"So when you see standing in the holy place `the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel --let the reader understand-- then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now --and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. (Matthew 24:16-22)
The event which will precipitate a last desperate flight of the believing remnant of the Jewish people from Jerusalem and Judea will be "The Abomination of Desolation" which was predicted in Daniel 9:27 at the mid-point of the seven year peace treaty. This abomination was also mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 24:15-28 as the first major event of the "Great Tribulation" ("great distress" in the NIV). The blasphemous announcement by this false messiah in the Temple Holy of Holies will also mark the one clear "sign of the end of Age" given to us by the Lord Himself (Matthew 24).
The term "Antichrist" is widely used today. It is
in his epistles that John uses this word to refer to a succession
of evil world rulers, one of whom would be the final antichrist.
"Anti" can mean "against" or "opposed
to" in Greek, but it also can mean "instead of."
Thus this man is a clever counterfeit of God's Messiah (christos
means messiah or "anointed one).
Actually, two great world leaders, prominent on the world stage
for the final seven years of the world-wide tribulation period,
are described for us in Revelation Chapter 13 . The imagery used
is that of two wild beasts. The man who desecrates the temple
is evidently the second of these two men also called "the
false prophet." Jesus warned the Jews that such a man would
come among them at the end of the age. He said, "I have come
in my Father's name, and you do not receive me; if another comes
in his own name, him you will receive." (John 5:43)
This man was also predicted by Zechariah.
Then the LORD said to me, "Take again the equipment of a foolish shepherd. For I am going to raise up a shepherd over the land who will not care for the lost, or seek the young, or heal the injured, or feed the healthy, but will eat the meat of the choice sheep, tearing off their hoofs.
"Woe to the worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm and his right eye! May his arm be completely withered, his right eye totally blinded!" (Zechariah 11:15-17)
Thus it is clear that this second three and one half years of the Tribulation are the worst years. This also corresponds to the Old Testament prophecy of the "Time of Jacob's Trouble" (Jeremiah 30:1-7). Secular Jews, who constitute the majority of the people of Israel today, will not heed the ancient warning of Jesus in the Olivet Discourse, nor heed His 144,000 end-of-the-age witnesses who will surely warn the world afresh. Indeed most of the world will probably herald--with approval--the public announcement that a great and powerful world leader has found a formula for world peace. This same man will claim that he is also God incarnate, and his claims will be accepted. It will be a time of unprecedented world-wide deception as Jesus has already warned. Paul reasserts this in His warning in His description of this event in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12.
The Abomination of Desolation in the Temple
What is this "Abomination of Desolation"? In addition to the Scriptures given above, there is this description of this detestable event in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion [apostasia] occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
According to Revelation 13, Antichrist, who will be energized by the Devil, will be considered so wonderful that many of the people of the earth will voluntarily offer to worship him. They will see him as a benevolent dictator. Not content with this, at the height of his power, he will make it mandatory for everyone to give him homage. In order to enforce this, he will have his religious leader, The False Prophet will set up an image of the Beast in the newly rebuilt temple. The image (an idol) must also be worshiped. The two Leaders will also institute a system of economic dictatorship that allows only those who agree to worship him to receive a mark (666). Without the mark, no one will be able to buy or sell anything. Those who believe in Jesus Christ will not be willing to accept the mark. No one who does receive the mark will ever be able or willing to repent and become a true Christian (Revelation 14:9-11; 20:4). Those who refuse the mark will be forced underground, living with other true believers in out of the way places. If they are caught they will be put to death for treason against Antichrist's world government. (Revelation 13:10; 20:4)
The final form of world government in this tribulation period
will have two aspects: Military, political and economic power
will revolve around the first Beast. Subservient to him will be
the harlot church. In Israel a powerful religious coalition will
be led by the Second Beast. Both of these Leaders are Satan's
masterpieces for deceiving the world. Both are energized by Satan
,who until now has never found a complete way of expressing himself
in human form ruling the earth.
There is another earth-shaking event which will take place at
the same time. According to Revelation 13:16-18, a one-world economy
will be established, and only those who follow Antichrist's leadership
and worship him will be permitted to buy or sell.
He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.
This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666.
The Mark of The Beast
The false Messiah (Paul's "man of sin" in 2 Thessalonians
2:1-12) will enter the Third Temple in Jerusalem and declare himself
to be God. That event Jesus had said in the Olivet Discourse,
would bring great peril to the residents of Jerusalem. The peril
for believers in Yeshua at that time period will include the immediate
danger of military invasion of Jerusalem by foreign armies (Luke
21:20). The believing remnant of Jews, who are in Jerusalem at
the time the false messiah makes this move, will also be in grave
danger of their lives because of Antichrist's vigorous persecution
of believers, that is, those few Jews who believe in the God of
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Yeshua.
Earth's last Caesar will rise to the position of virtual dictator
of the earth. With the help of the"False Prophet," he
will require people to receive a "mark" on their right
hand or forehead in order to be able to buy or sell (Revelation
13:7-18). There are at least three powers at work in the world
even now that make this possible:
Political power
According to Revelation 13:5-7, and 16-18, the first beast will lead the development of the emerging one-world government, or New World Order which has been planned for centuries by the super rich behind the scenes. These power brokers are used to controlling who will be chosen for political positions, based on their ability to manipulate their pawns in high places. They will present Antichrist as a benevolent dictator. They will undoubtedly think that they can control him for their own advantage. But he will be very powerful, drawing his energy from the Devil. He will do as he pleases, though it is likely that much of what he does will also please the powerful elite group who have given him support.
Religious power
As can be seen even in our own American politics, support from religious groups can be very helpful to a politician. Revelation 13:11-15 tells about a False Prophet who is most likely the head of a one-world religion. This religious unity will finally be possible because after The Rapture, born-again Christians will be absent from public life. Even in the churches, those who are left are those who have never had a personal relationship with Christ. These people, for the most part, will not take the Bible literally. They will be willing to give up their doctrines for the sake of unity. The New Age Religion may be the uniting force behind this since it already draws heavily from various religions. The head of this union could be the leader of the World Council of Churches or of an apostate denomination.
Technological power
According to Revelation 13, Antichrist, who will be energized by the Devil, ( who is called the "god of this age" in 2 Corinthians 4:4) will be considered so wonderful that many of the people of the earth will voluntarily offer to worship him. They will see him as a benevolent dictator. Not content with this, at the height of his power, he will make it mandatory for everyone to give him homage. In order to enforce this, he will have his religious leader, the False Prophet set up an image of the first beast
Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. (Revelation 13:11-15)
This "living image" will probably be a technological
deception; perhaps some marvelous new holographic image, a genetically-engineered
clone, or some other bio-tech "invention." In any case,
it is clear that it represents Antichrist, and it must be worshiped.
Modern technology has made it possible, not only to produce this
deception, but to also do what the Bible predicts about literally
controlling the right of individuals to buy and sell.
He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. (Revelation 13:16-17)
Computers
Before computers were such a vital part of our lives it was
hard to imagine how this prophecy could be enforced. In our generation
we have seen the development of all the parts of the electronic
system necessary for one person to wield total economic control.
Daniel 12:4 says, "But you, Daniel, close up and seal the
words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here
and there to increase knowledge."
We are living in "The Information Age." In our generation
science and knowledge have increased at a rate never imagined
by our forefathers. Yet, this knowledge explosion was predicted
by Daniel 2500 years ago! We live in a time of unprecedented invention,
space exploration, and, above all, development and use of the
computer. The advent of small, inexpensive, and powerful microcomputers
had caused nearly every field of science and technology to take
quantum leaps forward.
Here are just a few of the new and emerging tools and methods making more information available.
The Personal Computer
In 1976 the Apple I computer was introduced at the retail of
$666.66. Since then computers have become a necessary business
and household appliance. The ever-present, ever-improving personal
computer has become the primary tool of creativity. Practically
everything that was once done by pencil and paper, drafting tools,
and artistry is now being done faster, easier, and better with
the help of the computer. A person of average income may now own
a computer which is more powerful than the million dollar main-frames
of just a few years ago. Beautiful color, digital stereophonic
sound, CD ROM libraries of knowledge, modem connectivity to the
entire world via information services and the Internet, and an
exploding source of helpful, inexpensive software all make this
device a necessity for many people today. Smaller, more powerful
laptop, notebook, and even hand-held computers make it possible
for people to take this essential productivity tool with them
wherever they go.
Intel says they are working on microprocessors that will operate,
not at today's processor speed of 200 megahertz (million cycles
per second), but, by the year 2011, it will run at 10 gigahertz
(billion cycles per second). That's 10,000 megahertz instead of
200! The February issue of Fortune Magazine says it will
have 1 billion components! You see, Andy Groves, Intel's CEO predicted
that the power of a computer chip would double every 18 months,
and so far, Intel has lived up to that "law."
Computers and all of the related technologies will continue to
improve. Toshiba has developed a computer chip just a little larger
than the current 4 megabyte chips which will hold 1 Gigabyte (1
billion bytes). Computer scientists are working on optical microprocessing,
using light and fiber optics--instead of electricity and wires--to
increase the speed by another factor of 1000 or more. Experimental
work is being done on the concept of biochips, living, self-repairing,
and incredibly compact memory devices.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence is also a field which is improving steadily. It gained new respect and interest in February, 1996 when Garry Kasparov, reigning chess champion of the world, lost the first of five games against IBM's "Deep Blue" computer.
Supercomputers
With the advent of supercomputers, we can now understand how
a world-wide economic system could be possible.
Behind the scenes, giant companies and government agencies now
have supercomputers. If the average person now has the power of
yesteryear's main frame computers in his lap-top personal computer,
imagine the increased capabilities that exist in the largest state
of the art computers! While microcomputers work at the speed of
millions of operations per seconds, super computers, using what
they call parallel processing can now do billions of operations
per second. Today's supercomputers are so fast that they could
perform thousands of operations each second on the files of each
person in the world! This means that, given the necessary connections,
one giant computer could easily track the financial affairs of
every person on earth. Such a system could permit or forbid buying
and selling just as prophesied in Revelation 13
Credit Cards, Debit Cards, Smart Cards
For at least twenty years now the banking industry has been
pressing for the use of electronic funds transfer. Those who wish
to do so may have their paychecks deposited electronically into
their accounts, pay their bills automatically by electronic funds
transfer, or use their personal computer to make these payments.
You can buy most of what you need by use of your ATM debit cards.
Service stations have "Pay Point" devices which allow
the use of either credit cards or debit cards to buy your gas
without the help of an attendant. At your supermarket you may
pay for your groceries the same way. In fact, if you need cash,
you can get it out of your bank account at the same time. Just
enter an extra $20 or so while you are checking out and the checker
will gladly give you the cash because that helps them keep the
amount of money on hand, discouraging robbers. Pretty soon you
won't want cash anyway. Even your favorite fast food place will
have these devices too.
The real big news now is what is happening with smart cards. Smart
cards are different from the cards most of us have in our wallets.
They are already very popular in Europe. They look the same, except
a little thicker. Some of them have small contacts in the middle
of the card, but many now use radio waves so they don't need contacts.
Inside the card there is actually a little computer, with a tiny
battery, and up to 1 megabyte of memory. This already makes them
more powerful than the earlier personal computers, and we can
be sure they will keep getting better. Cards were introduced in
1997 which can be loaded with programs not even written yet. This
will make them so useful that the average person will feel he
or she just has to have one.
With a smart card you can do all kinds of things you can't do
with a magnetic stripe card like the ones we have now. Smart Cards
can literally transfer money from your account into the card.
The electronic money is placed in one or more "wallets"
or "purses" in the card. It can be used to operate vending
machines, pay tolls, and whatever else people need. Why should
you carry cash? As soon as muggers realize that people don't carry
cash, your life will be safer won't it?
These cards will manage all your PINs and passwords, so you won't
worry about forgetting them.
Smart Cards will also manage loyalty programs, from your frequent
flier miles to your savings bonus at your local grocery store.
In the future, those who don't have a smart card will just lose
out on the sales and other benefits that are available.
We are moving quickly toward a cashless society which may be easily
controlled by a world dictator. The coming Antichrist will be
such a dictator. The technology is now in place for him to accomplish
his evil plan of economic control
The smart card manufacturers are beginning to band together so
they have a standardized platform. They call it MULTOS. They call
this "the smart card getting smarter," because now the
machine that can read one card will be able to read all the cards.
In the United States the major credit card companies are getting
ready to switch over.
Another big advance in this area is the smart card reader on your
computer keyboard or in the floppy disk drive. It allows your
computer to read your card and act like a personal ATM. It will
not be able to put out money, but that will be unnecessary, because
the card itself takes the place of money. In other words, money
from your bank account can be transferred into your smart card
right in the convenience of your own home or office. This is something
that the ordinary person will be able to afford. Some type of
smart card reader will likely become as a standard peripheral
on new computer systems. You will also be able to buy or sell
(download or even upload money) from another person, right at
your own computer.
Implanted Transponders
One of the biggest problems in all of this electronic wonderland
is the loss and theft of cards and the problem of verifying that
the person with the card is authorized to use it. All of this
could be solved by inserting tiny electronic transponders (chip
implants) as they already do in livestock all over the world,
and as they are beginning to do in household pets. In our area
we can have one of these devices implanted in our dog by a simple,
nearly painless hypodermic needle, then if he is ever lost, the
governmental authorities can just wave a wand over the dog's back
and their computer will tell them all they need to know about
him.
They have not been putting them into people as a rule. They are
only about the size of a grain of rice. They don't need batteries.
They have a little coil, and a pre-programmed number, all encapsulated
in glass. This can be inserted under your skin with a special
hypodermic needle. It won't get infected, and you would hardly
know it is there. But scanning devices will know it's there. It
could be used to tie into your bank accounts, or whatever they
want to do with it.
In the future, they could perfect this so that it can actually
be your smart card. The technology is not yet that advanced. But
the advantage of something like this is that you wouldn't have
to remember to take your wallet with you, it will always be a
part of you. You couldn't loose it. When you want to get money
out, you could just go to your personal computer, wave your hand
in front of it, and transfer what you need into the device. You
could pay your bills the same way. You could start your car that
way because it could take the place of your keys. These are all
possibilities for the future. None of it is necessary for Antichrist
to take over. We have enough in place right now.
Here's something that uses the same technology in a much more
acceptable form. You may already have these. It is known as the
Mobil Speed Pass. It has the same type of device in it that responds
to the radio waves and sends back a number. You just drive up,
and when you come within five feet of the gas pump, it gets ready
to service you. It knows who you are and how to charge your purchase.
You still have to get out and put the nozzle in your tank, but
the rest is automatic! You don't pull your wallet out. You don't
punch in a PIN number. You just wave this little thing and it
happens. If you don't want one of these on your key ring, you
can get another device from the same company that just sticks
on your back window and does the same thing without even handling
it. They even make a card version for your wallet, but you don't
have to take it out, it just happens.
Biometrics
Fingerprints, palm prints, face and eye prints (retinal imaging)
are some of the high tech methods now used to verify a person's
identity. These, of course, cannot be stolen or lost. How far
away from public acceptance of these devices are we? We may be
closer than we think!
Other technologies are also leading in the same direction. There
is a face recognition device you can hook up to your personal
computer, and throw away your passwords, because, with this device,
your computer knows it is you. There is also a little scanner
for your fingerprint that does the same thing. It's called BioMouse.
There is a movement in many countries, including the United States,
to create a national registry and tracking system in which every
citizen will have some form of biometric identification as described
above. This plan would give the government the right to approve
all employment. One attempt at such control was Senate bill S
269 - The Immigrant Control and Financial Responsibility Act of
1995.
Satellites
New methods of transmitting data, such as satellites which can link the whole world together instantly, sending and receiving unbelievable amounts of data simultaneously. GPS (Global Positioning System) is now in place and in use, allowing world-wide satellite tracking of items with small transmitters. These systems are accurate to within a few feet.
Fiber Optics
Fiber optic "wires" now service our businesses and
many homes. These cables, which use light instead of electricity,
are able to carry thousands of conversations, video images, and
data transfers all at the same time. One small Fiber Optic cable
can replace 10,000 ordinary telephone lines!
Many phone services now employ the ISDN (Integrated Services Digital
Network) system. This concept not only perfects the quality of
the voice on the phone, but allows the connection of several devices
to the outside world simultaneously, including television, FAX,
copier, computers. It also adds the capability of "smart
phones" which will transmit digital data about the users
along with the voice or video connection. With such a system,
the business you are calling could answer the phone using your
name, and already having your account information on the screen
in front of them. The potential for transmission of unwanted information
is an obvious danger from this emerging technology.
Interactive Television and The Internet
Information service companies, such as CompuServe and America
On Line provide an amazing assortment of "on line" information,
such as news and historical data bases, games and other entertainment,
down-loadable software, literature, and art, electronic mail,
special interest data bases and "chat" rooms where one
may type messages to one another in real time. Shopping on-line
is becoming very popular as well.
Another aspect of what is often called cyberspace is the Internet.
It has been around for several decades. It is a high speed data
transmission system, now often called the information "super
highway". It was used by major corporations and universities
to connect their main-frame computers together. It is just now
becoming very popular and extremely useful. Education, businesses,
government, and even churches are rapidly turning to this medium
of information exchange. Easy navigation of this world-wide network
is being made possible by such innovations as the "World-Wide
Web." Color, sound, animation, and even video have been added
to the capabilities of the "net." Connection to the
Internet is one of the options on many information services. Individuals
may also choose to subscribe to local Internet services which
do not provide their own information, but simply connect the user's
computer (via the phone lines) to the Internet
They are now working on a new generation of the Internet. It is
called Internet II, and it is described as vBNS (very high speed
Backbone Network Service). MCI is the provider for a super-fast
information network mandated in 1993 by the National Science Foundation.
Part of it is already in place, using speeds of 155 million bits
per second. When fully functional, it will connect the Supercomputing
Centers at speeds of up to 2.5 billion bits (2.5 gigabits) per
second. At this speed the new network could transmit the contents
of two public libraries per second!
The Internet of the future won't even be limited by fiber optic
cables. Last March Bill Gates, who is the richest man in the world,
and easily the most powerful person in all the world of technology,
went into a partnership with another man and announced the "Internet
In The Sky" which they will begin in the year 2000 and it
will be fully functional by the year 2002. Actually, the first
of these satellites was sent into orbit in March of 1998. It will
consist of 840 low-altitude satellites that will be connected
in 21 orbits, with 40 satellites in every orbit. They have an
animation on their Teledesic website. It will like a big moving
net around the entire earth. What this means is, that anywhere
on the face of the planet a person with an inexpensive portable
wireless Internet communicator, can communicate with anyone else
on the earth. It could be at the top of the Himalayas or at the
Dead Sea..
Control of Travel
Toll booths register and deduct payment from vehicles passing through their scanners. Smart highway projects are in the planning stages to literally guide vehicles from one point to another on safer highways. Obviously, those in the future who have not paid, or who are not allowed to buy and sell can be kept off these highways!
Control of the Media
Another very significant development in the world of modern technology is the recent merger of huge communications and media corporations. In August, 1995 Disney and ABC agreed to the largest merger in history, and the next day a merger of Westinghouse with CBS was announced.. These things lead us closer to a one-world economy. Smaller operations will continue to be swallowed up by larger ones so they have more control.
Programmable Tattoos
There now exists a "Programmable Tattoo" which can
be implanted under your wrist. It is actually an LCD display panel
that can serve as a watch to tell the time, or give reports on
your vital functions like blood pressure or insulin count: anything
you need to know about yourself. The people who have the patents
on this are from a company called Interval Research Corporation.
You may not have heard of them. They say they don't even know
what they want to do with this invention yet. Interval was co-founded
by Paul Allen, who was also co-founder of Microsoft. Most of the
things they are doing right now, they are keeping secret. There
is an "interval," you see. They are thinking that five,
ten, or twenty years in the future, all the things they are developing
will be put into service.
Maybe they will be put into service when the Mark of The Beast
is ready
The Actual Mark
Two beasts, or great world-leaders are in view in Revelation Chapter 13.
Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast [the political-military leader of the Western Federation of nations] on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the [first] beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666." (Revelation 13:11-18)
At this point in time these two powerful leaders--one religious,
the other political and military--will have arranged world-wide
control over buying and selling. The fate of the world will apparently
rest solely with them.
Computers do all kind of wonderful things, but, because of the
way they work, everything they do must be converted to numbers.
Every letter on this screen, every colored pixel, every tone produced
by the computer (including your favorite music CD) is saved and
processed as a number.
Now that modern technology has reached the stage where it is truly
feasible for Antichrist to exert economic dictatorship it is increasingly
important for everyone to have a distinctive number. Most of us
have several numbers already: our Social Security number, drivers'
license number, phone, FAX and pager numbers, credit card numbers,
and so on. See Modern Technologies.
What does Antichrist's personal number, 666 mean? Please notice
that the Scripture says plainly that it is "the number of
his name." This is significant because the issue in this
future story is that of worship. People must vow their devotion
to this worst of all the false Christs by allowing either his
name, or else the number of his name to be placed on them in a
prominent place as a symbol of their allegiance.
There are many possible ways of converting a name to a number.
Here are some of them:
Assignment
This is how you received your Social Security number, or credit card numbers. When it was time to be "numbered" the next number in a sequence was assigned. Some systems pick numbers randomly instead of sequentially, and check to make sure no one else has that number before issuing it.
Choice
This is the process if you, or someone else, should choose a number to represent you. This is sometimes done for jerseys of famous athletes. Other examples of this are when you order a personalized license plate for your car or pick your own phone number.
Conversion
Returning to the fact that our lives are run, or at least monitored,
by computers, there is another way of deriving a number from a
name. There are several different numbering systems used by computers
to convert any given letter to a number. One of these is the ASCII
code (A=65, B=66, etc.) Using this system, and adding up the total
of the values of the letters, it is interesting that some names
do add up to 666. Some famous names produce this result.
Another type of conversion is based on the alphabet (A=1, B=2,
etc.) Such a system would not produce a number as big as 666,
so some have suggested converting this way and then multiplying
by the "number of man", which some suppose is 6 - one
short of the number of completion. Again, some notable people's
names produce 666 in this way.
There are also various techniques for coding this number. These include:
Printing
Checks, Invoices, and many other documents which need to be recognized and handled by people simply print the number. Data processing clerks or scanning devices convert these numbers back into the numbers needed by the computers.
Magnetic strip
Credit cards and debit cards (and a host of other identifying devices) use these little strips of magnetic tape to store your number and other information.
Transponders
A tiny electronic chip which may be injected into an animal or a human will respond to the stimulus of a certain kind of scanner by transmitting your numerical data.
Bar Code
Laser scanners use the bar codes on products to print your
sales receipt. The number on the package is converted to a name,
a price, and at the same time it is subtracted from inventory
and placed on the store's next re-order form.
It has been noticed by some that the UPC bar codes are generally
divided into two parts by three bars, one at the beginning, one
at the end, and one in the middle. These marks may be longer than
the numbers, but they may look the same as one of the codes for
the number six. Thus, some bar-codes do have the number 666 built
into it. This may or may not have any significance in future understanding
of prophecy.
We have been warned that we can not know who Antichrist is
until he is revealed, after the Restrainer (The Holy Spirit) is
no longer holding back sin (2 Thessalonians 2:1-11). But those
who are alive during that time might recognize him partly by this
number. It will be wise and proper for those living during that
time to "calculate" his number (verse 18).
It should also be noted that, even though it is logical for us
to have our own numbers, and that, for security reasons, these
numbers might even be tattooed on or implanted in us, the number
that will be displayed on the hand or forehead will not be our
number, but Antichrist's. Those who are more bold in their devotion
to him will not have his number, but his actual name!
Implanted chips are improved security measures are by no means
seen as sinister by most people today. There is a great advantage
to having one's medical history and record carried on a memory
chip on one's person for ready access in case of a heart attack
or accident. All of us want the best possible security for our
bank accounts and investments. Anti-terrorism protection makes
sense to everyone who travels even if it must come at the cost
of some potential abuse by government and better surveillance
of the whereabouts and movements of all the populace. It is vitally
important for us to have the best possible security against international
terrorists who will not necessarily be rational individuals, nor
be in the employ of anyone but themselves. Military and diplomatic
secrets need the best possible protection we can give them. It
is necessary for us to find out all we can by spying behind the
scenes when we have fiendishly evil men to deal with such as Saddam
Hussein.
What we are assured of by the Bible is that these sophisticated
tools will be usurped and used against God-fearing people during
the tribulation period, because the world government of that time
period will be entirely under Satanic control and the restraining
influence of the church will no longer restrain evil at all levels
of society.