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666 The Number Of The BeastAs the origin of 666 and the real truth on the number of the beast continues to become more widely known through sites such as this one and others discovering the truth, Satan has begun a counter attack by throwing other numbers into the equation as a diversionary tactic. Numbers like 606 and 616 are now emerging, but these numbers have no significance and are incorrect as you shall soon see from the real truth on 666 the number of the beast. The extraordinary truth on this mysterious number 666 and its origin is about to reveal just how wrong so many can be on Biblical topics, and how Satan can and does keep many deceived and in the dark on extremely important issues such as the number of the beast. This should be a well known truth such as the origin of this solar seal with the number 666 on it.Who is the Beast that has the Number 666?The identity of the beast, also known as antichrist can be found from several passages in scripture. For instance, with historical help, Daniel 7 unlocks Revelation 13 and reveals who the beast is, and Revelation 17 in regards to Mystery Babylon also reveals who antichrist is on its own. While we find that individual passages of Revelation, 1 John and Daniel reveal the identity of the beast power, all these passages are like pieces of an even bigger jigsaw puzzle, which all fit together perfectly and further substantiate the truth. There is absolutely no doubt who the beast power is. See is the number of the beast from Satan to find what a beast represents in the Bible.The reference to 666 as the number of the beast is found in Revelation 13:17-18, which continues into the next chapter with a very severe warning on accepting the mark or the number of the beast. Note carefully in verse 17 that the number of the beast is not the mark and is a separate symbol. Amazingly, most have missed this simple but very important fact. You will also note in Revelation 14:8-9 that the beast is referred to as Babylon and that “SHE made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” The same phraseology is found in Revelation 17:2 referring to Mystery Babylon. The beast is called Babylon with good reason and is referred to symbolically as a she because the Bible also represents her as a woman. A woman symbolically in the Bible is always a Church as the Church is the bride of Christ.In Revelation 17:1-6 we find John the Revelator being shown the “Great whore” who has not been faithful to Christ because of idol worship etc. Note she is called a woman [Church] in verses 3 and 4 and in verse 5 this Church is symbolically referred to as Babylon. See Ezekiel 16:26-32, Jeremiah 3:1-25.There is a tremendous weight of evidence available that reveals that the beast that has the number 666 in Revelation 13 and 14, and this woman in Revelation 17 are all one and the same. From Daniel 7, Revelation 13 and history we find that this beast power is a Church that changed the law of God, persecuted the Christian saints and is called Babylon in Revelation 14. In Revelation 17, through the reference to her being called a woman, we also know this is referring to a Church and one that persecuted the Christian saints and is called Mystery Babylon. This is not coincidence as they are one and the same Church. The question is: why does God call this Church Babylon?With further study and research, we find the man at the head of this Church now has the title that once belonged to the Pagan Priests of Babylon and that very significant fact is just scratching the surface. There is a mountain of evidence proving that this Church took on many idolatrous pagan practices of literal Babylon and primarily why God refers to this Church as Babylon.Revelation 13:18 states that 666 the number of the beast is the number of a man that heads the beast power, which is this Church that God calls Babylon. So the next question is, since this Church took on so much paganism from literal Babylon, is the number of the beast something God gave her because of what resulted from the paganism that she took on from Babylon? In other words, does 666 that is now the number of the beast also come from Babylon? The answer as you would no doubt expect is a resounding YES!I am sure you have already concluded that there is only Church that changed God’s law and persecuted millions of Christians through the dark ages and has also taken on many of the pagan practices of Babylon and can be no other than the Roman Catholic Church. This is an unmistakable fact no matter what angle you come at it from scripture and history. See who is the antichrist and Mystery Babylon for very detailed information.Why God calls the Catholic Church Babylon and the Origin of 666So why is 666 the number of a man and just what is the real significance of the number of the beast? The book of Revelation informs us several times that the number of the beast and the mark of the beast revolve around worship and the unmistakable message is to not worship the beast. And Revelation 13:18 is also very clear that 666 is the number of the man ruling the beast power (Catholic Church) but the question we all want answered is why God calls the Catholic Church Babylon and the origin of this mysterious number 666 and how it relates to the Roman Catholic Church and Babylon.You would imagine that the answer to these questions would be well known but our adversary has made sure that not many know the answers to these questions or why the Book of Revelation refers to the number 666 with such negative overtones. On the next page you will discover why worship is such a significant issue in regards to this mysterious number 666 and the mark of the beast. See the sister site for more on the Mark of the Beast.666 The Number Of The Beast and its OriginBefore getting into this fascinating topic, it is very relevant to look at the significance of the Babylonians using the sexagesimal (base-60) number system from which comes 60 minutes in an hour, 60 seconds in a minute, 360 (60×6) degrees in a circle and 60 degrees in each angle of an equilateral triangle etc. 360 divided by 10 = 36 (more on this number soon) and 6 * 6 = 36. It is from this that this mysterious number 666 being the number of the beast came from, which was directly linked with the worship practices of ancient Babylon from around the time of Daniel. See also Daniel 3:1.The Babylonians worshiped gods that were associated with the sun, moon, planets and stars involved with astrology. Babylonians were also the principle developers of astrology as we know it today and it is because of this that the pagan priests wore amulets called “Sigilla Solis” or “Sun Seal” which symbolized 36 constellations. See also the origin of Babylon and sun worship.The Origin of 666In this system of worship, they had 36 supreme gods, which included the sun god, which they believed to be the father of all the other gods and so was supreme over all. The Babylonians believed that numbers had power over their gods they worshiped so they assigned numbers to their gods so that they could have power over them. They did this by counting their gods and assigning a consecutive number to each of the 36 lesser supreme gods, and then added up these numbers (from 1 to 36) and assigned the sum to the sun god. The first god they counted got the number one assigned to it, which was also the number for the sun god for the purposes of the counting process. Their second god was assigned to the moon god and of course had the number two assigned to it, and so on up to 36 gods. The gods numbered from 3 through 36 were considered the children of the sun god, which included the various stars and constellations that these gods were associated with. I am sure that you have already guessed by now that the sum of the numbers from 1 to 36 totals 666, which they also assigned to the god associated with the sun as being the father of all their gods. The calculation is simply this:1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 + 11 + 12 + 13 + 14 + 15 + 16 + 17 + 18 + 19 + 20 + 21 + 22 + 23 + 24 + 25 + 26 + 27 + 28 + 29 + 30 + 31 + 32 + 33 + 34 + 35 + 36 = 666Scholar and Secret Society expert Murl Vance commented the following in his book “Trail of the Serpent.”“In the astrological religion of Babylon, every god had his sacred number or numbers which were often used in place of the god's name. These numbers indicated the god's place and power among the astrological gods...Going deeply back into Babylonian astrology we find the real reason for the sanctity for the number 36. The Babylonians divided each of the 12 houses in the zodiac into three rooms, making 36 in all. They then divided the entire remainder of the sky into 36 constellations, and appointed the ruling god of each constellation to rule over one of the 36 rooms of the zodiac. Since the spirits of the departed were believed to go to and dwell in the stars - a teaching still much alive today, there was therefore not a spirit in the heavens, not a star in the sky which was not represented in the 36 rooms of the zodiac, and to swear by the number 36 was to swear by every god in the heavens above, as well as by all the spirits of the departed. The 36 gods were called decans because each ruled over 10 degrees of the zodiacal circle and over 10 days of the 360-day year.The seven planets or the 7-headed astrological dragon ruled over the 36 decans and over them all, as we have noted, ruled the sun, 'the father of the gods.' It was natural and inevitable that since the summary number of the numbers from 1-36 is 666, this number (called the Grand Number of the Sun), should have been assigned to the sun-god as the cosmic god who not only ruled over all the other gods but also was their heavenly parent. Herein lies the reason for the 'Solar Seals' in use before the time of Christ as amulets to ward off any evil that might come from the 36 decans.” (Vance, pp. 26, 27)Because the Babylonians saw their gods as being predominantly evil, they feared that one of them may strike them down sometime. This is why they made these amulets with a 6 * 6 matrix with the numbers 1 through 36 on them, which are called numeric matrixes magic squares today. Some positive qualities were credited to some of their gods and particularly the sun god, but overall their gods were seen as being evil rather than good.The design of the amulets was to protect them from a god striking them down using his magic power so the amulets had to be as powerful as possible. In order to increase its power, they arranged these numbers in such a way that the sum of any given row, column or diagonal was 111, and therefore the sum of all six rows or all six columns was 666. This was supposed to provide extra protection including from the sun god since this god's sum was present on the amulet. The one above has the god of the sun standing on the lion. This indicated the sun's position in the constellation of Leo during the hot days of August. The back is inscribed “Nachyel,” meaning “intelligence of the sun” and the numbers 1 to 36. The second illustration is also a solar seal, but it honours the star Basilisco, which was the diminutive form of the Greek basileus (king), thus meaning the same as the Latin regulus. Regulus is the only first magnitude star in the constellation of Leo. The sun and the moon are again clearly seen on this amulet and on the reverse side is the same arrangement of numerals with the actual figure 666 given as the total.This statement from Murl Vance further explains the need for a person to carry the amulets with them:“…as to why anyone should use the number 666 lies in the very nature of pagan idolatry, which is … nothing but disguised demon worship. The principle behind all demon worship is fear, and the worship is nothing more than an effort to placate the evil one. Since in the fear religions, all misfortune, sickness, and death are the result of the operation of evil spirits, the worshiper, knowing by his conduct that he is not on God's side and therefore cannot expect, as long as he continues in open rebellion, to have his prayers for help addressed to God answered, turns to the only other supernatural power available to him, Lucifer himself.One characteristic stands out in any of these fear religions: the worshiper ever tries to stay in the good graces of his god by revering or wearing some symbol representing that god. Not only does he offer his most cherished possessions - perhaps his own children - he must ever, to avoid disaster, have on his person some object in which the spirit of his god dwells, he must carry his god around with him. This is the principle behind all charms, amulets, and magical objects ever found in pagan idolatry.” (Murl Vance, Trail of the Serpent. Pages 108-109).These amulets were usually made of gold being like the colour of the sun or baked clay tablets and were carried in yellow silk or hung around their neck, which they believed provided protection as long as they carried it with them.632334351711272883019141615232418202221171325291092612365334231This table as illustrated has the same arrangement of numbers as the above images in a 6 x 6 matrix and is also referred to in numerology as the magic square of the Sun. There are similar magic squares for Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Mercury and the Moon, all of which have been known for centuries.The creating of amulets with this number arrangement that belongs to astrology appears to have continued well past the time of Christ. Archaeologists have found amulets with Latin inscriptions, so we know that the Romans were indulging in this practice. Therefore, the number 666 came about from pagan worship practices of the Babylonians and their practice of astrology. The symbolism of sun worship is still used in many areas of the Catholic Church today, not always particularly obvious but often packaged discreetly as to not be noticed by the untrained eye. After the Church became the state religion of the Roman Empire, possessing a 666 solar seal, magic square could get you burned at the stake!In a very real sense, the numbers representing each god carried by the holder was believed to give them power that they would not ordinarily have. To the worshiper of the Babylonian gods, anyone having such an amulet on himself with the sum reaching to 666 was seen as having power over all the gods and would likely have been regarded with some awe and respect. This power would be seen as great because the person had the sum of 666 on them, which gave that person power over even the highest supreme god, the sun god. A person would want authority over even the highest god so that he could control his own destiny and protect himself from evil that any of the gods might do to him. This particular magic square is a baked clay tablet and is written in Arabic.Summary Numbers and the Number of the BeastNote that the numbers 36 and 666 are called summary numbers because they “summarize” the sum of the numbers of the gods. 36 is the summary number for the god numbers 1 through 8, while 666 is the summary number of the god numbers 1 through 36. They are more commonly called triangular numbers, which was an important concept to the ancient Babylonians.Each god had one or more numbers assigned to it as the sun god not only had the number 666 assigned to it as the sum of the numbers of the 36 gods, but it also had the number 1 assigned to it, which went towards creating the sum of the 36 god numbers. The moon god was assigned the number 2 as it was considered the wife of the sun god, so their most important son was assigned the number 3 and typified all new life, whether plant or animal. The summary number of all three of these gods was 6 because 1 + 2 + 3 = 6. As Murl Vance put it, “As the summary number of the father, the mother, and the son, 6 therefore 'embraced all the powers of the three gods.'” (Murl Vance, page 26) Logically, to swear by the number 6 was to swear by the power of all three of these gods. This of course was the pagan equivalent of the divine trinity. While speculative, it is possible that this may have something to do with the choice of having 36 gods because 6 * 6 = 36.The Fall of BabylonWhen the Medes and Persians conquered Babylon in 539 B.C., they came with their own religious practices and gods, so had no need of the priests of the Babylonian religious system. Although the Persians were sympathetic towards the Babylonian god Marduk and did accommodate the priests of this god for a while, it appears from history that they eventually fired the priests and used their own. The Babylonian priests left Babylon (probably because they were out of work) and most of them went to Pergamum and some to Egypt where they taught their religious practices to the Egyptians. The Egyptians readily picked up these Babylonian religious concepts and further extended and developed some of the ideas that we find in astrology today.The teaching of the Babylonian religious practices by the Babylonian priests and their direct descendants went on in the city of Pergamum for centuries afterwards. They taught astrology and making the amulets with the numbers 1 to 36 on them in the special arrangements they commonly used. This continued until about the year 133 B.C. when the last king of the Attalid Empire, (Eumenes’ son, Attalus III) who had his capital at Pergamum, died without an heir and bequeathed his kingdom to Rome. Rome accepted the kingdom and set up the province of Asia, which included Ionia and the territory of Pergamum by 129 B.C. When Alexander the Great came through the region, much of the knowledge of astronomy and astrology that the Babylonian priests possessed was also passed on to the Greeks.Sometime soon after this, the priests who were still teaching the Babylonian religious practices saw their opportunity and went to Rome. The Romans often adopted the religious practices of other cultures, which also helped the empire survive as long as it did. The Babylonian priests rightly calculated that the Romans would be very willing to learn and follow their teachings. Soon all of Rome filled with their religious teachings and practices. It eventually became so pervasive that people called Rome the “New Babylon.” Early Christians also used the term Babylon as a veiled code word for a particular city to avoid persecution from that pagan power. That city as you have no doubt concluded was also Rome. See also 1 Peter 5:13.When the Christian Church came along, the practices and beliefs of the Babylonian religion followed right into the Church. Historians have said that it seemed almost the entire city of Rome converted virtually overnight to Christianity, but what actually happened is that the Babylonian religion was simply brought into the Church and the three supreme gods of the Babylonian religion were simply renamed as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Lesser gods became saints of the Church. The pagan Babylonian religious practices came into the Church right along with it. This made it easy for the followers of the Babylonian religion to convert to Christianity, but it certainly was not a genuine conversion. God condemns pagan religious practices, but they brought these practices into the Church anyway.History also fully supports this. The pagan Babylonian priests had a chief priest who held the title Pontifex Maximus (translated to Latin meant that he was head pagan priest or literally the Greatest Pontiff). Most have heard the word “Pontiff” applied to the Pope and history explains where that term comes from. Originally, the king of the Attalid Empire held the title of Pontiff, and he passed it on to the Babylonian Priests before he died and they went to Rome. This title was given to Julius Caesar in 63 B.C. thereby making him the supreme priest of the Babylonian Religion and its gods. (This shows that the Babylonian priests arrived in Rome before the time of Julius Caesar or this event could not have happened.)This meant that the Babylonian religion literally moved into Rome and took it over, becoming head of the Roman government. This title passed from emperor to emperor, all of whom served as chief priest of the Babylonian Religion from then on until 367 A.D., where the Roman Emperor Gratian became the first since Julius Caesar to refuse the title Pontifex Maximus. Before Gratian refused the title Pontifex Maximus, the young Emperor bestowed it upon Pope Damasus I, who became the first Pope in history to hold the title. This made him head of the Babylonian religion when he took the title of Pontifex Maximus. Damasus I was the head of the Christian Church in Rome, and took the title as head of the pagan Babylonian Religion and its collection of pagan gods. Did the Babylonian Religion move into the Christian Church? History says most definitely YES. So why does God call the Papal Church Babylon? The answer should now be becoming clear.Some dispute that Church leaders brought Babylonian pagan religious practices into the Catholic Church but even Catholic historians admit it. Cardinal Newman in his Development of Christian Doctrine, pages 372, 373 says that the Church incorporated many pagan religious practices into the Church. He claims that the Church sanctified them and that made it safe to bring these practices into the Church. Every year Catholic Pilgrims kiss the feet of the Roman god Jupiter thinking they are kissing the image of Peter. God condemns idolatry, the making of images for worship, and even bowing down before images as part of an act of worship. Yet many images are in Catholic Churches and they teach people to bow down before them. They may be praying to someone else but the act of bowing down before the image, regardless of what or who one is actually worshipping at the time is plainly what God condemns in Exodus 20:4-6.God condemned the Catholic Church in Revelation by referring to it as Babylon. They brought many pagan religious practices into the Church despite God condemning these idolatrous practises. The Church in Rome seems to believe that it can bring things into the Church that are pagan in origin, make them holy and therefore make them acceptable to God. However, the Bible teaches that only God is holy and only he can make things holy. Here is what Vance said about this:“Though the early church leaders showed themselves strongly opposed to Gnosticism, many scholars point out that it was later embraced by the Church. Montfaucon [a Catholic scholar quoted by Vance] tells us that demon worship was carried on in the early church by those claiming to be bishops of Jesus Christ, and the Gnostics, as we have already seen, combined the worship of the serpent with the worship of Christ, they combined elements from the Babylonian, Persian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Hebrew, and Christian religion into the universal or catholic system which embraced all others. It is but natural that they should take over, also, the summary number which includes in its mystic embrace the whole circuit of the heavens and all its gods, the number 666, the secret and most sacred number, we believe, in all paganism.” (Vance, page 113)Here is just one example of pagan religious beliefs being incorporated into the very heart of the Papacy. Look at the picture of the artist’s painting of the Papal throne (from the Vatican Museum) and note the zodiac symbols above the throne. Why are these symbols present above the Pope's throne? During Medieval times, the zodiac symbols were carved into the Papal throne (Vance, page 22). One has to wonder why the zodiac, which are clearly pagan symbols, would be carved into the throne of the ruler of the Catholic Christian Church?There is no evidence that I know of that the Papal thrones have the zodiac on or around them in modern times, but there is clear evidence that they once did have such signs associated with them. The Papacy itself has verified this (Vance, page 89, quoting from the frontispiece of Di Fortuna, published under the auspices of Pope Clement VII). See more on Catholic Church paganism.The reason the Bible speaks so negatively about 666 is that it symbolizes the power of the person who has this number to have power over all the other gods, which in the case of the Papacy is their claim to be God and to have authority over God and his law, which are false claims. Because the Popes claim both to be God and to have authority over God, they believe that they can change the law of God to suit their own purposes. This is extremely serious to God and He knows it will also lead many to be lost for all eternity. So the above evidence links 666 with ancient sun worshipping pagan Babylon and the Papacy of the Catholic Church, which is dominated by pagan practices and solar images and referred to as Babylon in the book of Revelation. This is just a small part of the evidence that makes this relationship apparent.One should now understand the relevance of why God calls the Catholic Church Babylon, and while 666 the number of the beast is not directly satanic, it is indirectly very satanic as it comes out of Babylonian pagan worship. As a result, the Catholic Church has symbolically become Babylon and why we find that the head of this power has the number 666. It was also known a long time ago that various Papal titles such as “Vicarius Filii Dei” which means Vicar of Christ or substitute for Christ, being synonymous with Antichrist, i.e., assuming the power of God on earth, does count or add up to 666 in Roman numerals and Latin etc. All the parallels are amazing such as the numbers on the amulet count to 666 and in the same way the Bible says to count the number of the beast, which also comes to 666. See an excerpt of an article on the known titles of the Pope called “The number of a man - 1” or select for the full original image. See Page 17 for continued article.To find out why the number of the beast that originated with sun worship has now been given to the head of the Papal Church, I highly recommend reading how sun-day worship actually began around 2000 B.C. and was Satan worship that took place on Sunday. This is highly essential and eye opening reading.Mark of the Beast and PaganismThe Pantheon is an ancient temple in Rome that was later converted into the Church of Santa Maria ad Martyres. Dating from 125 AD, this is the most complete ancient building in Rome. The Pantheon was dedicated to pan theos, meaning “all the gods.” When it became a Church, it was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and all the martyrs. The Pantheon is the burial place of several important Italians and it remains an active Church.The statues of the “gods” from the Pantheon are now found in the Vatican Museum with the exception of the great statue of Jupiter, which has been modified, re-titled, and seated on a throne in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome as St. Peter. Thousands of pilgrims kiss the foot of Jupiter while thinking it is the statue of Peter and have nearly worn it away. Notice the sun wheel above his head? Note also that the pattern on the wall behind the statue utilizes the symbol of Baal.Following the conquest of Mesopotamia by the Persians, the Babylonian priesthood fled to Pergamum in Asia Minor. Here they erected the Acropolis temples of Pergamum in honour of the Greek Pantheon, but continued to worship the Babylonian mystery god under the name of Saturnus.Many of the Babylonian mysteries were preserved in the temple of Zeus at Pergamum and transferred to Rome in 133 B.C. when Attalus III died without an heir and bequeathed his kingdom to Rome.The penetration of the religion of Babylon became so general that Rome was called the “New Babylon.”The origin of the number 666. In 133 B.C. the Babylonian solar cult was bequeathed to Rome by Attalus III. There its symbols and forms were incorporated into the cult of Caesar and later into Roman Catholicism. Note that the numbers add up to 111 for each row, column and even the diagonals, with the grand total of 6 x 111 equaling 666 for each table.Winged serpent spirit, signifying the soul of the departed (Egypt). It is very interesting that in ancient mythology, the serpent was universally the symbol of the sun. Sun worship and serpent worship began side by side. The sun was proclaimed to be the source of all fleshly life and the serpent the origin of all spiritual life.Winged serpent guardians, King Tut’s throne, Cairo, Egypt. The religion of the serpent has passed down from one occult priesthood to another all the way down through the years as man was scattered throughout the earth from the time of the Tower of Babel. Remember that sun and serpent worship began together.Mayan serpent sun god coming out of the mouth of a dragon was used in connection with the Mayan sun god ‘Quetzalcoatl’ on the Island of Cozumel, 1000 A.D. What do they represent? Revelation 12:9 “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth…”Romans adopted the worship of the serpent as a symbol of power that carries the soul to heaven. In the Archaeological Museum in Rome, a sarcophagus of the dead has two serpents pulling a chariot taking these people to heaven. Rome also adopted this symbol of the serpent as the healer as have many countries.Roman bath, in Bath, England. Notice the serpent as a symbol of healing.Even the United States has adopted the serpent called Aesculapius in the medical field. In Greece, this serpent was the god of drugs and medicines, i.e., a counterfeit healer.Serpent door handle on the new St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco, California. The serpent as we have already seen became the symbol of healing in many countries. It is hard to imagine a symbol that represents Satan on the door of a Cathedral. One would think they would have to know what the Bible says it represents.Dragon on a large papal crest in the Vatican museum. Vatis = diviner, can = serpent. Vatican = The Divining Serpent. Knowing the meaning of the word Vatican no one will be surprised that the crest of the Vatican is “a serpent-dragon” The Bible says in Revelation 12:9 “the dragon, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world…”The Persian sun god Mithra was widely accepted in the Roman world prior to Christianity. Sunday was dedicated to Mithra (lord), receiving the title of the “Lord’s Day” Mithraism had seven sacraments the same as the Catholic Church. The Eucharist hosts were signed with a cross, an ancient phallic symbol which originated in Egypt, and the Egyptian cross (the ankh) still shows the original form which included the female symbol.The Pope enthroned under a canopy with astrological figures of the Zodiac in the Vatican Museum. The sign of Leo is directly above the Pope’s head. During the Dark Ages, the greatest astrologer of all times, Nostradamus had to be cautious of the Inquisition which he narrowly escaped several times. Yet that Church had knowledge of the stars and used astrology.Golden child in the Vatican treasury, like so many other images of the child in Catholic Churches, is reminiscent of the ancient worship of Tammuz as a child. Born on Dec. 25, he represented the rebirth of the sun. As a pagan god child, he was called “Baal-berith.” Pagan Anglo Saxons called Dec. 25 “Yule” Day, which is a Babylonian word for infant. Egyptians and Persians celebrated the birthday of their god on Dec. 25th. Other names applied to the sun god as a child are Mithras, Horus, Isvara, Deoius, Jupiter, Plutus, Ninus, Osiris, Dionysus, Bacchus, Iacchus, Adonis, Attis etc. All these myths of child worship originated from ancient Babylon with Semiramis and Nimrod.Mother or Mary worship is the most powerful and emotional phenomenon in the Roman Catholic Church today. This mystic cult is given credence by the multitude of accounts about supernatural phenomena involving statues, apparitions and healings.Since Mary worship is found nowhere in the writings of the first Christians, it is evident that its origin is found in the universal adoration of the mother goddess all throughout paganism before the time of Christ. It was adopted into the rising Roman Church early in its history - some suggest after the 4th century A.D.Serpent crosiers were commonly carried by bishops and high Catholic Church officials in the Middle Ages. They claim that the crosier represents the shepherd’s crook, but it can be traced to the divining staff or augur of Pontifex Maximus of ancient Rome who inherited it from the priests of Babylon. It is unrealistic to assume that shepherds of nomadic existence would use wooden rods with handles like the one shown or anything like it. Common sense would have them use something straight and not entangle themselves with when having to fight off wild animals. Thinking about plays representing the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, it is absolutely disgusting to see shepherds hold staffs other than straight wooden rods.The pagan symbol representing male and female union. The wavy lines portray the female and were associated with the serpent, while the straight line is male and is representing the phallus. We find the same principles of male-female in the paganism of astrology, which is very much a religion of nature worship of which the sun and the moon are the predominant deities. The sun is usually the male and the moon the female (as Horus and Isis of Egypt, which originated from Semiramis and Nimrod her husband/son. See the origin of sun worship and Babylon.)Adad, Enlil, Baal, Neptune, Poseidon and other “gods” of storm and sea were depicted as carrying tridents. It was symbolic of lightning.Here Poseidon or Neptune, said to be ruler of the sea or underworld, holds the trident, which is traceable to the horned, hoofed sun god of Babylon who carried the trident or pitchfork. The trident is also a representation of the male-female symbol.A cross on the altar of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London with four tridents in the Hindu fertility style.Some dispute that Roman Catholic Church leaders incorporated pagan Babylonian religious practices into the Catholic Church but even Catholic historians admit it. Cardinal Newman in his Development of Christian Doctrine, pages 372, 373 says that the Church incorporated many pagan religious practices into the Church. He claims that the Church sanctified them and that made it safe to bring these practices into the Church.A trident projecting from the head of baby Jesus on a Roman Catholic Madonna and child image. This in fact originally represented Semiramis and Nimrod her husband/son. See the origin of sun worship and Babylon. Also notice the hand how it is displayed with two fingers and thumb prominent, another way of symbolizing the trident, a Satanic hand sign, symbolic of occult powers, also used by high Church officials and priests in various blessings invoking the sign of the cross by motioning their right hand with two fingers and thumb casually extended. It is also found in freemasonry of which origins can be found in the Catholic Church.The old statue of Jupiter with its occult blessing hand is now St. Peter in the Vatican. As stated earlier, the statues of the gods from the Roman Pantheon can now be found in the Vatican Museum with the exception of the great statue of Jupiter, which has been modified, re-titled, and seated on a throne in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome as St. Peter. Thousands of pilgrims kiss the foot of Jupiter while thinking it is the statue of Peter and it has been nearly worn away from the many pilgrims who kiss paying homage. Notice the sun wheel above his head? You can also note also that the pattern on the wall behind the statue utilizes the symbol of Baal.Pagan priests as half fish sprinkling holy water on Assyrian temple laver in the Pergamum Museum of Berlin. One of the names of this god in Babylon and Phylistia was Dagon (dag=fish, on=sun). The most common ways of depicting Dagon are described by the archaeologist Layard, “The Head of the fish formed the mitre above that of a man, while its scaly, fish-like tail fell as a cloak behind, leaving the human limbs and feet exposed.” Layard’s Babylon & Nineveh, p.343Dagon the sun-fish god, again clearly displayed with fish attire and mitre. Note also the carvings and diagrams of Dagon priests and their fish head hats alongside the Pope with his similar fish head hat holding the crooked cross of Mithra. The carving on the left shows the Dagon priests sprinkling holy water and is taken from the above image.This pine cone staff in the Egyptian Museum Turino, Italy is a symbol of the solar god Osiris and originated in Egypt where he was their messiah who died for his people and whose Mother, Isis, was worshipped as the Virgin Mother. Osiris was the Egyptian counterfeit of Jesus Christ. The pine cone on the tree of life, slowly ripens the conifer’s female seeds, and in the later stages the cone opens up to release its mature seeds. This process symbolizes the seeding effect on other people and culture together with the expansion of consciousness.Assyrian winged god with pine cone, representing power of regeneration, traceable to Tammuz of Babylon. Most paganism in history is traceable back to Tammuz of Babylon. His mother Semiramis, was the first Virgin Mother predating the birth of Jesus Christ by over a 1000 years. The Catholic practice of making the Sign of the Cross originated in Babylon as people paid homage to their messiah, Tammuz, who “died for the good of his people.” There love was demonstrated for Tammuz by making the sign of the “T.” Satan has transferred this sign for Tammuz into the Catholic Church, as they think they are making the sign of the Christian cross. Tammuz was the Babylonian counterfeit of Jesus Christ.Here the Greek god Dionysus carries the pine cone staff as a fertility symbol. Pine cones and pine cone staffs are very common on pagan statues and art symbols of fertility and regeneration. Children are always looked upon as extending the life of the human species. Therefore, it is predictable that the Pine Cone should be linked to the new life of the conception of children.The largest pine cone in the world in the Court of the Pine Cone at the Vatican, Rome. Pagans have always coveted eternal life and have sought it by worshipping and revering many objects they find in Nature.The Roman Catholic Church utilizes the pine cone just as any good Pagan religion would do. This is further evidence that Roman Catholicism is more Pagan than Christian. In fact we could say that Roman Catholicism is counterfeit Christianity with Paganism as its beating heart. Pine cones are common in Roman Catholic architecture and sacred decorations. Note how the cone at the Vatican is immature and therefore unopened, just the way they want it!The Pope carries a pine cone mounted on his staff, the ultimate pagan symbol.Since the ultimate goal of religion is the securing of eternal life, one should not be surprised that the Pope should be carrying the ultimate Pagan symbol of eternal life.One of the most visible evidences that sun worship has continued under the name of Christianity. Look at the Pope with the symbol of “Baal” (sun worship) at the forefront of his mitre, which symbolizes the Dagon god. The symbol of the Dagon is in the form of a hat or mitre. Notice the open mouth of the fish at the top of the Pope’s mitre. The most famous temples of Dagon were at Gaza (Judges 16:21-30) and Ashdod (1 Samuel 5:3-7; 1Chronicles 10:10). Dagon was represented with the face and hands of a man and the lower half the body as the tail of a fish (1 Samuel 5:3-4).Waldensian Christians worshiping in a cave while being attacked by Catholic soldiers. “The Papists took care after every mission of persecution to destroy as much of the Waldensian literature as possible.” Bompian, A Short History of the Italian Waldenses, p.56 “The inquisitors declare that the sign of a Vaudois (Waldenser) deemed worthy of death was that he followed Christ and sought to obey the Commandments of God.” H.C. Lea, History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, Vol.1Statue in the sanctuary of the Jesuit Church of Rome depicting the Church’s authority over kings and her destruction of what she considered Protestant heresy. On August 15, 1534, Ignatius Loyola established a new order of priests and brothers The Society of Jesus, better known today as the Jesuits. They were so evil they were banned in many countries.View of the plaza at the Vatican, also known as St. Peter’s square. The Papal palace is on the right edge. The large eight rayed sun wheel design symbolic of Ishtar is immediately noticeable. Look closely in the center of the wheel. What you see there is an obelisk, a genuine Egyptian obelisk shipped from Heliopolis to Rome by the Roman emperor Caligula. The obelisk is of course a phallic symbol but it also was used in sun worship. It is claimed that the word obelisk literally means Baal’s shaft or Baal’s organ of reproduction. Source: Masonic and Occult Symbols Illustrated, by Dr. Cathy Burns, pg. 341.Note around the obelisk at the center of the huge eight point sun wheel is a smaller four pointed sun wheel, the same symbol found on the altar stone in the temple of Baal in Hatzor. Leviticus 26:30 CJB “I will destroy your high places, cut down your pillars for sun-worship, and throw your carcasses on the carcasses of your idols; and I will detest you.” Ezekiel 6:4 AMP “Your altars shall be made desolate and your sun-pillars shall be broken in pieces, and I will cast down your slain before your idols.”The Egyptian obelisk that stands in the square of St. John Lateran (shown at left) is the largest in existence. Originally carved during the reign of Pharaoh Thutmoses III, it stood in the Temple of Amon in Thebes (Karnak), but was removed to Rome by emperor Constantius (A.D. 317-361) and placed in the Circus Maximus. In 1587 Pope Sixtus V unearthed the fallen, broken and long forgotten obelisk and had it repaired and placed in the Piazza S. Giovanni in Laterano. It is possible that Moses saw this very obelisk when he was in Egypt. Now this obelisk meant to honour the sun god stands beside what Catholics call the supreme “Mother of all Churches”, the official cathedra of the bishop of Rome, the Pope, which brings to mind the apostate Mother Church, Mystery Babylon the mother of harlots.A tablet from the early 9th century B.C. which depicts the Babylonian sun god Shamash seated on the right, holding emblems of his authority, a staff and ring, and the king with two attendants on the left. In the centre on an altar is a large four point sun image with additional small wavy rays between the points.Now look closely at the tapestry below John Paul II who is making his first public appearance as Pope in 1978.On the tapestry hung from the balcony, there is the symbol of Baal / Shamash very evident. Compare with the above image. In Hebrew, the word for sun is: 8121. shemesh, sheh’-mesh; from an unused root mean. to be brilliant; the sun; by impl. the east; fig. a ray, i.e. (arch.) a notched battlement:-- + east side (-ward), sun ([rising]), + west (-ward), window.Look closely at the chest and around the neck of this Neo-Assyrian standing stone (stele/stela) dating from about 824-811 B.C., which depicts King Shamshi-Adad V.Note in particular the necklace the King is wearing. On it is what is called a Cross Pattée or Cross Formée. It was about twenty eight hundred years ago that this shape was symbolic of pagan sun worship.Now look closely at the Pope who wears a similar symbol around his neck on the Pallium, which the Pope also confers on selected bishops as an ornamental token of his favour, and it is also worn by archbishops and patriarchs as a symbol of their authority as a metropolitan, derived from unity with the Pope.Note also, that beneath John Paul’s Pallium there is a partially obscured diagonal cross, which mimics the diagonal bands below the Cross Pattée worn by the pagan king. The Pope also has a ring and staff of authority, remarkably similar to the depiction of the sun god Shamash.Looking up into the dome of St. Peter’s you will notice the very obvious 16 ray sun wheel. Indeed the light from the sun streams into the centre hub of the dome making a genuine sun-lit sunburst image at the centre of the wheel. The Bible says these symbols were associated with sun worship, which is strongly condemned in scripture. So why are they so prevalent in the Roman Catholic Church if they are associated with paganism and apostasy and what became of sun worship?From sun and serpent worship 2000 B.C., to Sunday worship in the Church. Satan has infiltrated the Christian Church and most do not understand what has happened or the relevance. Sunday or “dies solis”, the day of the sun came from Satan worship and is his day. The Babylonian mystery religion went straight into the Church of Rome and God calls her Mystery Babylon. She claims her mark to be her change of the fourth Commandment to the day of the sun. See also the history of Sun-Day worship and the origins of 666.Catholic Scandals – Lilith & ChironJune 29, 2010By JamieCatholic Sex Abuse Scandal - Vatican HoroscopeThe Chiron conjunct Lilith on 3 July 2010 has a religious feel as it it conjunct Neptune. In Christian astrology, Lilith is Mary Magdalene and Chiron is Jesus Christ.They were astrologers and partners,?their work within the Essene community led to the religion of Christianity, represented today most by the powerful Catholic Church. The message of Mary and Jesus is not well represented by this Church however.Mary Magdalene, the most beloved of Jesus Christ has been defiled by the Church of Rome. Her works in The Gospel of Mary were destroyed but for one copy, and are not mentioned in any Bible. The Roman Catholic Church called her a “adulteress and repentant prostitute” from the 6th century, and it was only quietly recanted in 1969. [wiki - Mary Magdalene]Now Lilith and Chiron are together in the sky (see chart on the right), and the Church in Rome is falling apart. The transits tell us why. Transiting Pluto is conjunct Vatican Lilith by 60′ and heading back to hit it exactly on 22 August , then direct on 07 October 2010. Transiting Neptune is opposing the Vatican Neptune, a crisis in spirituality.?This transit will be exact a few times next year. It will then also square the Jupiter Midheaven of the Vatican.In the Vatican?horoscope, the Lilith Chiron Conjunction is square the Vatican Jupiter by 22′ and square the Vatican Midheaven by 30′. The Midheaven in mundane astrology is the head of state, in the case the Pope. It is also?prestige,?how the world views and respects the Vatican. The Midheaven is also the government:?“The politics of Vatican City takes place in an absolute elective monarchy, in which the head of the Roman Catholic Church takes power.” [wiki - Vatican City]. The square aspect brings tests and challenges from the occult priestess and priest.The Vatican Jupiter and Midheaven are conjunct a major star in the Pleiades of constellation Taurus called Alcyone “Not a good omen with regard to relationships to the opposite sex.” That means homosexuality. “The Pleiades causes bereavement, mourning, sorrows and tragedies.” Very sorrow now, but for who??“Pope deplores abuse raid on Belgium church HQ” CNN.The Pleiades with Jupiter “Deceit, hypocrisy, legal and ecclesiastical troubles, loss through relatives, banishment or imprisonment”, and with the Midheaven “Disgrace, ruin, violent death.”In the chart for Lilith conjunct Chiron, the Moon is opposite Saturn. The Moon and Saturn both represent the past, Saturn in particular is lord of karma. This Moon Saturn opposition is?square the Vatican Saturn, on the fixed star Sinistra “It gives an immoral, mean and slovenly nature. Associated with depravity.” 666: The Number of the Beast(see Rev 13:18)For more serious academic stuff, see the sections on Mathematical Curiosities or Biblical History below, but first take a good look at: A Fun Collection of Beastly Numbers WARNING: This page should not be viewed by anyone suffering from hexakósioi-hexékonta-hexa-phobia (fear of you-know-what!)? 666Biblical Number of the Beast660Approximate Number of the BeastDCLXVIRoman Numeral of the Beast665Number of the Beast's Older Brother667Number of the Beast's Younger Sister664 or 668Number of the Beast's Next-Door Neighbors999Number of the Australian Beast333Number of the Semi-Beast (also "Halfway to Hell") 66Number of the Downsized Beast6, uh..., I forgetNumber of the Blond Beast666.0000Number of the High Precision Beast665.9997856Number of the Beast on a Pentium0.666Number of the MillibeastX / 666Beast Common Denominator0.00150150...Reciprocal of the Beast-666Opposite of the Beast666iImaginary Number of the Beast6.66 x 102Scientific Notation of the Beast25.8069758...Square Root of the Beast443556Square of the Beast1010011010Binary Number of the Beast1232Octal of the Beast29AHexidecimal of the Beast2.8235Log of the Beast6.5913Ln of the Beast1.738 x 10289Anti-Log of the Beast00666Zip Code of the Beast666@E-mail Address of the BeastWebsite of the Beast1-666-666-6666Phone & FAX Number of the Beast1-866-666-6666Toll Free Number of the Beast(which could also be written 18-666-666-666!)1-900-666-6666Live Beasts, available now!? One-on-one pacts!Only $6.66 per minute!? (Must be over 6+6+6 years old!)666-66-6666Social Security Number of the BeastForm 10666Special IRS Tax Forms for the Beast66.6%Tax Rate of the Beast6.66%6-Year CD Interest Rate at First Beast Bank of Hell($666 minimum deposit, $666 early withdrawal fee)$666/hrBilling Rate of the Beast's Lawyer$665.95Retail Price of the Beast$710.36Price of the Beast plus 6.66% Sales Tax$769.95Price of the Beast with accessories and replacement soul$656.66Wal-Mart Price of the Beast (next week $646.66!)$55.50Monthly Payments for Beast, in 12 easy installmentsPhillips 666Gasoline Used by the Beast (regular $6.66/gal)Route 666Highway of the Beast (where he gets his kicks!)666 mphSpeed Limit on the Beast's Highway6-6-6Fertilizer of the Beast666 lb capWeight Limit of the Beast666 MinutesWeekly News Show about the Beast (airs daily fromMidnight to 11:06 a.m., on Cable Channel 666, of course)666o FOven Temperature for Cooking "Roast Beast"666kRetirement Plan of the Beast666 mgRecommended Minimum Daily Requirement of BeastLotus 6-6-6Spreadsheet of the BeastWord 6.66Word Processor of the BeastWindows 666Bill Gates' Personal Beast Operating System#666666Font Color of the Beast (the gray in this table, no kidding!)i66686CPU of the Beast666-IBMW of the BeastIAM 666License Plate Number of the BeastFormula 666All Purpose Cleaner of the BeastWD-666Spray Lubricant of the BeastDSM-666 (rev)Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the Beast66.6 MHzFM Radio Station of the Beast666 KHzAM Radio Station of the Beast66 for 6A Beastly Score for an Innings (in cricket)6 for 66Bowling Figures of the Beast6/6/6Birthday of the Beast (but in which century?)This collection was compiled and expanded from various sources,including anonymous e-mails forwarded by various people, and similar collections online at P.S. How many rows are in the above table? Is that a coincidence? More Beastly Numbers(six more, partly inspired by all the hoopla over June 6, 2006!) 6.66o FA Cold Day in HellBoeing?666The Beast's Personal Airplane Model Airforce?666The Name of the Beast's Airplane (after he becomes President!)C6H6O6The Beast's Favorite Chemical (1,2,3-cyclopropanetricarboxylic acid)666Atomic Mass of Governmentium (it contains no protons or electrons, but has 1 neutron, 15 assistant neutrons, 35 deputy neutrons, 80 vice neutrons, 145 supervisory neutrons, 165 team leader neutrons and 225 consulting neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 666)6.66%30-Year Mortgage Rate on 06/06/06 (not a joke, but a curious coincidence!)Some Coincidences and Trivia involving 666ZIP Codes: There are no Zip Codes 00666, 06660, 66600, or 66666 in the USA, but 60606 is in Chicago, IL, and several with 666XX are in Topeka, KS! Is anyone out there superstitious? Area Codes: There is no 666 area code for telephone numbers in the USA, but for international calling, the country code for Thailand is 66, and Saudi Arabia is 966. Hmmm! OT Statistic: The number of Adonikam's descendants who return to Judah after the Babylonian exile is 666 (see Ezra 2:13). NT Statistic: There are 678 verses in the full Gospel of Mark; but the last 12 verses (Mark 16:9-20) were added later as an appendix; so Mark's Gospel originally contained exactly 666 verses! Mathematical Curiosities about 666(for those with a mathematical mindset and/or a penchant for gambling!)666 = 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + ... + 36??[the sum of all the numbers on a roulette wheel!] 666 = 22 + 32 + 52 + 72 + 112 + 132 + 172??[the sum of the squares of the first 7 prime numbers!] 666 = 6 + 6 + 6 + 63 + 63 + 63??[the sum of its digits and the cubes of its digits] 666 = 16 - 26 + 36??[a simple sum and difference of the first three sixth powers] 666 = 2*3*3*37 [its factors], while 6+6+6 = 2+3+3+3+7 [the sum of the digits of its factors] 666 = the sum of the first 144 digits of PI, beginning after the decimal point??[PI = 3.14159265358979323846264338327950288419716 9399375105820974944592307816406286208998628034825342117067982148086513282306647093844609550582231725359...] There are 6 sixes in 6666 (87,266,061,345,623,616) The Roman numeral for 666 (DCLXVI) has exactly one occurrence of the six symbols whose value is less than 1000 (D=500, C=100, L=50, X=10, V=5, I=1). For more mathematical fun with 666, see The Number of the Beast, compiled by Mike Keith. or Beast Number, compiled by Eric W. Weisstein. Other Fun and Humorous 666 Sites (a.k.a. Are YOU the Beast?)Find the Antichrist(s): A Quiz - from the PBS Frontline: Apocalypse! website The Antichrist: Have You Seen This Man? - a long list of names of famous people thought to be the Antichrist Evidence that Ronald Wilson Reagan was the Beast of Revelation - proof or coincidence??? William J. Clinton has the number of the Beast - an argument (seriously?) from the BeComing One Church (see also their "Beast Links") Mark of the Beast Studies - partly funny, partly serious, partly debunking, partly scary! Project 666 - lots of wild, pseudo-political stuff, in English and Spanish! A cartoon related to 666 fromThe Far Side? by Gary Larson:The scene shows a devil scowling at a painter andthe number 999 painted over a doorway in Hell.The painter looks at a piece of paper and says,"Well, I'll be... I must've been holdingthe dang work order like this!"?Unfortunately, Mr. Larson does not permitany of his cartoons to be displayed online;but you can find this one inThe Chickens Are Restless (p. 37)or The Far Side Gallery 5 (p. 39).Addendum: Internet Users Beware!In the ancient Hebrew practice of gematria (assigning numerical values to letters), the letter "waw" is equivalent to the number "six." So??WWW??is also equivalent to? 666? !!!( HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" or is it really? ) Thanks to John Stewart Muller, one of my former students, for first pointing this out to me. The More Serious, Biblical, Academic Stuff Who or What Is the Beast? The answer to this nearly 2000-year-old question depends on how you choose to interpret the Book of Revelation (a.k.a. the Apocalypse), the last book of the New Testament. Near the middle of this highly symbolic book are descriptions of several strange creatures: First, "a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads"; it is described further after being defeated by Michael and his angels in a battle in heaven: "The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world--he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him" (Rev 12:3-18); Second, "a beast rising out of the sea having ten horns and seven heads; and on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads were blasphemous names... [it] was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And the dragon gave it his power and his throne and great authority..." (Rev 13:1-10); Third, "another beast that rose out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and it makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast..." (Rev 13:11-18). At the end of the paragraph about this third beast, the author challenges the reader with an intriguing puzzle: "This calls for wisdom: let anyone with understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person. Its number is six hundred sixty-six." (13:18). In order to understand this text, one must know that ancient Hebrew (like Greek and other ancient languages) did not have a separate set of characters to indicate numbers, but simply used the letters of its alphabet to represent numbers. This fact provides the basis for the ancient practice of "gematria," in which numerical equivalents of words and names are calculated (still a popular game today!). The basic idea is that every word has a number associated with it, obtained by adding up the numerical equivalent of each letter in the word. This is mostly commonly done with names; thus every person has a number, the numerical value of his or her name. There are several different ways of assigning numbers to the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, but the system most commonly used is this:alef = 1; bet = 2; gimel = 3; dalet = 4; hey = 5; waw = 6; zayin = 7; chet = 8; tet = 9; yod = 10; kaf = 20; lamed = 30; mem = 40; nun = 50; samek = 60; ayin = 70; pey = 80; tsadeh = 90; qof = 100; resh = 200; shin = 300; taw = 400. For example, the name "David" has a value of 14 in Hebrew (since it is written dalet-waw-dalet, which is 4+6+4); see Matthew 1:17. The same game can be played in any language by assigning numerical values to each letter of the alphabet: In English, for example, we could have a = 1, b = 2, c = 3, d = 4, e = 5, f = 6, g = 7, h = 8, i = 9, j = 10, k = 20, l = 30, m = 40, n = 50, o = 60, p = 70, q = 80, r = 90, s = 100, t = 200, u = 300, v = 400, w = 500, x = 600, y = 700, z = 800. Now calculate the number of YOUR name! Find the value of each letter of your name, and add them all together. You can get a number corresponding to your first name, another number for your last name, and another number for both together. You will get different results if you use longer or shorter versions of your name, or nicknames, or include middle names, or titles or suffices. The results you want to get may also determine which numerical system you choose; for example, you can get HITLER = 666 if you choose a system in which a=100, b=101, c=102, etc. For a more extensive introduction to Hebrew gematria, see The Art of Gematria: Hebrew Numerology. So, Who Is the Person Whose Number Is 666? Throughout history, attempts have been made to identify 666 with many famous people (usually one's enemies)! Since the Reformation (and still today!), some Protestants have tried to connect 666 with the Pope, either with the "Roman Pontiff" in general or with a specific Pope in particular. (For example, see the article by Michael Scheifler, from a Seventh Day Adventist perspective; but see also a response to this article by Mario Derksen on the "Catholic Insight" webpages.) On the other hand, some Catholics used to see a link between the apocalyptic beast and Martin Luther. Some Democrats have tried to associate the beast with Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush, while some Republicans might argue it was John F. Kennedy or Bill Clinton (see the websites listed in the "Fun and Humorous" section above). Most biblical historians agree, however, that the Book of Revelation is simply referring to the Roman Emperor NERO, the most "beastly" ruler of the first Christian Century: The Hebrew equivalent of "Emperor Nero" could be written NRWN QSR (nun-resh-waw-nun qof-samek-resh in Hebrew spelling); thus, the first word is 50+200+6+50, the second word is 100+60+200, and the total is no surprise! For more extensive discussion of the first-century Roman Empire and the historical references behind the dragon, the sea beast, and the land beast in Rev 12-13, see any good biblical commentary on the Book of Revelation. Is the Number Really 666, or Was It Originally 616? While most ancient Greek manuscripts of the New Testament have the number "six hundred sixty-six" in Rev 13:18, some ancient manuscripts contain the alternate reading "six hundred sixteen" (616), which might well be the older or original reading of this text. A branch of biblical scholarship called "textual" criticism deals with such issues, trying to determine which variant was more likely the original reading. If the text originally said 666, how and why was it changed to 616 in later manuscripts? Or vice-versa, if the original text was 616, how and why was it later changed to 666? The proposal that 616 is the older and better reading of Rev 13:18 was recently bolstered by some newly published Oxyrhynchus Papyri. The Oxyrhynchus Papyri website also has a discussion of Numerology, but opposes the application to Nero. Thanks to my friend and colleague Robert M. Royalty, Jr., Ph.D., for telling me about this new discovery and website! The change from "616" to "666" can easily be explained, especially if the historical reference was originally to Emperor Nero. The final letter "nun" is optional in the Hebrew spelling of Nero. Thus, NRW QSR would be 50+200+6+100+60+200 = 616. If this was the original reading, it is easy to see how the text of Rev 13:8 would have been changed to "666," due to its more highly symbolic value (since "6" represents lack or incompleteness, in contrast to the number "7" representing completion, the triple 666 represents evil more clearly than 616.) What about June 6, 2006? Relax! Although this date could be abbreviated 6/6/6, it has absolutely nothing to do with the "Beast" of the Book of Revelation! Consider these few points: First, this date should more properly be written 6/6/06 or 06/06/06 or even 06/06/2006, since 6/6/6 is ambiguous as to the decade or century. Second, this date depends on the Gregorian calendar commonly used today, but is different on the calendars in use at the time the Book of Revelation was written (Julian, Roman, Hebrew), and also different on other calendars in use today (Islamic, Chinese, etc.) Third, Revelation 13:18 clearly says that 666 is "the number of a person," not an indication of any date. Fourth, combinations of three sixes can be found almost anywhere we want, if we look hard enough. Fifth, we can lots of have fun with all this, but there's no need to be worried or superstitious about it! Sixth, I had to put a sixth bullet in this list, but I don't really have much else to say about June 6!???;-) Despite this last bullet, several people asked me to "predict" what would happen on June 6, 2006. Here's what I replied:As a biblical scholar and Catholic priest, I think trying to predict the future is a misuse of the Bible. Biblical prophecy is not about crystal-ball gazing into the future. Rather, prophets of the Bible are those who speak on behalf of God, conveying God's messages to people, interpreting the past, present, and future through God's eyes, so to speak. Biblical prophets call people to repent and to remain faithful to God, not to worry about when the world will end or who is the "beast" of the Book of Revelation.But just for fun, since people really pressed me to "predict" something, here is what I said would happen on June 6, 2006:? Most adults will go to work, but a few will call in sick, as on any other weekday; many children will go to the beach or a park, enjoying their first days of summer vacation, while an unfortunate few still struggle through their last days of school; websites like mine with information on 666 and related apocalyptic themes will have a spike in the number of visitors; millions of automobile odometers will briefly show a 666 sequence at some time during the day, but very few drivers will notice;? only a few math aficionados will practice their factoring skills (666=2x3x3x37), while millions of shoppers will look for a 666 in a product bar code or on their sales receipts; lamentably few people will vote in California's primary election,?and similarly few will go to see the remake of the "Omen" movie on its unusual mid-week opening night; more gamblers than usual will sit at a roulette table that evening, but few of them will know that the sum of the numbers on the spinning wheel equals 666; more people will get married than on most other Tuesdays, but very few pregnant women will seriously worry whether their newborn child could be the anti-Christ.? Then, on June 7, most of us will wake up again and wonder what all the fuss was about! Reflections after June 6, 2006: I was somewhat amazed by all the media interest and popular hoopla surrounding June 6. The first person to contact me was Seth Borenstein, a reporter from the Associated Press, who prominently featured this webpage and some of my comments from a telephone interview in an article published June 4, 2006 (entitled "Humor, curiosity surround June 6, 2006"; alt title "A calendar date to end all others nears"). A search on Google News showed that this AP article was reprinted by over 250 news outlets in the U.S. and around the world (including Australia, Canada, China, Dominican Republic, Great Britain, Kazakhstan, Romania, Russia, South Africa, and Turkey). As a result, in the following two days I was contacted by and/or gave live interviews on three television networks, six other newspapers, and fifteen radio stations (not just from the USA, but also Canada, Great Britain, and Argentina). Some of the radio interviews were on syndicated programs that ran in hundreds of cities in the U.S. Each interview was somewhat different from all the others: some reporters asked about the biblical/historical background of the number 666, others about the differences between 666 and 616; some radio hosts were interested in Emperor Nero and Ancient Rome, others in bar codes and implanted chips! Some of the interviews lasted about 30 seconds, others about 30 minutes, most were rather fun to do, especially those that combined the report with the party going on that day in the little town of Hell, Michigan! In the past few years, my website has gotten between 1000 and 2000 visitors daily. However, as I had "predicted" above, it received well over 10,000 visitors on June 4, over 18,000 on June 5, and spiked at over 36,000 on June 6! Why are so many people interested in 666? Are that many people really scared about the future? It seems that some people need to have more faith in God to find peace in their lives! I'm just glad there are only 60 minutes in every hour; otherwise, some people might freak out twice a day, at 6:66 a.m. and 6:66 p.m.! So, when all is said and done, the number 666 will continue to intrigue numerologists and fascinate gamblers, be profitable for Hollywood but avoided by most other businesses, provide fodder for the apocalyptic warnings of fundamentalist preachers and challenges for the teachings of mainline Christian pastors. But after June 6, 2006, has come and gone, biblical scholars will go back to studying 616, while the wedding industry looks forward to July 7, 2007! The Number Six Hundred Sixty SixThe number six hundred sixty six is "the number of a name" (Revelation 13:17,18). When the name of Antichrist is known its gematria will doubtless be found to be the number 666. But this number has, we believe, a far deeper reference to and connection with the secret mysteries of the ancient religions, which will be again manifested in connection with the last great apostasy. Many names may be found, the numerical value of whose letters amounts to 666. We have a list of about forty such gematria. Most of them are ridiculous, inasmuch as instead of the gematria being confined to Hebrew and Greek (which have no Arabic or other special signs for figures), the principle is extended to names in English, French, and other modern languages, on the assumption that they would have been spelt in exactly the same way; whereas we know that names both of persons and places are not simply transliterated in various languages. It is abusrd therefore to attempt to take words from the modern European languages which use Arabic figures. Gematria is not a means by which the name is to be discovered; but it will be a test and a proof by which the name may be identified after the person is revealed.If six is the number of secular or human perfection, then 66 is a more emphatic expression of the same fact, and 666 is the concentrated expression of it; 666 is therefore the trinity of human perfection; the perfection of imperfection; the culmination of human pride in independence of God and opposition to His Christ. The number, however, has to be computed (yhfizw (pseephizo), to reckon, to calculate, not merely to count or enumerate). See Revelation 13:18. Therefore it is not to be known by gematria merely, though, as we have said, that will be one of the factors in the calculation, just as the letters in the word Jesus amount to 888. But 666 was the secret symbol of the ancient pagan mysteries connected with the worship of the Devil. It is to day the secret connecting link between those ancient mysteries and their modern revival in Spiritualism, Theosophy, etc. The efforts of the great enemy are now directed towards uniting all into one great whole. The newspapers, worldly and religious, are full of schemes as to such a union. "Reunion" is in the air. The societies for the re-union of Christendom, and the Conferences for the re-union of the Churches, are alike parts of the same great movement, and are all making for and are signs of the coming Apostasy. During this age, "Separation" is God's word for His people, and is the mark of Christ; while "union" and "re-union" is the mark of Antichrist. The number 6 was stamped on the old mysteries. The great secret symbol consisted of the three letters SSS, because the letter S in the Greek alphabet was the symbol of the figure 6. a = 1, b = 2, g = 3, d = 4, e = 5, but when it came to 6, another letter was introduced! Not the next—the sixth letter (z, zeta)—but a different letter, a peculiar form of S, called "stigma" (V). Now the word stigma (stigma), means a mark, but especially a mark made by a brand as burnt upon slaves, cattle, or soldiers, by their owners or masters; or on devotees who thus branded themselves as belonging to their gods. It is from stizw, stizo, to prick, or brand with a hot iron. Hence it came to be used of scars or wound-prints, and it is thus used by Paul of his scars, which he regarded as the tokens of his sufferings, the marks which he bore on his body for the sake of his Lord and Master, and marking him as belonging to the one who had bought him (Galatians 6:17). This letter is becoming familiar to us now; and it is not pleasant when we see many thus marked (ignorantly, no doubt) with the symbolical "S," "S," especially when it is connected, not with "salvation," but with judgment, and is asociated with "blood and fire," which, in Joel 2:30, 31, is given as one of the awful signs "before the great and terrible day of the Lord come." Apostasy is before us. The religion of Christ has, in the past, been opposed and corrupted, but when it once comes, as it has come in our day, to be burlesqued, there is nothing left but judgment. There is nothing more the enemy can do before he proceeds to build up the great apostasy on the ruins of true religion, and thus prepare the way for the coming of the Judge. It is remarkable that the Romans did not use all the letters of their alphabet, as did the Hebrews and Greeks. They used only six letters,* D, C, L, X, V, and I. And it is still more remarkable, and perhaps significant, that the sum of these amounts to 666:— * The M appears to have been merely two D's.1. D = 500 600 6662. C = 1003. L = 50 604. X = 105. V = 5 66. I = 1In each of the three pairs there is an addition of one, for 6 = 5 + 1. It is the grace of God superseded by the corruption of man. It will be seen from this that the number 666 is very far-reaching, and is filled with a meaning deeper, perhaps, than anything we have yet discovered. One thing, however, is certain, and that is, that the triple 6 marks the culmination of man's opposition to God in the person of the coming Antichrist. Further illustration of the significance of this number is seen in the fact that the duration of the old Assyrian empire was 666 years before it was conquered by Babylon. Jerusalem was Trodden DownJerusalem was trodden down by the Roman Empire exactly 666 years from the battle of Actium, BC 31, to the Saracen conquest in AD 636.* * See The Witness of the Stars, by the same author.There are Three MenThere are three men which stand out in Scripture as the avowed enemies of God and of His people. Each is branded with this number six that we may not miss their significance: 1. GOLIATH, whose height was 6 cubits, and he had 6 pieces of armour;* his spear's head weighed 600 shekels of iron (1Samuel 17:4-7).2. NEBUCHADNEZZAR, whose "image" which he set up,** was 60 cubits high and 6 cubits broad (Daniel 3:1), and which was worshipped when the music was heard from 6 specified instruments,*** and 3. ANTICHRIST, whose number is 666. * In Ephesians 6:14-18, the Christian's armour has a seventh piece—"Prayer." See under "Seven." ** We must distinguish the "image" which he set up, from the "man" of whom he afterwards dreamt. The proportions are not the same. The height of a man is to his breadth not as 10:1. Some have therefore thought that this "image" may have been an obelisk. But as the word for "image" denotes a form or likeness, it may have been like the form of a man standing on a pedestal of which the height was included. The pedestal being probably 24 (6x4) cubits, and the image 36 (6x6). *** The numerical value (by gematria) of the words in Daniel 3:1, which describe the setting up of this image is 4662. The very figures are significant, but still more so are the factors of this number. 4662 = 7 x 666. In the first we have one six connected with the pride of fleshly might. In the second we have two sixes connected with the pride of absolute dominion. In the third we have three sixes connected with the pride of Satanic guidance. The Talents of GoldThe talents of gold brought to Solomon in a year were 666 (1 Kings 10:14). But this perfection of money-power was only "vanity and vexation of spirit" (Eccl 2:8,11; compare 1Timothy 6:10). As to the triple number 666, we have already seen (see note in discusion on number 3) that while one figure (6) is significant, two figures (66) are still more so; and three figures (666) seem to denote the concentration or essence of the particular number. We see further examples of this in Jesus, 888, the dominical number; Sodom, 999, the number of judgment; Damascus, 444, the world number; The beast, 666, the number of man. "Verily, verily, I say unto you," 888; The Lord God made, 888; etc., etc. "The children of Adonikam" who returned from the Captivity (Ezra 2:13) numbered 666. Adonikam means the lord of the enemy. This is suggestive, even though it may be vague. The number 666 has another remarkable property. It is further marked as the concentration and essence of 6 by being the sum of all the numbers which makes up the square of six! The square of six is 36 (62, or 6x6), and the sum of the numbers 1 to 36 = 666, i.e., 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 + 11 + 12 + 13 + 14 + 15 + 16 + 17 + 18 + 19 + 20 + 21 + 22 + 23 + 24 + 25 + 26 + 27 + 28 + 29 + 30 + 31 + 32 + 33 + 34 + 35 + 36 = 666. They may be arranged in the form of a square with six figures each way, so that the sum of each six figures in any direction shall be another significant trinity = 111. 6 32 3 34 35 17 11 27 28 8 3019 14 16 15 23 2418 20 22 21 17 1325 29 10 9 26 1236 5 33 4 2 31GEMATRIAIt is remarkable that the numerical value of the "SONG OF MOSES" (Exodus 15:1-18) is 41626, which is the product of the significant factors 13 x 42 x 70. On the other hand, if we compare "the Song of Moses and of the Lamb," in Revelation 15:1-5, the remarkable value is 9261, which has the remarkable factors 33 x 73. CONCLUSIONWe have now come to the end of our survey of number as used by God in His works and in His Word, and we have seen that all is perfect. Our apprehension and interpretation of the phenomena may be marked with many imperfections, and we are conscious that after all we have but touched the fringe of this great and important subject. One thing, however, is certain, and that is, that we have, in the Scripture of Truth, a revelation from God absolutely without error, and whatever difficulties we may encounter in seeking to understand it, they are all the outcome of our own infirmities. Of another thing we are also certain, that the Written Word cannot be separated from the Living Word, nor the spiritual meaning of the one understood without a living union with the other. It may be said of the Word of God, as it is written of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:23), No.Another example in Christianity is that the gematria of the Antichrist’s name is expected to be 666.? ? This is owing to the fact that 6 is the number of human perfection.? 66 then is a stronger version of the same idea.? 666 is the trinity of human perfection and, thus, man declaring independence from God owing to being perfected of themselves or rather, a perfect form of imperfection.There are three men associated with the number 6 who are significant in scripture because of their avowed state as enemies of God.? Goliath (height of 6 cubits with 6 pieces of armor and a spear that weighed 600 shekels of iron); Nebuchadnezzar (whose statue to be worshiped was 60 cubits high; 6 cubits broad; and which was to be worshiped when 6 specific instruments were heard); the third is the Antichrist as explained above.Other references to 6 in the Bible include such as: 666 years was the duration of the old Assyrian empire before it was conquered by Babylon; Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman Empire 666 years after the battle of Actium.One interesting non-Biblical reference to the number 666 is that the Romans used only 6 letters of their alphabet (D, C, L, X, V, and I).? The sum of these is 666 (D=500; C=100; L=50; X=10; V=5; I=1).In contrast to the number of the Antichrist being 666 in Christian tradition, the number of Jesus is 888.? This is from the gematria of the name Jesus (Ihsous: I=10, H=8; S=200; O=70; U=400; S=200) adding to 888.? This is symbolically significant in Christianity because 7 is the number of completion and, thus, 8 is the number of “perfect completion” and “new beginning” or “beginning of a new series”.? Hence, the universe was created in 7 events (note: “events” not days as is often mistranslated in many English versions of the Bible) with the new beginning coming with Jesus, the ultimate 8. ? 7+1=8 is also significant, in this case, as 7 and 1 symbolize resurrection and regeneration.? Repeating the number 8, similar to the Antichrist’s 666, simply emphasizes it, as in 88, and, with 888, symbolizing the ultimate “8″ or rather the trinity of God’s perfection.?? There are also 8 references to the Old Testament in which the claims of Jesus’ lordship are based, which further emphasizes the connection with Jesus and “8″ in Christian tradition.As with “40″ and “6″, the number 8 appears throughout the Bible in its symbolic form.? For instance, Noah was the eighth and last person who stepped out of the Ark, representing the new beginning with 8 total individuals;? the miracles of Elijah were 8 in number; Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit and, thus, the miracles of Elisha totaled 16.8 is also the first cube (2x2x2).? Cubic numbers have great significance in the Judaism and Christianity.? The “Holy of Holies” in the Tabernacle and the Temple were products of cubes.? The tabernacle was 103 cubits; the Temple was 203 cubits; the “New Jerusalem”, described in Revelation, is to be 12,0003 furlongs.? Further, the Ark of the Covenant was a “cube of 1″, namely 13 cubits.Nebra sky diskThe solar year can be nearly perfectly measured by keeping track of every 40th day.? Due to the fact that this article is already way too long, I’ll just sum it up and say the solar year being 365.24219 days can be reached with only an average of a 2 second difference between the actual solar year and the calendar solar year using this “40 day cycle” method of calculating the year.? Celtic-Christians appeared to have used this cycle with the celebration of Passover/Easter associated with an 84 year cycle (84 years being near perfectly divisible by 40 days: 767.009 cycles).? The Nebra Sky Disk dated back to the Bronze Age in Germany also seems to indicate during this period the 40 day calendar counting was already well known in that era.? The Ancient Egyptians were also known to use this 40 day time tracking cycle.What is 666: The Mark of the Beast? by Terry WatkinsCopyright ? 1999 Dial-the-Truth Ministries Before we examine what the Word of God says about the mark of the beast, let us ever be mindful of Revelation 22:18-19:For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. Rev. 22:18-19 With that warning clearly in perspective, let us not "add" or "subtract" from God’s Holy Word. Where "thus saith the Lord" speaks – let us "read and understand" (Matt. 24:15). Where the Word of God is silent – no matter how great the temptation, let us not "add unto these things".Let us also, be very careful not to "interpret" the Word of God with the "light" of today’s technology; opinions; popular-theories; any man’s teachings; denominational teachings; and especially our own opinions. Our prayer to our readers is – please do not believe a single word we write – search God’s Holy Word - The King James Bible. May you have the "nobility" and "readiness"of the Bereans:These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Acts 17:11 ". . . let God be true, but EVERY man a liar;. . " Romans 3:4 The MARK of the beast is mentioned eight times in the book of Revelation:Revelation 13:16-18And 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.Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. Rev. 13:16-18 Revelation 14:9And 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, Rev. 14:9 Revelation 14:11And 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. Rev. 14:11 Revelation 15:2And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his MARK, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. Rev 15:2 Revelation 16:2And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the MARK of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. Rev. 16:2 Revelation 19:20And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the MARK of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. Rev. 19:20 Revelation 20:4And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his MARK upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Rev. 20:4 In these verses, the MARK is referred by:Rev 13:16 "a mark"Rev 13:17 " the mark"Rev 14:9 "his mark"Rev 14:11 "mark of his name"Rev 15:2 "his mark"Rev 16:2 "the mark of the beast"Rev 19:20 "the mark of the beast"Rev 20:4 "his mark"Notice how the mark is personally associated or representative of the beast or antichrist:Rev 14:9 "his mark"Rev 14:11 "mark of his name"Rev 15:2 "his mark"Rev 16:2 "the mark of the beast"Rev 19:20 "the mark of the beast"Rev 20:4 "his mark"Three times (14:9, 15:2, 20:4) it’s called "HIS mark".Two times (16:2, 19:20) it’s called "the mark OF THE BEAST"One time (14:11) it’s called "the mark of HIS Name"Apparently the mark is symbolic, associated or representative of the beast and his name. This would seem to rule out micro-chip implants, biometrics, bar-codes, etc. as the mark of the beast. It's possible that micro-chip implants, or some similar technological ID system will be utilized to control the "no man might buy or sell-system", but they don’t seem to fit the "mark of the beast". These seven verses, clearly indicate a mark personally symbolic of the beast and his name.THE MARK, HIS NAME AND HIS NUMBERThe mark is associated or represented somehow to his name and his number (666).Revelation 13:16-18 is, by far, the most quoted and misquoted, verse on the "mark of the beast". Most people limit the "And that no man might buy or sell" only to "the mark" but notice what verse 17 actually says:Rev 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. Very important. The "buying and selling" is NOT just those that have the MARK, but ALSO those that have the NAME of the beast, or the NUMBER of his name.Revelation 13:17 clearly teaches THREE ways a person can "buy or sell":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.So, if you do NOT have the MARK, but have the NAME or the NUMBER – you can "buy or sell". Again, this would also lean away from micro-chip implants, bar codes, etc.How do you "have" the name of the beast, or the number of his name?Five times the Bible refers to "receiving" the mark (13:16, 14:9, 14:11, 19:20, 20:4)Three times the Bible refers to "receiving" the mark specifically "in their right hand, or in their foreheads:" (13:16, 14:9, 20:4)But no where does the Bible mention "receiving" the name of the beast, or the number of his name.Could the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name, be one and the same?Yes. Depending on the definition of OR.The word or is defined:Or: 1. express an alternative of terms, definitions 2.explanations of the same thing in different words Taking definition 2 – "explanations of the SAME THING in different words", would indicate the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name, are the same.If someone receives the mark, they shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, and be tormented with fire and brimstone for ever and ever.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 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the MARK of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. Rev 19:20 What about the name of the beast, or the number of his name? Is there any punishment for "having" them?In Rev. 16:2, a "noisome and grievous sore" falls upon those who receive the mark: And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the MARK of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. Rev. 16:2 What about the name of the beast, or the number of his name? Again, is there any punishment for "having" his name or number?Why no "torment" or "grievous sore" for those that have the name of the beast, or the number of his name? Rev. 15:2, tells of those that got victory over "….his MARK, and over the NUMBER of his name…"How does someone get "victory" over "the NUMBER of his name", unless they "receive" the number when they receive the mark. Does one also receive the name of the beast, or the number of his name "in their right hand, or in their foreheads:" – like the mark?Although, we can’t say for sure, examining these verses, the "mark" would be one of the following scenarios: The mark, the name of the beast, or the number of his name are the same single mark. In this case, because we know what the number is, the mark would be "666". A lot of Bible teachers believe the mark is "666". Mark Hitchock, in his book, The Complete Book of Bible Prophecy, makes an interesting "logical progression" concerning the mark of the Beast: "This passage [Rev 13:16-18] provides five key clues as to the interpretation of the mark of the Beast.The name of the beast The number representing his name The number of the Beast The number of a man The number is 666 When these five clues are followed through their logical progression, the number or mark of the Beast is the number of a man who is the Antichrist or final world ruler. This number is the number of the Antichrist's own name."(Mark Hitchock, The Complete Book of Bible Prophecy, p.202) "The 'Mark' will be BRANDED or burnt on. It will probably be the 'NUMBER OF BEAST' OR '666'." (Clarence Larkin, Dispensational Truth, p.. 124, published 1918) "Yes, I believe there will be three sixes tattooed on foreheads and right hands. . . indeed I do. I believe John 3:16. I believe God literally loved, literally gave, Jesus literally came and literally died. Why should I not believe the number of the Beast will be 666?" (Oliver Greene, The Revelation, Verse by Verse, p. 350, 1963) ". . . the agreement of the number and the name is to be ascertained by the calculating the sum of the value of the letters which form the name." (Isbon Beckwith, The Apocalypse of John, 1919, p.641, 642) The mark consists of both the number of his name (666) and his name combined in a single mark. Some type of "esoteric" mark forming a "666" while also symbolic of his name. "The "mark" itself is at once a number and a name. The Apostle tells us what it is. As he gives it, it is made up of two Greek characters which stand for the name of Christ, with a third, the figure of a crooked serpent, put between them, the name of God's Messiah transformed into a Devil sacrament." (Joseph Seiss, The Apocalypse, 1865, p. 457) They are all different. Which would possibly be three separate "marks". Also, if this is true, you could "have" the number of his name or the name of the beast and not receive any punishment. From scripture, it seems unlikely there are three separate "marks". WHAT IS THE MARK?The Bible does NOT specifically identify the MARK. Many authors and Bible teachers have attempted to identify the mark. They've claimed everything from Judas’ kiss; to going to church on Sunday; to the latest craze — micro-chip implants. At this time, no one can know for 100% certainty what is the mark. The only exception is if the mark is the number of the beast — 666."to see or not to see…" Is the mark invisible?Some Bible teachers teach the mark will be invisible. Salem Kirban says in Satan's Mark Exposed:"One day in the Tribulation Period you will need proper identification to withdraw or deposit money in your bank. The identification will be an invisible mark either on the back of your hand or on you forehead!"(Salem Kirban, Satan's Mark Exposed, p.46) I disagree. I believe the "mark" will be "loud and proud". The Bible refers to the Antichrist's "mark" as "HIS" mark, the mark "OF THE BEAST" and the mark of "HIS Name". The "mark" of the antichrist is "his mark" of worship and allegiance. He'll certainly want to "show it off". Making it invisible would defeat his purpose. "to be or not to be. . ." Is the mark literal?The "loony-toon" award concerning the mark of the beast goes to Richard Abanes, in End Time Visions, as Abanes incredibly writes: ". . . nothing in the Bible, either linguistically or grammatically, indicates that the mark of the beast in Revelation 13 is a literal mark on, or in, the skin." (Richard Abanes, End Time Visions, p. 127) You've got to be kidding? ". . . nothing in the Bible, . . .indicates that the mark of the beast . . . is a literal mark on, or in, the skin." Do tell Richard, how does someone "receive" something that is not literal? receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: (13:16)receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, Rev. 14:9receiveth the mark of his name. Rev. 14:11received his mark UPON their foreheads, or IN their hands Rev. 20:4Revelation 20:4 CLEARLY says:". . . neither had received his mark UPON their foreheads, or IN their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Rev. 20:4How do you have a mark UPON the forehead and it not be literal?To prove his ridiculous statement, Abanes uses Exodus 13:9, where the Lord is possibly referring to the symbolic — the feast of unleavened bread — or as many Bible teachers believe, Exodus 13:9 is referring to the literal "terphillin" or phylacteries the Jewish people wore on their forehead, hand or arm. It's interesting the 30 verses if the phylacteries came from Exodus 13, Deuteronomy 6, and 11. And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the Lord's law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt. Exodus 13:9 Is Exodus 13 and Revelation 13 a valid comparison?Does anybody receive a "mark" in Exodus 13? Does anybody "receive" anything in Exodus 13? Exodus 13 is referencing a "sign" and Revelation is a "mark" — mentioned eight times. Not only that the Greek word for mark is "charagma" which means "to engrave, a scratch, etching, stamp". Now does that sound "symbolic"?Three times the Lord mentions a "mark" UPON someone in the Bible. And every time it is literal and visible. One is the mark of the beast in Revelation. Another is when the Lord set a "mark" UPON Cain "lest any finding him should kill him". Obviously the mark was not symbolic. And it was visible and literal.And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. Genesis 4:5Cain is also a type of the antichrist:He was a murderer (John 4:44) as is the antichrist.The Bible says "Cain, who was of that wicked one" and Cain’s "works were evil" 1 John 3:12 Another "mark" UPON someone is Ezekiel 9:4-6:And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house. Every time a "mark" is placed or put UPON some one in the Bible, it is literal and visible. And Abanes claims ". . . NOTHING in the Bible, either linguistically or grammatically, indicates that the mark of the beast in Revelation 13 is a literal mark on, or in, the skin." (Richard Abanes, End Time Visions, p. 127)By the way, the rest of End-Time Visions by Abanes is just as unbiblical and ridiculous. Abanes bashes nearly anyone who believes Revelation is literal. He then adds a touch of Nostradamus, Jehovah Witness, Waco, militias, and other assorted "kooks" and stirs it all up to make you think anyone who literally believes the Bible is a "kook". Avoid it like a "pit bull with AIDS". What about the implanted computer biochip?We mentioned the chip earlier, and Lord willing we’ll examine it in more detail in another article, but because its’ the latest "craze" among prophecy teachers, let’s analyze the chip as the mark of the beast.While I don’t believe the current chip implant matches the Bible’s description of the mark of the beast, the chip implant certainly could be utilized as the mechanism to control the "no man might buy or sell". In other words, the chip implant and the mark are completely different. Also, we’re just examining today’s current technology, tomorrow’s technology may produce a chip that would match the Bible’s description of the mark.The "guru" of the "micro-chip-mark of the beast" teaching is Terry Cook. Brother Cook has done a tremendous amount of research on the micro chip implant. Even though I don't believe the chip is the mark of the beast, his book is loaded with tons of excellent, documentation on the chip. Brother Cook writes:"It is my well-researched opinion that the Mark of the Beast, as related in scripture, is absolutely literal. Soon, all people on earth will be coerced into accepting a Mark in their right hand or forehead. I am convinced that it will be an injectable passive RFID transponder with a computer chip — a literal injection with a literal electronic biochip "mark". . . I believe that such an implanted identification mark literally will become Satan's Mark of the Beast, as we will discuss further in this chapter." (Terry Cook, The Mark of the New World Order p. 587) Brother Cook's main reasoning for the biochip as the mark is as follows:"And he [the Antichrist beast] 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,. . . count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man [Antichrist]; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. [666] Revelation 13:16-18 (KJV) Pay particular attention to the above scripture that says the mark will go in — not on — the right hand. This is the key to correct understanding of the technology that must be used to carry out its implementation." (Terry Cook, The Mark of the New World Order p. 587) Brother Cook says "the key" is that the Bible says "IN" not ON the right hand. But Revelation 20:4 says ". . .UPON their foreheads, or in their hands. . ."And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Rev. 20:4 The word "UPON" in Rev. 20 is clearly a reference to a visible mark.What about the word "IN"? The mark of the beast will be "IN" and "UPON" their foreheads and hands. Even a simple tattoo goes "IN" the skin and goes "UPON" the skin. It can be IN and it can be UPON and it will be SEEN.The phrase "in their right hand" or "in their hands" doesn't necessarily mean "underneath the skin". It normally refers simply to the "inside" or "in the hand". A simple comparison of a few scriptures in Revelation yields this valid interpretation:"And he had in his right hand seven stars:. . ." Rev 1:16"And he had in his hand a little book open…" Rev 10:2". . . and in his hand a sharp sickle." Rev 14:14". . . having a golden cup in her hand. . . Rev 17:4Terry Cook also writes:"The English word mark (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, No. 5480) is from the Greek word charagma (pronounced Khar'-ag-mah). Charagma is connected by The Expanded Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words to stigma, Strong's No. 4742, in which Strong's references stigma back to the Greek word stizo, then defines stizo as follows: . . . to prick, stick, incise, or punch for recognition of ownership. . . Scar of service: a mark [emphasis added]. This is perhaps the best definition of HOW the Mark of the Beast will be given to everyone." (Terry Cook, The Mark of the New World Order p. 587)Big, big problem with Cook's reasoning. Every time the word "mark" appears in the book of Revelation, it is the Greek word charagma. It is NEVER the Greek word stigma. Not in any manuscripts. It's interesting that Brother Cook does NOT give the definition of the Greek word charagma.charagma: a scratch or etching, i.e. stamp (as a badge of servitude), or sculptured figure (statue): — graven, mark (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance)charagma denotes "a stamp, impress," translated "mark" in Rev. 13:16, etc. (Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)Charagma is very strong evidence for a simply a "mark" or "stamp", rather than a micro-chip implant.Also, Brother Cooks statement, "Charagma is connected by The Expanded Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words to stigma, Strong's No. 4742,. . ." — is not true. Vine’s does not "connect" stigma to charagma. In The Expanded Vine's Expository Dictionary under the work "mark", Vine’s simply lists the Greek words translated "mark" – charagma and stigma. Stigma is translated "mark" in Galatians 6:17, and our word stigma, stigmatism comes from this word.From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks [stigma] of the Lord Jesus. Galatians 6:17There is no connection to stigma and charagma. Brother Cook re-defining "mark" as "stigma" rather than "charagma" to prove his point, when it’s not there, is dishonest and tampering with the Word of God (2 Cor. 2:17). This is a very serious and dishonest error. Unfortunately, he’s not alone, many "modern" Bible teachers do likewise. Please don’t fall for this. Check every man out with the King James Bible, especially us (Rom. 3:4) It’s amazing how many prophecy teachers like Van Impe, Texe Marrs, Peter Lalonde, et al that quote Terry Cook, without checking out his teachings with the Word of God.It is very possible, and according to most authorities, a micro chip implant is coming soon. And it could be part of the mechanism the beast uses to control the "buying and selling" — but a chip doesn't line up with the Bible's description of the mark. Time magazine writes:"Your daughter can store money any way she wants – on her laptop, on a debit card, even (in the not too distant future) on a chip implanted under her skin." (Time, April 27, 1998, p. 51)Other reasons why the mark is not an implanted computer chip:The main argument for the chip is it’s ability to control the "buying and selling" of Rev 13:17. But that is NOT the main purpose of the mark. According to Rev. 14:10 and Rev. 19:20, whoever receives the mark "shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God… be tormented with fire and brimstone… their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever". God is not going to torment someone with fire and brimestone just because they buy or sell! The requirement for receiving the mark is worship of the beast or his image:"If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark. . . " Rev. 14:9". . . who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark. . . " Rev. 14:11" . . .which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image." Rev. 16:2" . . . them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. . ." Rev. 19:20" . . . which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his . . ." Rev. 20:4Most people that teach the mark is the chip over-emphasis the "buying and selling" aspect of the mark. In fact, it's so prevalent, I've had many people write me afraid to take a credit card, smart card, or even a vaccine. Because of the lack of "skin-stretch", two of the worse places to implant a chip is the hand and especially the forehead. The smallest chip today is approximately the size of a grain of rice, way too large to implant in a forehead. As we mentioned earlier, the mark is associated or representative or symbolic of the beast and his name. A chip is a non-personal, generic, piece of material. Probably even invisible. Notice how the mark is personally associated or representative of the beast or antichrist:Rev 14:9 "his mark"Rev 14:11 "mark of his name"Rev 15:2 "his mark"Rev 16:2 "the mark of the beast"Rev 19:20 "the mark of the beast"Rev 20:4 "his mark"Three times (14:9, 15:2, 20:4) it’s called "HIS mark".Two times (16:2, 19:20) it’s called "the mark OF THE BEAST"One time (14:11) it’s called "the mark of HIS Name"As we looked at earlier, the mark is connected to the beast name and the number 666. A chip is neither.According to the "authorities" a chip implant would contain your financial world, medical history, health care — it would be your life. In order for a chip to be security-effective, it would have to be located randomly in the body. If there was no longer cash; if the world’s economy transactions were only chip oriented; — and the chip's locations is known – there would be a huge "black-market" for chips! Since there is no cash, no other bartering system, criminals would cutting off hands and heads, stealing "rich-folks" chips. How would like to borrow" Bill Gates chip for a few days?Terry Waite, the Anglican Church envoy who spent five years as a hostage in Beirut, sounded a similar alarm concerning biochip implants: "It is very dangerous because once kidnappers get to know about these things, they will skin you alive to find them," (New York Times, June 20, 1999)For more info on the biochip. Could the barcode be the mark? The introduction of the UPC barcode in 1973, revolutionized, to say the least, the way the world does business. When the bar code first came out, I told people the bar code is a stepping stone to digitize the world for the anti-Christ. People laughed at me. They said, "You mean that a bar code will be on all our products. We'll go through the grocery line, the cashier will just scan the bar code and presto! — we'll check out". They said, "If that ever happened it would be too plain, it would be too obvious, everybody would know it's paving the way for 666". And yet today, the familiar bar code is on virtually everything. Reasons the barcode is not the mark: Besides some of the same reasons, given demonstrating the biochip doesn't match the Bible's description of the mark, the barcode also has these limitations. It would be hard to get the precision needed to scan a barcode on the skin. Because the skin is flexible, stretches with age, etc. the current barcode technology would not work.The barcode does not hold very much data, even though some new 2-D bar codes can hold quite a bit, but still very small compared to a biochip.There is much more secure, more accurate, and better technology available.Here's an interesting, recent development:A patent (number 5,878,155) was issued in March, 1999 to Houston, inventor, Thomas W. Heeter, described as a "Method for verifying human identity during electronic sale transactions". Heeter's patent "abstract" reads:"A method is presented for facilitating sales transactions by electronic media. A BAR CODE or a design is tattooed on an individual. Before the sales transaction can be consummated, the tattoo is scanned with a scanner. Characteristics about the scanned tattoo are compared to characteristics about other tattoos stored on a computer database in order to verify the identity of the buyer. Once verified, the seller may be authorized to debit the buyer's electronic bank account in order to consummate the transaction. The seller's electronic bank account may be similarly updated." For more info on barcodes. What about biometrics identification and thermograms?Some have suggested biometrics, themograms, or bodily ID systems, such as iris scans, fingerprints, voice patterns, facial features, etc. as the mark of the beast. Besides the obvious reasons mentioned earlier, biometrics ID could not be the mark of the beast because the mark of the beast is something you "receive". An iris scan, voice scans, fingerprints, biometrics are NOT something you receive. It's simply part of a person's bodily features. In this case, every one would "have" the "mark".WHAT IS THE NAME?The Bible does not identify the NAME of the beast. Again, Many authors have attempted to "name" the Beast. From a "resurrected" Hitler, Ronald Wilson Reagan, Judas Iscariot, Nero, the Pope and the list goes on. Until the antichrist actually is revealed (2 Thess. 2:3), (…and I’ll be out of here!) any attempts to "name" the antichrist is speculation, at best.There are a few interesting thoughts related to "the name of the Beast".Arthur W. Pink, in his excellent classic, The Antichrist, says about the name: "This ‘mark’ on the persons of the subjects of the Beast will be, we believe, the name of the Devil, (cf. Rev. 13:4), as the seal on the foreheads of God's servants is defined in 14:1 as ‘having their Father's name written on their foreheads’". (Arthur W. Pink, The Antichrist, p. 200)Which is an interesting point. Satan’s goal is to be like God. He counterfeits and desires the things that belong to God only. Satan’s ambition is to "be like the most high"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Isaiah 14:12-14 In Rev. 14:1, God writes "His name" on the forehead of the 144,000. In Rev. 22:4, "His name" shall be in the foreheads of God’s children throughout eternity. And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. Rev 14:1.And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. Rev. 22:3,4 If God is going to write "His name" on the forehead of His children – it’s a good bet, Satan will do the same. Satan will write "his name" on his children — to "be like the most high".One other observation about the NAME. Comparing a few other verses, a name can also be a title.For instance, in Rev. 19:13, the Lord Jesus Christ is named "The Word of God".And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. Rev. 19:13 Rev. 19:16, the Lord Jesus Christ is named "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS".And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. Rev. 19:16 Taking these verses in consideration, the "name of the beast" is not limited to a proper, personal name, but also, could be a title.WHAT IS THE NUMBER?We know exactly the NUMBER of his name. The Bible in Rev 13:18 gives us the NUMBER of the beast.Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the NUMBER of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. Rev. 13:16-18 His number is 666. The number 6 is the number of man. Man was created on the sixth day. In Matthew 16:23, The Lord Jesus Christ, clearly says Satan is "man-centered".But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of MEN. Matt 16:23 In 2 Thess 2:4, the serpent's "prophecy" — " . . . ye shall be as gods. . ." (Gen. 3:5) is fulfilled in the Satanic-god-man — 666. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 2 Thess.2:4 The number three represents the trinity; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The number three in scripture represents structure, completeness or DEITY. Three 6's - 666, is the attempt of MAN (6) attempting to be GOD (3) — 666. It's interesting the 666 occurs in Revelation 13:18. 18 = 6+6+6 = 666.Apparently, the number "666" will be very repressive and overbearing during the Antichrist’s reign of terror. Revelation 15:2, describes those during the tribulation who got victory over "the number of his name".And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. Rev 15:2 WHAT ABOUT "COUNTING THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST"?Revelation 13:18 reads:Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. Rev. 13:18 In the Greek and Hebrew language there are no "numbers" such as 1, 2, 3, or 666. The Greek and Hebrew letters are also numbers. Gematria is the adding up or "counting" (Rev 13:18), the numerical equivalent of each letter in a word or name. This was fairly common in the days before alphabetic numbers. For instance, on the walls of ancient Pompeii, someone wrote, "I love her whose number is 545".For instance the name of Jesus in Greek equals 888Everybody and his brother have attempted to "count the number of the beast". Of course, because the English alphabet contains both numbers and letters, gematria does not actually exist. Since it doesn't exist in the English alphabet — make one up! And that's exactly what many "666 counters" do. Some have claimed that Hitler "counted" to 666. How did they get 666 from Hitler. Simple. They start with A = 100, then B = 101 et al.H=107I=108T=119L=111E=104R=117666What logic starts A with 100? The logic to MAKE Hitler the antichrist!The most popular attempts to gematria the English alphabet uses a base number of 6. For instance A=6, B=12, C=18, et al. With this six-base-gematria-English-nonsense — Kissinger, computer, mark of the beast, New York (some "wildly" claim New York as Babylon), A Rockefeller, witchcraft, dragon, and many more add up to 666.Grant Jeffrey writes in Prince of Darkness:The number 666 indicates that the letters in the Greek form of the name of the Antichrist will add up to 666. There is a slim possibility that his name will equal 666 in the Hebrew language since the Antichrist will be Jewish. The numeric system does not work in English or in languages other than Greek or Hebrew, so it is useless to calculate the values of names in these modern languages. (Grant R. Jeffrey, Prince of Darkness, pp. 275, 277) How do you "count the number of the beast" when you don't KNOW who the beast is?Sweet makes these statements in Revelation:"Clearly there were too many possibilities in a large number for one to calculate the name from the number — unless one knew it already. . . So the call for wisdom is not to decipher the number, but to recognize its significance, and act." (John Sweet, Revelation, 1979, p.217) Joseph Seiss writes: "The arithmetic of it, and the hidden indication which it carries of the precise man who is to be the final Antichrist, need not concern us much. The endless guesses and experiments with which expositors have occupied themselves and their readers on this point can be of very little practical worth to us. When the monster comes, 'the righteous shall understand'." (Joseph Seiss, The Apocalypse, 1865, p. 459) Bullinger makes this enlightening and worthwhile statement in "Number in Scripture":"Gematria is not a means by which the name is to be discovered; but it will be a test and a proof by which the name may be identified after the person is revealed". (E.W. Bullinger, Number in Scripture, p. 282) Amen. I would agree totally with Bullinger's statement. Any attempts to "count" the beast before he's revealed is a waste of time. Dangers of "counting the number" of the beast:At this point, before the rapture, before the "man of sin be revealed," (2 Thess. 2:3), No one could be 100% sure, if they got "the right man". And they could lead some gullible Christians astray. Irenaeus warned even in 170 AD against "counting the number of the beast"."It is therefore more certain, and less hazardous, to await the fulfillment of the prophecy, than to be making surmises, and casting about for any names that may present themselves, inasmuch as many names can be found possessing the number mentioned; and the same question will, after all, remain unsolved. For if there are many names found possessing this number, it will be asked which among them shall the coming man bear." [Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book V, Ch. 30] Once their "beast" is identified people "twist" and "manipulate" the scriptures to prove they’ve "counted" the right "beast". I’ve got a 400-page book "proving" Ronald Wilson Reagen is the beast. And you know what – it’s very convincing. And you know – it’s complete nonsense. But it’s easy to do. Change a few words here. Go to the "original" Greek to get a few "new" definitions and "presto" – we’ve got the beast! It’s a waste of valuable time. "Counting the beast" can consume you."Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:16 I believe the "saints" and those that hath "understanding" during the tribulation will be able to identify the beast when he shows up. And I don’t plan on "hanging around" for the tribulation.OTHER DETAILS ABOUT THE MARK OF THE BEAST:The mark of the beast is taken as a sign of allegiance and worship of the beast of his image:The mark of the Beast is not simply taking a "mark", but it is an act of worship of the beast of his image. The mark is not simply receiving a mark. When someone receives the mark of the beast, they do so, knowing what they're doing — worshipping the beast — and rejecting the God of the Bible.If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his MARK in his forehead, or in his hand," Rev. 14:19 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. Rev. 14:11 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the MARK of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. Rev. 19:20 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his MARK upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Rev. 20:4 Without the mark of the beast "no man might buy or sell":The "mark" will be used to control the commerce of the world. Whoever refuses the "mark" will not be able to buy or sell. Whoever refuses the mark will not be able to buy the essentials, such as food, wood, utilities, health care, etc. It will be a very powerful and tyrannical control. The fact that no one can buy or sell without the mark is emphasized more than any other aspect of the mark. But this is not the primary purpose of the mark. The fact that a person can not "buy or sell" without the mark is mentioned only once (Rev 13:17). The primary purpose of the mark is to show allegiance and worship of the beast. Whoever receives the mark of the beast will be tormented forever in fire and brimstoneTaking the mark of the beast, you will "drink of the wine of the wrath of God" and "be tormented with fire and brimstone" — for ever. God is not going to torment someone in fire and brimstone for taking a "mark" so they could just buy or sell. It’s much more serious. It’s worship of the beast and rejection of God. The Bible is very clear. Anyone who takes the mark of the beast, and worships the beast of his image will spend eternity in a lake of fire to be tormented forever. This ought to be the most important aspect of the mark. We as Christians, before the rapture, need to get this message out. 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 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. Rev 19:20 Refusing to take the mark, you will be beheaded.Apparently, during the tribulation, the guillotine will be resurrected.In Sept., 1999, A&E Channel (Arts and Entertainment) did a special on the guillotine. It ended with this remarkable, statement:"All though the blade no longer falls today, we may not have heard the last of the Guillotine." (A&E Channel) And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Rev. 20:4 Also, refusing to take the mark means refusing to worship the beast or his image — and even though you will be beheaded — you will go into the millenium with the Lord Jesus Christ — "and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." In other words — refuse the mark — take the beheading.And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Rev. 20:4 Is "www" in Hebrew equal to 666?We’ve gotten several emails asking is it true "www" is "666" in the Hebrew language.YES. . .??? and. . . ??? NO. NOTE: "www" is the acronym for world wide web and is normally used as the prefix, or first node of the Internet domain names, such as FIRST. . . The YES. How to get 666 from www?The Hebrew and Greek alphabet does not have separate characters or alphabets for numbers and letters. Letters are also used as numbers. So each letter is a numerical value.The Hebrew equivalent of our "w" is the letter "vav" or "waw". The numerical value of vav is 6. So the English "www" transliterated into Hebrew is "vav vav vav", which numerically is 666.HEBREW-ENGLISH-NUMBER TABLEThe English equivalent is below the Hebrew letter (in parenthesis).The number value of the Hebrew letter is below the English letter.The "vav" or English "w" or "6" is highlighted in yellow.By the way, Hebrew reads right to left.vav vav vav = www = 666 Now. . . the NO. A little "detail" concerning the Biblical number "666": Notice how Revelation 13:18 reads: Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. Rev. 13:18The number is NOT simply three SIXES or 6-6-6, but 600 + 60 + 6, or the number "Six hundred sixty and six". In Revelation 13:18 we're curiously told to "count the number of the beast". How do we "count the number of the beast"? In Revelation 14:11 the mark is referred to "the mark of his NAME". In Revelation 13:17, 15:2 it's called "the number of his NAME". So the "mark" and "number" refer to his "name". We count the number of his name. In the Greek and Hebrew language there are no "numbers" such as 1, 2, 3, or 666. The Greek and Hebrew letters are also numbers. Gematria is the adding up or "counting" (Rev 13:18), the numerical equivalent of each letter in a word or name. This was fairly common in the days before alphabetic numbers. For instance, on the walls of ancient Pompeii, someone wrote, "I love her whose number is 545". For instance, it's common knowledge, the name of Jesus in Greek equals 888 Grant Jeffrey writes in Prince of Darkness: The number 666 indicates that the letters in the Greek form of the name of the Antichrist will add up to 666. There is a slim possibility that his name will equal 666 in the Hebrew language since the Antichrist will be Jewish. The numeric system does not work in English or in languages other than Greek or Hebrew, so it is useless to calculate the values of names in these modern languages. (Grant R. Jeffrey, Prince of Darkness, pp. 275, 277)The "count the number of the beast" is the total of adding the letter/numerical value of his name. This "count" equals "Six hundred sixty and six', not simply three 6's or 666. So if we apply the clear teaching of Revelation 13:18 to the Hebrew "www", we actually have 6+6+6 or 18 — not 666. Another interesting insight. . . It’s also been discovered the Hebrew letter "vav" means "hook, peg or nail". The number "6" also resembles a "hook". Is the internet "hooking" the world into the 666 system.IS THE WORLD WIDE WEB — 666: THE MARK OF THE BEAST? Before some "simple soul" gets too excited and starts screaming the World Wide Web is "666" and a dozen new books hit the bookshelves declaring "666 Is Here"!, let’s briefly read what God says about 666: the mark of the beast: 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.Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. Rev. 13:16-18 The Mark of the Beast is received only after "worship" of the beast or his image."If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark. . . " Rev. 14:9 ". . . who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark. . . " Rev. 14:11 " . . .which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image." Rev. 16:2 " . . . them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. . ." Rev. 19:20 " . . . which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark . . ." Rev. 20:4 Let’s compare the World Wide Web and 666: The Mark of the Beast. Why the World Wide Web (www) is NOT 666: the Mark of the Beast 666 is total of the numerical values in the letters of the antichrist's nameThe World Wide Web is not a name.666 is total of the numerical values of the letters in the antichrist's nameThe actual total of "www" is 18 — not 666.666 is the number of a man, the antichrist, or the beastThe World Wide Web is not a man.The mark of the beast controls the ability to buy or sellThe World Wide Web currently does notThe mark of the beast goes in the right hand or foreheadThe World Wide Web does not.The mark is symbolic of the antichrist or beastThe World Wide Web is notThe mark is received only after worshiping the beastThe World Wide Web is not worshipWorld Wide Web The Web's historic logo designed by Robert Cailliau Inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee[1] Launch year 1990 Company CERN Availability WorldwideIs the biochip the Mark of the Beast?The biochip technology was originally developed in 1983 for monitoring fisheries, it’s use now includes, over 300 zoos, over 80 government agencies in at least 20 countries, pets (everything from lizards to dogs), electronic "branding" of horses, monitoring lab animals, fisheries, endangered wildlife, automobiles, garment tracking, hazardous waste, and according to the experts – humans (which we’ll examine in detail later). To date, over 7 million animals have been "chipped". The major biochip companies are A.V.I.D. (American Veterinary Identification Devices), Trovan Identification Systems, and Destron-Fearing Corporation. And according to most modern-day "prophecy teachers". . . the implanted biochip is the soon-coming, 666: Mark of the Beast. This article contains 3 parts:Part 1: What is the biochip? Detailed description of a biochip and how it works. Part 2: Is the biochip the Mark of the Beast? Is the biochip the technology for 666: The mark of the Beast? What saith the scriptures. . . Part 3: Are humans being biochipped? Are humans currently being biochipped? Are there plans to biochip humans in the near future? Read what the "experts" say. We've listed over 30 opinions from the "experts" Part 1: What is The Biochip Technology?What is a biochip implant?The current, in use, biochip implant system is actually a fairly simple device. Today’s, biochip implant is basically a small (micro) computer chip, inserted under the skin, for identification purposes. The biochip implant system consists of two components; a transponder and a reader or scanner. The transponder is the actual biochip implant. The biochip system is a radio frequency identification (RFID) system, using low-frequency radio signals to communicate between the biochip and reader. The reading range or activation range, between reader and biochip is small, normally between 2 and 12 inches.Note, we are only examining the implanted "biochips", there are many other RFID microchip systems available. The transponder: The transponder is the actual biochip implant. It is a passive transponder, meaning it contains no battery or energy of it's own. In comparison, an active transponder would provide it’s own energy source, normally a small battery. Because the passive biochip contains no battery, or nothing to wear out, it has a very long life, up to 99 years, and no maintenance. Being passive, it's inactive until the reader activates it by sending it a low-power electrical charge. The reader "reads" or "scans" the implanted biochip and receives back data (in this case an identification number) from the biochip. The communication between biochip and reader is via low-frequency radio waves. The biochip-transponder consists of four parts; computer microchip, antenna coil, capacitor and the glass capsule. ??????PERSPECTIVE OFTHE ACTUAL SIZEComputer Microchip: The microchip stores a unique identification number from 10 to 15 digits long. The storage capacity of the current microchips is limited, capable of storing only a single ID number. AVID (American Veterinary Identification Devices), claims their chips, using a nnn-nnn-nnn format, has the capability of over 70 trillion unique numbers. The unique ID number is "etched" or encoded via a laser onto the surface of the microchip before assembly. Once the number is encoded it is impossible to alter. The microchip also contains the electronic circuitry necessary to transmit the ID number to the "reader".Antenna Coil: This is normally a simple, coil of copper wire around a ferrite or iron core. This tiny, primitive, radio antenna "receives and sends" signals from the reader or scanner.Tuning Capacitor: The capacitor stores the small electrical charge (less than 1/1000 of a watt) sent by the reader or scanner, which activates the transponder. This "activation" allows the transponder to send back the ID number encoded in the computer chip. Because "radio waves" are utilized to communicate between the transponder and reader, the capacitor is "tuned" to the same frequency as the reader. Glass Capsule: The glass capsule "houses" the microchip, antenna coil and capacitor. It is a small capsule, the smallest measuring 11 mm in length and 2 mm in diameter, about the size of an uncooked grain of rice. The capsule is made of biocompatible material such as soda lime glass. After assembly, the capsule is hermetically (air-tight) sealed, so no bodily fluids can touch the electronics inside. Because the glass is very smooth and susceptible to movement, a material such as a polypropylene polymer sheath is attached to one end of the capsule. This sheath provides a compatible surface which the bodily tissue fibers bond or interconnect, resulting in a permanent placement of the biochip.BIOCHIP AND SYRINGEThe biochip is inserted into the subject with a hypodermic syringe. Injection is safe and simple, comparable to common vaccines. Anesthesia is not required nor recommended. In dogs and cats, the biochip is usually injected behind the neck between the shoulder blades. Trovan, Ltd., markets an implant, featuring a patented "zip quill", which you simply press in, no syringe is needed. According to AVID "Once implanted, the identity tag is virtually impossible to retrieve. . . The number can never be altered." THE READER or SCANNERNotice the ID numberin the LCD display.The reader: The reader consists of an "exciter" coil which creates an electromagnetic field that, via radio signals, provides the necessary energy (less than 1/1000 of a watt) to "excite" or "activate" the implanted biochip. The reader also carries a receiving coil that receives the transmitted code or ID number sent back from the "activated" implanted biochip. This all takes place very fast, in milliseconds. The reader also contains the software and components to decode the received code and display the result in an LCD display. The reader can include a RS-232 port to attach a computer. How it worksThe reader generates a low-power, electromagnetic field, in this case via radio signals, which "activates" the implanted biochip. This "activation" enables the biochip to send the ID code back to the reader via radio signals. The reader amplifies the received code, converts it to digital format, decodes and displays the ID number on the reader's LCD display. The reader must normally be between 2 and 12 inches near the biochip to communicate. The reader and biochip can communicate through most materials, except metal. Common Misconceptions About Biochip implants:With a biochip they can track you or your pet’s location, anywhere in the world.FALSE. The current biochip and reader has a maximum range of 12 inches. Pet’s are located by shelters, vets, etc. finding a lost pet and reading it’s biochip. The technology does not exist to globally locate something as small as a biochip. The World & I magazine writes:Contrary to rumors at Stanford University that a microchip implanted in Chelsea Clinton's neck broadcasts her location to a satellite, the device's current capabilities are much more primitive. In fact, the majority now in use can only transmit a single alpha-numeric identification number that is unique to the particular animal in which a microchip is implanted. (Craig Dees, Watching From Inside. Vol. 13, The World & I, 02-01-1998, pp 150.)A biochip can store and update your financial, medical, demographic data, basically everything about you.The common scenario is: an implanted biochip can be scanned to pay for groceries, obtain medical procedures, conduct financial transactions. FALSE. Currently, the in use, implanted biochips only store ONE 10 to 15 digit. Although the microchip can hold more data, and some microchips can be "updated", the technology to perform the above mentioned functions via today’s small biochip does not exist. At best, the biochip could be scanned for your PIN (Person Identification Number) and a global centralized computer system could perform the functions against your number. But the obvious question is – in that case, for only identification purposes, why not use biometric identification technology such as "eye-scans", fingerprints, hand scans or voice ID’s? They are more reliable and completely tamperproof.One major concern with a implanted biochip is theft.According to the "authorities" a chip implant would contain your financial world, medical history, health care — it would contain your "electronic life". If cash no longer existed and if the world’s economy was totally chip oriented; — there would be a huge "black-market" for chips! Since there is no cash and no other bartering system, criminals would cut off hands and heads, stealing "rich-folks" chips. How would like to "borrow" Bill Gates chip for a few days?Terry Waite, the Anglican Church envoy who spent five years as a hostage in Beirut, sounded a similar alarm concerning biochip implants: "It is very dangerous because once kidnappers get to know about these things, they will skin you alive to find them," (New York Times, June 20, 1999)Part 2: Is the Biochip the Mark of the Beast?According to the majority of today’s "prophecy teachers" the biochip gets the vote as the infamous "Mark of the Beast". Here’s just a sampling:Texe Marrs, Project L.U.C.I.D.:"Will the implantable biochip, linked in with L.U.C.I.D. worldwide control net, become the basis for the mysterious, but diabolical, Mark of the Beast? It seems possible, even likely, that this will prove to be the case." (Texe Marrs, Project L.U.C.I.D. p.113) Betty Lynn, Pathways to Armageddon:"The prince. . . will exclude everyone who does not have an approved cashless account. Because of the importance of that account to daily existence and to protect it from theft, account information will be bio-implanted, leaving a small mark on the hand or temple." (Betty Lynn, Pathways to Armageddon, p.47) Terry Cook, The Mark of the New World:"It is my well-researched opinion that the Mark of the Beast, as related in scripture, is absolutely literal. Soon, all people on earth will be coerced into accepting a Mark in their right hand or forehead. I am convinced that it will be an injectable passive RFID transponder with a computer chip — a literal injection with a literal electronic biochip "mark". . . I believe that such an implanted identification mark literally will become Satan's Mark of the Beast, as we will discuss further in this chapter." (Terry Cook, The Mark of the New World Order p. 587)Many "prophecy teachers" take the latest and greatest technology and many times, they "twist and distort" the scriptures to make today's technology match the scriptures — when they're not even close. And not only that. . . one very important factor to keep in mind. . . the "world system", as it exists before the rapture, will be a markedly different "world system", after the chaos of the rapture! What the state of world affairs, technology, politics, etc. will be after between approximately 200 million and 2 billion people immediately disappear, is anybody's guess — and no matter what anyone "claims" they KNOW — it's just a GUESS. As we prayerfully look into the "light" of the Holy Scriptures, let us be ever careful to avoid the temptation to make the scriptures say what we "want" them to say. But let them speak as "thus saith the Lord". What saith the scriptures?As we examine the biochip in the light of the Holy Word of God, may we take to heart the admonishment of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ:"And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, . . ." Mark 12:24Help us, Lord Jesus, to "know what the scriptures say about the mark of the beast, and not therefore err". What does the scriptures say about 666: The Mark of the Beast?And does the Lord’s description of the Mark of the Beast match a biochip implant? Most people when examining 666: The Mark of the Beast, make the serious mistake of limiting their scope to only Revelation 13:16-18, but the MARK of the beast is mentioned eight times in the book of Revelation: Revelation 13:16-18And 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.Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. Rev. 13:16-18 Revelation 14:9And 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, Rev. 14:9Revelation 14:11And 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. Rev. 14:11Revelation 15:2And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his MARK, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. Rev 15:2Revelation 16:2And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the MARK of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. Rev. 16:2 Revelation 19:20And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the MARK of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. Rev. 19:20 Revelation 20:4And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his MARK upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Rev. 20:4Notice. In these eight verses, the MARK is referred by:Rev 13:16 "a mark"Rev 13:17 " the mark"Rev 14:9 "his mark"Rev 14:11 "mark of his name"Rev 15:2 "his mark"Rev 16:2 "the mark of the beast"Rev 19:20 "the mark of the beast"Rev 20:4 "his mark"Very important: Notice how the mark is personally associated, representative or symbolic of the beast or antichrist:Rev 14:9 "his mark"Rev 14:11 "mark of his name"Rev 15:2 "his mark"Rev 16:2 "the mark of the beast"Rev 19:20 "the mark of the beast"Rev 20:4 "his mark"Three times (14:9, 15:2, 20:4) it’s called "HIS mark".Two times (16:2, 19:20) it’s called "the mark OF THE BEAST"One time (14:11) it’s called "the mark of HIS Name"These verses, clearly indicate a mark personally symbolic of the beast and his name.This appears to eliminate a biochip implant. A biochip is basically, a few components in a small glass capsule. There’s nothing symbolic about a biochip, much less the "mark of HIS name".The mark is also, associated or represented somehow, to his name and his number (666).Revelation 13:16-18 is, by far, the most quoted and misquoted, verse on the "mark of the beast". Most people limit the "And that no man might buy or sell" only to "the mark" but notice what verse 17 actually says: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. Rev. 13:17Very important. The "buying and selling" is NOT just those that have the MARK, but ALSO those that have the NAME of the beast, or the NUMBER of his name. Revelation 13:17 clearly teaches THREE ways a person can "buy or sell":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.So, if you do NOT have the MARK, but have the NAME or the NUMBER – you can "buy or sell". Again, this would also "weed-out" a biochip.How do you "have" the name of the beast, or the number of his name? Five times the Bible refers to "receiving" the mark (13:16, 14:9, 14:11, 19:20, 20:4)Three times the Bible refers to "receiving" the mark specifically "in their right hand, or in their foreheads:" (13:16, 14:9, 20:4)But no where does the Bible mention "receiving" the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Is it possible, the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name, be one and the same?Yes. Depending on the definition of OR.The word or is defined:Or: 1. express an alternative of terms, definitions 2. explanations of the same thing in different wordsTaking definition 2 — "explanations of the SAME THING in different words", would indicate the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name, are the same.If someone receives the mark, they shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, and be tormented with fire and brimstone for ever and ever.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 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the MARK of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. Rev 19:20What about the name of the beast, or the number of his name?Is there any punishment for "having" them?In Rev. 16:2, a "noisome and grievous sore" falls upon those who receive the mark: And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the MARK of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. Rev. 16:2Why no "torment" or "grievous sore" for those that have the name of the beast, or the number of his name? Again, is there any punishment for "having" his name or number?Rev. 15:2, tells of those that got victory over "….his MARK, and over the NUMBER of his name…"How does someone get "victory" over "the NUMBER of his name"? Does one also receive the name of the beast, or the number of his name "in their right hand, or in their foreheads:" – like the mark? Could they all be the same "mark"?Again the biochip doesn’t seem to match the Word of God. Although, we can’t say for sure, examining these verses, the "mark" would be one of the following scenarios: The mark, the name of the beast, or the number of his name are the same single mark. In this case, because we know what the number is, the mark would be "666". A lot of Bible teachers believe the mark is "666". Mark Hitchock, in his book, The Complete Book of Bible Prophecy, makes an interesting "logical progression" concerning the mark of the Beast: "This passage [Rev 13:16-18] provides five key clues as to the interpretation of the mark of the Beast.The name of the beast The number representing his name The number of the Beast The number of a man The number is 666 When these five clues are followed through their logical progression, the number or mark of the Beast is the number of a man who is the Antichrist or final world ruler. This number is the number of the Antichrist's own name."(Mark Hitchock, The Complete Book of Bible Prophecy, p.202) "The 'Mark' will be BRANDED or burnt on. It will probably be the 'NUMBER OF BEAST' OR '666'." (Clarence Larkin, Dispensational Truth, p.. 124, published 1918)"Yes, I believe there will be three sixes tattooed on foreheads and right hands. . . indeed I do. I believe John 3:16. I believe God literally loved, literally gave, Jesus literally came and literally died. Why should I not believe the number of the Beast will be 666?" (Oliver Greene, The Revelation, Verse by Verse, p. 350, 1963)The mark consists of both the number of his name (666) and his name combined in a single mark. Some type of "esoteric" mark forming a "666" while also symbolic of his name. "The 'mark' itself is at once a number and a name. The Apostle tells us what it is. As he gives it, it is made up of two Greek characters which stand for the name of Christ, with a third, the figure of a crooked serpent, put between them, the name of God’s Messiah transformed into a Devil sacrament." (Joseph Seiss, The Apocalypse, 1865, p. 457) "What kind of mark will it be? It will be a physical mark, probably visible, that the False Prophet will force every man and woman to receive on his right hand or forehead. The mark will be related to both the 'name of the beast' as well as the 'number of his name' — 666."(Grant R. Jeffrey, Prince of Darkness, p. 275)They are all different. Which would possibly be three separate "marks". Also, if this is true, you could "have" the number of his name or the name of the beast and not receive any punishment. From scripture, it seems unlikely there are three separate "marks". The biochip error. . . The error that misleads most people to believing biochips, bar codes, etc. is the mark of the beast, is the limiting or over emphasis of the "buying and selling" aspect of the mark of the beast. Most people are frantically searching for some technology or method to control the commerce functions (buying and selling) of the world. They’ve heard Rev. 13:16-18 quoted so much – they think that’s all there is to the mark.You know how I know that's true. . .The number of "frightened" Christians who have contacted me worried about getting a credit card, smart card or debit card because they might be "receiving the mark of the beast". Anybody that has read ALL the Lord says about the mark wouldn’t ask such a "silly" question. All they know about the Mark of the Beast is "no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark …"But that is NOT the purpose of the mark of the beast. . .How do I KNOW? Simple. The Bible says so – you just have to look further than Rev. 13:16-18The reason for receiving the mark is worship and allegiance to the Antichrist. It’s NOT the "buying and selling"! Most people are busy searching for a "technology" or method to control the "buying and selling" — and that’s NOT the reason for receiving the mark of the beast. And I’m going to prove that without any shadow of a doubt. . .I repeat – the reason for taking the mark of the beast is not so someone can or can NOT buy or sell.Here’s the reason "buying and selling" can NOT be the main purpose for the mark. Because according to Rev. 14:9-11 — whoever receives the mark "shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God . . . shall be tormented with fire and brimstone . . . their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever". 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 14:9-11Do you understand the seriousness of what you just read? Whoever receives the mark "shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God . . . shall be tormented with fire and brimstone . . . their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever". This begs the obvious question – is a Holy, Righteous, Just, God going to "torment someone with fire and brimestone, for ever and ever" for receiving a "mark" to "buy or sell".Please, let’s not forget . . . Our God is LOVE. The Bible says in 1 John 4:16 – "… God is LOVE…""And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. GOD IS LOVE; . . ." 1 John 4:16:The Bible says in familiar John 3:16, "For God SO LOVED the world…"The Bible says in Psalms 86:5, that God is "good, ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy". "For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and PLENTEOUS IN MERCY unto all them that call upon thee." Psalms 86:5In the "light" of these verses (and there are thousands of wonderful verses just like them) – would a "God of LOVE"; a God, "ready to FORGIVE; a God, "plenteous in MERCY" — "torment someone with fire and brimestone, for ever and ever" for simply receiving a "mark" or "biochip" to "buy or sell"?NO. Absolutely NOT. A thousand times — NEVER!What is the real purpose of the mark of the beast?What is it about the mark of the beast, that so "disturbs" a just and holy God, that He would justly "torment someone in fire and brimestone for all eternity" for receiving the mark? The purpose of the mark of the beast is a "mark" of allegiance and worship of the Antichrist. And it is a rejection of a holy God. To receive the mark of the beast you must FIRST worship the beast. Look at the following verses:"If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark. . . " Rev. 14:9" . . . who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark. . . " Rev. 14:11" . . .which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image." Rev. 16:2" . . . them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. . ." Rev. 19:20" . . . which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his . . ." Rev. 20:4Only ONE verse connects "buying and selling" with the mark. But there are many verses that connect the mark to WORSHIP.True. No one can buy or sell without the mark, but that’s not the REASON for receiving the mark. The "no man might buy or sell" is the CONSEQUENCE of NOT receiving the mark – not the REASON for receiving it. John Hagee writes in From Daniel to Doomsday:"I believe the main reason the Antichrist will cause everyone to receive what is known as the 'mark of the beast' is to control everyone and crush all who worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." (John Hagee, From Daniel to Doomsday, p. 193)Pastor John Hagee is wrong.The main reason of the mark of the beast is WORSHIP.Satan desires what belongs ONLY to God — WORSHIP. Satan wants to be God!Let's not forget what Lucifer said in Isaiah 14:For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Isaiah 14:13-14When Satan tempted the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 4 (and Luke 4), remember how Satan tried to "bargain" with the Lord:Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and WORSHIP me. Matthew 4:9-10The devil desires WORSHIP.And how did the Lord Jesus respond?Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him ONLY shalt thou serve. Matthew 4:8-10Worship ONLY belongs to God — and that's what Satan desires.2 Thess. 2:4 describes the worship of the Antichrist during the tribulation:Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 2 Thess. 2:4No sir, Pastor Hagee. The reason for the mark of the Beast is not control — it's WORSHIP.The biochip’s REASON is the "buying and selling" which is NOT the REASON for the mark. And when most people "vote" the biochip as the mark, their only REASON is – the "buying and selling". The foundational logic for the biochip as the mark of the beast is WRONG.This leads us into another question about the mark of the beast. . .Will the mark be invisible?Salem Kirban says in Satan's Mark Exposed"One day in the Tribulation Period you will need proper identification to withdraw or deposit money in your bank. The identification will be an invisible mark either on the back of your hand or on you forehead!" (Salem Kirban, Satan's Mark Exposed, p.46)If a biochip is indeed the mark, chances are it would be invisible. There are biochips that can be "illuminated" through the skin, but these are not viable for implants because: They would need a battery or energy source to "illuminate" the mark. To make it visible it would have to be very powerful for a small biochip For it to be effectively visible, it would need to be "illuminated" 100% of the time. A battery would "drain" very quick.Because of the REASON for the mark (worship and allegiance of the beast), I believe the "mark" will be "loud and proud". The Bible refers to the Antichrist's "mark" as "HIS" mark, the mark "OF THE BEAST" and the mark of "HIS Name". The "mark" of the antichrist is "his mark" of worship and allegiance. He'll certainly want to "show it off". Making it invisible would defeat his purpose. Notice how the Bible "words" Revelation 15:2:"And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God." Revelation 15:2The wording of ". . . them that had gotten the VICTORY. . . over his mark, and over the number of his name. . ." certainly sounds as if the mark will be very visible and overbearing during the tribulation. By the way, did you also "catch" that ". . . over the number of his name. . ."? The number "666" will also be "loud and proud" during the tribulation. Another biochip error. . .The "guru" of the "biochip-mark of the beast" teaching is Terry Cook. Jack Van Impe says of Cook, "undoubtedly the most qualified expert on the subject of the mark of the beast." Brother Cook has done a tremendous amount of valuable research on the biochip. Even though I don't believe the biochip is the mark of the beast, his book is loaded with tons of excellent, documentation on the biochip. Terry Cook writes:"It is my well-researched opinion that the Mark of the Beast, as related in scripture, is absolutely literal. Soon, all people on earth will be coerced into accepting a Mark in their right hand or forehead. I am convinced that it will be an injectable passive RFID transponder with a computer chip — a literal injection with a literal electronic biochip "mark". . . I believe that such an implanted identification mark literally will become Satan's Mark of the Beast, as we will discuss further in this chapter." (Terry Cook, The Mark of the New World Order p. 587)Terry Cook's main reasoning for the biochip follows:"And he [the Antichrist beast] 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,. . . count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man [Antichrist]; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. [666] Revelation 13:16-18 (KJV) Pay particular attention to the above scripture that says the mark will go in — not on — the right hand. This is the key to correct understanding of the technology that must be used to carry out its implementation."(Terry Cook, The Mark of the New World Order p. 587)Brother Cook says "the key" is that the Bible says "IN" not ON the right hand. But what about Revelation 20:4? Revelation CLEARLY says ". . .UPON their foreheads, or in their hands. . ."And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark UPON their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Rev. 20:4The word "UPON" in Rev. 20 is clearly a reference to a visible mark. Remember what I said was the main error when studying the mark of the beast. . . Most people NEVER go beyond Revelation 13:16-18. If Terry Cook would have only gone 7 more chapters, he would have CLEARLY seen – the "mark" is "UPON their foreheads".What about the word "IN"? The mark of the beast will be "IN" and "UPON" their foreheads and hands. One explanation, even a simple tattoo goes "IN" the skin and goes "UPON" the skin. It can be IN and it can be UPON and it will be SEEN.The phrase "in their right hand" or "in their hands" doesn't necessarily mean "underneath the skin". In fact, it normally refers simply to the "inside" or "in the hand". A simple comparison of a few scriptures in Revelation yields this valid interpretation:"And he had in his right hand seven stars:. . ." Rev 1:16"And he had in his hand a little book open…" Rev 10:2". . . and in his hand a sharp sickle." Rev 14:14". . . having a golden cup in her hand. . . Rev 17:4Notice a couple of other valid uses of the word "in" with forehead:And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine IN his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. 1 Sam. 17:59 And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous IN his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the LORD had smitten him. 2 Chron. 26:20A serious error in Terry Cook’s reasoning. . . Terry Cook also writes:"The English word mark (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, No. 5480) is from the Greek word charagma (pronounced Khar'-ag-mah). Charagma is connected by The Expanded Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words to stigma, Strong's No. 4742, in which Strong's references stigma back to the Greek word stizo, then defines stizo as follows:. . . to prick, stick, incise, or punch for recognition of ownership. . . Scar of service: a mark [emphasis added]. This is perhaps the best definition of HOW the Mark of the Beast will be given to everyone." (Terry Cook, The Mark of the New World Order p. 587)Big, big problem with Cook's reasoning. Every time the word "mark" appears in the book of Revelation, it is the Greek word charagma. It is NEVER the Greek word stigma. Not in any manuscript ever found. It's interesting that Brother Cook does NOT give the definition of the Greek word charagma. charagma: a scratch or etching, i.e. stamp (as a badge of servitude), or sculptured figure (statue): — graven, mark (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance)charagma denotes "a stamp, impress," translated "mark" in Rev. 13:16, etc. (Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)Charagma is very strong evidence for a "mark" or "stamp", rather than a biochip implant.Also, Brother Cook's statement, "Charagma is connected by The Expanded Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words to stigma, Strong's No. 4742,. . ." – IS NOT TRUE. Vine’s does not "connect" stigma to charagma. In The Expanded Vine's Expository Dictionary under the work "mark", Vine’s simply lists the Greek words translated "mark" – charagma and stigma. Stigma is translated "mark" in Galatians 6:17. Our word stigma, stigmatism comes from this word.From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks [stigma] of the Lord Jesus. Galatians 6:17There is no connection to stigma and charagma. Brother Cook re-defining "mark" as "stigma" rather than "charagma" to prove his point, when it’s not there, is dishonest and corrupting the Word of God (2 Cor. 2:17). This is a very serious and dishonest error. Unfortunately, he’s not alone, many "modern" Bible teachers do likewise. Please don’t fall for this. Check every man out with the King James Bible. (Rom. 3:4) It’s amazing how many prophecy teachers like Van Impe, Texe Marrs, Peter Lalonde, et al that quote Terry Cook, without checking out his teachings with the Word of God.Let me also say this. I have nothing against Terry Cook, personally (or anyone else). The reason for "refuting" his statements is because he is the "authority" of the "biochip-mark" teaching. And he is wrong. And he is misleading people.After all we’ve just read and studied "disproving" the biochip as the mark of the beast – now comes a "curve ball". Even though I do NOT believe the biochip is THE mark of the beast – I believe the biochip could be the method utilized to CONTROL the "buying and selling" of Rev. 13:18.In other words, the mark of the beast and the biochip are NOT the same.Here’s a possible scenario:Everyone would eventually receive a biochip. At first it would probably be voluntary. Later, for your benefit and convenience (ever heard that before?) it would be law – mandatory. It’s a fact, the world is very quickly (like in "speed of light") going to a digital or E-economy, thanks to the Internet. (Lord willing, we’ll document this in another article). According to International Data Corporation, the Internet’s leading provider of growth statistics, ". . . by 2003 80 percent of all business transactions will be carried out online. . . 2 million [US Dollars] will change hands every minute." (IDC Report, Oct. 05, 1999)What’s "holding-up" the E-commerce world?Why it that most people will not purchase on the Web despite many major vendors selling on the web? What it is that many software and hardware giants like Microsoft, IBM, and company are working "day and night" on? It’s call IDENTIFICATION and SECURITY . . . Is a biochip a possible solution to the "identification and security" dilemma facing the digital economy?Many experts are "trumpeting" the biochip, as the "great security hope".Network World,(August, 31, 1998), carried an article titled, "A chip in his shoulder" by Fred McClimans, which point-blank stated, " . . . the answer is chips. Let's face it, the potential value is too great. . .". "But look on the bright side: Who wouldn't want to stop worrying about where they put their keys or Mobil Speed Pass? And no more remembering pesky PINs, passwords or social-security numbers. Medical information could also be dumped onto your forearm chip. We could even probably away with those pesky "home arrest" bracelets used to monitor the criminal element in their own homes (imagine how different the Caine Mutiny would have been if Queeg had had chips in all of his crew - no strawberry problem there!). . . So perhaps the answer is to use this type of new bio-security device to accurately track information regarding what we are doing, and who is to accurately track information regarding what we are doing, and who is actually doing it. . . Let's say we all get together and implant everybody with these new chips. Are they safe? Sure — they've been using variations to track dogs for some time now. Sadly, I think the answer is chips. Let's face it, the potential value is too great. . ." (Fred McClimans, A chip in his shoulder, Network World, August, 31, 1998) A&E (Arts and Entertainment Cable Channel), aired a two-hour program titled "The Story of Money" (aired early 1999) here's part of the transcript: Narrator: Everyday trillions of dollars are moved in less time than it takes you to screw up your transaction at the automated teller machine. More and more money is going digital. . . Some imagine everything you own will one day be tied to a single easy to use card, or even in a computer chip, implanted in your skin. . . Narrator: The E-money future, however, isn't necessarily secure. The Internet wasn't built to be Fort Knox. In the wrong hands, this powerful tool can turn dangerous. Hackers have already broken into bank files that were 100% secure. One cyber-pirate downloaded 20,000 credit card numbers, courtesy of the phone company. Frank Abagnale (Forgery Expert): The problem is, if we have such tremendous fraud with paper we can only expect even much bigger frauds with electronics. In electronics you're dealing with people from all over the world that have access through computers and the internet to thousands of accounts and there's really no way of making the system foolproof. Narrator: E-money entrepreneurs are hoping to solve the problem of safeguards with even more electronics. Unidentified banker: The golden rule in banking is know thy customer. Narrator: Know thy customer, and then scan their eyeballs into a computer. Your eyes are like fingerprints and by recording them, a company can confirm your identity and your bank balance. Narrator: But how far will it go. Pretty far, actually. Neil Marcous (EDS): You'll simply have the chip embedded. You'll do a retina scan or some other kind of bio-scan, you'll validate who you are, you'll have your information, it'll transmit and you can conduct all your business, literally against a ledger, an electronic ledger somewhere. Note: If anyone knows the Future of electronic money, it would be the people at EDS. Over 90% of all electronic payments travel through EDS — over 25,000 transactions every 5 minutes!Narrator: Did you say embedded? Neil Marcous (EDS): Well, it could be embedded any number of places, for sake of artistic license, let's say it was embedded under your skin up above your left eyebrow.Listen to it Yes. It certainly appears the biochip is coming soon — in a hand near you! If people are coerced into receiving a biochip to perform the necessary everyday functions, such as financial transactions, medical insurance, security, identification, tied into a global, centralized computer system, it would be a simple matter for the Antichrist to "disable" your ability to "buy or sell". But then again, it could implemented much easier with a "simple" biometric security system, such as "eye-scan", voice-recognition, fingerprint, etc. Biometrics are safer and much more secure, and people would be much more likely to "buy into" the systemBut, the "no man might buy or sell" system, might be as simple, visibly looking to see if someone has the mark. I know one thing — I don’t plan on "hanging around" to find out! (1 Thess. 4:16-18, 1 Cor 15:51-55)Part 3: Are humans being biochipped?Are humans currently being "biochipped"?Many rumors are "making their rounds" claiming humans are being "chipped".According to The Word & I, rumors at Stanford University claim, "that a microchip implanted in Chelsea Clinton's neck broadcasts her location to a satellite. . ." (Craig Dees, Watching From Inside. Vol. 13, The World & I, 02-01-1998, p. 150) Of course, as we’ve already seen, and The World & I also points out, such biochip "location" technology does not exist.And the Oklahoma "Baby Killer", Timothy McVeigh, claims the U.S. Army implanted a computer chip in his buttocks. (I bet some of the parents whose precious babies were murdered by "Monster McVeigh" would like to "biochip" a stick of dynamite in McVeigh's buttocks, and light the fuse. To "murder" and "mutilate" innocent little babies because he's mad at the government is a sick, wicked, perverted coward.)Killer Colin Ferguson, (whose racial hatred murdered six people on a commuter train), in a press-conference, accused the CIA of implanting a computer chip in his brain. 16 year-old Kip Kinkel, who on May 1998 murdered his parents, two students and wounded 25 students, said he was just obeying the "voices" in his head. According to Orin Bolstad, a child psychologist who examined Kinkel, the "voices" commanded, "You have to kill him. Shoot him, My dad was sitting at the (breakfast) bar. The voices said, Shoot him. I had no choice. The voices said I had no choice." After he killed his mother, Kinkel said the "voices" told him to "Go to school and kill everybody." Bolstad said Kinkel believed the "voices" came from, "the devil, a satellite or a computer chip inserted in his head by the government." (AP Wire, Nov. 04, 1999) In 1995, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said that young Prince William, heir to the British Throne, had a microhip implanted somewhere in his anatomy to discourage would-be kidnappers. (Texe Marrs, Project L.U.C.I.D. p. 111)According to Electronic Telegraph (Oct. 6, 1998), Italian dignitaries, who fear kidnapping are having biochips implanted in their bodies so authorities can locate them if kidnapped. Originally designed by Israeli spy-experts, Gen-Etics is launching the "Sky-Eye" chips in Milan, Italy. The Times of London, describes "Sky-Eye" as a low-power chip that utilizes electrical energy from the human body. Gen-Etics claims, 45 of the world's richest are carrying "Sky-Eyes". When asked the "64-million-dollar" question - What prevents the kidnappers from removing the chip? Gen-Etics says, they're working on a "sure-fire" solution. Already, the chip is inserted under an anesthetic and even the implantee doesn't know where it's located. Also, the chip is only 4 mm by 4 mm, making it hard to detect via x-rays. Conspiracy Nation (Vol. 8, No. 97) allegedly, intercepted an "official", high-level, IBM document that reports pilot-testing implants in prisoners in Texas, Massachusetts, and California. The highly-classified IBM document reports prisoners were unknown "guinea pigs" of the biochip titled "20/20 Neural Chip".Arizona Republic (July 20, 1989, p. B1) reports of private investigator Jack Dunlap's plan to microchip and track children. The system, titled KIDSCAN, would enable the authorities to locate a missing child. Arizona Republic writes, "Each child whose parents signed up for KIDSACN would get a computer chip planted under the skin and an identification number." According to Dunbar, Pennsylvania investors were prepared to invest $600,000 and military-industrial powerhouse, Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc. was prepared to produce the chips. In the end, Martin Marietta backed out and Dunbar's KIDSCAN came to naught. As Parascope comments on Dunlaps' failed KIDSCAN, "The year was 1989. Perhaps the idea came before its time. But as the technology for such tracking systems continues to advance, more and more companies are eyeing the potentially lucrative human tracking market." A very interesting and "enlightening" case recently popped up in a Worchester, Mass. court in June, 1999. Reputed mobster, Vincent (Gigi Portalla) Marino took the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration (FDEA) to court claiming they "had secretly implanted a microchip tracking device in his body two and a half years ago during surgery to remove a bullet from his buttocks." Here’s the New York Times report on the "unusual" case:"In an unusual case that unfolded in Worcester, Mass., last week, a reputed mobster by the name of Vincent (Gigi Portalla) Marino went to court to find out whether the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration had secretly implanted a microchip tracking device in his body two and a half years ago during surgery to remove a bullet from his buttocks. Prosecutors first argued that the Government was not required to confirm whether it had done such a thing, but later, after a judge ordered them to respond, they said the drug agency had not implanted a microchip in Mr. Marino." (New York Times, June 20, 1999)What made Vincent Marino believe that the government had "biochipped" him?A FDEA agent told him! According to the New York Times report – ". . . Mr. Marino said a drug agent told him had been implanted by the Government." Marino is currently in prison, and requesting an MRI scan to check for a microchip.Here’s the "enlightening" — and the "frightening" part: "Intriguingly, the Federal Bureau of Investigation would not say whether it ever uses such tracking devices. ‘This is going to fall into the no-comment category,’ said a bureau spokesman, Paul Bresson. ‘It's discussing investigative techniques, and that's about akin to a journalist disclosing confidential sources. It's very sensitive.’ (New York Times, June 20, 1999)But are humans currently being "biochipped"?As early as 1967, author Alan Westin was "warning" the possiblity of humans being "electronically tagged". In the "bible" of "Privacy and Freedom" Westin writes:"As the microelectronic circuits and microminiature components now available in space work and laboratory experiments filter into general use, such tags will become available in much smaller sizes, increasing still further the possibilities for secreting them in an individual's clothing or his personal and professional accessories. Receiving or scanning units will also grow more powerful and smaller, making it easier for investigators to carry them in concealed form on their persons.. . . Invisible magnetic-ink tattoos might be applied (for example, to babies at birth) to provide permanent identification of every individual; these might possibly be used also for locating a subject. Existing microminiaturized transmitters the size of a pinhead might be coded with an identification number, enclosed in a permanent capsule, and implanted under the skin by a simple and painless surgical operation." (Privacy and Freedon, Alan F. Westin, 1967, pp. 85-86) There is no question, biochips are "silently" inching into humans. For instance, at least 6 million medical devices, such as artificial body parts (prosthetic devices), breast implants, chin implants, etc., are implanted in people each year. And most of these medical devices are carrying a "surprize" guest — a biochip. In 1993, the Food and Drug Administration passed the Safe Medical Devices Registration Act of 1993, requiring all artificial body implants to have "implanted" identification — the biochip. So, the yearly, 6 million recipients of prosthetic devices and breast implants are "biochipped".ADS (Applied Digital Solutions), a major player in internet e-commerce and America's 5th fastest growing technology company, recently acquired the patent rights to the "world's first human implantable digital device". The implantable device is named "Digital Angel". According to ADS, it is "the world's first digital device — implantable in humans — with applicatons in E-business to business security, health care and criminal justice. Inserted just under the skin, with maintenance-free regenerating power supply, miniature 'Digital Angel' has multi-billion dollar market potential." And according to the patent abstract, "The device is small enough to be implanted in a child, facilitating use as a safeguard against kidnapping " ? HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" Applied Digital Solutions (ADS) Press Release? HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" Yahoo Business Wire Reporting on Digital Angel ? HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" Detailed ADS Patent Specs - PDF Format ? HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" U.S. Patent Info on ADS Device If anyone could truthfully answer the question — are humans currently being "biochipped"? — it would certainly be Donald G. Small, of Hughes Identification Devices. Hughes Identification Devices is one of the pioneers and largest suppliers of biochip implants. "We are not part of a military program to implant tags in humans. In fact, we are not part of any program to implant tags in humans, but a glass encapsulated animal tag only begs the question of the definition of what type of animal, and if that definition is a ‘mammal,’ certainly it would include man. Are there humans running around somewhere on the globe with tags — RFID tags — implanted in them? Yes! Absolutely, conclusively so."(Mark of the New World Order video, Virtue Productions)Listen to it The first "verified" human receiving a biochip is the highly publicized Kevin Warwick, professor of Cybernetics at the University of Readings in the UK. Warwick received a biochip in his arm that enabled doors to open, turn on-off lights, basically a high-tech-cyber-remote-control. Warwick told ABC's Good Morning America (August 30, 1998), "People have been looking at the possibility of humans and silicon chips coming together for some time. And it seemed about time to actually have a go at it."Would you consider having microchips implanted in your body? Are people ready to "receive" a biochip? Is the world "tuned" to "receive" a biochip? When the Social Security program was enacted in 1935, the public was skeptical. Most people, at first, refused to be "numbered". Less than 40 years ago, something as "seemingly innocent" as receiving a social security number was met with hesitance and alarm. What a difference, a "quick" 40 years of credit cards, smart cards, satellitles, computers and the "information revolution" makes! Is the public "ripe" for a biochip? Ann Cavoukian and Don Tapscott, writes in their excellant book, Who Knows: Safeguarding Your Privacy in a Networked World: Such a microchip [biochip implant] may strike some of you as a gimmick, but two doctors in the United States recently had a microchip containing their respective medical histories implanted in their bodies, as part of a trial. House pets in Europe and North America are routinely implanted with microchips that identify their owners. When a group of internationally renowned privacy experts met to discuss the privacy implications of the information highway, they expressed concern that 'these tracking systems will be adapted to humans. The conversion would not be difficult'. Among the many who shared this view was Simon Davies, the director general of Privacy International, who was dismayed that a number of professionals he had spoken to would not object to such a tracking system. . . (Ann Cavoukian and Don Tapscott, Who Knows: Safeguarding Your Privacy in a Networked World, pp. 83-84) Linda LeSabre, singer of the rock group Death Ride 69, says: "I love technology, and to me it's not moving fast enough. I think it would kick a__ to have all the things like implants and upgrades because the human body is okay, but it certainly doesn't have the incredible hyper-capabilities that we could really use." (Alternative Press) The rock group, Iron Maiden sings in their song "The Number of the Beast" — "666, the number of the beast, 666, the one for your and me". Shirts such as "666 Volunteer", "666", and "Route 666" are being worn by "eager and ready" young people. For more info see "Rock Music and 666". Craig Dees, in the World & I, says: Today's implantable microchip devices used for identifying animals are the precursors of devices that may monitor, report on, and even regulate a spectrum of conditions in the bodies of animals and humans. . . Implantable microchip devices offer many exciting possibilities in the fields of medicine and scientific research, as well as for general use involving, for example, credit card numbers or passport identification. . . I can see in the near future putting my hand over a grocery store sensor that reads my credit chip and automatically debits my account for the purchase. Considering the burdensome number of cards, identifications, and licenses I carry now, I would have no problem with placing my Social Security number, credit access, passport, and driver's license on a microchip implanted in me.(Craig Dees, "Watching From Inside", The World & I, Feb. 01, 1998, p. 150) Paul Somerson writes in PC Computing: "How’d you like to avoid waiting in lines for the rest of your life? Breeze through everywhere like you owned the place. Watch lights snap on, doors open automatically, money pop out of ATMs as you approach. Never have to show an ID, buy a ticket, carry keys, remember a password. You’d leave stores loaded with packages and waltz right past the cashiers. You wouldn’t have to carry a wallet. Ever. Family and friends could find you instantly in any crowd. There’s only one catch—you’d need to have a tiny little chip implanted in your body. No big deal. . .(Paul Somerson, "Inside Job", PC Computing, Oct. 1999, p. 87) A very informative "Mark of the Beast" "spoof" was recently staged on the Internet by Bill Cross. Bill wanted to try his hand at setting up a website. Bill decided for his first project, "a spoof website of a company peddling the mark of the beast". So Global Monetary was created with the advertising "Become an ID chip member and Receive $250!". Not wanting to cause real panic, Bill admittedly laced the site, "with enough clues so that anyone who scrutinized it would know it wasn't for real and would therefor not panic." Bill was surprized, "On the first full day of operation the site had more that 4,200 distinct user sessions averaging 6 minutes each". Emails began pouring in from hysterical Christians, privacy enthusiasts, the media world requesting interviews, and many who recognized it was simply a "joke". Realizing things were getting "out of hand", after just four days, Bill "pulled the plug" on Global Monetary. Bill also made this "alarming" statement, "I realized that I was getting another kind of visitor to the site: People who actually wanted to receive the mark of the beast just to get in on the IPO. I was totally blind-sided by that. I never expected that to happen. . ." CNN conducted a poll on Jan. 14, 1999, and asked the question: "Would you consider having microchips implanted in your body?" Here's the "surprizing" results of the CNN Poll: CNN POLL conducted Jan. 14, 1999Would you consider having microchips implanted in your body?Yes47%4663 votesNo?53%5329 votesTotal:? 9992 votesWhat's really amazing. . . So many are willing to "receive" what they "believe" to be the mark of the beast and, according to the Word of God, whoever receives the mark of the beast "shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, and be tormented with fire and brimstone for ever and ever! 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 What a mockery and ridicule of a Holy God! It's bad now — can you imagine what the tribulation will be like? When the "salt of the earth" — the Christians will be removed! When the Antichrist will dazzle the world with his "signs and wonders", prosperity, peace — the world will be "jumping with joy" in anticipation to worship the Beast and receive "his mark"! God help you, if you're reading this and have not received the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour. All these incredible technologies and events are not just happening — they're EXACTLY as the Lord said! Are there plans to biochip humans?Yes. . .New York Times, June 20, 1999 "We get calls all the time: 'Is this available for children?' " said Paul McMahon, a spokesman for the LoJack Corporation, based in Dedham, Mass., which markets a positioning device that has helped track down 30,000 stolen cars. People also frequently ask about using LoJacks for an elderly relative who might be suffering from Alzheimer's disease or other disorienting ailments, said Mr. McMahon. . . "It's inevitable [biochipping of humans]," said Arthur Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania. "Why? Because there's a level of concern, some based in fact, some based in fear, about the loss of children, about kids being stolen in custody disputes, about terrorism, about kidnapping, that leads people to be frantic about wanting to know where other people they care about are." PC Computing, Oct. 1999, p. 87Paul Somerson, "Inside Job""How’d you like to avoid waiting in lines for the rest of your life? Breeze through everywhere like you owned the place. Watch lights snap on, doors open automatically, money pop out of ATMs as you approach. Never have to show an ID, buy a ticket, carry keys, remember a password. You’d leave stores loaded with packages and waltz right past the cashiers. You wouldn’t have to carry a wallet. Ever. Family and friends could find you instantly in any crowd. There’s only one catch—you’d need to have a tiny little chip implanted in your body. No big deal. . . How will they convince people to implant these chips? First, they’ll hype the convenience of leaving your keys, credit cards, and money at home. Then they’ll automate everything from cash registers to tollbooths so if you’re chipped you can zoom through in a digital carpool lane." (PC Computing, Oct. 1999, p. 87) Time magazine,April 27, 1998, pp. 50,51:A single electronic card may replace everything in your wallet including. . .. . . your cash. . . your credit cards. . . your ATM card. . . your ID cards. . . your insurance. . . and your lifeFUTURE One card, or one chip, with your life on it.Time also writes, "Your daughter can store money any way she wants – on her laptop, on a debit card, even (in the not too distant future) on a chip implanted under her skin." (Time, April 27, 1998, p. 51)Popular Science, July 1995 p. 74 - E-Money"If we had our way, we’d implant a chip behind everyone’s ear in the maternity ward," says Ronald Kane, a vice president of Cubic Corp.’s automatic revenue collection group. Cubic is the leading maker of smart card systems for mass transit systems, highway tolls, parking, and other applications and one of a number of companies and government agencies pushing the frontier of smart cards — the money of the future. (E-Money (Popular Science, July 1995 p. 74)Brainticklers II, Beyond Y2K—Questions for the New Millennium and the Year 3000, Supplement to Business 2.0, December 1999, p. 14"What electronic devices will we choose to insert into our bodies?"Automatic I.D. News, April 1996, p.6Mark David, Editor-in-Chief, "Satan Big Brother and other uses of Auto. ID" "Bar coding people doesn't make sense, but tracking them via RF/ID tags or biometrics does — in many cases. The time has come for a logical debate about the ethics of coding people. The problem is, logic and efficiency cannot be our sole guides in this matter. Is there any 'logical' reason for not wanting to tag humans with RF/ID chips? (Automatic I.D. News, April 1996, p.6) Network World, August, 31, 1998Fred McClimans, A chip in his shoulder But look on the bright side: Who wouldn't want to stop worrying about where they put their keys or Mobil Speed Pass? And no more remembering pesky PINs, passwords or social-security numbers. Medical information could also be dumped onto your forearm chip. We could even probably away with those pesky "home arrest" bracelets used to monitor the criminal element in their own homes (imagine how different the Caine Mutiny would have been if Queeg had had chips in all of his crew - no strawberry problem there!). So perhaps the answer is to use this type of new bio-security device to accurately track information regarding what we are doing, and who is to accurately track information regarding what we are doing, and who is actually doing it. . . Let's say we all get together and implant everybody with these new chips. Are they safe? Sure — they've been using variations to track dogs for some time now. Sadly, I think the answer is chips. Let's face it, the potential value is too great. . . ABC Good Morning America, August, 30, 1998Part Man, Part MachineAaron Brown interviews Kevin Warwick, the first verfied human chip implantAARON BROWN: But I think what people are scared to death of, frankly, is that this is the beginning [Warwick's test biochip implant] of how governments — yours, mine, whose ever — who controls us all. We put these little microchips in. Popular Mechanics, "A Century of Technology", January 2000, p. 63 However, if technology follows its current trends, this may all be moot. Becoming ever more compact and powerful, how long before hardware as we know it disappears completely from sight, replaced by nanotechnology and bioimplants that plug directly into body and brain? Scientific American, "Rise of the Robots", December, 1999, p. 124 Alert pundits now foresee a world saturated with powerful computer chips, which will increasingly insinuate themselves into our gadgets, dwellings, apparel and even our bodies. Yahoo! Internet Life, "Be patient", December 1999, p. 132 By 2007, your entire medical history, including the sequence of your genome, will be stored on a data card in your wallet, or in a bracelet on your wrist, or on a chip in your earlobe. Business 2.0, "The Web Within Us", December 1999, p. 173 By the second half of the next century, there will be no clear distinction between human and machine intelligence. Two things will allow this to happen. First, our biological brains will be enhanced by neural implants. This has already begun. Doctors use neural implants to counteract symptoms of Parkinson's disease, for instance, and neuroscientists from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta recently placed an electrode into the brain of a paralyzed stroke victim who now communicates using a PC. Forbes, Sept. 22, 1997 Computers/CommunicationsAnn March, No place to hide TYPICAL AMERICAN FAMILY, c. 2008. Above their home, foot-long robot airplanes patrol several hundred feet up, on the lookout for criminals and even casual pot smokers. Both family cars are equipped with global-positioning satellite receivers and locator beacons. . . The parents, the kids and the dogs all have microchips under their skin with ID and medical data. . . The potential loss of privacy leaves Dr. Stevens uneasy, he concedes, but there is no better way to insure the accuracy of a person's medical records. He thinks it inevitable that microchips with medical information will become common in humans, possibly inserted under the skin of the upper arm. A&E (Arts and Entertainment Cable Channel)The Story of Money, (two-hour program aired 1999): Narrator: Everyday trillions of dollars are moved in less time than it takes you to screw up your transaction at the automated teller machine. More and more money is going digital. . . Some imagine everything you own will one day be tied to a single, easy to use card, or even in a computer chip, implanted in your skin. . . Narrator: The E-money future, however, isn't necessarily secure. The Internet wasn't built to be Fort Knox. In the wrong hands, this powerful tool can turn dangerous. Hackers have already broken into bank files that were 100% secure. One cyber-pirate downloaded 20,000 credit card numbers, courtesy of the phone company. Frank Abagnale (Forgery Expert): The problem is, if we have such tremendous fraud with paper we can only expect even much bigger frauds with electronics. In electronics you're dealing with people from all over the world that have access through computers and the internet to thousands of accounts and there's really no way of making the system foolproof. Narrator: E-money entrepreneurs are hoping to solve the problem of safeguards with even more electronics. Unidentified banker: The golden rule in banking is know thy customer. Narrator: Know thy customer, and then scan their eyeballs into a computer. Your eyes are like fingerprints and by recording them, a company can confirm your identity and your bank balance. Narrator: But how far will it go. Pretty far, actually. Neil Marcous (EDS): You'll simply have the chip embedded. You'll do a retina scan or some other kind of bio-scan, you'll validate who you are, you'll have your information, it'll transmit and you can conduct all your business, literally against a ledger, an electronic ledger somewhere. Note: If anyone knows the Future of electronic money, it would be the people at EDS. Over 90% of all electronic payments travel through EDS — over 25,000 transactions every 5 minutes!Narrator: Did you say embedded? Neil Marcous (EDS): Well, it could be embedded any number of places, for sake of artistic license, let's say it was embedded under your skin up above your left eyebrow.Listen to it Automatic I.D. News, September 1991, p.E35 "Monetary Union, Already a reality at Eurocheck" "The EC card is more than just a check guarantee card; it may also be used with a personal identification number (PIN) in automated teller machines (ATM). . .But what is the future of the EC card? A chip, of course! (Automatic I.D. News, "Monetary Union, Already a reality at Eurocheck", September 1991, p.E35Privacy and Freedon, Alan F. Westin, 1967"As the microelectronic circuits and microminiature components now available in space work and laboratory experiments filter into general use, such tags will become available in much smaller sizes, increasing still further the possibilities for secreting them in an individual's clothing or his personal and professional accessories. Receiving or scanning units will also grow more powerful and smaller, making it easier for investigators to carry them in concealed form on their persons.. . . Invisible magnetic-ink tattoos might be applied (for example, to babies at birth) to provide permanent identification of every individual; these might possibly be used also for locating a subject. Existing microminiaturized transmitters the size of a pinhead might be coded with an identification number, enclosed in a permanent capsule, and implanted under the skin by a simple and painless surgical operation." (Privacy and Freedon, Alan F. Westin, 1967, pp. 85-86) The Oprah Winfrey ShowYour Life in the Year 2000 (February 25, 1994)Note: The guest, Ms. Faith Popcorn is from Trend Tracker.Ms. Popcorn: . . . it's going to be kind of a more controlled future. Oprah: But the question is, will violence still be running our lives and will the schools be any better? Ms. Popcorn: No, because I. . . Oprah: Will we treat each other better? Ms. Popcorn: Well, we may not treat each other any better, but we can get over it faster. As far as violence goes, we're going to have little chips — as a privacy issue — implanted in us. So we — you know, we'll be tracking. You'll be able to track a child that disappears and get them back globally so that — because we'll all have our little memory chip. Listen to it Marin Independent Journal, April 2, 1989 p.A10Future Shocker: 'Biochip' 'Science fiction' technology here "Don’t reach for our wallet at the check-out counter. After your food items have been priced, tallied and bagged, simply pass your hand over the computer code scanner used on the groceries, and the bill will be automatically deducted from your checking account. . .Most likely. . . it would be implanted on the back of the right or left hand for convience, so that it would be easy to scan.(Marin Independent Journal, April 2, 1989 p.A10)Time Enough? Consequences of Human Microchip Implantation, Elaine M. RameshFranklin Pierce Law Institute web site "However, proving that old adage that there is nothing new under the sun, the concept [biochips] may be attributed to far earlier authors. The Book of Revelation of the Bible contains the following statement: 'He also forced everyone, small and great, 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. That mark could well be the microchip implant." (Time Enough? Consequences of Human Microchip Implantation, Elaine M. Ramesh Franklin Pierce Law Institute web site)Denver Post, September 2, 1995Chip envisioned to curb inmates ". . .the technology of the future might enable authorities to implant microchips into the heads of convicted felons as a way to handle prisoners."New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson FROM Parascope:Dr. Daniel Man, on the other hand, holds the first patent in the United States for a homing device designed specifically for implantation in humans. Man had the idea for this device "while I was a resident in plastic surgery and I kept seeing on TV all those stories about missing and abducted children." Man's device was designed for use in conjunction with a network of existing communications satellites, which would locate the implantee via triangulation. (Parascope)Wired, January, 2000, p. 162Within 20 years, there will be no avoiding MEMS: [Micro Electro Mechanical Systems] They will be in every telecom line, computer, and coffeemaker — even our own bodies. (Wired, January, 2000, p. 162)Excerpts from a speech to the 1994 IBM Health Care Executive Conference by Mary Jane England, MD, a member of the executive committee of the White House Health Project and president of the Washington Business Group on Health. (source The New American, July 24, 1994) "The smart card is a wonderful idea, but even better would be the capacity not to have a card, and I call it 'a chip in your ear,' that would actually access your medical records, so that no matter where you were we would have some capacity to access that medical record. We need to go beyond the narrow conceptualization of the smart card and really use some of the technology that's out there. . . I don't think that computerized, integrated medical records with a capacity to access through a chip in your ear is so far off and I think we need to think of these things." The Washington Times, October, 05, 1998, p. A21David Oderberg, He's got it under his skin But what we do know is that proponents of this technology [biochips] envisage first using it on animals (now widespread, particularly dogs, cats and cattle), then prisoners (more effective than electronic ankle tags), then children (e.g., newborn babies, so as to prevent their being switched or lost) and elderly people suffering from Alzheimer's disease (to prevent their wandering and getting lost). After that, who knows? The potential for the chips to replace credit cards and cash is huge, and will tempt financial institutions in turn to tempt their customers to "try out" the chip with no obligation to carry it permanently, and monetary rewards for those who persevere. Supporters of the injectable microchip say it is just the logical extension of a technology that already allows the heavy monitoring of people through pagers, cellular phones, "smart" cards and cars fitted with Global Positioning System transponders. The Digital Economy, Don Tapscott, pp.275-276 There are now chips that can be inserted into breast implants. Perhaps chips would be inserted into other parts of peoples' bodies for nonmedical reasons. We could track repeat offender pedophiles, or repeat offenders in general, or offenders in general, or maybe just offensive people. Microprocessor-based products can be attached to children to discourage abduction or locate missing kids. What about chips in children for extra and permanent safety? PC Week, Vision 2000 Special Report, January, 3, 2000, p.42The office of tomorrow A chip embedded underneath the skin of your hand serves as your identification for personal and professional transactions. The Birmingham News, January 2, 2000, p. 4JJosh Calder, In the 21st century, our luggage will be smarter and tougher A lost passport will mean less when travelers can wear an anklet, ring, or patch that contains all ID information, medical records and perhaps some e-cash. The truly worried can get implantable ID chips; either way, a traveler could have his movements tracked in real time by satellite. Popular Mechanics, January 2000, "Famous Americans Predict the Future", p. 22Sharyl Attkisson, CBS Television Correspondent " . . . We certainly aren't carrying around cash. Instead, each person wears a tiny computerlike device in a ring, or has it painlessly tattooed into his skin." Who Knows: Safeguarding Your Privacy in a Networked World, Ann Cavoukian and Don Tapscott, p.83, 84 Such a microchip [biochip implant] may strike some of you as a gimmick, but two doctors in the United States recently had a microchip containing their respective medical histories implanted in their bodies, as part of a trial.House pets in Europe and North America are routinely implanted with microchips that identify their owners. When a group of internationally renowned privacy experts met to discuss the privacy implications of the information highway, they expressed concern that 'these tracking systems [biochip implants] will be adapted to humans. The conversion would not be difficult'. Among the many who shared this view was Simon Davies, the director general of Privacy Internationl, who was dismayed that a number of professionals he had spoken to would not object to such a tracking system. . . Today, it may seem far-fetched, but how long before the microchip embedded in the beast implant and the transponder carried by children are merged into one unit? How long before one device can be implanted into our bodies to identify and track us, and to transmit this information electronically to a central database? PC Magazine, June 22, 1999, pp.142, 145Regardless of whether you like it or even know it, you have already established a digital identity. That identity is a constantly growing and shifting amalgam of your personal information, stored in the databases of state and municipal offices, hospitals and medical centers, insurance companies, stores, banks, and more federal agencies than we can imagine. That shifting, inchoate digital identity is destined to become much more "real." It will be sharply defined because you will construct and control your own digital persona, carrying it with you, embedded in a microchip, at all times. The growing use of smart cards, especially outside the U.S., paves the way for their acceptance as standard security devices. A smart card, whether in conjunction with passwords or biometric data, can help protect your digital identity by letting you carry that identity embedded in the chip on your own card, rather than have to store the identifying information in databases scattered across or linked via the Internet. In the future, those chips will be embedded in our clothes and perhaps eventually in our bodies. MetroActive News, December 12-18, 1996Michael Mechanic, Beastly ImplantsImplanted ID tags have become all the rage for saving precious pets. Internal homing devices have the ability to thwart kidnappers. Now that the future has arrived, would you prefer your chip in your wrist or forehead?. . . Within the next decade, human implants are almost certain to become available, too. . . And technology watchers believe it's only a matter of time before we, too, will carry implants. USA Today, June 6, 1995Mike Snider, Embedded electronics, a chip off sci-fi In the near future, people may have chips implanted under their skin with medical history information, even X-ray and MRI images, says chip designer Fadi J. Kurdahi, University of California-Irvine. Philadelphia Inquirer, January 21, 1996:"Thirty years from now, chips will be implanted in our bodies encoded with credit card, passport, driver's license and other personal information. We'd no longer have to worry about leaving home without it."Noah Webster, Southwest Radio Church:This past month I received a copy of a confidential report from an IBM affiliate regarding testing of implanted computer chips in prisoners without their knowledge. It could be determined where they went, with whom they talked, details of their conversations, how long they slept how much they exercised, etc. The only problem encountered was that the prisoners experienced nose bleeds, and the comment was that this problem would have to be solved before wider experimentation could be engaged. Electronic Telegraph, March, 1999"Just three years ago I put forward the notion that chip implants inside humans would become commonplace and as desirable as mobile phones. I also postulated that they would require telecommunication facilities. Well, the latest pacemakers now have a short-hop radio link, and in the past month there have been reports of paraplegics with silicon brain implants able to control computers, and artificial retinas restoring sufficient sight for someone totally blind to recognize letters of the alphabet. Most likely the next five years will see people with chip implants as commonplace."Newsbytes News Network, August 27, 1998Sylvia Dennis, UK Professor Implants Chip, Turns Himself Into Cyborg "In five years' time, we will be able to do chips with all sorts of information on them. They could be used for money transfers, medical records, passports, driving licenses, and loyalty cards. And if they are implanted they are impossible to steal. The potential is enormous,"Kevin Warwick, the first "verified" human biochip implant The Straits TimesIn 10 years you will have . . . a chip in your headTake out your wallet and count the number of cards you carry, not to mention all the Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) that you have to memorize for every possible transaction. . . Everything from employment and medical records to financial status can be written into the chip. Add a short-range wireless transmitter-receiver, implant the whole thing under your skin, and you have a personal transponder, just like those in airplanes. . . Even grocery-shopping could be easier. Just walk into a store and pick up whatever you want to buy. No more queues at the cashier's counter.All this could be reality in a few years time.The World & I, Feb. 01, 1998, p. 150Craig Dees, Watching From Inside Today's implantable microchip devices used for identifying animals are the precursors of devices that may monitor, report on, and even regulate a spectrum of conditions in the bodies of animals and humans. . . Implantable microchip devices offer many exciting possibilities in the fields of medicine and scientific research, as well as for general use involving, for example, credit card numbers or passport identification. . . I can see in the near future putting my hand over a grocery store sensor that reads my credit chip and automatically debits my account for the purchase. Considering the burdensome number of cards, identifications, and licenses I carry now, I would have no problem with placing my Social Security number, credit access, passport, and driver's license on a microchip implanted in me. Chicago Tribune, May 7, 1996, p.1John Van, In Future, Tiny Chip May Get Under Skin A tiny chip implanted inside the human body to send and receive radio messages, long a popular delusion among paranoids, is likely to be marketed as a consumer item early in the next century. . . "This is currently very hot," said Edward Cornish, president of the World Future Society, based in Bethesda, Md. "The field is developing because the technology is becoming available to do it." Although potential problems are huge, locator ID chips may be inevitable, said Cornish of the World Future Society. Cornish believes, at least initially, that such chips would be voluntary. But he acknowledges that "things that are voluntary today have a way of becoming compulsory tomorrow. Forbes ASAP"Is all this a good thing? Certainly many people are nervous about the privacy issues involved. . .What parent wouldn't sympathize with the idea of implanting a chip to enable the police to track a lost or abducted toddler?"Popular Science; August 1997, p.53 In the near future, watches may be old hat. Future cool may be a programmable LCD that tells time while implanted under a layer of skin. That's the possibility raised by a patent issued to Interval Research Cor., a high-tech lab in Palo Alto, California, funded by Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, among others.The device, called a programmable subcutaneous visible implant, would be close enough to the skin's surface for the display to be read easily. A control chip and a battery would be the other elements. Holding your wrist next to an external charger would replenish the battery.The device might also prove itself valuable in other areas; the health field offers particular potential, says inventor Andrew Singer of Interval. In one application, the implant might allow individuals to monitor their temperature or blood pressure at any time.While the implant is not actively being developed for commercial use at the moment, Interval sees further possibilities—perhaps even in the fashion industry. So don't even think about body piercing — it'll soon be pass. The trend is toward a watch you'll never lose.Futurist, January - February 1996, p. 11The Cyber Future Infotech will be implanted in our bodies. A chip implanted somewhere in our bodies might serve as a combination credit card, passport, driver's license, personal diary, and you name it. No longer would we worry about losing our credit cards while traveling. A chip inserted into our bodies might also give us extra mental power. Forbes ASAP"Is all this a good thing? Certainly many people are nervous about the privacy issues involved. . .What parent wouldn't sympathize with the idea of implanting a chip to enable the police to track a lost or abducted toddler?"Popular Science; August 1997, p.53 In the near future, watches may be old hat. Future cool may be a programmable LCD that tells time while implanted under a layer of skin. That's the possibility raised by a patent issued to Interval Research Cor., a high-tech lab in Palo Alto, California, funded by Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, among others.The device, called a programmable subcutaneous visible implant, would be close enough to the skin's surface for the display to be read easily. A control chip and a battery would be the other elements. Holding your wrist next to an external charger would replenish the battery.The device might also prove itself valuable in other areas; the health field offers particular potential, says inventor Andrew Singer of Interval. In one application, the implant might allow individuals to monitor their temperature or blood pressure at any time.While the implant is not actively being developed for commercial use at the moment, Interval sees further possibilities—perhaps even in the fashion industry. So don't even think about body piercing — it'll soon be pass. The trend is toward a watch you'll never lose.Futurist, January - February 1996, p. 11The Cyber Future Infotech will be implanted in our bodies. A chip implanted somewhere in our bodies might serve as a combination credit card, passport, driver's license, personal diary, and you name it. No longer would we worry about losing our credit cards while traveling. A chip inserted into our bodies might also give us extra mental power. Obama, Clinton visit India with wary eye on rising ChinaPresident Obama and Secretary of State Clinton are making trips to India and the region in the coming weeks, with an eye toward strengthening alliances to counterbalance China. President Obama and his secretary of state are embarking on Asian trips to build up an insurance policy in case the rising power China ever turns aggressive.Mr. Obama’s first and longest stopover next month will be India, a country that his predecessor touted as a counterbalance to China. The Obama administration initially reversed that talk, but has lately come around to seeing India as a key link in a regional safety net.Senior US government officials say India has a role to play in East Asia, with one calling India an “East Asian power.” They are quick to say they prefer close ties between China and India, and between China and the United States. But as China grows more assertive in its neighborhood, the US is looking to deepen cooperation with and among China’s neighbors.“I think the Americans, probably, and the Indian government sees China as a not-necessarily-hostile state, but a state which could be hostile, whose rise could be threatening. So therefore a policy of reinsurance – diplomatic consultations, military-to-military cooperation – without provoking China is probably the correct policy,” Stephen Cohen, a South Asia expert with the Brookings Institute, said at a talk in New Delhi.The previous US administration was more convinced that in the long-term China’s rise would be hostile to American interests. The Bush administration entered into a landmark “strategic partnership” with India in an effort to raise a competitor to China in Asia.Indian cautionIndia has been extremely cautious publicly toward China, so there’s some disagreement among analysts and former officials over how much Delhi wants to play a counterweight role.But Indian officials were clearly upset when Obama visited Beijing last year and seemingly turned the tables on Delhi by saying that China and the US would “work together to promote peace, stability, and development” in South Asia.Since then, US and Indian views on China have converged. That’s because Obama got little in return from his visit to Beijing, and the Chinese have grown more assertive over territorial disputes in recent months – alarming both the Indians and the Americans.“There is a congruence of interests and this happened after Obama got mugged in Beijing,” says Sumit Ganguly, an American scholar of South Asia on sabbatical in Delhi. And “growing Chinese misbehavior … had the effect of concentrating the minds of the Indians.”For some in Delhi, the Obama administration’s walk back toward India is welcome but still not close enough.“They are still in the hedging mode,” says Brahma Chellaney, a security expert at the Center for Policy Research in Delhi. “There is an attempt to do what Bush was doing, which is to line up partners.… [But Bush policy] was driven by a larger geo-strategic blueprint that the Obama administration lacks.”American hedgingThe US “hedge” tactic is straightforward: Expand involvement in East Asia regional forums, military exercises, and agreements to include the US and India, thereby diluting Chinese opportunities for domination.Hillary Clinton will be the first US secretary of state to attend an East Asia summit, which begins Saturday in Hanoi. India fought for US involvement in the forum’s first meeting in 2005, and helped fight – along with smaller nations – to get US access this year.The US has deepened military cooperation with India. US officials point out that the US has held more than 50 joint-military exercises with India over the past eight years – more than with any other country.The Obama visit will coincide with major sales of military equipment to India, including C130J transport aircraft, improved missiles, and maritime surveillance aircraft.Obama will be visiting India, Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea, in an effort to bring these countries together regionally. Or, as Dr. Chellaney puts it, “they are the four key democracies that you need to contain China.”India has already reached out to these countries, recently signing free trade deals with Japan and South Korea.“In many ways, this is happening without any kind of push or direction being given by anyone else, because India’s interests are driving it in that direction…. India’s trade with Southeast and East Asia has deepened,” says Salman Haider, a former foreign minister of India. “I think that the challenge now for India is not to confront China but to see how far there can be some kind of convergence [with Beijing].”. ................
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