The Mark of the Beast
"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred three score and six." (Rev. 13:16-18)
Many Bible readers over the centuries have been puzzled, wondering just how such a system could ever be established, but it's no longer a puzzle. Advanced technology has brought the world closer to the Mark of the Beast than anything else in history.
We know that the coming Mark of the Beast will somehow be connected with the economy, for the Bible says that no one may buy or sell without it. It may very well be that cash, checks, and credit cards are soon to become a thing of the past, because electronic money is becoming more popular all the time.
One form of electronic money is the use of smart cards. A smart card looks like a credit or debit card, except it contains a small computer chip with all sorts of information about the card holder, including bank account numbers and balances. When a smart card is used, the card holder's bank account is immediately debited at the point of sale by computer transaction. This means more profits to retailers and banks alike, for bad checks and credit card abuse would be eliminated. Many banks and credit card companies believe that electronic money will eventually usher in a cashless society where everyone will buy and sell electronically. Terry Galanoy, former director of communications for what is now Visa International has made this bold remark: "Protesting too loudly about it isn't going to help either, because the disturbance you kick up is going to end up in one of your files. And on that come-and-get-it day when we're all totally and completely dependent upon our card--or whatever security device might replace it--you might be left all alone without one!"
In promotional literature from the Danyl Corporation of Moorestown, New Jersey, Robert J. Merkert, Sr., senior vice president, says: "One day in the near future, we'll be able to pay for almost everything with just one 'prepaid stored value' or 'smart card.'"
Though many industry leaders are very much in favor of a cashless society where buying and selling is done electronically, there is a problem. How can it be guaranteed that the individual using a Smart Card is the authorized card holder? Some believe that this problem can be solved by combining Smart Card technology with Biometric Technology. After all, a Smart "Card" is only a piece of plastic. It's the computer chip inside the card that stores the needed information. As unbelievable as it may sound, biometric technology has now made it possible to implant small computer chips under the skin of animals and people. The European Community's Executive Commission has already passed legislation which REQUIRES farmers in the EC to have their livestock implanted with microchips! In many cities across the U.S., the Humane Society is selling such implants for pets, as a replacement for dog tags.
You say, "Well, that's just for animals. No one would ever try this technology on people." I wouldn't be too sure about that. According to the book, The Mark of the Beast, by Paul and Peter Lalond, a plastic surgeon in Florida has hit upon the idea of implanting microchips in people. This would be helpful in locating missing people, such as run away children, kidnapped children, wandering victims of Alzheimer's disease, and parolees.
Just for a moment, use your imagination and think about the convenience of implanted microchips. You wouldn't need any cash or checks for making purchases, for your bank account would be automatically debited every time you went through a check-out stand. You wouldn't need to keep up with a social security card, a driver's license, a Medicare card, a credit card, or even a smart card, because all of this information could be stored in the implanted chip. You wouldn't have to worry about getting mugged on the street, because there would be no demand for cash in a cashless society.
We are not saying that the government is going to make you receive a microchip implant, and we aren't sure how the number "666" can be integrated into all this. We are simply pointing out the fact that THE TECHNOLOGY IS HERE. We do not know exactly what the Mark of the Beast will be in it's final form, but it is obvious that the possibilities are greater today than ever before.
Your Only Escape
Only by receiving Jesus Christ as your Savior can you be saved from the wrath to come (1 Ths. 1:10; 5:9). The Lord Jesus Christ will soon return to call His church out of this world (1 Ths. 4:16-18), and only those who are saved will leave. Everyone else will enter into the Great Tribulation (Mat. 24:21), and they will be required to take the Mark of the Beast. Those who do will burn in Hell forever (Rev. 14:11).
When you are ready to accept the fact that you are a lost and dying sinner and that your "good works" are unacceptable to God (Rom. 3:10, 23; 4:5; 10:3), then you can begin to see your need for Jesus Christ. He came into this world to lay down His sinless life for YOU--to pay for your sins, because you couldn't. Jesus is your only hope for salvation. Only by receiving Him as your Savior can you enter the gates of Heaven. There is no other way.
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me." (John 14:6)
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)
The Lord Jesus Christ has come and PAID for your sins by shedding His own Blood on Calvary. By receiving Him as your Savior, you can be WASHED from all your sins in His precious Blood (Rev. 1:5; Col. 1:14; Acts 20:28; I Pet. 1:18-19). Notice these important words from Romans 5:8-9:
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him."
Jesus PAID your way to Heaven for you! By receiving Him as your Savior, you will be receiving God's ONLY means of Salvation for you. Are you willing to forsake YOUR righteousness and receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, your ONLY HOPE for Salvation? Romans 10:13 says, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:9 says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Are you willing to forsake your own righteousness, and trust Jesus Christ alone? He will save you just as He promised. Why not receive Him today? Tomorrow could be too late.
We live in a sick soceity that is run by the Media, Movies Tv and advertising wet the morals of our Country.
TV might rush teens into sex By Marilyn Elias, USA TODAYA steady diet of sex-saturated television might encourage teens to start sex earlier, a national survey of 1,762 kids suggests todayPrograms with sexually oriented conversations have as much effect as those that depict sex or imply that sex has happened, says psychologist Rebecca Collins of RAND Corp. in Santa Monica, Calif. Her study is reported in the Pediatrics online journal.The research is the first that takes into account other factors linked to early teen sex — such as poor grades, low parent education, having older friends and living in a one-parent home — and tracks how TV-watching might predict sexual activity, says Jane Brown, a University of North Carolina media researcher who specializes in adolescents. The phone survey of 12- to 17-year-olds also took into account sexual experience at the start of the study.Kids who said they watched more sex-oriented programs at the beginning of the year were more likely than others their age to become sexually active during the next year. Those in the top 10% for viewing of sexually related scenes were twice as likely to engage in intercourse as those in the lowest 10%, Collins says. The more sex-oriented scenes they saw, the more likely they were to become sexually active."It's social learning: 'monkey see, monkey do,' " Collins says. "If everyone's talking about sex or having it, and something bad hardly ever comes out of it, because it doesn't on TV, then they think, 'Hey, the whole world's doing it, and I need to.' "The study didn't take into account a teen's interest in sex or feelings of sexual readiness as the year began. So the findings might exaggerate TV's influence in causing kids to start sex, says adolescent psychologist Joseph Allen of the University of Virginia."Sexually explicit TV viewing is exactly the kind of thing adolescents would do if they were interested in becoming sexually active," Allen says. "She may be picking up on teenagers who are about to seek out sexual experiences." Different levels of readiness might have a small effect on the findings, Collins says.Physical maturity also matters. More sexually developed youngsters feel readier for sex and are more likely to be sexually active, Allen says, "and almost certainly these kids would be watching more sexy TV shows."Television executives were skeptical, too. "With all due respect to RAND, we do not believe that one show can alter a person's sexual behavior," says HBO spokesman Jeff Cusson. HBO aired Sex and the City, one of the programs tracked in the study."Some TV may be too provocative for kids, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be on the air," says Todd Leavitt, president of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. "As the father of three daughters, I believe parents have an obligation to monitor their kids' TV viewing."Teens whose parents supervised their activities closely were less likely to watch sexually oriented shows."Most important is keeping the set out of children's bedrooms, because otherwise the kids have complete control over what they watch," Brown says. Studies show that about 3 of 5 teens have TVs in their bedrooms, she says. http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/%20...%20usat_x.htm
Is everyone looking for Noah's Ark in the wrong place?Bible doesn't say ancient boat landed where many people assume
Posted: November 02, 20082:30 pm Eastern© 2008 WorldNetDaily
(Editor's note: WND is the only place where you can purchase copies of "Shocked by the Bible" personally autographed by author Joe Kovacs.)
Has everyone been searching for Noah's Ark in the wrong place?
It's a question that might disturb some who thought they knew what the Bible says.The location of the ancient boat that saved humanity through a worldwide flood has been a topic that has fascinated countless people for centuries.It has sparked numerous expeditions to one location in particular: Mount Ararat in the nation of Turkey.People for years have claimed they have evidence of the ark, whether it be hunks of wood, or satellite photos from space showing all kinds of shapes underneath snow.
To date, no one has ever produced irrefutable proof of the vessel.But does the Bible actually say Noah's Ark landed on Mount Ararat?In a word, no.It's one of the numerous misconceptions which continue to confuse many people. Here is what the Scripture really says."And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat." (Genesis 8:4)Did you notice that? The Bible does not say "Mount Ararat" or even "mountain of Ararat." It specifically says "mountains of Ararat." Mountains. Plural. More than one.The addition of the single letter "s" makes a huge difference in the possibilities of the location of the boat that took Noah, his wife, their three sons and their sons' wives through the deluge.While it, of course, could mean the actual Mount Ararat, it also could refer to a very wide region. In fact, some believe the fossilized remains of Noah's Ark have already been discovered in Dogubayazit, Turkey, on a mountain near Mount Ararat. One travel agency has even offered summer tours to view it.
Meanwhile, there is no guarantee that the Ararat referred to in the Bible is the mountain in Turkey whereon most searchers have focused their attention.These are just some of the points about Noah's Ark explored in the brand-new best-selling book, "Shocked by the Bible: The Most Astonishing Facts You've Never Been Told" by WND Executive News Editor Joe Kovacs.
"If the Bible said Noah's Ark had landed in the mountains of Colorado, people most likely would not be searching for it on a single mountain," said Kovacs. "Explorations might get better results if searchers paid attention to the details of what's actually in Scripture."There are many other misconceptions people have about the story of Noah and the ark.For instance, people often think Noah brought aboard just two of every kind of animal. They would be mistaken.Others assume Noah and his family stayed on the boat for 40 days and 40 nights. Again, that's not the biblical record.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=79624
Outrage over 'chastity belt' lingerie fitted with GPS tracking system
By Daily Mail ReporterLast updated at 4:32 PM on 03rd November 2008
Controversial: Critics have said underwear featuring a tracking system is the high-tech equivalent of a chastity belt
Feminists around the world have reacted with horror to a new line of lingerie that comes equipped with a GPS tracking system.
The 'find me if you can' range of underwear has been described as a modern-day, high-tech chastity belt.
'It is outrageous to think that men can buy this, programme it and give it to their partners and then monitor them,' said Claudia Burghart, leader of a Berlin feminist group.
'It is nothing more than a chastity belt for insecure men.'
Lingerie maker Lucia Lorio of Brazil says her design targets the 'modern, techno-savvy woman'.
The lingerie combination set consists of lace bodice, bikini bottom and faux pearl collar, with the GPS device nestled in the see-through part of the bodice next to the waist.
'This collection... is a wink to women and a challenge to men because, even if she gives him the password to her GPS, she can always turn it off,' Lorio said.
'It's not a modern chastity belt. Some men think they can keep tabs on their girlfriends with it, but they're wrong,' she added.
Unconcerned with the controversy her collection has raised, Lorio is also dismissive of the global financial crisis and its adverse impact on luxury items sales.
The GPS lingerie sells from a cool £500, complete with a standard Global Positioning System, to £700 with a more advanced model.
'Some women are now interested in buying it for protection,' she said, programming it for partners themselves so they are safe on a night out alone.
'In London, New York, Rio de Janiero - wherever there is danger, the underwear may prove to be a lifesaver,' she added.
But feminists in her homeland have called her a modern-day slaver and urged women to boycott the GPS underwear.
Religious voice faint in media
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Here is a foolproof way for politicians to score points with evangelical voters - attack the media, an institution widely seen as lacking conservative Christian voices.
Republican presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain and his evangelical running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, have done just that at times during the campaign, with repeated jabs at the "liberal media."
One way to change this perception, some church leaders, social commentators and journalists say, is for mainstream news organizations to employ - and keep - more evangelicals in their newsrooms.
"Journalism has become more of a white-collar field that draws from elite colleges," said Terry Mattingly, director of the Washington Journalism Center for the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities and a religion columnist for Scripps Howard News Service. "While there's been heavy gender and racial diversity ... there's a lack of cultural diversity in journalism," including religion.
Terry Mattingly, director of the Washington Journalism Center for the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities and a religion columnist for Scripps Howard News Service, says journalism is lacking in cultural diversity, notably regarding religion. (Associated Press)
Since the 1980s, when the Christian right emerged as a powerful force in American culture and politics, evangelicals have made significant inroads in law and government by training believers to work inside secular institutions.
But while the same universities that helped students launch careers in those fields are offering similar programs in journalism, they haven't been as successful at changing the nation's newsrooms.
"The media - journalism - remain one of the hardest fields for them to realize their power," said D. Michael Lindsay, a sociologist at Rice University and author of "Faith in the Halls of Power."
Many evangelical journalists start out in secular news organizations but they soon join Christian media that offer an environment more accepting of their beliefs and more family-friendly than the long hours and low pay of secular journalism, said Robert Case II, director of the World Journalism Institute, which offers seminars for young evangelicals seeking work in secular media.
Martha Krienke, 26, who attended one of Mr. Case's seminars in 2003, worked for two secular newspapers in Minnesota before she finally took a job as an editor at Brio, a magazine for young girls published by Focus on the Family.
At one paper, Miss Krienke disagreed with the edit of an opinion piece about what Christmas meant to her.
"My editor wanted to change several paragraphs, and it totally changed the tone and message of my opinion," she said. "Going through that situation just confirmed to me why I wanted to work for a Christian magazine."
It's not clear how many evangelicals work in newsrooms, and federal laws against religious discrimination prevent news managers from asking about a job candidate's beliefs. But the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press reported in 2007 that 8 percent of journalists surveyed at national media outlets said they attended church or synagogue weekly. The survey also found 29 percent never attend such services, with 39 percent reporting they go a few times a year.
Pew polling of the general public found 39 percent of Americans say they attend religious services weekly.
In seeking a greater voice in the media, most evangelical leaders say their goal isn't to evangelize inside newsrooms, which demand that journalists set aside their beliefs for the sake of objectivity.
"They have to be journalists first," Mr. Mattingly said. "You don't need more Christian journalists. You need more journalists who happen to be Christians if they're going to contribute to any real diversity in newsrooms."
He also says evangelical journalists can bring a range of contacts to the table and can draw on their knowledge to help explain and shape religion coverage.
Mr. Case's primary concern is that evangelicals are frequently portrayed in the media as a monolithic bloc, when in fact they are diverse politically, intellectually and theologically.
"It bothers me that when mainstream outlets want an evangelical voice, they've turned to Jerry Falwell or James Dobson or Pat Robertson," he said. "They are men of high regard and standing, but there are others who have a different take on things."
Scott Bosley, executive director for the American Society of Newspaper Editors, doesn't think there has been a bias against evangelicals in hiring or in the workplace, and that it's common for groups to feel underrepresented in newsrooms.
"I don't think the sole measures of the effectiveness or success of newsrooms in reflecting their communities depends on having precise quotas of folks representing all different ideologies, be they Christian or not," he said. "We have a lot of generalists in newsrooms, and they tend to have to learn about a lot of things."
Religious scholars estimate there are nearly two dozen evangelical colleges in the U.S. that offer either journalism degrees or classes. And the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest U.S. Protestant denomination, holds an annual conference in which students get career advice from Christians working in U.S. media outlets.
The Rev. Pat Robertson, the well-known evangelical leader who is founder and chairman of the Christian Broadcasting Network, even considered buying the Virginian-Pilot newspaper of Norfolk to give students at his Regent University opportunities for internships. He later abandoned the plan because of newspapers' overall financial decline.
Still, "journalism is important, and it's one of the areas in society I think our graduates should play a role in," Mr. Robertson said. "I think the idea of transforming the culture, of having Christians involved as salt and light in every area of endeavor, is an important thing."
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/23/religious-voice-faint-in-media/
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