Do you remember when religious folks were worried that the bar-codes on retail products would be the “mark of the beast?” Technology has now advanced so far that product bar-codes now seem like a primitive form of technology compared to what is now available. The link below has some “attitude” and it assumes that the North American Union will come into existence (they may be right–we’ll see), but it does a good job of describing how RFID (radio frequency identification) technology could be used to bring about a future “mark of the beast.”
Personally, until I read this article, I did not realize how many nations on earth now effectively have national ID cards for their citizens. The article states that “compulsory national identity cards are used in about 100 countries.” Some nations use fingerprints to identify their people and others use other means of identification. Washington State in the USA already reportedly uses RFID technology in its driver’s licenses, and other American states may soon do so as well. The link indicates that nations will be moving to RFID identification of all people as an effort to fight terrorism across national borders. Mexico and India are nations which are moving to compulsory national ID cards for their citizens although it was not clear in the link if RFID technology will be used on all the ID cards in these nations.
Is RFID technology the “mark of the beast?” It may develop into a future “mark of the beast,” but I doubt that simple RFID technology, by itself, can be the “mark of the beast.” Revelation 13:16-17 prophecies that some kind of international tracking system will be implemented globally during the 42 month reign of the beast system (Revelation 13:1-5), but Revelation 13:16-17 prophecies this global beast system will include a commercial/economic identification for everyone in order for people to “buy and sell” with it. RFID tracking technology could certainly be coupled with biochip technology to encode a vast amount of information about everyone carrying such a chip on/in them to enable them to conduct global commerce anywhere in the world.
Personally, I think that the “mark of the beast” will arrive when the taking of this “mark” (whatever it eventually is) includes some kind of religious loyalty or acknowledgement of the beast’s and the false prophet’s global leadership and deity. That will cross the line into open idolatry and blasphemy. Revelation 13:16-17 does describe a “mark” of the beast system being globally implemented, but it is implemented after the events of Revelation 13:11-15 when the beast is joined by a global religious leader (called the “false prophet” in Revelation 19:20) who will do “great wonders” and “miracles” which will deceive mankind into thinking that God is working through the beast and false prophet. This false prophet will even “make fire to come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men (emphasis added).” This wording intrigues me. It may be real fire which God will allow the devil to call forth in order to deceive mankind, but this fire may only “appear” to come down from heaven “in the sight of men.” My April 3rd blog about invisibility technology cited previous blogs which detailed how recently-invented and mostly-secret “invisibility technology”‘ could be used to fulfill prophecies and deceive people via “lying wonders” that II Thessalonians 2:9 warns will occur at the end of our age (if you have not read that blog and the links with that blog, please do so!).
On the other hand, the fire coming down from heaven may really be spiritually called forth by “the Dark Side.” When Moses and Aaron were sent to pharaoh and did mighty wonders empowered by God, the idolatrous priests of Egypt, (Jannes and Jambres) also did some of the same lesser miracles by the power of the Dark Side that were done via Moses and Aaron (see Exodus 7:11-12, 22, 8:7, II Timothy 3:8). However, the time came when the idolatrous priests could not match the miracles done by the Creator God via Moses and Aaron (Exodus 8:18). I suspect something similar will happen during the end of our age. The False Prophet will be able to do some of the same kinds of miracles that will be done by God’s Two Witnesses, who will apparently be the most powerful prophets who ever have walked the earth (Revelation 11:3-6). However, the Two Witnesses will eventually do mighty miracles which cannot be copied (or faked) by the beast and false prophet. If you want to learn more about the Two Witnesses who will be sent by God during the concluding years of the latter days of our age, please read my article, “The Two Witnesses,” at the articles link at this website.
In conclusion, RFID technology may be a part of the eventual “mark of the beast,” but that final “mark” will have to involve much more than mere tracking or identification technologies for it to become a symbol or badge of religious idolatry as well.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=14597
