BEGINNING OF THE END?
October 15, 2003
Before reading, please refer to this article:
http://www.adsx.com/news/2003/092503.html


" 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. – Revelation 13:16-17 (KJV)

He replied, "When evening comes you say, It will be fair weather, for the sky is red, and in the morning, today will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast. You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. - Mathew 16:2-3 (NIV)

From the above article there is no definite way to determine whether or not the "verichip" (verification chip) is some embryonic stage of the mark of the beast. However, this article, along with certain scriptural text, and certain laws of our national government that the average citizen may be unaware of, should provoke some interesting thought in the mind of any believer. I realize that there are many different "end time" beliefs (post, pre, mid tribulation etc.); my own may differ from many of you. Without starting a debate over eschatology, lets pause, and as believers take a look at a few things.

The passage in revelation tells of a mark that is basically essential for life in those days to come "no man may buy or sell, save he that had the mark". Evidently this mark must be able to contain one’s financial information. The article reads, "The verichip can be used for a variety of security, financial, emergency identification, and "other applications." One might say well that is interesting, however this is an independent company and the mark will have to be enforced by a governing body. Now remember my purpose is to provoke thought, with this in mind lets take a look at something called an Executive Order.

Executive Orders are official documents, numbered consecutively, through which the president of the United States manages the operations of the federal government.

The text of the executive orders appears in the daily federal register as each executive order is signed by the president and received by the office of the federal register. They also appear in the Code of Federal regulations. Government Archives

In the here and now, regardless of what you believe this Verichip center (see above link) is a reality in downtown Manhattan. The Government has the power to make it a form of registry, and the possible applications of this device bear an uncanny resemblance to the "mark" of Revelation. Christ asked, " How is it that you cannot interpret the signs of the times".

To some who have a more mid or post trib. stance I might not be sharing anything new, but I say in light of this and other things occurring in this age what good is all this information if it does not motivate you to reach lost souls, are we doing enough? To some of the more pre-trib persuasion this information may have little relevance as we will not be here for any of this anyway, even if that is the case, how can we say that we are followers of Christ and not share his compassion for a people who are about to face this threat head on? In any event the body of Christ must be moved to action, the times clearly dictate this.

Your brother,
Bob Young a.k.a. Precise (Yuinon Local 718)