been much speculation as to what the mark will be. Will it be a tattoo? Is it simply the thoughts that we have and the works that we do because we work with our hands and we think with our head? Is it actually a physical Mark?
In order to continue with this article, we need to understand the prophecy so we know what to look for. We know a couple things must be true:
- It must be some sort of a mark.
- It Must be something that can be received (or declined)
- Receiving the Mark will enable you to buy or sell (participate in commerce), and to decline the mark will forfeit your ability to buy or sell
- The mark will be the number of his (whose?) name.
RFID/NFC Explained
Is there anything that exists today that would fit all of this criteria? Almost. There is a technology called Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). This technology allows very small electronic devices, currently as small as a grain of rice, to wirelessly transmit an electronic signal containing an identification code.
There is another technology called Near-Field Communication (NFC) which is a subset of RFID technology1. NFC Allows the transmission of secure data from an NFC “tag” to an NFC “Reader”. Since an NFC tag can broadcast a wireless signal, it must have some sort of power. The interesting thing about NFC technology is that the NFC tag itself does not actually need a power supply. Because it uses such a small amount of power, it actually receives its power from the NFC Reader that sends out a small electro-magnetic pulse. This pulse is powerful enough to allow the NFC tag to broadcast its data to the NFC reader which can then use the information to do whatever it is designed to do, such as process a financial transaction.
Many phones on the market are already equipped with NFC technology, and in fact, many phones are able to conduct e-commerce transactions through the use of this technology by simply tapping the phone to the terminal. I recently found out that Home Depot is replacing all of their credit card terminals to allow for these types of transactions. As of October 2015, all credit card terminals will be replaced with NFC capable terminals. When I discovered this, it blew my mind because of the recognition that this technology meets all of the requirements of the Mark of the Beast, and that the Mark could essentially be rolled out very quickly.
Financial Transactions via NFC
I am going to briefly cover all of the systems that allow an NFC based e-commerce transaction to occur. First, there must be a way to tie your payment information, ie bank account numbers, credit or debit card numbers, Paypal accounts etc… to some sort of a number or ID. In the case of a phone, this would be either the phone number or the IMEI number of your phone. Technologies such as Apple Pay or Google Wallet already have this database in place. Next, there must be an NFC tag that is capable of transmitting a signal containing this number or ID. Next, there must be a reader that can read the signal that is broadcast from and power the NFC tag. Next, the ID broadcast by this tag must be sent to a centralized database that can then retrieve the banking information tied to that ID and credit or debit that bank account or credit card. Finally, the results of that transaction must be returned to the NFC reader to present the results back to the user.
Missing Pieces
This entire system is already in place and exists today in some places. By October of this year, most stores in the US will have this technology in place. This technology in its entirety satisfies each of the requirements of the Mark of the Beast. The only pieces missing are:
- A globally Issued number uniquely identifying each person.
- The government forcing people to take the mark.
All that would need to happen to fulfill the rest of the requirements is that the phone number that is connected to your payment information would be exchanged for your global version of your Social Security Number, and the NFC tag would go from your phone into your hand. There is a very interesting phrase in Revelation 13:17
“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.”Whose name? The name of the beast or the name of the recipient? Remember that RFID chips transmit identification numbers. If there were a globally issued number that was assigned to and identified each person, then the NFC tag could transmit a signal containing the number of his (or her) name. Credit card terminals would easily be able to process financial transactions using this information. I believe this mark will be a mechanism that the government will use to track and control us, and I believe that we are very close to the fulfillment of this prophecy.
Prediction: Cause of Mark of the Beast
I think the next few years are going to play out something like this: World War 3 will likely be the result of Islamic Terrorism. As the government always does, they will use this crisis to take away our freedoms in the name of security and protection. After one-third of the world dies in the next World War, the world will by and large gladly give up their rights to help prevent the occurrence of a fourth world war. The government will easily be able to convince people to take the mark to provide security to the people of the world. This security will come in the form of the ability to track people and their movements since every person will have a mark that will communicate with payment systems, and likely systems of commute etc… This will allow the government to track “abnormal” or suspicious movements or purchasing habits to help identify potential terror suspects before they commit their acts of terror (think Minority Report2).
Conclusion
Although this may seem far-fetched to you now, keep in mind that they can also sell it through the convenience factor and the ability to streamline your life. For example, they could advertise the benefits of no longer needing keys for your car or your home. No more passwords for your phone. No more entering passwords for websites. The list goes on and on. People already spend hundreds of dollars on phones that give the government the ability to track your every movement at any time of the day, and to even eavesdrop on your conversations through your phone’s microphone. In fact, there are already people willingly implanting themselves with RFID chips for all of these reasons today3, and the FDA has already approved RFID implants in people4. That means there are companies out there that intend to get people to have these chips implanted in them.
This prophecy is not science fiction. It will come to pass within our lifetime, and more than likely within the next few years. Be on the lookout for this Mark of the Beast because this is one sin that God will not forgive.
And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. – Revelation 14:9-11