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Governmental monitoring spreading

Sunday, August 29th, 2010

(August 29, 2010)  In 1965 Intel co-founder Gordon E. Moore wrote of  a technological trend in a paper. The paper noted that the number of components in integrated circuits had doubled every year from the invention of the integrated circuit in 1958 until 1965 and predicted that the trend would continue “for at least ten years”. His idea that technology capabilities doubles every two years (another Intel colleague declared that computer performance doubles every eighteen months) became known as Moore’s Law. As one who was born in 1958 I have seen Moore’s Law come to pass in my lifetime. Personal computers, smartphones, digital video and audio, space exploration, electronic financial transactions, global communication, and many other technological innovations have been developed over the last few decades. This could be the fulfillment of a prophecy spoken in the Book of Daniel, “4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” (Daniel12:4) As Moore’s Law states knowledge is increasing at an exponential rate.

The advent of the digital age may also have another prophetic ramification. God revealed the events of the End-Times to His servant John in the Book of Revelation. At one point John sees the most evil world leader ever to live rise to power on the global scene. Part of this leader’s power includes the ability to monitor the financial transactions of the citizens under his authority, “16 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: 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. 18 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.” (Revelation 13:16-18) Recent news events illustrate that this monitoring capability may be available at any time in the near future if not already:

“Government agents can sneak onto your property in the middle of the night, put a GPS device on the bottom of your car and keep track of everywhere you go. This doesn’t violate your Fourth Amendment rights, because you do not have any reasonable expectation of privacy in your own driveway – and no reasonable expectation that the government isn’t tracking your movements. That is the bizarre – and scary – rule that now applies in California and eight other Western states. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which covers this vast jurisdiction, recently decided the government can monitor you in this way virtually anytime it wants – with no need for a search warrant. It is a dangerous decision – one that, as the dissenting judges warned, could turn America into the sort of totalitarian state imagined by George Orwell. It is particularly offensive because the judges added insult to injury with some shocking class bias: the little personal privacy that still exists, the court suggested, should belong mainly to the rich.” (The Government’s New Right to Track Your Every Move With GPS; Infowars.com)

Forbes.com has story on Full-Body scanners:

“As the privacy controversy around full-body security scans begins to simmer, it’s worth noting that courthouses and airport security checkpoints aren’t the only places where backscatter x-ray vision is being deployed. The same technology, capable of seeing through clothes and walls, has also been rolling out on U.S. streets. American Science & Engineering, a company based in Billerica, Massachusetts, has sold U.S. and foreign government agencies more than 500 backscatter x-ray scanners mounted in vans that can be driven past neighboring vehicles to see their contents, Joe Reiss, a vice president of marketing at the company told me in an interview. While the biggest buyer of AS&E’s machines over the last seven years has been the Department of Defense operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, Reiss says law enforcement agencies have also deployed the vans to search for vehicle-based bombs in the U.S.” (Full-Body Scan Technology Deployed In Street-Roving Vans)

Backscatter Van
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A Fox Television website reports on biometric vending machines:

“Your thumbprint might soon be the key to an afternoon candy bar. A Massachusetts based vending machine company is joinng the growing ranks of companies that are field-testing new technologies. Next Generation Vending and Food Service is experimenting  with biometric vending machines that would allow a user to tie a credit card to their thumbprint. ‘For a certain demographic that is pretty cool,’ says company president John S. Ioannou. Next Generation is currently testing about 60 of the biometric machines in various locations in the northeast. The company is also testing other technologies. Ioannou says the key to the transforming the vending machine business is making the consumer feel more engaged.” (Vending Machines Of The Future)

The San Jose Mercury News reports:

“California officials are outfitting preschoolers in Contra Costa County with tracking devices they say will save staff time and money. The system was introduced Tuesday. When at the school, students will wear a jersey that has a small radio frequency tag. The tag will send signals to sensors that help track children’s whereabouts, attendance and even whether they’ve eaten or not.” (California students get tracking devices)

As with most technology there is an upside and a downside to it. The point of these and other monitoring technology stories is that when this evil world leader does rise to power the technology will already be in place for him to monitor his citizens’ behavior and financial transactions. It is possible that the events John witnessed in Revelation are in the not-too-distant future. 

 

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Doomsday Shelters, Record Hailstones, GPS Tracking Consumers, Eurabia

Sunday, August 1st, 2010

(August 1, 2010) Several headlines caught my attention this week. They may either be related to or reminders of End-Times prophecy.

Doomsday Shelters

The USA Today reports that there is a renewed interest in Doomsday Shelters which are reminiscent of the Cold War bomb shelters of the 1950s and ’60s. (Doomsday shelters making a comeback) The article states, “There are signs that underground shelters, almost-forgotten relics of the Cold War era, are making a comeback. The Vivos network, which offers partial ownerships similar to a timeshare in underground shelter communities, is one of several ventures touting escape from a surface-level calamity. Radius Engineering in Terrell, Texas, has built underground shelters for more than three decades, and business has never been better, says Walton McCarthy, company president. The company sells fiberglass shelters that can accommodate 10 to 2,000 adults to live underground for one to five years with power, food, water and filtered air, McCarthy says.” According to this article the Vivos company is playing up the Mayan “prophecy” which implies that major changes are coming to the world on December 21, 2012. Doomsday shelters may have a place in protecting people from some natural disasters and maybe even some man-made cataclysms but they will be rendered useless during the End-Times:

“12 And I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Revelation 6:12-17)

Record Hailstones

In South Dakota thunderstorms produced record-sized hailstones. (World Record Hailstone Weighed In Vivian) The article reports, “It was Friday afternoon when a line of thunderstorms fired up in central South Dakota. High winds, heavy rains and even a possible tornado rolled through the town of Vivian. But now days later, a hailstone picked up just moments after the storm is getting worldwide attention. The damage is proof that it wasn’t a typical South Dakota thunderstorm. Holes were punched through the top of buildings, and Les Scott will never forget what it sounded like. ‘A guy throwing bricks at the house and many of them and it was scary,’ Scott said. Scott watched as massive hailstones pummeled the ground. Tuesday, the dents in the ground are still visible, some as large and deep as coffee cans. But when the hail stopped, a certain stone grabbed his attention.” The article states, “the hailstone weighed in at 1.9375 pounds…The hailstone is down to 17 inches around, but was measured just a few days ago at 18 and a half inches. That is another world record number.” The final judgment God pours out on the earth at the end of the Tribulation Period includes enormous hailstones weighing 100 lbs. each:

“17 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, ‘It is done.’ 18 And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. 19 The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe.” (Revelation 16:17-21)

This judgment ends the battle of Armageddon with the second coming of Jesus Christ. The hailstones are fifty times the size of those which fell in South Dakota.

GPS and Electronic Tracking of Consumers

As technology progresses it also increases the ability of a corporation or government to monitor the habits and movements of consumers and citizens. There were a few examples of this technological capability in the news recently. Wal-Mart is putting electronic identification tags or “smart tags” on some of their merchandise. (Wal-Mart plan to use smart tags raises privacy concerns) This article reports, “The individual garments, which also includes underwear and socks, will have removable smart tags that can be read from a distance by Wal-Mart workers with scanners. In seconds, the worker will be able to know what sizes are missing and will also be able tell what it has on hand in the stock room. Such instant knowledge will allow store clerks to have the right sizes on hand when shoppers need them.The tags work by reflecting a weak radio signal to identify the product. They have long spurred privacy fears as well as visions of stores being able to scan an entire shopping cart of items at one time. Wal-Mart’s goal is to eventually expand the tags to other types of merchandise but company officials say it’s too early to give estimates on how long that will take.” There are privacy concerns over the use of this technology as this article states, “‘This is a first piece of a very large and very frightening tracking system,’ said Katherine Albrecht, director of a group called Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering. Albrecht worries that Wal-Mart and others would be able to track movements of customers who in some border states like Michigan and Washington are carrying new driver’s licenses that contain RFID tags to make it easier for them to cross borders. Albrecht fears that retailers could scan data from such licenses and their purchases and combine that data with other personal information. She also says that even though the smart tags can be removed from clothing, they can’t be turned off and can be tracked even after you throw them in the garbage, for example.”

A news story from May points out that tracking technology will be used to monitor citizens’ recycling habits (New recycling bins with tracking chips coming to Alexandria). This article reports, “That cash — roughly $180,000 collected from 19,000 residents– will pay for new larger recycling carts equipped with computer microchips, which will allow the city to keep tabs on its bins and track resident participation in the city’s recycling program. ‘If you know who’s participating in the programs, you can focus your education and outreach to those who are not participating,’ said Stacy Herring, Alexandria’s recycling coordinator.”

A third story from Brazil talks about the use of GPS to track consumers to their homes (Is Your Detergent Stalking You?). The article states, “Unilever’s Omo detergent is adding an unusual ingredient to its two-pound detergent box in Brazil: a GPS device that allows its promotions agency Bullet to track shoppers and follow them to their front doors. Starting next week, consumers who buy one of the GPS-implanted detergent boxes will be surprised at home, given a pocket video camera as a prize and invited to bring their families to enjoy a day of Unilever-sponsored outdoor fun. The promotion, called Try Something New With Omo, is in keeping with the brand’s international “Dirt is Good” positioning that encourages parents to let their kids have a good time even if they get dirty.” The article goes on to say, “Fernando Figueiredo, Bullet’s president, said the GPS device is activated when a shopper removes the detergent carton from the supermarket shelf. Fifty Omo boxes implanted with GPS devices have been scattered around Brazil, and Mr. Figueiredo has teams in 35 Brazilian cities ready to leap into action when a box is activated. The nearest team can reach the shopper’s home ‘within hours or days,’ and if they’re really close by, ‘they may get to your house as soon as you do,’ he said. Once there, the teams have portable equipment that lets them go floor by floor in apartment buildings until they find the correct unit, he said.”

[UPDATE: August 2, 2010] – A local government in the state of New York is using Google Earth technology to spy on it’s local citizens (Google Earth Used To Find Unlicensed Pools). The article reports, “A town on New York’s Long Island is using Google Earth to find backyard pools that don’t have the proper permits. The town of Riverhead has used the satellite image service to find about 250 pools whose owners never filled out the required paperwork. Violators were told to get the permits or face hefty fines. So far about $75,000 in fees has been collected.”

The use of technology as stated in these four stories seems innocuous enough. However, as tracking technology improves and becomes more sophisticated, governments could use it for more malevolent purposes. In Revelation John saw a government rise up which would monitor its citizens’ religious and economic habits:

“11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed…16 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: 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. 18 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.” (Revelation 13:11-12,16-18)

Eurabia

Townhall.com columnist Diana West wrote an article on the issue of Turkey’s admission to the European Union (Can ‘Eurabia’ Be Far Behind?). Her column starts out, “The battle over whether to admit Turkey into the European Union seems eternal, at least among the EU’s rulers. Among the peoples of Europe, when granted the rare chance to go to the ballot box — increasingly window-dressing as far as the EU’s soft totalitarians are concerned — there is little argument. In fact, there is bona fide consensus: NO to Turkey becoming a part of Europe. Why? Because, culturally and historically, it is not.

Tell that to British Prime Minister David Cameron, who just visited Ankara to present himself as Europe’s leading booster for Turkish EU membership (a move the United States has meddlesomely supported), pandering so low a prayer rug could give him cover.

Dubbing himself Turkey’s ‘strongest possible advocate for EU membership and for greater influence at the top table of European diplomacy,’ Cameron gave a speech that also attacked ‘those who willfully misunderstand Islam’ and who “see no difference between real Islam and the distorted version of the extremists.”

Of course, such a description likely irked Cameron’s host, Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan has repeatedly criticized those who make the distinction between ‘moderate’ and ‘extremist’ Islam. ‘These descriptions are very ugly,’ Erdogan said in 2007. ‘It is offensive and an insult to our religion. There is no moderate or immoderate Islam. Islam is Islam, and that’s it.’ Further, Erdogan in 2009 specifically rejected descriptions of Turkey as being an example of ‘moderate Islam.’ Enlarging on a theme, Erdogan in 2008 told Turks living in Europe that assimilation is ‘a crime against humanity.’”

She goes on to write, “Of course, giving EU membership to Turkey would be a political move with more than political consequences. Demographically alone, it would accelerate those finishing touches on the Islamization of Europe as Turkey’s tens of millions of Muslims entered a largely post-Christian, secular European society, bringing a weighty Islamic influence on European law. Could the total transformation to ‘Eurabia” be far behind?’”

A few weeks ago an Israeli news organization wrote about how Turkey was trying to inject its influence into Jerusalem (Turkey Claims Foothold in Old City). They report, “The Turkish organization TIKA, established and funded by the Turkish government, has recently put up several signs in the Old City of Jerusalem bearing the Turkish flag. The signs were hung without authorization, says Jerusalem activist Aryeh King, who has informed Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman of the matter. TIKA is the Turkish government body responsible for regional development projects. Two of the signs are hung along a major road with historic significance, Motti Gur Way. Motti Gur was the IDF commander who directed troops in retaking the Old City during the Six Day War. The road bearing his name leads from Jericho Way to Lions’ Gate.”

In 2008 Walid Shoebat in his book God’s War on Terror wrote seven reasons why he believes Turkey plays a main role in the End-Times:

1.Ezekiel ch.38 lists eight locations in the Gog prophecy. Five of them (Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Togarmah, Gomer) are located in Turkey.
2.The first Islamic Empire (which culminated with the Turkish Ottoman Empire whose capital was Istanbul, Turkey) is the fatally wounded seventh Biblical Beast Empire of Revelation ch.17.
3.Daniel ch.9 declares the people of the prince will invade Jerusalem. The first part of this prophecy was fulfilled when the Roman army led by the Tenth Legion destroyed the second Jewish Temple in 70 A.D. This legion consisted of primarily Turkish and Syrian soldiers.
4.Daniel ch.11 prophesies of a “king of the north” as a type of the Antichrist. Antiochus Epiphanes IV ruled the Seleucid Empire which encompassed Turkey. He blasphemously sacrificed a pig on the Jewish Temple altar and was a forerunner of the Antichrist.
5.Isaiah and Micah prophesied of The Assyrian who is the Antichrist. Assyria’s domain included a large part of Turkey.
6.Zechariah ch.9 lists Yavan/Ionia (Turkey) as playing a role in the Last Days. They are translated with the word “Greece” in this passage but are actually located on the Western coast of Turkey.
7.Revelation ch.2 mentions that the throne of Satan is located in Pergamum, Turkey. (God’s War on Terror – p.421-425)

Whether or not Mr. Shoebat’s beliefs are proven prophetically accurate remains to be seen.

Conclusion

All, some, or none of these stories may be End-Times related. Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of His day for not knowing the will of God because they ignored the prophetic truths of the Old Testament concerning the coming of the suffering Messiah, “1 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. 3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?” (Matthew 16:1-3) When the disciples of Jesus asked Him what the signs of the end would be He gave them signs to look for (Matthew ch. 24). His followers are to look for His coming and the events leading up to it. Paul said that Christians should be “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:13) We should not be like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day who did not recognize the “signs of the times” they lived in. God gave prophecies to His children so that they would sense His second coming as the apostle Paul confirms, “4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” (1 Thessalonians 5:4-6)

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Technology, Government Monitoring, Economic Crisis

Friday, May 7th, 2010

(May 6th, 2010) There have been several news stories recently that may be prophetically related to the global government and economic devastation John saw in the Book of Revelation:

“1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast [i.e. the Antichrist] rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon [i.e. the Devil] gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 9 If any man have an ear, let him hear…11 And I beheld another beast [i.e. the False Prophet] coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16 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: 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. 18 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.” (Revelation 13:1-9,11-18)

God revealed the End-Times to His servant John and told him to write down the things he saw occurring on the earth (Revelation 1:11). In chapter 13 of Revelation John wrote that he saw a man ascend to power out of the sea (of humanity). This man channels the full authority and might of the Devil to mesmerize the world to follow after him. He will use the forces of Hell to gain dominion over a large part of the earth. He will be so powerful that the world will ask “Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” A religious leader will rise at the same time and cause the world to worship the Antichrist. This False Prophet will develop a global economic system where no business transactions can take place unless the participants have pledged their allegiance to this evil leader and received his mark of identification. Of course, a military and economic system of of this magnitude would require the constant monitoring of the people who will make up his empire. Modern technology has made this scenario that John witnessed feasible for the first time in human history. Recent headlines demonstrate that the technology needed to carry out such an endeavor either has been or will be developed in the near future to allow this man to fulfill the prophetic vision that John saw.

One other event which God showed to John was the circumstances under which the world would unquestionably follow the Antichrist and allow him to take on the mantle of global savior or false messiah as Jesus called him in chapter 24 of the Gospel of Matthew. John wrote:

“5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” (Revelation 6:5-6)

John saw a series of events that took place on the earth during the End-Times. The first part of this series included the opening of seven seals which begin the seven-year Tribulation Period or time of trouble that is coming upon the whole earth. The opening of the Third Seal speaks of an economic crisis that occurs on a global scale. He sees that people have to spend the equivalent of a day’s wages just to purchase food. In the End-Times teaching of Jesus he declared that there would be famines in the earth (Matthew ch. 24). The Antichrist will seemingly have the answer to this economic devastation and all he will require of the world to solve the problem will be allegiance to himself and his empire. It is worth noting that Adolph Hitler rose to power when Germany experienced terrible economic distress immediately following their defeat in World War I. The German people were so desperate (There is a famous photo of a German taking a wheelbarrow full of money to buy food) that they swore allegiance to Hitler and looked to him as the savior of Germany. Instead he led them to worse destruction and ruin than they had experienced after the first World War. Likewise, the people of the world will look to the Antichrist as the savior of the world and this time it will lead to the destruction and ruin of the earth. Some Western Bible scholars believe that he will come out of Europe while others like Walid Shoebat think he will come out of Turkey. Either way for him to rise to power and fulfill biblical prophecy the technology has to be in place for him to control his earthly empire.

Financial Times – US prepares to push for global capital rules – This article illustrates the interconnectedness of the economies of the various countries of the world and the desire for international regulations governing these economies.

Washington Times – Bank bill could help feds snoop, GOP warns - This concerns a congressional financial regulations bill. This article states, “The consumer protection bureau, to be part of the Federal Reserve, and the financial research office, proposed within the Treasury Department, could gather information on financial transactions right down to consumers’ loans, according to critics, who said this is the first time the government would cast such a wide net. “They both have sweeping authority to collect information about financial transactions, and there’s little to ensure they aren’t going to collect detailed information, personal financial transactions,” said Jim Harper, director of information-policy studies at the Cato Institute.“ The point is that the technology is available to keep track of private citizens financial transactions.

Reuters – Many possible triggers for wider euro debt crisis - This article discusses the dire economic straits of the European Union. One day economic chaos will lead to the rise of the Antichrist.

London Daily Telegraph – New speed cameras trap motorists from space – A new type of speed cameras use satellites to measure average speed over long distances are being tested in Britain. The article reports, “The company said in its evidence that the cameras enabled number plate capture in all weather conditions.” This technology would allow governments to track individual’s movements.

Philly.com – Lower Merion report: Web cams snapped 56,000 images- Philadelphia school district uses free laptops with active webcams to take photos inside students’ homes. Government uses technology to intrude into citizens’ personal lives.

British Technology website The Register – Google Street View logs WiFi networks, Mac addresses - This story relates, “Google’s roving Street View spycam may blur your face, but it’s got your number. The Street View service is under fire in Germany for scanning private WLAN networks, and recording users’ unique Mac (Media Access Control) addresses, as the car trundles along. Germany’s Federal Commissioner for Data Protection Peter Schaar says he’s “horrified” by the discovery. “I am appalled… I call upon Google to delete previously unlawfully collected personal data on the wireless network immediately and stop the rides for Street View,” according to German broadcaster ARD. Spooks have long desired the ability to cross reference the Mac address of a user’s connection with their real identity and virtual identity, such as their Gmail or Facebook account.”

Agence France-Presse (AFP) - Police cameras to flood Manhattan to prevent attacks - The article states, “The high-tech system, modeled on the “ring of steel” in London’s financial district, is already in service in lower Manhattan, where Wall Street and the World Trade Center reconstruction site are located. Headquartered at 55 Broadway, the Lower Manhattan Security Initiative goes far beyond the traditional hodgepodge of police cameras, such as the 82 devices installed around Times Square. Instead, an integrated system maintains an unblinking eye, not just watching, but constantly collecting license plate numbers and video of pedestrians and drivers, as well as detecting explosives and other weapons. An important component of the program is coordination between the police network and private businesses’ cameras, something that has not been established in Times Square, causing detectives significant extra work.”

The Washington Examiner - New recycling bins with tracking chips coming to Alexandria - “That cash — roughly $180,000 collected from 19,000 residents– will pay for new larger recycling carts equipped with computer microchips, which will allow the city to keep tabs on its bins and track resident participation in the city’s recycling program. “If you know who’s participating in the programs, you can focus your education and outreach to those who are not participating,” said Stacy Herring, Alexandria’s recycling coordinator.” Notice the phrase about keeping track of those who are not participating. The Antichrist and his government will also track those who have not sworn their allegiance to him and participate in his global society.

The Pennsylvania Department of Taxation put out an interesting video in order to recoup lost tax revenue:

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Though this is just an advertisement one day such governmental monitoring may be used during the Tribulation Period. As you can see by the headlines above and many others like them, technology is available to implement the global economic and religious systems John saw in Revelation. All that is needed is for the Antichrist to rise on the world scene and exploit the technology to achieve global dominance.

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Earthquakes; Global Tax & Money; Government Monitoring; Islamic Ire; Doomsday Clock

Monday, March 1st, 2010

(March 1, 2010) In the wake of the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, MSNBC has an article on the increase of earthquakes around the world. (Big quake question: Are they getting worse?) The author writes, “One scientist, however, says that relative to the time period from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s, Earth has been more active over the past 15 years or so.” He quotes a geophysicist as saying, “We still do not know the reason for this yet. Could simply be the natural temporal variation of the stress field in the earth’s lithosphere.” (The lithosphere is the outer solid part of the Earth.)” Jesus gave signs to His disciples to look for when the end is near, “3 As He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the close of the age?’ 4 And Jesus answered them, ‘Take heed that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: 8 all this is but the beginning of the labor pains.” (Matthew 24:3-8) Leading into the End-Times Jesus said that false religious leaders, wars, famines, and earthquakes would increase in various places. He likened these events to labor pains which means they will become increasingly more painful and occur closer and closer together. The recent earthquake activity may be a precursor to what Jesus says will happen before the end.

Global Economy

The Prime Minister of England said that a global tax is near. (Global bank tax near, says Brown) The article states, “Gordon Brown said on Wednesday the world’s leading economies were close to agreeing a global bank tax, amid hopes in Downing Street that a deal can be concluded at the G20 summit in Canada in June.”  U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorses a global tax on stock trades and other financial transactions. (Pelosi Endorses ‘Global’ Tax on Stocks, Bonds, and other Financial Transactions)

In a related story the International Monetary Fund proposed a new global reserve currency. (Head of IMF Proposes New Reserve Currency) The article states, “the head of the International Monetary Fund, suggested Friday that the organization one day might be called upon to provide countries with a global reserve currency that would serve as an alternative to the U.S. dollar.”

The London Telegraph Newspaper economics commentator, Edmund Conway, recently wrote a column titled “I’m Dreaming of a Cashless Christmas” in which he said “This is a bold statement to make: currency has been an integral part of our world, in one way or another, since 3,000BC. But the simple fact is that we can survive without it. In fact, abolishing notes and coins could make the world and its economies far less dysfunctional.” (I’m Dreaming of a Cashless Christmas)  Some of the comments that followed his article brought up the issues of the “Mark of the Beast” and the “New World Order”. This caused Mr. Conway to write a followup article: (The New World Disorder) “A couple of weeks ago I wrote a column about the possibility that at some point in the future we may abandon cash in favour of electronic payments. I expected to receive a pretty healthy dose of criticism for what was a pretty radical suggestion; what I hadn’t expected was the direction in which that criticism would soon flow. Within a few comments, I was being accused of being part of a vast global conspiracy to create a New World Order (NWO, I gather one should shorten it to) in which the absence of cash would be a key factor. Well, to be more precise, the end of hard currency would also coincide with the introduction of a world government, a world currency and so on – you get the general idea.” He goes on to say he is not part of any conspiracy to “replace national governments with an international super-authority, though I’m flattered some of our readers believe I would ever be considered by the authorities to be worth involving in such an enterprise.”  However, Mr. Conway makes an observation about possible collusion amongst the world’s governments that I believe overlooks the bigger picture:

“And yet rumours of an NWO are still more pervasive than ever before. Why? In part, because members of governments around the world do talk to each other a lot, most often in open and usually well-reported fora (ie the IMF, UN, EC, Davos, the G7 and G20 etc). The whole premise of many of these multilateral meetings is precisely in order to forge a more internationalist style of politics where every country’s leadership thinks not merely of their own voters but also of the interests of overseas nations when they create policy. But this push is less an attempt to create an NWO than it is to avert the opposite – the threat of war. Remember – these institutions were set up in the wake of the Second World War, when politicians were trying to pull every lever they could to ensure there wouldn’t be a third war. So the conspiracy theorists are right: there is a push towards international government – but to suggest they could overreach each nation’s individual national interests is really endowing them with far more capability than they have…

Throughout my time covering economics and politics for a number of newspapers, I have come over time to the conclusion not that there is a carefully orchestrated global plan being masterminded by leading politicians (be it to create a NWO or, in some other way, to dupe people out of their liberty or prosperity) but that the politicians and policymakers have less of a clue about what to do than the rest of us. It’s been obvious every step of the way through this financial crisis – and that to me is actually rather scarier than the idea of a conspiracy. Are these people, who have stumbled their way from one disaster to another, really capable of engineering a global conspiracy, overturning peoples’ deep local tribalism? Not a chance.”

I agree with Mr. Conway that the politicians of the world are incapable of uniting the earth under one “flag”. However, the Bible declares that one man, unlike any other human who has ever lived, will by demonic power unify a large part of the earth’s governments under his administration:  “4 And they worshipped the dragon [the Devil] which gave power unto the beast [the Antichrist] and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation 13:4-8)

Whether or not these economic policies take place, it is just another indicator of the technological state of the world which allows for the global monitoring of financial transactions and the unification of the global economy. The Bible declares in the last days that some type of global economic system will be in place and run by the Antichrist and his government. “16 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: 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. 18 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.” (Revelation 13:16-18)

Government Monitoring

There have been some recent news stories (just like the global economic  monitoring that is now technologically possible) about government monitoring in other areas of citizen’s lives. In Australia, the government has monitored Australian’s waste usage with microchips placed in their trash cans. (Spy chips hidden in 2.5 MILLION dustbins)  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency said they may use a software technology called Einstein to monitor Internet communications on private networks in order to combat cyber attacks. (Feds weigh expansion of Internet monitoring)  Neither of these stories necessarily impute a sinister motive on the part of these governments in using the technology available. The point is that the technology is available for the first time in history to closely monitor the habits and behaviors of human beings. One day an evil government will use this techonology for its own evil designs. 

Islamic Wrath

Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi has called for Jihad against the country of Switzerland because of that country’s ban on the building of Islamic minarets. (Kadhafi calls for jihad against Switzerland over minaret ban) Kadhafi stated, “It is against unbelieving and apostate Switzerland that jihad ought to be proclaimed by all means…Jihad against Switzerland, against Zionism, against foreign aggression is not terrorism.” This is not the isolated rambling of a rogue dictator as Hamas, Hezbollah, Iranian Leaders, and Saudi Arabian Wahhabism have illustrated over and over again. The one world religious system spoken of in Revelation ch. 13 may refer to Islam’s attempt to convert the rest of the world to their faith and laws.

Doomsday Clock; Supernova

The Doomsday Clock, an invention of scientists originally used to illustrate how close the world is to nuclear devastation and now includes climate devastation, was set back recently because of the policies of President Obama. (Doomsday clock is moved one minute further AWAY from fateful midnight… thanks to Obama)   This article reports, “The Doomsday Clock was created in 1947, two years after the U.S dropped the first atomic bombs on Japan in World War II. It was originally set at seven minutes to midnight. It has been altered 19 times since then by the Bulletin’s scientific board. The latest recorded time was two minutes to midnight in 1953 as the Cold War heated up between the U.S and Soviet Union.” I find it ironic that this clock was created in 1947 because in November of that year the United Nations voted to create the nation of Israel. The next year on May 14, 1948 the nation of Israel was born. This event started the real Doomsday clock. God laid out a timeframe in the Book of Ezekiel:

“1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, 2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. 3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. 4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. 8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. 9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. 11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.” (Ezekiel 37:1-11)

In 1948 I believe that God raised the Jews from their “graves” and returned them to the land of Israel as a dry, secular nation. The next stage in the process involves putting sinews or muscles on the nation of Israel. This is mere speculation on my part but it may be that the powerful Israeli military may be a partial fulfillment of this part of Ezekiel’s prophecy. Muscles are an indicator of the strength of a body and the Israeli army has been an indicator of the strength of the Jews’ will to survive and live. 

The next phase of the dry bones vision stated that the nation of Israel would have flesh and skin put on it. The Bible does not speak highly of human flesh. It uses “flesh” as a metaphor for our sinful natures, which try to please God by good works or rebel against Him by evil works. I believe it is possible that when the Jews rebuild the third or Tribulation Temple, this will fulfill the flesh stage of their rebirth as a nation. They will believe they are honoring God with their new Temple and sacrifices yet the Antichrist will actually be using them for his purposes. 

This brings us to the final stage of the dry bones vision. God declared that He will put His breath or Spirit in the nation of Israel and they will be His people and He will be their God. This will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ. The prophet Zechariah spoke of this event: 

“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” (Zechariah 12:10) 

This passage is a reference to the second coming of Jesus Christ when the whole world will look on Him whom they pierced. God at that time will pour out His Spirit upon Israel and they will receive God’s Servant Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. 

The last part of this vision of Ezekiel’s declares that God’s Servant will be King over the Jews and the land of Israel. Again, this refers to the Messianic Kingdom over which Jesus will reign.

Thus, I believe the real Doomsday Clock began ticking with the creation of the modern state of Israel.

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Is technology leading to a one-world economy under the Antichrist?

Sunday, March 15th, 2009
Euro Coin

Euro Coin

(March 15, 2009)  Over two thousand years ago God showed to His servant John the future of the world at the end of the current age. He told John to write down the things he saw and heard. This resulted in the Book of Revelation. One of the things John observed was the rise of an evil global leader he called the beast and whom Christians call the Antichrist. He described this person in chapter 13 of Revelation:  “2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.”  The Antichrist will be a phenominal orator with the full backing of the Devil who will give him great authority to rule on earth (Revelation 12:9 confirms that the dragon is the Devil and Paul makes it clear that the Devil or “the god of this world” as he calls him has some authority over the earth – 2 Corinthians 4:4). John sees an assassination attempt made on this leader although its not clear whether the Antichrist is killed and raised from dead or just wounded: “3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.” It appears that because of his miraculous recovery from the assassination attempt and because of his great oratory the world will worship him (and through him the Devil). His power seems to be all-encompassing as the people ask who is able to make war against him. The Antichrist will persecute the followers of God: “7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” From this last verse we can see that there is going to be a worldwide religious cult worshipping him. He is going to have a religious leader called the False Prophet (Revelation 19:20) head up this cult: “11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” The followers of the Antichrist will be identified by a mark they will receive in order to become members of his cult: “16 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: 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. 18 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.” This is probably the most well known concept in the Bible to non-believers in the world. John describes a future economic system whereby in order to participate a person is going to have to become a follower of the Antichrist. He does this by receiving some kind of identifying mark in right hand or forehead. Some believe this mark may be a computer chip that is implanted in a person which will allow them to participate in the economy. The implication is that the economy will have to become a cashless society and that all transactions will have to be able to be monitored by this global government. Remember, John is describing things that he saw in at least the 21st Century with a First Century experience. Since he wrote this over two thousand years ago it has not been technologically possible to track all the financial transactions in the whole world until the last decade or so. The following headlines illustrate that we are headed toward the global monitoring of our finances and a one-world system to implement the fulfillment of this prophecy:

Nobel-prize winner backs world currency:  The article states “KAZAKH President Nursultan Nazarbayev has won backing for his plan for a single world currency from an intellectual architect of the euro currency, Nobel-prize winner Professor Robert Mundell. Nazarbayev, speaking at an economic forum in the glitzy new capital he has built on the Kazakh steppe, defended his proposal for the ‘acmetal’ world currency saying it might ‘look kind of funny’ but was not. And he received intellectual support from the Canadian economist Prof Mundell, who helped lay the intellectual groundwork for Europe’s single currency.” Russia is also calling for a common currency:  At G20, Kremlin to Pitch New Currency - “The Kremlin published its priorities Monday for an upcoming meeting of the G20, calling for the creation of a supranational reserve currency to be issued by international institutions as part of a reform of the global financial system. The International Monetary Fund should investigate the possible creation of a new reserve currency, widening the list of reserve currencies or using its already existing Special Drawing Rights, or SDRs, as a ‘superreserve currency accepted by the whole of the international community,’ the Kremlin said in a statement issued on its web site.”  In Luxembourg a United Nations panel also is supporting the call for a common currency:  U.N. panel says world should ditch dollar  - “LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) – A U.N. panel will next week recommend that the world ditch the dollar as its reserve currency in favor of a shared basket of currencies, a member of the panel said on Wednesday, adding to pressure on the dollar.” Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is calling for a single Islamic currency: Iran says capitalism on verge of collapse - The article reports, “Ahmadinejad made a series of recommendations, including currency cooperation.’The process of obtaining one single currency in the trade and exchanges among members, and in the next stages with other countries and neighbors, should be designed,’ he said.” China also has joined in the call for a new reserve currency:  China calls for new reserve currency - “China’s central bank on Monday proposed replacing the US dollar as the international reserve currency with a new global system controlled by the International Monetary Fund. In an essay posted on the People’s Bank of China’s website, Zhou Xiaochuan, the central bank’s governor, said the goal would be to create a reserve currency ‘that is disconnected from individual nations and is able to remain stable in the long run, thus removing the inherent deficiencies caused by using credit-based national currencies’.”  If the whole world eventually resorts to a single currency it would then be  easier to switch to a digital-only basis for a global system of finance.

45 percent of world’s wealth destroyed says Blackstone CEO: This article declares, “Private equity company Blackstone Group LP CEO Stephen Schwarzman said on Tuesday that up to 45 percent of the world’s wealth has been destroyed by the global credit crisis. ‘Between 40 and 45 percent of the world’s wealth has been destroyed in little less than a year and a half,’ Schwarzman told an audience at the Japan Society. ’ This is absolutely unprecedented in our lifetime.’ But the U.S. government is committed to the preservation of financial institutions, he said, and will do whatever it takes to restart the economy.” This last sentence is very revealing in that it states that governments are willing to “do whatever it takes to restart the economy”. This will be the same reasoning that is used to implement the Antichrist’s global economic system.

Web founder warns against website snooping: This Reuters article talks about the World Wide Web founder Tim Berners-Lee’s concerns about governmental and corporate monitoring of individual’s use of the Internet and their activities. The article states, “Technology now being developed will make it easier to decide who can see material one posts on the Web, and in what circumstances. For instance people may not want prospective employers to see an album of holiday photos, he said. Berners-Lee, a British software engineer who is now a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), said innovation on the World Wide Web was speeding up. ‘ The Web is not all done, it’s just the tip of the iceberg,’ Berners-Lee said. ‘ I am convinced that the new changes are going to rock the world even more.’” The technology will only get more intrusive as time goes on.

Advertisers get a trove of clues in smartphones: No technology is safe from either corporate or governmental intrusion as this article points out, “The millions of people who use their cellphones daily to play games, download applications and browse the Web may not realize that they have an unseen companion: advertisers that can track their interests, their habits and even their location. Smartphones, like the iPhone and BlackBerry Curve, are the latest and potentially most extensive way for advertisers to aim ads at certain consumers. Advertisers already tailor ads for small groups of consumers on the Web based on personal information. But cellphones have a much higher potential for personalized advertising, especially when they use applications like user-review sites like Yelp or Urbanspoon with GPS to identify a person’s location, right down to the street corner where they are standing.” What used to be personal is now open to scrutiny by government and corporate entities, even to the point that they can know our exact location at any given time.

There have been hundreds if not thousands of news stories similar to these. It is not hard to see how all this information that is becoming available to governments could one day be centralized under the leadership of one man. The power he could then exert over the world would be unprecedented in human history. John said that he saw such an individual come to power at the end of this age. The technology is here for him once he attains power. The only question left is, “Are the current world crises the forerunner to his ascension or will it take similar events in the future that will lead to rise of the Antichrist?”

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Government and technology continue to merge

Thursday, February 26th, 2009

(February 15, 2009) Recent news stories illustrate how technology continues to erode citizens’ privacy. The first involves the much publicized story of New York Yankees baseball star Alex Rodriguez’s steroid use. An article in the New York Times details the revelation of Mr. Rodriguez’s drug use: (As Data Collecting Grows, Privacy Erodes)   “The way Mr. Rodriguez’s positive steroid test result became public followed a path increasingly common in the computer age: third-party data collection.”   The article states, “The digital format makes it easy to cling to material that normally would be disposed of or would disintegrate. Storage is cheap and practically limitless. And Ms. Cohn [Cindy Cohn, the legal director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation] says of the people who dominate the Internet, ‘the people who design software, in my experience, tend to be pack rats.’”   The gist of this story seems to be that once information is stored on a computer it is open to public revelation at some point. It is interesting to note that J. Edgar Hoover, founder of the FBI, acquired personal information for use as political leverage against those who were in power. With technology dominating global economies and citizens’ private information it is easy to see how that one day a government could exert great power over its citizens.

On a related front the city of Chicago is proposing to put a surveillance camera on every street corner: (Surveillance cams help fight crime, city says)  “Mayor Daley has argued that security and terrorism won’t be an issue if his Olympic dreams come true because, by 2016, there will be a surveillance camera on every street corner in Chicago. But even before that blanket coverage begins, the “Big Brother’’ network is being put to better use. Call takers and dispatchers now see real-time video if there is a surveillance cameras within 150 feet of a 911 call, thanks to a $6 million upgrade to the city’s “computer-aided dispatch” system.”  Of course the reason for this seems to make sense. These cameras can be used in the fight against crime. The problem is that like all technology, if the power of it is in the wrong hands it can be used against citizens whether or not they are doing anything wrong. Governments could follow people wherever they go visually or electronically through financial transactions or GPS.

In Britain The Telegraph is reporting that the British government may use spy drones to “help police gather evidence and track criminals.”  (Remote-controlled planes could spy on British homes)  The article declares that there are those opposed to such government intervention, “However, their use is likely to provoke opposition from people sceptical of Britain’s increasing use of surveillance equipment, who fear they represent yet another example of the expansion of a Big Brother state.”  Again, this would be an effective tool in the fight against criminals and save policemens’ lives. Conversely, an evil government could wield immense power over its people.

According to the Drudge Report:  Media baron Rupert Murdoch issued an urgent internal communication late Monday, warning his staff: “We are in the midst of a phase of history in which nations will be redefined and their futures fundamentally altered.”  It is not clear to me what types of change Mr. Murdoch is referring to but I can agree that prophetically he is correct that our world is going to change.

The Book of Revelation declares that in the future an evil global government will exist. It will use all the tools available to control its citizens,  “3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast [i.e. the Antichrist]. 4 And they worshipped the dragon [i.e. the Devil] which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 9 If any man have an ear, let him hear. 10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. 11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16 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: 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. 18 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.” (Revelation 13:3-18) To control the world’s financial transactions was not possible until the advent of the computer age and digital transactions. As technology continues to dominate every area of society one day it will lead to domination by a global government.

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Will the GDrive lead to centralized information gathering by governments?

Sunday, January 25th, 2009

googlename(January 25, 2009)  Google is rumored to introduce a innovative technological service that could result in storing people’s information in centralized data storage banks. It is called the GDrive or Google Drive. (Google plans to make PCs history) Home and business users would store their personal computer’s information on Google’s servers and be able to access it from any internet connection. As the article states, “Home and business users are increasingly turning to web-based services, usually free, ranging from email (such as Hotmail and Gmail) and digital photo storage (such as Flickr and Picasa) to more applications for documents and spreadsheets (such as Google Apps). The loss of a laptop or crash of a hard drive does not jeopardise the data because it is regularly saved in “the cloud” and can be accessed via the web from any machine. However, this could lead to governmental abuse as one expert points out,“It is this prospect that alarms critics of Google’s ambitions. Peter Brown, executive director of the Free Software Foundation, a charity defending computer users’ liberties, did not dispute the convenience offered, but said: ‘It’s a little bit like saying, ‘we’re in a dictatorship, the trains are running on time.’ But does it matter to you that someone can see everything on your computer? Does it matter that Google can be subpoenaed at any time to hand over all your data to the American government?’” Whether or not this particular service occurs it reveals that the technology is available to concentrate the world’s computer information in one place. This of course is relevant to biblical prophecy because one day a world government will implement an economic system that it will control. “16 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: 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.” (Revelation 13:16-17)

The GDrive would follow this logic to its conclusion by shifting the contents of a user’s hard drive to the Google servers. The PC would be a simpler, cheaper device acting as a portal to the web, perhaps via an adaptation of Google’s operating system for mobile phones, Android. Users would think of their computer as software rather than hardware.”

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Oregon proposes satellite/GPS technology to track mileage used by its citizens

Saturday, December 27th, 2008

(December 27, 2008)  The governor of Oregon is looking for ways to increase tax revenue for the state’s transportation system. He wants to initiate this new source of funding during the 2009 Oregon legislative session. (Kulongoski to pursue mileage tax) It seems that Oregonians like the rest of America has been traveling less and consequently using less gas. This results in lower fuel tax revenues for the state. The governor’s solution is to use satellites to track the mileage each citizen uses and tax them based on each mile they drive. The article points out there are some critics of this proposal who are afraid the government would use the technology to track the travel locations of drivers. As with all other technology, its use by benign governments would not seem to be a problem. However, one day the governments of the world will come under the control of a malignant force who will use technology to impose its will on the citizens of the world. (see Revelation ch.13)

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Unmarked helicopter patrols New York City from high above

Friday, May 23rd, 2008

(May 23, 2008)  A sophisticated surveillance helicopter flies over New York City monitoring the population below. (Unmarked chopper patrols NY city from high above) This is another example of the use of technology to fight crime. The article reports, “Police say the chopper’s sweeps of landmarks and other potential targets are invaluable in helping guard against another terrorist attack, providing a see-but-avoid-being-seen advantage against bad guys.” The helicopter has “an arsenal of sophisticated surveillance and tracking equipment powerful enough to read license plates—or scan pedestrians’ faces—from high above the nation’s largest metropolis.” “‘They don’t even know we’re here,’ said crew chief John Diaz, speaking into a headset over the din of the aircraft’s engine.” A revealing statement in the article declares, “Kelly even envisions someday using futuristic “stationary airborne devices” similar to blimps to conduct reconnaissance and guard against chemical, biological and radiological threats.” In other words governments are going to continue to increase their monitoring capabilities of their citizens.

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National fingerprint registry for U.S. citizens?

Friday, May 23rd, 2008

(May 23, 2008)  A Senate bill proposing to bailout the home mortgage crisis included a plan to create a national fingerprint registry for U.S. citizens. (Housing bailout bill creates national fingerprint registry) It seems this was going to be done under the radar according to the article, “What’s a little odd is the lack of public discussion about this new fingerprint database. No mention of it appears in the official summary of the revised Senate bill. No fingerprint database requirement is in the House version of the legislation approved earlier this month. No copy of the revised Senate legislation is posted on the Library of Congress’ Thomas Web site, which would be the usual procedure.” The purpose is to regulate those persons who handle housing loans. What’s interesting is that earlier this year Britain debated whether or not to do away with their national fingerprint registry because of the costs involved. (U.K. May Axe National Fingerprint Registry) They have already stopped using iris scans for the same reason. This article states “If fingerprinting everyone is scrapped, it won’t be the first casualty of the government’s search for better identity verification methods.” It’s the last phrase of this statement that captures one’s attention. The search by governments for a better identity verification method may one day lead to the infamous mark of the beast.

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Posted in Archives 2008, Global monitoring, Governmental monitoring, Revelation 13 Antichrist | No Comments »

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