You know, I was surfing the net and I came across this website www.verichip.com. This chip implanted into the skin would protect the host (the person who has the implant them) concerning their money, privacy, etc. I researched further concerning this verichip and found out it is manufactured by Motorola and its share holdings are 51% owned by Master Card, who also brought out the "smart card" some years back which acts the same way. This verichip, only (get this) works best when it is implanted either in the right hand or under the skin of the forehead!!! NOW my brothers and sisters, my question is HOW CLOSE ARE WE TO THE MARK OF THE BEAST???

-- Anonymous, March 30, 2004

Answers

Dear Minister Crawford Your question is both correct and timely. This news is in fact a little out-dated as the next version is already under development. The verichip has a hazardous material insulated in the capsule that holds the chip. If the chip is broken, through accidental or deliberate smashing of the back of the hand. This material will enter the blood system and poison the host. Information I have received is that this would not kill the host because the problem can be treated but there are always the what-if's.

In closing it is my view that we are only as close to the beast as we choose to be.The enemy is always busy seeking out those he can steal kill and destroy. I for one have no desire to have this ridiculous need for my information to be secured in such a way. God did not give us a spirit of fear. This message was just preached on Sunday at St.James AME Church in Frederick Maryland by my Bermuda Onion brother and friend the Rev. Wendall Christopher. Let's not go there with verichip or any other.

-- Anonymous, March 31, 2004

Minister Crawford,

There is another company that makes a similar chip. Applied Digital Solutions (ADSX). They just got a patent to tag cattle in a similar fashion. They were discussed in a previous thread.

Ever since the U.S. got off the Gold System (and, one might argue, since we adopted the Fractional Reserve Banking System), we have been heading toward the Mark of The Beast...

Oh well, the best (and worst) are yet to come...

-- Anonymous, March 31, 2004

Parson Harper opines -

"Ever since the U.S. got off the Gold System (and, one might argue, since we adopted the Fractional Reserve Banking System), we have been heading toward the Mark of The Beast..."

Hmmm........in my many years of studying monetary policy and international trade I have never encountered a linkage between fixed exchange rates and the Book of Revelations. Most economists agree that the decision to abandon the gold standard promoted international prosperity and pricing flexibility. Perhaps, for a modest fee, I can provide some with a crash course about the hidden dangers of fixed exchange rate regimes :-) QED

-- Anonymous, March 31, 2004

Hee Hee....

The quick and dirty: The money you carry in your pocket has no physical value; It is worth only what the seller/vendor is willing to give you in exchange for it. It used to be that a $10 bill was backed by $10 in tangible assets (gold, silver, diamonds), and could be redeemed in exchange for that asset.

Fractional Reserve Banking says that I don't have to have all of your money on hand in the bank. If you deposit $1000 in your bank, that bank only has to keep $100 on hand. Where is the other $900? Supposedly at the Federal Reserve Bank. But....

The minute you deposited that $1000, the bank's books show an excess of $900 in demand deposits (the money moves to a different column on the balance sheet). What does that mean?

It means the bank can now make a loan of $9000.00 (using that $900 as the reserve). Yes, money is being created out of thin air....The funny part is your bank is loaning that "money" out at rates between 5% (homes) and 19% (Credit Cards).

With me so far? This process can be repeated ad infinitum. What is there's a run on the bank? The Federal Reserve Bank exercises its emregeny powers and PRINTS ENOUGH MONEY TO COVER THE RUN. THe net effect? Your dollar is both worth less and worthless, hance my original point.

How do we get from this system to the Mark of the Beast?

1. Money has been reduced to digits on computers.

2. ATMs and Direct Deposit are commonplace, making the carrying of money dangerous and obsolete.

3. ATM/Identity Theft are rampant, which require safeguards.

4. Biometric (Finger/eye/lip/ear prints) security devices appear for PCs and retail stores.

5. A thief can still obtain your fingerprints and use them to defeat biometric scans.

6. The verichip and the "digital angle" chip are introduced, making it nearly impossible to commit identity theft.

-- Anonymous, March 31, 2004

Parson Harper -

You are a most interesting monetarist :-) The passage of the Federal Reserve Act in 1914 represented one of the most important pieces of legislation of the 20th century. Fractional reserve banking represents the foundation for money growth and banking stability which in turn opens up opportunities for credit, business development and employment growth. The money multiplier (equal to the reciprocal of the reserve requirement rate) along with the normal lags in M1 & M2 grwoth rates measure the impact on GDP. There a a few "gold bugs" still in existence and I guess you have renewed your membership. While your eclectic monetary theory has no doubt attracted a few followers, trust me when I say the gold standard is incompatible with promoting efficient international capital flows and macroeconomic growth. The costs of monetary discipline that a gold standard requires can have devastating efects on employment and GDP growth. Now the leap of faith you make about innovations in money and the eschatology contained in Revelations is, well, somewhat of a stretch. But, I admit you have definitely got me interested in the topic.

P.S. Pleae don't quit your day job as geek/preacher in pursuit of a career in economics. We already have our share of eccentric personalities :-) QED

-- Anonymous, March 31, 2004

More signs that Jesus is Comin' soon:

Click on the link and tell me what you are looking at.

http://www.rfidjournal.com/ezimagecatalogue/catalogue/phpSnTWUU.j pg

Give up? You are looking at the size of the newest RFID chips (Radio Frequency Identification). The Gillette Corporation has been testing these chips in conjunction with Wal-Mart for inventory and sales.

The German chain Metro Group, which operates 2300 stores in Europe and Asia has demanded that their top suppliers tag merchadise down to the pallet level (Wal-Mart and Target are asking the same thing by 2005).

But wait...Metro Group has gone even further with RFID to operate what they call the "Store of the future" where shoppers needn't remove items from shopping carts to pay for them. They simply pass by RFID readers and all items will be tallied and paid for. Metro stores provide RFID tagged "loyalty cards" to consumers that identifies those shoppers by reading within purses and wallets as those consumers enter and leave any of the 2300 Metro stores.

Even the Department of Defense is getting into the RFID inventory tracking game.

What does it mean?

It means that shortly, your store will be able to match you up with any purchase (or theft) you make. It means that criminals tagged with an RFID chip will be caught if they escape and go near any spot equipped with RFID readers. It means that nothing you do will be secret. And in the case of Metro Group, it means that I have no need to carry money around any more.

For more information: visit this link http://privacynotes.com/RFID/

Spread the Word! Preach the Word! The Day of the Lord is at hand!

-- Anonymous, April 02, 2004

Without leaving too many keywords that will pop up in a search engine, I would say both of you gentlemen are pointing out significant legs that get us into eschatological finance.

On the one hand, Bill, let me refer you to the foundational legislation for the Federal Reserve Act, and some of the backers of it (see specific senators, and specific aids to the President of the time). Let me also suggest that it is no coincidence that within 7 years of its establishment, a certain Council was founded in New York, whose members include the elite of both parties and of the media.

With regard to "backed" money, I thought silver certificates went away some time afetr the great depression (For those of you who have literally old money, look above the portrait of the bill: if it says "Federal Reserve Note", it's currency developed as part of the system. if it says "Silver Certificate"., it's redeemable for an equivalent amount of silver.)

Stratton Woods and the removal of fixed exchange rate are indeed the economic triggers: recall that under burns, we were sliding into stagflation. but also, not long after stratton woods, we see the estblaihsment by a significan t banker and member of a known bed"Rock" family of New York estbalishing a commission that would set the stage for three major currencies being the backbone of the world economy (dollar, eventual euro, yen). It is much easier to go from three to 1 than from three hundred to one.

Nevertheless, I am enjoying the insights you both share. :)

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2004