21st Century Idolatry: The Mark of the Beast

21st century idols ani

Again, the Devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. And he said to Him, “I will give You all these things if You will fall down and worship me. (Matthew 4:8-9)

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Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; he had two horns like a lamb, but he sounded like a dragon. He exercises all the authority of the first beast on his behalf and compels the earth and those who live on it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. He also performs great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in front of people. He deceives those who live on the earth because of the signs that he is permitted to perform on behalf of the beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image of the beast who had the sword wound and yet lived. He was permitted to give a spirit to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast could both speak and cause whoever would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.  (Revelation 13:11-15)

When we hear the word idol, we often think of statues and objects reminiscent of those worshiped by pagans in ancient cultures.

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The Lord commands His people not to worship idols:

If you return, Israel—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
you will return to Me,
if you remove your detestable idols
from My presence
and do not waver,
then you can swear, “As the Lord lives,”
in truth, in justice, and in righteousness,
then the nations will be blessed by Him
and will pride themselves in Him. (Jeremiah 4:1-2)

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However, the idols of the 21st century often bear no resemblance to the artifacts used thousands of years ago. Today, many have replaced the “golden calf” with an insatiable drive for money or prestige or “success” in the eyes of the world.

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Some pursue the high regard of others as their ultimate goal. Some seek after comfort or a myriad of other passionate, yet empty, pursuits.

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Sadly, our societies often admire those serving such idols. In the end, however, it doesn’t matter what empty pleasure we chase after or what idol or which false god we bow down to; the result is the same—separation from the one true God.

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Understanding contemporary idols can help us to understand why they prove to be such a powerful temptation. An idol can be anything we place ahead of God in our lives, anything that takes God’s place in our hearts, such as possessions, careers, relationships, hobbies, sports, entertainment, goals, greed, addictions to alcohol/drugs/gambling/pornography, etc.

Even cell phone use can become a compulsive habit that can lead to excessive use, negative health consequences, and interference with the general way of life.

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Some of the things we idolize are clearly sinful. But many of the things we idolize can be very good, such as relationships or careers. Yet Scripture tells us that, whatever we do, we are to “do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31) and that we are to serve God only (Deuteronomy 6:13; Luke 16:13).

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Unfortunately, God is often shoved out of the way as we zealously pursue our idols. Worse yet, the significant amount of time we often spend in these idolatrous pursuits leaves us with little or no time to spend with the Lord.

The ultimate manifestation of idolatry is when the world worships the image of the Beast, and receives his mark:

Why ‘every person on the planet’ will need a digital ID / Venture Beat, June 21, 2017

…digital identity — the set of electronically captured and stored attributes and credentials that can uniquely identify a person — places control in the hands of the individual. If properly designed, digital identity can be portable (retrievable without reliance on a piece of paper), persistent (interoperable across institutions), private (only relevant information needs to be disclosed), and personal (uniquely linked to the individual).

Meanwhile, the UN High Commission on Refugees committed this week to piloting this type of user-owned identification for their beneficiaries — some of the people who could benefit from it most. And The Rockefeller Foundation, which is providing financial support to ID2020, led a discussion on the role of philanthropy in helping to finance this work.

ID2020 aims to have run multiple demonstration projects by 2020, with each providing valuable data on the costs for implementation, the legal and regulatory hurdles posed in different countries and populations, and the key incentives that drive adoption.

It’s a bold vision, but it’s not a crazy one. And it could change the lives of billions — mine, yours, and those of many more living around the world.

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According to the Holy Bible, there are two humans (the beast and the “false prophet”) that are possessed by Satan in the last days, and they control a one-world government and religion.

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The first scriptural references to the beast and his mark are in Revelation 13:

Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

If anyone has an ear, let him hear. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

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Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great signs so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. He was granted the power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 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.

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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.

In a previous message, we investigated the country of Turkey and its President, Recep Erdogan. Recep has positioned Turkey as a partner in peace with the United States and Israel. The country is applying to become a part of the European Union. Note from our previous messages that with a fiscal and political union, we see the current European Union as the beginnings of the imperial power of a revived Roman Empire. The geographical area of Turkey was an integral part of the original Roman Empire.

The global powers have determined that national sovereignty is destined to fail. We already see this happening with the economic collapse, well underway. When the Rapture happens, there will be global chaos:

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With governments crippled and devastated, and failed markets and banks, a “New World Order” will be the only solution offered, and then the Mark of the Beast will rise from the ruins of internationally failed economies. Note the economic focus of the Mark:

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.
(Revelation 13:17)

Today we are the first generation with the technology available to fulfill such a prophecy of a “cashless” society. For instance, every item for sale is bar-coded with its own personal identification number.

You may have noticed that this barcode, known as the Uniform Product Code System, has 3 unnumbered bars or lines at its beginning, middle, and end which are slightly longer than its other bars. All these other lines correspond to a different number. Pay attention to this particular line. It is designated as corresponding to the number six. As you can see, it is exactly the same as the 3 unmarked lines that are also sixes. So every bar-coded item is in fact marked with a 666.
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The 666 barcode system of identification was the basis and forerunner of other trends and technologies that are rapidly leading us towards the one-world credit system.

The “Smart Card” was the next step. These debit cards have a miniature computer chip that gives the holder access to their bank account as well as their passport, medical record, driver’s license, photographs, welfare eligibility, and all kinds of other data. These are already being used in various parts of the world.

Another effort is to use biometric data, which eliminates having to use a card. Recently, India has launched a nationwide program involving the allocation of a Unique Identification Number (UID) to every single one of its 1.2 billion residents. Each of the numbers will be tied to the biometric data of the recipient using three different forms of information – fingerprints, iris scans, and pictures of the face. All ten digits of the hand will be recorded, and both eyes will be scanned.

The project will be directed by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) under the premise of preventing identity theft and social welfare fraud. Yet, although the justification for the billion person database is the increased ability to accurately disperse social welfare benefits, it will not be just the Indian government’s social welfare programs that have access to and utilize the UIDAI. Indeed, even before the program has been completed, major banks, state/local governments, and other institutions are planning to use the UIDAI for identification verification purposes and, of course, payment and accessibility.

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Chillingly, government “officials” have already stated that the database will be used by intelligence agencies for the purpose of monitoring “bank transactions, cellphone purchases and the movements of individuals and groups suspected of fomenting terrorism.” This will be very easy to do since the UID number will be entered anytime an individual “accesses services from government departments, driver’s license offices and hospitals, as well as insurance, telecom, and banking companies.”

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According to the Scriptures, the mark of the beast is received on the right hand or forehead. With modern technology, it is very possible that this mark may be directly linked with a computer chip implant. This is already being used in pilot programs all over the world. A tiny microchip that can be read by a scanner is inserted into a spot below the animal’s skin. “Infopet” in California boasts the ability to keep track of 4 billion cats and dogs worldwide. This technology has proven that keeping track of large populations through implants and centralized computer data banks is completely feasible.

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The small implants use Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, the same as in contactless credit cards or mobile payments. When activated by a reader a few centimeters (inches) away, a small amount of data flows between the two devices via electromagnetic waves. The implants are ‘passive,’ meaning they contain information that other devices can read, but cannot read information themselves. This is an example of paying for a ticket using an implant:

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Cyborgs at work: employees getting implanted with microchips / AP News, April 3, 2017

STOCKHOLM (AP) — The syringe slides in between the thumb and index finger. Then, with a click, a microchip is injected in the employee’s hand. Another “cyborg” is created.

What could pass for a dystopian vision of the workplace is almost routine at the Swedish startup hub Epicenter. The company offers to implant its workers and startup members with microchips the size of grains of rice that function as swipe cards: to open doors, operate printers, or buy smoothies with a wave of the hand.

The injections have become so popular that workers at Epicenter hold parties for those willing to get implanted.

“The biggest benefit I think is convenience,” said Patrick Mesterton, co-founder and CEO of Epicenter. As a demonstration, he unlocks a door by merely waving near it. “It basically replaces a lot of things you have, other communication devices, whether it be credit cards or keys.”

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The technology and the public acceptance to make the Mark of the Beast system work is rapidly falling into place.

Wisconsin-Based Firm Offering to Microchip Employees Company-Wide / NBCUniversal, July 25, 2017

BioHax International

Want those vending machine snacks without digging for change? There’s an implant for that!

Three Square Market designs modern vending machines that various businesses put in company break rooms across the country. So now, instead of digging through your pockets for change to get that bag of chips or pack of gum, employees with the chip simply have to wave their hands in front of a machine’s biometric sensors to pay for their snacks.

The company is expecting over 50 staff members to be voluntarily chipped. 32M is partnering with BioHax International and Jowan Osterland, CEO, based out of Sweden.

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Microchip implants are not new in Sweden, and an estimated 20,000 people already have them, using the devices to swipe in and out of the office, and even pay for food. Keep in mind that a medical implant chip is not the mark of the beast.

The mark of the beast will be something given only to those who worship the Antichrist. But these are the technical steps leading up to an actual “Mark of the Beast.”

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Dawn of the bionic age: Body hackers let chips get under their skin / McClatchy DC Bureau, August 3, 2017

chips get under their skin

Many hackers gathered here for a recent global hacker conference, DefCon 2017, view implants as a way to interact seamlessly with a technological world and to enhance human senses. They await the day when microchips give humans the ability for echolocation, and to see infrared and ultraviolet light, enhance the capacity to smell, sense direction, even feel vibrations that reveal movement in the stock market.

It is a sharp departure from the use of implants, like pacemakers and insulin pumps, to restore function lost through impairment or ill health…

Some high-profile proponents of implants include Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla cars and SpaceX, who said last year that humans must reach greater symbiosis with computers in order to stay relevant in a world of artificial intelligence.

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Already we are constantly hearing about the “New World Order”, or “global community”, and these buzz slogans are slowly sinking in as the world heads towards an international financial and political system, a cashless society controlled by a computer database that covers the entire globe, keeping track of every man, woman, and child, where they cross borders and when they buy and sell–exactly like the one predicted in Revelation chapter 13 nearly 2,000 years ago!

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In the middle of the Tribulation, the Antichrist will enter the Jewish Temple and demand to be worshiped. He’ll also set up an image of himself. The image will be able to speak, and it will demand worship.

There are already many early prototypes of the image of the Beast, using robotics and artificial intelligence:

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If, sometime in the future, you are facing the choice of receiving this “mark” in your hand or forehead (whatever it is), REMEMBER the eternal consequences:

And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name(Revelation 14:11)

If you choose to not receive the mark, you will face death, but there is a great reward:

And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years(Revelation 20:4)

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The time is running short. The beast will soon help broker the Israeli-Palestinian land for a peace treaty, which will begin the dark 7 year period called the Tribulation.

The Good News is that we believe that the Rapture will occur before then. If you are a faithful and committed “Philadelphia” Christian, you may never have to face the choice of taking the mark or being put to death:

Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. (Revelation 3:10)  

The end is coming – sooner than we think!

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If you are not sure that you are saved, you can accept Christ into your life right now, by praying:

“Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins.  Please forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal life.  I ask you in to my life and heart to be my Lord and Savior.”

Source: RaptureandEndtimes.com

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