"He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.
This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666." - Revelations 13:16-18
It was not technologically possible to implement this until today. Clearly, so long as there is cash, it is not possible to implement. This prophesies a cashless society in addition to prophesying how the control of trade down to the consumer level is necessary to complete the control.
The most significant thing I've seen relating to this in recent years is Chex Systems, where banks blacklist people from obtaining a bank account. Ironically, in the short term, that increases dependence on cash for these people, but also shows just how difficult it is to completely depend on cash. That's where it becomes a demonstration of the power the instituions will have in a digital monetary (or cashless) society.
The scary thing is that no one has been able to challenge Chex Systems despite laws against blacklisting. Who can take on the banks? This looks really bad when you consider the impact systems such as Chex Systems will have when cash is eliminated.
Where this can overlap with DRM, copy protection and other things, is in the dependence on bits of information to implement. Posters have regularly noted that the broadcast flag only becomes a large scale issue when broadcast becomes entirely digital, which is inevitable given our current direction and mandates by our own government.
Contrary to other posts responding to you, this is something the Romans, in their wildest imaginations, could have only dreamed of. This type of control is clearly unprecedented, and we have yet to witness it. But, the digitization of economics is a necessary prelude to the control over people in order for our worst tyrant in human history to complete his mission.
It's also worth noting that the UPC symbol on most products you buy and sell today consists of 15 digits, although only 10 or 12 are numbered at the bottom. You can learn to read it, it is very simple. Out of those 15 digits, 12 are variable, and thus used to identify products. The other 3 are constant. They are 666. They are the first two lines, middle two lines, and last two lines. To see that they are 6s, look for a code with a 6 on the right side. You'll see the pair of lines for it are the same.
To learn to read UPC symbols, it consists of 20 symbols. 10 symbols are the left hand side digits 0 through 9. The other 10 symbols are the right hand digits 0 through 9. Each digit is respresented by two lines. Thus, there are 30 lines total for the 15 digits.
I wouldn't assume that the UPC symbol itself will be the mark. But, it's worth noting just how developed technology is with regards to Revelations 13.
We all know that prior art is one way to fight obvious patents. Yet, digging up prior art can be a challenge, particularly with the number of obvious patent requests filed today.
How about an organization and website dedicated to creating prior art. In other words, we simply document any idea that any of us thinks about. These ideas are then timestamped, so that if someone tries to patent any of the concepts after they were submitted to the website, we immediately have a source and documentation for prior art.
Is this legally feasible? Does prior art begin the day before a company files for a patent? Or is there a grace period that could cause a problem with people patenting things too soon after entries are made?
If it does work, then all we have to do is fill the public database with ideas. Then, any patents covering those ideas filed for after the data of any entries can be easily invalidated, and perhaps with patent reform, even prevented.
Because A requires B does not mean that B requires A.
Faith requires that it be unseen. But being unseen does not require faith. You can imagine anything you want, but you really haven't put any faith in it if you don't truly believe it. Are you telling me you believe your toaster is flying around at night? If not, then you really don't have faith in it.
Nevertheless, faith to those that don't have it, but are observers, are simply observing that someone believes something that isn't seen. This is a testimony, which may or may not be a testimony of the truth. As I clearly pointed out, this testimony by itself should not be enough for you to believe. But it could be enough, if enough people die for their faith, for you to consider it in your search for truth.
Science is NOT opposed to faith. On the contrary. If your faith is in the truth, then science supports it. Now, certain scientific theories might oppose your faith, but those are theories, not proof, and therefore not science as you define it.
If the creator of the universe created all matter and living creators, then it seems to reason that he is not composed of the matter or the living things we see. If he was, then he would have created Himself, and that would have been a paradox.
Yet, creation can testify that a Creator is, just as Christians being willing to die by the teeth of lions rather than deny their belief in Jesus can be a testimony.
Ultimately, there is only one way to know the truth. The creator of the universe and all living things would need to reveal it to you. However, if you don't want to know the truth, then why should he reveal it to you. It's resonable that a prerequisite for having the truth revealed to you is that you actually want to know the truth.
The Bible has been used frequently by archeologists, including those that don't believe in it spiritually. The Bible is a historical set of books, among the the oldest available today.
Even an atheist can reason that the spiritual significance of the books in the Bible to its believers helped to preserve it over the ages, whereas it would have otherwise been likely to have been destroyed or difficult to ever fully recover.
Don't forget the dead sea scrolls, which provided original Hebrew text for much of the old testament.
Archeologists uncover many texts from many historical societies. One thing they've learned from those texts, is that they often coincide with historal accounts in the Bible. Thus, archeologists and historians who don't necessarily believe that Jesus is the Christ or that God lives are wise enough to regard the Bible as a significant historical document helpful in piecing together many texts and archeological discoveries of the past from many societies that had contact with the Israelis and other nations of the old testament.
16 And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,
17 and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.
This wasn't even remotely possible prior to computers. Yet, how could John, nearly 2000 years ago, even foresee electricity, let alone computers and the ability to control commerce throughout the world through a global identification and authorization system?
Napolian, Stalin and Hitler could only dream of such a possibility. The Romain Empire couldn't even come remotely close. Yet, the technology is finally available.
With global treaties being rolled out to unite the world, currency trading virtually instantaneous, international communications barriers dissipating, globalism isn't a "what if" anymore, but "when".
Our generation is the first to see the technology to make the end possible. Yet, just as in Noah's day, Jesus says people will not be expecting His return in one of the books you reference, Matthew 24:
37 "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.
38 "For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,
39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
I think it was pretty clear that his/her faith was in "the word of God", while the theory was that God was keeping people from finding the Ark. Clearly, they are two separate things, which if you go back and read, you'll realize the poster couldn't have made more clear. Also, in the first post the user put forth the facts (tests, observations) that led the person to come up with the theory, including countless failed attempts to access the mountain.
>faith is complete belief in something without question with NO EVIDENCE
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Heb 11:1, NKJV
Faith IS the evidence of what science can't prove. If science can prove it, then it doesn't require faith. However, faith can increase with evidence science provides, while faith is also built by a relationship with the Creator. People willing to be eaten by lions with nothing visible to gain testified that they truly believed and helped to spread Christianity in its early years.
Of course, such testimony should never be enough to convince you. You need to find the truth yourself, and know it is the truth. No one can prove that to you except God himself. You need to look before you can find. Surely the creator of your ears and mouth can answer your prayer to know Him and know he is real.
Slashdot Mirror
It was not technologically possible to implement this until today. Clearly, so long as there is cash, it is not possible to implement. This prophesies a cashless society in addition to prophesying how the control of trade down to the consumer level is necessary to complete the control.
The most significant thing I've seen relating to this in recent years is Chex Systems, where banks blacklist people from obtaining a bank account. Ironically, in the short term, that increases dependence on cash for these people, but also shows just how difficult it is to completely depend on cash. That's where it becomes a demonstration of the power the instituions will have in a digital monetary (or cashless) society.
The scary thing is that no one has been able to challenge Chex Systems despite laws against blacklisting. Who can take on the banks? This looks really bad when you consider the impact systems such as Chex Systems will have when cash is eliminated.
Where this can overlap with DRM, copy protection and other things, is in the dependence on bits of information to implement. Posters have regularly noted that the broadcast flag only becomes a large scale issue when broadcast becomes entirely digital, which is inevitable given our current direction and mandates by our own government.
Contrary to other posts responding to you, this is something the Romans, in their wildest imaginations, could have only dreamed of. This type of control is clearly unprecedented, and we have yet to witness it. But, the digitization of economics is a necessary prelude to the control over people in order for our worst tyrant in human history to complete his mission.
It's also worth noting that the UPC symbol on most products you buy and sell today consists of 15 digits, although only 10 or 12 are numbered at the bottom. You can learn to read it, it is very simple. Out of those 15 digits, 12 are variable, and thus used to identify products. The other 3 are constant. They are 666. They are the first two lines, middle two lines, and last two lines. To see that they are 6s, look for a code with a 6 on the right side. You'll see the pair of lines for it are the same.
To learn to read UPC symbols, it consists of 20 symbols. 10 symbols are the left hand side digits 0 through 9. The other 10 symbols are the right hand digits 0 through 9. Each digit is respresented by two lines. Thus, there are 30 lines total for the 15 digits.
I wouldn't assume that the UPC symbol itself will be the mark. But, it's worth noting just how developed technology is with regards to Revelations 13.
How about an organization and website dedicated to creating prior art. In other words, we simply document any idea that any of us thinks about. These ideas are then timestamped, so that if someone tries to patent any of the concepts after they were submitted to the website, we immediately have a source and documentation for prior art.
Is this legally feasible? Does prior art begin the day before a company files for a patent? Or is there a grace period that could cause a problem with people patenting things too soon after entries are made?
If it does work, then all we have to do is fill the public database with ideas. Then, any patents covering those ideas filed for after the data of any entries can be easily invalidated, and perhaps with patent reform, even prevented.
What do you think, /.?
Faith requires that it be unseen. But being unseen does not require faith. You can imagine anything you want, but you really haven't put any faith in it if you don't truly believe it. Are you telling me you believe your toaster is flying around at night? If not, then you really don't have faith in it.
Nevertheless, faith to those that don't have it, but are observers, are simply observing that someone believes something that isn't seen. This is a testimony, which may or may not be a testimony of the truth. As I clearly pointed out, this testimony by itself should not be enough for you to believe. But it could be enough, if enough people die for their faith, for you to consider it in your search for truth.
Science is NOT opposed to faith. On the contrary. If your faith is in the truth, then science supports it. Now, certain scientific theories might oppose your faith, but those are theories, not proof, and therefore not science as you define it.
If the creator of the universe created all matter and living creators, then it seems to reason that he is not composed of the matter or the living things we see. If he was, then he would have created Himself, and that would have been a paradox.
Yet, creation can testify that a Creator is, just as Christians being willing to die by the teeth of lions rather than deny their belief in Jesus can be a testimony.
Ultimately, there is only one way to know the truth. The creator of the universe and all living things would need to reveal it to you. However, if you don't want to know the truth, then why should he reveal it to you. It's resonable that a prerequisite for having the truth revealed to you is that you actually want to know the truth.
Even an atheist can reason that the spiritual significance of the books in the Bible to its believers helped to preserve it over the ages, whereas it would have otherwise been likely to have been destroyed or difficult to ever fully recover.
Don't forget the dead sea scrolls, which provided original Hebrew text for much of the old testament.
Archeologists uncover many texts from many historical societies. One thing they've learned from those texts, is that they often coincide with historal accounts in the Bible. Thus, archeologists and historians who don't necessarily believe that Jesus is the Christ or that God lives are wise enough to regard the Bible as a significant historical document helpful in piecing together many texts and archeological discoveries of the past from many societies that had contact with the Israelis and other nations of the old testament.
And who would you say the intolerant are on /. today?
Claiming you're a "pastor", "evangelical" and believing "Jesus Stuff", while posting as an Anonymous Coward, does seem to suggest something.
17 and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.
This wasn't even remotely possible prior to computers. Yet, how could John, nearly 2000 years ago, even foresee electricity, let alone computers and the ability to control commerce throughout the world through a global identification and authorization system?
Napolian, Stalin and Hitler could only dream of such a possibility. The Romain Empire couldn't even come remotely close. Yet, the technology is finally available.
With global treaties being rolled out to unite the world, currency trading virtually instantaneous, international communications barriers dissipating, globalism isn't a "what if" anymore, but "when".
Our generation is the first to see the technology to make the end possible. Yet, just as in Noah's day, Jesus says people will not be expecting His return in one of the books you reference, Matthew 24:
37 "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.
38 "For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,
39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
I think it was pretty clear that his/her faith was in "the word of God", while the theory was that God was keeping people from finding the Ark. Clearly, they are two separate things, which if you go back and read, you'll realize the poster couldn't have made more clear. Also, in the first post the user put forth the facts (tests, observations) that led the person to come up with the theory, including countless failed attempts to access the mountain.
>faith is complete belief in something without question with NO EVIDENCE
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Heb 11:1, NKJV
Faith IS the evidence of what science can't prove. If science can prove it, then it doesn't require faith. However, faith can increase with evidence science provides, while faith is also built by a relationship with the Creator. People willing to be eaten by lions with nothing visible to gain testified that they truly believed and helped to spread Christianity in its early years.
Of course, such testimony should never be enough to convince you. You need to find the truth yourself, and know it is the truth. No one can prove that to you except God himself. You need to look before you can find. Surely the creator of your ears and mouth can answer your prayer to know Him and know he is real.