Our New Baby

Benedict Jerome Thomas Calling Him Abel 

THE ARK OF NOAH DISCOVERED

THE ARK OF NOAH DISCOVERED IN TURKEY IN 1948

Discovery! Noah's Ark was discovered in mid May of 1948 by a local Kurdish shepherd boy named Reshit Sarihan, who lives to this day (Sep. 2000), in the village of üzengili (previously called "Nasar" but changed to üzengili after the ark was discovered. - One should take note that "Nisir" was the Babylonian name for Noah's city). Heavy rains in May of 1948, combined with three noteworthy earthquakes exposed the ark impression from the collapsing, expansive and loose mud that had entrapped it for nearly 2 thousand years revealing the ark impression standing up, out of the terrain. In Josephus' time (1st-century A.D.) the Ark of Noah was well-known, because he mentions in Antiquities of the Jews , that people were still visiting the place and removing pieces of bitumen from the ark for amulets against imagined evils.

Hull shape intact Aerial view is among the first ones taken eleven years after discovery, in 1959, and shows very little erosion, with hull shape intact. This photo will prove essential in the future, as time, and weather erodes the structure. One Ararat fan derogatorily called this "The boat-shaped object." One would quite naturally expect a boat to be in the shape of a boat, it does seem quite logical doesn't it?

Magazine Coverage in 1960 Early photo of expedition examining structure (presumably 1959). Here we look up to the south from the bow section directly into the hull impression. The photographer was standing in the pulpit prow which is 538 feet to the stern - measured by Fasold. 12 feet of vessel is not included in the impression (overhang) making the entire length of the ship 550 feet. This makes the cubit used 22 inches in length. This cubit figure is verified by subsurface bulkhead measurements with iron connections taken by Dave Fasold and Baumgartner (March,1985). This cubit figure means that Noah was probably 7 feet tall or more, that is if he had a 22 inch cubit (measured from elbow to middle finger with hand extended). One must realize there was no standard cubit except in instances such as the "royal Egyptian cubit." Each man's cubit is what he would have used to measure, and all were slightly different.

Above the mud An artist's compilation of how the ark model fits the mold impression. It is elevated above the mold and was constructed with the actual ark-mold as the guide for shape. The other dimensions -width and height, were dictated by Genesis account. Spaceframe construction was necessary, a point confirmed by naval architects who claim a ship this large cannot be constructed of wood using conventional rib and keel techniques.

Ark landing Here we see another artist's rendition, based on the evidence, and the shape of the mountain, precisely how the ark would have landed on Mt. Cudi pronounced "Judi" (the "mountain of the Kurds" "kHuD" meaning, in Hebrew, "the first." The slightly crescent shape of the island (mountain) keeps the ark from being washed around by fast currents. This feature allows the ark to be driven to a point near the center of the island, and after the anchor comes aground, the ark remains in position offshore. As the water descends, the ark swings into the current laterally, and is deposited, leaning against the small 30 foot high escarpment, with minimal handling required, shown in the picture. For a perspective cutaway drawing of how the ark must have looked, based on the mold shape impression,  Space shot of Mt. Ararat and vicinity. This is a great photograph of Mt. Ararat and surrounding regions, however, the actual landing place of the ark of Noah is just off the top of the picture, indicated by the white arrow. The other arrow on the right of the photo points to the village of Arzap / Kazan, 10 miles to the west, just near the dark shadow of a large butte formation seen at the edge of the photo., where the ark stood at anchor for several months, waiting for the tops of the mountains to appear as islands.

ARK MODEL This model shows the construction technique called "spaceframe," though usually considered modern, this concept would not have been outside the grasp of Yahweh as he designed the ship for Noah. If the ark was constructed of wood, as the Bible claims, then it must have been built this way. It is the combined opinion of naval architects that a ship this large cannot be constructed of any type of wood using conventional keel and rib construction methods. Wood is not strong enough for a boat this large if it were made in the usual way. However, built in this "spaceframe" manner, using iron pins at the connections thereby allowing for 100% connection efficiency in torsion, compression and tension, all stresses required by such connections would be reduced by "tributary loading." A wooden ship this large could indeed be built and would be many times stronger, perhaps 10 fold than its conventional counterparts.

"Gopher wood" "Gopher wood" is a misreading and scribal error. "Kopher" wood is correct and means wood (any wood) that is covered with Kopher. Kopher is bitumen. In the Genesis text (6:14), the context is clear. The GPR wood used, (a scribal error) is to be covered in KPR. G and K in Hebrew are so similar that inexperienced Hebrew "scholars," such as those translating the King James Version of the Bible, could have been prone to such errors, indeed, they made many such errors. Acts 7: 45 & Hebrews 4: 8 are classic examples of such scribal errors. gpr = "g," as in gopher, k pr = "k,"as in kopher The piece of petrified wood from the Ark shown below was excavated in the presence of a number of Turkish officials.  This piece was sawn in several places, exposing the wood grain.   Note the lamination of 3 layers in the photograph.  Later analysis confirmed its organic nature.  After many corroborating tests, the Turkish government agreed that the structure was indeed Noah's Ark.  They subsequently built a Visitors Center near the Ark.  Due to ongoing fighting between the Turkish government and Kurdish rebels, the Visitors Center and the area have restricted access.  The goal eventually is to build a protective structure over the ark and begin excavations.  A metal detector scan showed the presence of metal at the joints of the ark.  Note the regular pattern of these joints.  Later the joints were excavated and the metal analyzed.  Many of the joints were held together with large rivets.  The metallurgical structure indicated that the makers had a fairly advanced level of knowledge of metal alloys.  A computer reconstruction based upon the ruin profile showed that the original shape had a highly sophisticated profile. The length of the ship was measured independently by two teams and found to be 515 feet long.  Since Moses who wrote the book of Genesis was familiar with the Royal Egyptian cubit which is 20.6 inches, the biblical record of 300 cubits is exactly correct! (300 cubits x 20.6 /12 = 515 feet)

BEAST supercomputer in Brussels ready to be deployed

 Asian source received confirmation that the bioweapon containing the nano-chip in the tip of the needle is, is ready, and part of the supercomputer system in central Europe. "

"Although this sounds like a science fiction movie, it is unfortunately a reality. In Belgium (Brussels) is the BEAST (Beast) - Biometric Encryption And Satellite Tracking, which is completely ready to use on the day that every soul of man will be forced to 'Mark of the Beast' to accept, to to be admitted to the New World Order. "
 "I call the GM flu, now by means of a psychological operation where the greatest tyrants that ever lived jealous would be to the public be forced," The Lucifer Virus' (lit. strain = origin, nature), because these vaccines have a much kwaadaardigere side than most people can hold. "
 "Ten years ago I wrote that the ideal of a genetically modified killing machine and modified vaccine would be forced to the world that would be administered under the pretext for them to" help ". Also, I suggested that the U.S. military would deliberately destroyed not only by our enemies but also by traitors in our own government, through the injection of a two bioweapon in our soldiers, with the second injection, the death would prove to be. "
 "Through the media last week we heard the news that the German Army than any other vaccine is administered to the ordinary civilian population (a vaccine without adjuvants extremely harmful). I also received additional information in the U.S. private military forces, mercenaries, a safe vaccine "will get the vaccine other than that the ordinary people and soldiers in the army will be given. It contravenes the Geneva Convention to use people as guinea pigs. For this reason, many Nazi doctors sentenced to death. "
"The most dangerous period in history has arrived. Let these monsters you, your children, your future and your lives not just destroy. Do your homework. Read everything you can find about vaccines, become indignant, ask the right questions to all authorities. Then charges, write letters, get in radio and TV programs comes. Do something! Do everything you can do legally and morally, because otherwise you would ever permanently in a horizontal position may end up. "
 Quayle prepared the readers of his website (over 90 million hits per year) last week for a "Red Screen" because he expects the U.S. government at some point alternative news sites like those of Quayle from the air will get. Barack Obama has himself now that power to give, and will very likely at the right time to make use of.
 According to Quayle, this "right moment" heralded by example, the total financial collapse of the U.S., an "attack" with a nuclear weapon on an American city, an EMP attack affecting all electricity will permanently fail, a war in the Middle East, ora major natural disaster like a major earthquake in the Midwest or a tsunami in one of America's coasts. He urges everyone to be prepared to survive, because it expects one or more of these disasters within a few months will unfold.
This warning is in my opinion, both serious and sober examination. It is clear that 'something' to happen, but how, where and when, there is currently only based on evidence and speculated about developments. The said period of "months" to what-me-about a year strikes me as very realistic. Well I think that such a catastrophic event for the majority of people anyway will come unexpectedly, and therefore it can not hurt to note that now all come to love

(Supercomputer) The Beast

Image Source Location: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roadrunner_supercomputer_HiRes.jpg
 written by
Supercomputer

"High-performance computing" redirects here. For narrower definitions of HPC, see high-throughput computing and many-task computing. For other uses, see Supercomputer (disambiguation).
The Blue Gene/P supercomputer at Argonne National Lab runs over 250,000 processors using normal data center air conditioning, grouped in 72 racks/cabinets connected by a high-speed optical network. A supercomputer is a computer at the frontline of contemporary processing capacity – particularly speed of calculation which can happen at speeds of nanoseconds.
Supercomputers were introduced in the 1960s, made initially and, for decades, primarily by Seymour Cray at Control Data Corporation (CDC), Cray Research and subsequent companies bearing his name or monogram. While the supercomputers of the 1970s used only a few processors, in the 1990s machines with thousands of processors began to appear and, by the end of the 20th century, massively parallel supercomputers with tens of thousands of "off-the-shelf" processors were the norm. As of November 2013, China's Tianhe-2 supercomputer is the fastest in the world at 33.86 petaFLOPS, or 33.86 quadrillion floating point operations per second.
Systems with massive numbers of processors generally take one of two paths: In one approach (e.g., in distributed computing), a large number of discrete computers (e.g., laptops) distributed across a network (e.g., the Internet) devote some or all of their time to solving a common problem; each individual computer (client) receives and completes many small tasks, reporting the results to a central server which integrates the task results from all the clients into the overall solution. In another approach, a large number of dedicated processors are placed in close proximity to each other (e.g. in a computer cluster); this saves considerable time moving data around and makes it possible for the processors to work together (rather than on separate tasks), for example in mesh and hypercube architectures.

The use of multi-core processors combined with centralization is an emerging trend; one can think of this as a small cluster (the multicore processor in a smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.) that both depends upon and contributes to the cloud.
Supercomputers play an important role in the field of computational science, and are used for a wide range of computationally intensive tasks in various fields, including quantum mechanics, weather forecasting, climate research, oil and gas exploration, molecular modeling (computing the structures and properties of chemical compounds, biological macromolecules, polymers, and crystals), and physical simulations (such as simulations of the early moments of the universe, airplane and spacecraft aerodynamics, the detonation of nuclear weapons, and nuclear fusion). Throughout their history, they have been essential in the field of cryptanalysis.
We Are Being tracking

The Beast is tracking us - it started around the year 1974. 

In 1974, a crisis meeting was called in Brussels, by head leaders in the Common Market in Belgium. Concern about economic corruption and chaos in the world was the topic. At this crisis meeting, scientists, advisors and economic analysts gathered, including one - Dr. Hanrick Eldeman. The doctor revealed at this meeting that "The Beast," a 3-story high supercomputer was up and running.

The Beast was programmed a certain way so that it became a self-programming (heuristic) supercomputer, and now it is tracking all of us, gathering data through our spending habits. In the near future, we will all be assigned a number to replace our need for credit cards.

Eventually, the digits assigned to us will be tattooed or otherwise embedded in our skin to effect an invisible yet permanent mark on either our foreheads or the backs of our hands. This will only be visible under special infrared scanners, and will eliminate many common credit card problems for both credit card holders and credit card companies.

In essence, once we are tattooed, we will become walking credit cards, each and every one of us!

Dr. Eldeman asserts that allowing the supercomputer to assign numbers in three entries of six digits each, everyone in the world will be marked with and assigned his or her own unique credit card identification number.

Think this is a joke? That no computer is capable of counting everyone in the world?

Well The Beast is three stories high and has over a hundred data enty sources plugging information into the supercomputer! Day and night. It is a machine, so it never sleeps...

History of supercomputing

A Cray-1 preserved at the Deutsches Museum

The history of supercomputing goes back to the 1960s, with the Atlas at the University of Manchester and a series of computers at Control Data Corporation (CDC), designed by Seymour Cray. These used innovative designs and parallelism to achieve superior computational peak performance.

The Atlas was a joint venture between Ferranti and the Manchester University and was designed to operate at processing speeds approaching one microsecond per instruction, about one million instructions per second. The first Atlas was officially commissioned on 7 December 1962 as one of the world's first supercomputers – considered to be the most powerful computer in the world at that time by a considerable margin, and equivalent to four IBM 7094s.

The CDC 6600, released in 1964, was designed by Cray to be the fastest in the world by a large margin. Cray switched from germanium to silicon transistors, which he ran very fast, solving the overheating problem by introducing refrigeration.Given that the 6600 outran all computers of the time by about 10 times, it was dubbed a supercomputer and defined the supercomputing market when one hundred computers were sold at $8 million each.

Cray left CDC in 1972 to form his own company. Four years after leaving CDC, Cray delivered the 80 MHz Cray 1 in 1976, and it became one of the most successful supercomputers in history. The Cray-2 released in 1985 was an 8 processor liquid cooled computer and Fluorinert was pumped through it as it operated. It performed at 1.9 gigaflops and was the world's fastest until 1990.

Although I've asked this question about Christian scriptures, I don't mean to discount that something similar to what this urban legend tells of is actually part of our "improving technology."

This legend surfaced long before computers were as high-tech and wide-spread as they are in the 2000's 

In part, this legend may have been a mixture of natural societal fear about exploding development of technology, Christian viewpoints and interpretation on Scriptures, and other societal fears about mechanical and technological machines that have the possibility to harm us...and obvious and great fears that budding technologies and machines will get into the wrong hands of people who will harm the world in general and as a whole via these machines...

History

Main article: While the supercomputers of the 1980s used only a few processors, in the 1990s, machines with thousands of processors began to appear both in the United States and in Japan, setting new computational performance records. Fujitsu's Numerical Wind Tunnel supercomputer used 166 vector processors to gain the top spot in 1994 with a peak speed of 1.7 gigaflops per processor.[20][21] The Hitachi SR2201 obtained a peak performance of 600 gigaflops in 1996 by using 2048 processors connected via a fast three-dimensional crossbar network.[22][23][24] The Intel Paragon could have 1000 to 4000 Intel i860 processors in various configurations, and was ranked the fastest in the world in 1993. The Paragon was a MIMD machine which connected processors via a high speed two dimensional mesh, allowing processes to execute on separate nodes; communicating via the Message Passing Interface.[25]

Hardware and architecture

 Supercomputer architecture and Parallel computer hardware

A Blue Gene/L cabinet showing the stacked blades, each holding many processors

Approaches to supercomputer architecture have taken dramatic turns since the earliest systems were introduced in the 1960s. Early supercomputer architectures pioneered by Seymour Cray relied on compact innovative designs and local parallelism to achieve superior computational peak performance.However, in time the demand for increased computational power ushered in the age of massively parallel systems.

While the supercomputers of the 1970s used only a few processors, in the 1990s, machines with thousands of processors began to appear and by the end of the 20th century, massively parallel supercomputers with tens of thousands of "off-the-shelf" processors were the norm. Supercomputers of the 21st century can use over 100,000 processors (some being graphic units) connected by fast connections.

Throughout the decades, the management of heat density has remained a key issue for most centralized supercomputers.The large amount of heat generated by a system may also have other effects, e.g. reducing the lifetime of other system componentsThere have been diverse approaches to heat management, from pumping Fluorinert through the system, to a hybrid liquid-air cooling system or air cooling with normal air conditioning temperatures.

In my opinion, despite the heavily notable Christian influences within this legend, I think this is a legend that derives from WELL-PLACED FEARS...

By 2010, machines and technologies ARE very much harming people, are often in the wrong hands and into the hands of people whose motives in the use of machines are to oppress others and harm them...

Some of our technologies are harmful because their amazing functions are underestimated by large groups of people who do not know the capacity that these machines/technologies have that can harm people when not used for good purposes.

This story is one urban legend that is coming true - perhaps not in exactly the same way mentioned in the legend, perhaps not with the same motive as stated in the legend but with at least equal harm possible as narrated in the legend. 

 

Some Legendary Mythical Beasts

A legendary creature is a mythical or fantastic creature in historical literature. Some have their origin in traditional myths and have at one time been believed to be real beings.The Phoenix, Pegasus, Unicorn and the Centaur are just some of these legendary creatures

                                                                                                 .

The Phoenix

The Phoenix was a mythical Arabian bird with shimmering red and gold feathers. It was the only one of its kind, and lived for 500 years. When it felt death coming, it built a funeral tower out of cinnamon twigs. As the Phoenix sang its sweet, sad song, the sun ignited the tower and the bird was consumed by fire. Out of the ashes arose a new Phoenix - as beautiful as the last.

Harry Potter novels, by J.K. Rowling, feature a phoenix named Fawkes. The great English poet and playwright William Shakespeare, too, referred to the famed myth of the phoenix in his play The Tempest.

The Pegasus

Pegasus was the winged horse of a Greek legend. It was caught by Bellerophon (a hero and slayer of monsters). Mounted on the horse, Bellerophon flew to Mount Olympus, the home of the gods. This angered their leader Zeus, who sent a gadfly to sting the horse, which threw its rider to the earth. Pegasus then rose alone into the sky, and became the constellation of stars that bear his name.

The Unicorn

The Unicorn was thought to be very fierce, with a bite like a lion, a kick like a horse, and a horrible braying voice. If a maiden sat alone under a tree, the Unicorn would approach, lay its head in her lap and go to sleep. Only then could a hunter capture it and cut off its spiralled horn which was said to have magical powers.

The Centaur

The Centaur was half horse and half man. The most famous centaur was Chiron, who taught archery to mythical Greek heroes such as Hercules and Achilles. Chiron, who was immortal, was accidentally wounded by a poisoned arrow. He gave up immortality because the pain was so great that he desired only death. Chiron became the constellation called Sagittarius, or ‘The Archer'.

Centaurs have appeared in many places in modern times. For example, in Harry Potter, in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis, and in Xena: Warrior Princess.

The Roc

The Roc is mentioned in several Arabian folk tales, such as Arabian Nights. According to Middle Eastern literature, the Roc is an enormous mythical Asian/Arabian bird, which laid eggs as big as castles and fed upon young elephants and giant serpents.As described in the Tales of Arabian Nights, Sinbad the Sailor escaped from an island on which he was stranded by tying himself to the huge foot of a sleeping Roc. When the bird awoke and flew away, it carried Sinbad with it to a new adventure which led to his discovery of a great natural resource in the Valley of the Diamonds.

The Griffin

The Griffin was a fearsome mythical beast with huge claws and a liking for human flesh. Females were said to have feathered wings, while males were covered in spikes.

The Griffin had only one powerful enemy-the lion. But in the Middle Ages, when it became a popular heraldic animal, the Griffin

was thought to be stronger

than eight lions and 100 eagles. It gained the reputation of being an especially powerful and majestic creature.

Besides the Harry Potter books, there is also a reference to Griffins in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.

Countless legends abound various other creatures and they make an incredible read for those interested in the mysteries of the ancient times.

Biblical "End-Times" Prophecy May be Coming True

I was in a grocery store not long ago and because I was short of cash, wrote a check for the few items I had in my hand.
"It's the mark of the beast," I remarked jokingly as I was tearing off the check and handing it to the cashier.
There was a shocked look in the woman's face. "Why don't you buy a candy bar so you can change it," she suggested. The candy bars are always among the last grab items stacked up at every grocery check-out counter.
"Yes," said a man in the line behind me. "You've got to do something." There was a frantic tone in his voice.
"Oh, I'm not superstitious," I laughed. Besides, I already had the check written and didn't want to go to the trouble of writing another.
Surprisingly, the cash register rejected the check. The clerk had to call the store manager to override the machine. It seemed that everyone, even the electronic computerized cash register in that store, was repelled by the number 666.
In case there is anyone out there who doesn't know about the number 666, it is a number given in the Book of the Revelation, Chapter 13, verse 18, of the Bible. The verse clearly states that 666 is the number of the beast.
The beast is described as a creature that rises up out of the sea in "the last days" and becomes a world dictator and god figure. As the year 2000 nears, many people and especially the Christians are nervously awaiting events that they believe may soon signal the end of the church age, the return of Jesus Christ, and the appearance of the antichrist. The beast is a key part of the Biblical prophecy.

The Biblical account of the beast is quite vivid:

"He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nations. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast?" (Rev. 13:5-8)
"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 number of the beast, or the number of his name." (Rev. 13:16-17)
If ever there was a time for such a world leader to rise up, it is now.

As we wade into the new millenium our world is in chaos. The three most powerful nations, the United States, Russia and China are headed by politically and physically powerful men who seem to be engaged in a game of who blinks first. At the same time, China and the U.S. are nearly at the brink of war with each other because of strong disagreement over political, religious and philosophical ideologies. Notice too, how the rest of the nations of the world are quickly choosing sides in this conflict, which is clearly a show between the Communists who correctly reject all forms of religion, and the rest of the world comprised of Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and probably the Hindu. The great army of the north (Russia). the army of the east (China), and I predict the army of the south (Iraq and other Arab states) appear poised and ready to clash with the armies of the west, (NATO Alliance).

It is not that any of these other world nations agree with each other. More that they share a deep hatred for the United States. In our attempt to keep the peace by being a police officer over the remainder of the world, we are perceived as a powerful and dangerous bully. Could this conflict be the prelude to the Biblical battle of Armageddon?

The problems goes far beyond the threat of World War III. The world is overpopulated. The world economic system is out of control and many people fear it is headed for collapse. The world's ecological system is so badly damaged by air, ground and water pollution that many scientists believe it is beyond repair. The sunis heating and spewing out flares that threaten to change our weather, destroy our crops and possibly give us all skin cancer or worse. The ice at both the north and south poles is melting, causing our oceans to rise. If it continues our shorelines will soon be flooded. Our weather system is already on a rampage.
Food is in short supply in many parts of the world. People are starving to death by the thousands in North Korea and portions of Africa. Starvation is expected to be a problem this year in Russia, China and even Mexico. Waterand energy will be the next resources to fight over. They already are in critically short supply.

The AIDS epidemic is out of control in nearly all third world countries. It is estimated that over 35 percent of the people in many parts of Africa are infected. Now we are seeing new/old horrors like Mad Cow Disease, bacterial encephalitis, malaria, yellow fever, E.boli, and a new incurable strain of tuberculosis ravage the people of the world.

Small wonder that Christians are looking for their Messiah to return. Coupled with that return is a belief in the events described in the Book of Revelation that tell of a world apocalypse that will literally destroy two-thirds of the population of the Earth.

The Book of Revelation has been a controversial book of the Bible. I have talked to many clergymen who say they don't understand the book and think it doesn't belong in the Bible. Yet, as we approach what may, indeed, be the end of the church age, many of the events predicted in that book appear to be coming true.

It seems that the author of the book, sometimes identified as the apostle John, was a "writer down of an ancient language," more commonly known today as remote viewing. He had visions of the future although it is clear that he did not understand what he was looking at. Thus the writer's descriptions of the future seem garbled and extremely difficult to interpret.
Some things, however, are very clear. The predictions of a world government, a world banking system and a world church seem to be coming true before our eyes. The concept of a terrible catastrophic event that could wipe out a large portion of the Earth's population is being talked about almost daily in our television programming. It ranges from the strike of a large meteor to an invasion by a terrible new killer disease.

And what or who is the beast?

Paul Christopher, a Glendale, Arizona writer, was at that time promoting a book on the Internet that might give some insight in this area. The book, titled "Alien Intervention, the Spiritual Mission of UFO's," claims that there seems to be "a bizarre interrelationship" between alien visitors and "the realm of the occult, rapidly advancing New Age movement, and the stir now being created by the New World Order."

The topic of Christopher's book is not the point. It is something on his website that caught my eye.

If what Christopher says is correct, the U. S. military now has a super computer called BEAST (Battle Engagement Area Simulation and Tracking), which is designed to read a computer chip that can be placed in the hand or forehead of every human.

That chip, believe it or not, is called MARCC (Multiple Automated Readout Computer Chip).

"The Beast," a supercomputer in Belgium, is Being Used to Track Every Human Being on Earth-Fiction!

 "The Beast," a supercomputer in Belgium, is Being Used to Track Every Human Being on Earth-Fiction!
"
The Beast,"a supercomputer building in Belgium, is Being Used to Track Every Human Being on Earth?A three-story computer in Brussels, Belgium called "The Beast," is described as being the brain-child of the European Common Market. It is said to be "self



Summary of Rumor
 A three-story computer in Brussels, Belgium called "The Beast," is described as being the brain-child of the European Common Market.  It is said to be "self programming" and is intended to track the buying and selling activities of every person on earth.  Additionally, the system is alleged to depend on invisible tattoos on the forehead or back of the hand of each person for identity purposes.  Ominously, the tattoo will be of a unique, personalized number composed of three entries of three digits each.

 
The Truth
It's easy to see how this story would grab the attention of Christians. It's almost as though it were tailor-made to fit with the book of Revelation. And... it was. 
Unlike most urban legends, we have a clear trail that leads to where the story came from.


There are various printed versions of the story that date back to 1973, but the most widely circulated early account appeared in Christian Life magazine in August 1976.


Three months after publishing the story, Christian Life received a letter from Christian author Joe Musser. 
In it, he explained that the Beast Computer of Belgium did not exist in reality, but in fantasy. 
Musser said that he created the scenario for a novel he wrote, titled Beyond a Pale Horse, and for a screenplay for the David Wilkerson film, The Rapture. 
In the letter, Musser said that for three years he had seen the story he had created being passed along as fact.


The possibility for confusing fiction with fact was there from the outset.
As a part of the promotion for the David Wilkerson film, some mock newspapers had been printed which had convincing-looking news stories about events that could be associated with the rapture, including the Beast Computer of Belgium. 
Unless one read the small print next to the copyright notice, there was nothing to indicate that it was fiction.


As with other urban legends, some thoughtful evaluation of the facts would cast doubt on the story.


For example, anybody who is savvy enough about computers would know that it's not going to take a computer occupying three stories of a major building to catalog all the people on the earth. 
Today's computers can handle the task in a fraction of that space – assuming there was some way to know who all the people were.


Also, some versions of the story stated that the computer was self-programming, suggesting that perhaps it had a life of its own outside of the humans who programmed it. 
Artificial intelligence is a fascinating subject, and computers are getting smarter every day, but no computer expert that I know of is worried about whether a database program could become the Antichrist.


Additionally, even if a decision were made to track all humans, it is not clear that the European Common Market would be the entity to initiate or control it.


A real example of the story as it has been circulated:

Dr. Hanrick Eldeman, Chief Analyst of the Common Market Confederacy in Brussels, has revealed that a computerized restoration plan is already under way to straighten out world chaos. A crisis meeting in early 1974 brought together Common Market leaders, advisers and scientists at which time Dr. Eldeman unveiled "the Beast".


The Beast is a gigantic three story computer located in the administrative building of the headquarters of the Common Market.


That monster is a self-programming computer that has more than one hundred sources distributing entries. Experts in programming have perfected a plan that will handle by computer all of the world's trade.


This master plan would imply a system of digital enumeration of each human being of the earth. Thus the computer would give each inhabitant of the world a number to be used for each purchase or sale, removing the problem of present credit cards. This number would be invisibly tatooed by laser, either on the forehead or on the back of the hand. This would establish a walking credit card system. And the number could be seen only through infrared scanners, installed in special verification counters or in business places 

                                                666

Dr.Eldeman pointed out that by using three entries of six digits each, every inhabitant of the world would be given a distinct credit card number.

What does 666, the number of the Beast, mean?

Bible prophecy describes a powerful leader and his government or empire as the Beast. Can we know what his mysterious number, 666, means?

Answer:

The number of the Beast, 666, is associated with the mark of the Beast and the name of the Beast in Revelation 13:17 . We are told to "count the number" and that it is "the number of a man" (verse 18). One early explanation is attributed to John's disciple Polycarp, who, according to his student Irenaeus, said this number is derived from adding together the numerical equivalents of the letters in the word Lateinos, the Greek word for "Roman"—this being the name of the Beast empire, its ruler and everyone in it. So the number may well denote this general distinction, though it could also be more specific.

Another explanation is that the Bible associates the number six with man; God made him on the sixth day of creation week. The number 666 is a triple repetition of the number of man and emphasizes that this beast represents a government whose base is human authority, as opposed to God's authority.

As with the mark of the Beast, God's people will reject it. They will "have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name" (Revelation 15:2 ). However this prophecy is fulfilled, it is clear that accepting the mark or number will involve compromising and contradicting God's commands. Having proof that one is officially associated in some way with the Beast will be necessary for one to be allowed to engage in commerce (Revelation 13:17).

Exactly how the end-time number of the Beast, 666, will be used and applied is not yet clear. But in some way it will be associated with the Beast's name and applied to his evil activities.

The Beast Supercomputers little known details & 666

The barcode to the right appears to have 666 in it - but don't be fooled - the mark of the beast (Revelation 13 tells us) will be 'in' not 'on' the right hand, and 'in' not 'on' the forehead - acording to the Greek New Testament - therefore almost certainly a microchip implant such as the digital angel

Chip Implants Already Here

 llustration only
The actual implant is invisible on the surface, being the size of a grain of rice but much more thin and injected subdermally  

mark: charagma; from Greek charaxmeaning to stake down into or "stick into" 

Key Sister Prophecies

"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 threescore and six." (Revelation 13:16-18.) *A smaller version of this code places one six at the beginning and two sixes at the end, using three thin lines, sharing the middle lines.   Key Sister Prophecies         Dispensation: Old Testament New Testament Book of Mormon Doctrine & Covenants Chapter: Daniel 7 Rev. 13 3 Ne.16, 20, 21 D&C 103 7 heads, 10 horns 7:7,24 ten horns 13:1 seven heads and ten horn Salt has lost its savor 16:15 as salt that has lost its savor 103:10 as salt that has lost its savor Makes war with saints 7:12 made war with the saints 13:7 make war with the saints Beast Prevails: 7:21 and prevailed against them 13:7 to overcome them 20:16; 21:12 and none can deliver 103:8 kingdoms of world shall prevail against them like a lion among beasts of forest 20:16; 21:12 like a lion among beasts of forest "Trodden under feet" 7:23 tread it down 16:15; 20:16; 21:12 both treadeth it down 103:10 trodden under foot "beat in pieces" 7:23 break it in pieces 20:16; 21:12 and teareth in pieces (103:11 waste places of zion) "Horn Iron, Hoofs brass" 7:19 teeth iron, nails brass 13:2 feet of a bear 20:19 horn iron hoofs brass Delivarance 7:27 the kingdom and dominion given to the saints 16:20 lord made bare arm; 20:21 establish my people; 21:25 power of heaven come 103:13,15 redemption of Zion by power Many more parallels . . . . . . . . . . . . Synonyms for "Beast" Great and Abominable Church Secret Combinations "seek to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries" Conspiracy Remnant of Jacob (being subject to tyranny at the time) who tread down the Gentiles World Government New World Order Communism/Socialism/Marxism/Liberalism The Assyrian (and other similar tyrannical metaphors)   Some Pertinent Questions How important is this issue? What effect does it have one one's temporal and spiritual fate? How often, if ever, have you ever this topic addressed officially among the LDS, for example in a Sacrament meeting, Sunday School class, Priesthood or Relief Society meeting, General Conference, Stake Conference, Education Week, Know Your Religion seminar, Seminary or Institute class? Never? Me neither.    So... What is being officially communicated by the present leadership to "the Lord's people" is the message, "There is no conspiracy," "there is no 'beast.'" Though these exact words are not used publicly, this message portrayed by the sheer silence.  Furthermore, it is reinforced by the persecution heaped on those so-called, "fringe nuts," such as belong to the John Birch Society, who utter such "nonsense." (These tactics, by the way, are characteristic of the great and spacious building's mocking fingers of scorn at those who are clinging to the rod and pressing toward the tree of life.)  We can see from this present thumbnail study on this topic of the mark of the beast that portraying the message that "There is NO BEAST -- NO CONSPIRACY" -- is exactly the same thing as saying "there is NO DEVIL."  (See II Nephi 28:22.) II Nephi 28:22-25:  "And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none--and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance. Yea, they are grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil, and all that have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be judged according to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for them, even a lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment. Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion! Wo be unto him that crieth: All is well!" D&C 101:47-52 "What need have we of a tower [e.g. watch tower]?" "let us give the money to the exchangers" profit (we thank thee oh God, for a profit)] "have fallen asleep." Compare Isaiah 56:10,11 "His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter." See Isaiah 28:7 = 2 Nephi 28:21-23 Parallel Commentary: "the priest and the prophet err in vision and stumble in judgment" Is the barcode the Mark of the Beast?Do barcodes really contain the number 666? Is the barcode paving the road to 666: the Mark of the Beast? What are barcodes? Barcodes, of course, are those ever-familiar "bars" and "numbers" on virtually everything. In 1973, "Mr. Barcode" (or is it Mrs. Barcode?) quietly strolled into our world. In just over 25 years, Mr. Barcode has literally taken over the world. Now there's a barcode for virtually everything. There's short barcodes, and tall barcodes. There's skinny barcodes and fat barcodes. There's postal barcodes and international barcodes. There's 2-D barcodes. And there's even barcodes for the humble "bumble-bee". From letters, to cokes, from fishes to smokes - it's "clothed" with friendly "Mr. Barcode". As someone truthfully said, "If it exists, bar code it". The primary barcode used in the United States is the UPC (Universal Product Code) barcode. The UPC is also the "original" barcode. The UPC was designed for the grocery industry. Because of the large number of items normally "checked-out" at the grocery store, a method was needed to speed up and eliminate "human" cashier errors. In 1973, the UPC barcode was born. To the average person, the barcode looks confusing and complex, but to a "bar-coded" friendly computer, it's actually very simple. How does a computer-scanner reads a barcode? A single barcode number is actually seven units. A unit is either black or white. A unit that is black would display as a "bar". A unit that is white would display as a "space". Another way of writing a barcode unit is "1" for a single unit "black bar" and "0" for a single unit "white space". For instance, the number "1" is composed of the seven units, "0011001" or "space-space-bar-bar-space-space-bar". Remember, a single barcode number requires seven units. Also, on a UPC barcode the same numbers on the left-hand side (the Manufacturer Code) is coded different than the numbers on the right-hand side (Product Code). The left side numbers are actually the "inverted" or "mirrored" codes of the right side numbers, for instance what is a "bar" on the right-side, is a "space" on the left-side. The right-side codes are called "even parity" codes because there is an even number of "black bar" units. For instance the right-side "6" is "101000" - 2 even-numbered "black bar" units. The left-side is called "odd-parity" because there is an odd number of "black bar" units. For instance, the left-side "6" is "0101111" - 5 odd-numbered "black bar" units. Having different coded numbers for each side allows the barcode to be scanned in either direction. The following tables are the left and right side codes matching the corresponding numbers, separated into the seven single units. LEFT SIDE (ODD PARITY) CODES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0001101 0011001 0010011 0111101 0100011 0110001 0101111 0111011 0110111 0001011 RIGHT SIDE (EVEN PARITY) CODES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1110011 1100110 1101100 1000010 1011100 1001110 1010000 1000100 1001000 1110100 Notice, a few things about the codes: As previously mentioned, the left and right numbers are "inverted" or "mirrored". Every barcode number is equal to "four" different marks. A "mark" can be either "black" (bar) or "white" (space). The "marks" vary in width, but there is always four different marks, 2 "bar marks" and 2 "space marks". For instance, the left code number "one" is "3 spaces (mark 1), 2 bars (mark 2), 1 space (mark 3), 1 bar (mark 4)". The left side codes always begins with a "space" or "0" and ends with a "bar" or "1". The right is just the opposite, it begins with a "bar" or "1" and ends with a "space" or "0". Note: The computer does not read the numbers underneath the barcode. These Human Readable (HR) numbers are printed so a "human" can easily read the barcode, if necessary. Number System Character: This number is a UPC system number that characterizes specific types of barcodes. In a UPC barcode it is normally on the left of the barcode. The actual "barcode" (the "bars" and "spaces") is the first "barcode" after the first "guard bar". The Number System Character is the blue box on the "Anatomy of a Barcode". Codes of the Number System Character: 0 - Standard UPC number. 1 - Reserved. 2 - Random weight items like fruits, vegetables, and meats, etc. 3 - Pharmaceuticals 4 - In-store code for retailers. 5 - Coupons 6 - Standard UPC number. 7 - Standard UPC number. 8 - Reserved. 9 - Reserved. 3 Guard Bars: There are "3 guard bars". They are located at the beginning, middle and end. The beginning and ending guard bars are encoded as a "bar-space-bar" or 101. The middle guard bar is encoded as "space-bar-space-bar-space" or 01010. The guard bars "tell" the computer-scanner when the manufacturer and product code begin and end. For example, when the computer-scanner reads the first "101" or guard bar, the computer knows the next series of numbers is either the manufacturer or product code. And when the computer reads the "01010" or middle guard bar, the computer knows another number is coming. The 3 guard bars are also the supposedly "666" hidden in the barcode (we'll look at this in detail later). The 3 guard bars are highlighted with a green box on the "Anatomy of a Barcode". Also, the first guard bar scanned is used by the computer to calculate the "width" of one unit. Manufacturer Code: This is a five digit number specifically assigned to the manufacturer of the product. The manufacturer codes are maintained and assigned by the Uniform Code Council (UCC). Every product the manufacturer makes, carries the same manufacturer code. For example, the manufacturer code for Kellogg's is 38000. Every product Kellogg makes carries 38000 as the manufacturer code in the bar code. The manufacturer code is yellow on the "Anatomy of a Barcode". Product Code: The product code is a five digit number that the manufacturer assigns for a particular product. Every different product and every different packaging or size, gets a unique product code. For instance, a 16oz bottle of coke gets a different product code than a 24 oz bottle of coke. For example: Kellogg's 13.5 oz Rice Krispies barcode is 38000 90530 — the 38000 is the manufacturer code for Kellogg and the 90530 is the product code for 13.5oz Rice Krispies. Kellogg's 16oz Mini-Wheats is 38000 02720 — the 38000 is the manufacturer code for Kellogg (the manufacturer never changes for Kellogg products) and the 02720 is the product code for 16oz Mini-Wheats. A manufacturer can have 99,999 unique product codes. The product code is orange on the "Anatomy of a Barcode". Check digit: Also called the "self-check" digit. The check digit is on the outside right of the bar code. The check digit is an "old-programmer's trick" to validate the other digits (number system character, manufacturer code, and product code) were read correctly. The check digit is red on the "Anatomy of a Barcode". How the computer calulates the check digit: Add all the odd digits. In our "Anatomy of a Barcode" we would add 0 (yes, you include the number system character digit) + 2 + 4 + 6 + 8 + 0 = 20 Multiply the sum of step 1 by 3. Our example would be 20 x 3 = 60. Add all the even numbers. In our "Anatomy of a Barcode" we would add 1 + 3 + 5 + 7 + 9 = 25. You do not include the 5 or the check digit because that's what you are calculating. Now add the result from step 2 and step 3. 60 + 25 = 85. The check digit is the number needed to add to step 4 to equal a multiple of 10. 85 + 5 = 90. 5 is the check digit in our example. Another way to calculate the check digit would be simply to divide the number from step 4 by 10. The remainder is the check digit. Example 85/10 = 8.5 You'll notice the price was NOT included in the barcode. Where is the price? The price is kept in the store's centralized computer database. The store's "item database" contains a record for every item the store sells. The item record is "keyed" by manufacturer code and product code (same numbers as on the barcode). The price is kept for each item in this database. When the item is scanned by the employee, a computer program reads the barcode. It then converts the "bars and spaces" into the manufacturer and product "digital number". Using the manufacturer and product "digital number", the program reads the store's "item database". It then retrieves the price from the "item database" for that item. When a price changes, all the store has to do is update it once in the stores centralized database. Is the number 666 "hidden" in the UPC barcode? One of the most popular and shocking accusations concerning the number "666" is that the number "666" is quietly "hidden" in every UPC barcode. Mary Stewart Relfe's book, "The New Money System 666", published in 1982, is the "pioneer" of the "666 in the UPC barcode" teaching. Relfe's book contains over 50 pages of excellant doumentation on the UPC barcodes. Relfe's discovery is repeated in many publications touching the mark of the beast, within the last fifteen years. Including tracts published by this author. Here's a few samples: Terry Cook, The Mark of the New World Order, 1996:". . . the entire system [UPC barcode] is very deceptively designed around the infamous numerical configuration, Biblically known as 666, the mark of the Antichrist or devil (Revelation 13:16-18). . ." (Terry Cook, The Mark of the New World Order, 1996, p. 376) Bob Fraley, The Last Days in America, 1984: "The interpretation of the Universal Product Code marks is most revealing in that the three numbers '666' are the key working numbers for every designed Universal Product Code. Every group of Universal Product Code marks has in it three unidentified numbers. All three of these numbers are 6, making the use of the numbers '666' the key to using this identifying marking system. . . There is no deviation. Every Universal Product Code has three unidentified marks whose number equivalent '6' encoding it with the code number '666'. " (Bob Fraley, The Last Days in America, 1984, p. 225, 228) Here's how to "discover" the "hidden 666 in the UPC barcode". The "hidden" 666 in the Barcode Notice the three "guard bars" (colored RED) at the beginning, middle and end. Now, notice the same bar pattern ("bar-space-bar" or "101") for the number 6 (colored BLUE). By "looking" at the above barcode, the number "666" clearly, appears to be there. . . But is it? Is the number 666 TRUTHFULLY "hidden" in the UPC barcode? Technically, no it is not. Here's the "technical" truth. . . The number 6 and the three guard bars are NOT the same. They do "appear" to be identical, but they are different. GUARD BARS AND THE NUMBER 6 B M 6 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 101 01010 1010000 Notice. The beginning and ending guard bars are "bar-space-bar" or "101" (the B in the above table). The middle guard bar is "space-bar-space-bar-space" or "01010" (the M in the above table). The number six is "1010000" (the 6 in the above table). Remember, technically a barcode number consists of seven units. The beginning and ending guard bars are only three units, and middle guard bar is only five units. So, technically, from a computer's perspective the number "666" is NOT in the UPC barcode. But. . . Look again. . . All three guard bars contain the pattern "bar-space-bar" or "101". There is only ONE number, in TWENTY numbers (remember right and left numbers have different patterns) that contains the "101" pattern and that number is the right code SIX. Not the number one, or two, or three, etc. — but ONLY the right code SIX. I do seem to remember something about a mark on the RIGHT hand (Rev. 13:16). Technically, from a computer's perspective the number "666" is NOT in the UPC barcode. . . but from a human's perspective — YES, the "appearance" of 666 is there! What does the inventor of the UPC barcode say about the number "666" in the UPC barcode? The inventor of the UPC barcode is George J. Laurer. In 1971, while Mr. Laurer was an employee with IBM, he was assigned the task "to design the best code and symbol suitable for the grocery industry". In 1973, Mr. Laurer's UPC barcode entered the world, and the rest is history. On Mr. Laurer's web site, he has a "Questions" page, where he answers various questions about the UPC barcode. On the "Questions" page, Mr. Laurer answers the "666" question, as follows: Question #8 - Rumor has it that the lines (left, middle, and right) that protrude below the U.P.C. code are the numbers 6,6,6... and that this is the international money code. I typed a code with all sixes and this seems to be true. At least they all resemble sixes. What's up with that?Answer- Yes, they do RESEMBLE the code for a six. An even parity 6 is: 1 module wide black bar 1 module wide white space 1 module wide black bar 4 module wide white space There is nothing sinister about this nor does it have anything to do with the Bible's "mark of the beast" (The New Testament, The Revelation, Chapter 13, paragraph 18). It is simply a coincidence like the fact that my first, middle, and last name all have 6 letters. There is no connection with an international money code either. (From website) Even, Mr. Laurer, the inventor of the UPC barcode admits, "Yes, they do RESEMBLE the code for a six." In fact, as we've documented — SIX is the ONLY number they could RESEMBLE. You would certainly think because of the "antichrist connections" to "666" they would have picked another number besides '6' to pattern the three 'guard bars' after? Why not 1 or 3, or 5, etc. — any number but '666'. Surely they knew Christians would, sooner or later, "discover" the clear "appearance" of 666 in the UPC bar code. Maybe they had no choice? Is the barcode the mark of the beast? In the 1993 British movie, Naked, directed by Mike Leigh and starring David Thewlis, the following conversation takes place: "What is the mark? Well the mark Brian, is the barcode. The ubitiqous barcode that you'll find on every bog roll, and every packet of johnny's and every poxie-pot pie. And every [expletive-removed] barcode is divided into two parts by three markers and those three markers are always represented by the number six. Six-six-six. Now what does it say? No one shall be able to buy or sell without that mark. And now what they're planning to do in order to eradicate all credit card fraud and in order to precipitate a totally cashless society. What they're planning to do; what they've already tested on the American troops; they're going to subcutaneously laser tattoo that mark onto your right hand or onto your forehead." (Naked, British movie, 1993, directed by Mike Leigh and starring David Thewlis) There's no question Mary Stewart Relfe, author of When Your Money Fails, The "666" System" is Here, and The New Money System 666, believes the barcode is the Mark of the Beast. Mary Stewart Relfe, When Your Money Fails…The "666" System" is Here, 1981 "And he causeth all . . . to receive a mark . . . " In Greek this word mark is charagma, which literally denotes a stamp, an impress, and is translated mark. Notice that John did not say that he causeth all to receive a number in the right hand or forehead. This astute prophet could have certainly delineated between a series of numbers, and an unexplained stamp or mark. . .The same Electronic Eye which scans the UPC marks [barcodes] will in the near future scan the marks that will be required to be inserted on the body. . . While some specifics remain vague, of this we are certain: All commerce will be conducted in the near future with a number, a name, or an identifying mark in the hand or forehead. It is my sincere deduction that the 'mark of the beast' will not be the insertion of numbers per se on the body, but of vertical lines which will represent encoded messages and digits. " (Mary Stewart Relfe, When Your Money Fails The "666" System" is Here, 1981, pp. 56,57,58) Mary Stewart Relfe, The New Money System 666, 1982 "The Prophet John identified this Cashless System of Commerce 1900 years ago as one in which business would be transacted with a 'Mark' and a Number; the Mark will obviously be a Bar Code; the Number will be '666;' the combination of the two, about which you will read in this book, will be an integral part of the '666 System'. . .RECEIVING OF ONE'S OWN VOLITION THE MARK (BRAND) IN THE RIGHT HAND OR FOREHEAD; which I believe will be a Bar Code facsimile incorporating a concealed use of '666,' unintelligible to the eye,. . ." Mary Stewart Relfe, The New Money System 666, 1982, pp. xii, 206) A bizarre coincident? concerning the barcode is the Greek word charagma translated 'mark' in Revelation. Here's how Robert Van Kampen, in The Sign describes this coincident: "It is interesting to note that the Greek word translated 'mark' is charagma which comes from the Greek word charax, which means 'a palisade, like a picket fence.' When one realizes that this specific word was used back in the first century, and we see today the use of the computer-related bar code, we find the possibilities becoming more than a reality in our day and age." (Robert Van Kampen, The Sign, 1992, p. 231) Here's the explanation: The Greek "root" word for charagma (translated "mark") is charax. One of the meanings of charax is "a palisade" which is like a "picket fence, or vertical lines". The "idea" is, the reason John used the Greek word charagma, rather than stigma, etc., is because he was describing a 'mark' with vertical lines — a "bar code". But is all this true? Well, sort of. . . Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, defines the word charagma as: 5480 charagma, khar'-ag-mah; from the same as 5482 (charax) a scratch or etching, i.e. stamp (as a badge of servitude), or sculptured figure (statue): — graven, mark. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, defines the "root" word charax as: 5482 charax, khar'-az from charasso (to sharpen to a point; akin to 1125 through the idea of scratching); a stake, i.e. (by impl.) a palisade or rampant (military mound for circumvallation in a siege):—trench. Noah Webster's 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language (a must have for any serious Bible student!) defines palisade as: PALISADE, A fence or fortification consisting of a row of stakes or posts sharpened and set firmly in the ground. In fortification, the posts are set two or three inches apart, parallel to the parapet in the covered way, to prevent a surprize. Does all this "prove" John is describing a "barcode"? No. Of course not. It's a long and rocky road to travel from "charagma" to a "barcode". Is the barcode the mark of the beast? Probably not. A bar code would make a poor candidate for the mark of the beast for the following reasons: The mark is described specifically in Rev. 14:11 as "the mark of his name". Even the wildest imagination would have a very hard time turning a "barcode" into "the mark of his name". In the world of "high-level" security and identification, a barcode is not reliable enough. The reason for the "self-check" digit on the barcode is the probability of the scanner misreading the barcode. The next time you go through the grocery line count how many "beeps" or misreads the cashier gets. Because the human skin stretches, it would be virtually impossible to get the precision needed for a "reliable" barcode. The skin continually stretches with age, weight, wetness, sun exposure, etc. There is much more reliable and easier to implement technology than barcodes, such as biometric IDs or even biochips. A barcode does not match the Bible's description of the Mark of the Beast.  Porter Lee Corporation has invented a barcode system for the identifying and recording evidence for law enforcement officers. The title of the system is interesting — BEAST — Bar coded Evidence Analysis Statistics and Tracking. A fascinating development took place recently. On March 2, 1999, patent 5,878,155 was issued to Houston inventor Thomas W. Heeter described as a "Method for verifying human identity during electronic sale transactions". Heeter's patent "abstract" reads:"A method is presented for facilitating sales transactions by electronic media. A bar code or a design is tattooed on an individual. Before the sales transaction can be consummated, the tattoo is scanned with a scanner. Characteristics about the scanned tattoo are compared to characteristics about other tattoos stored on a computer database in order to verify the identity of the buyer. Once verified, the seller may be authorized to debit the buyer's electronic bank account in order to consummate the transaction. The seller's electronic bank account may be similarly updated." Heeter's invention is aimed toward the booming world of Internet E-commerce. In the very near future, many products will be purchased E-commerce via the Internet. WorldNet Daily writes, ". . . Internet e-commerce figures spiraling upward, and the European market expected to surpass the U.S. online community in a couple of years, potential sales online have been projected to reach nearly $1 trillion by 2003." (WorldNet Daily, September 30, 1999) Is the barcode paving the road to 666: the Mark of the Beast? Yes. The barcode undoubtedly is paving the road for 666: the Mark of the Beast. The barcode did something very important to help bring in 666: The mark of the Beast. . . The barcode opened the door (in fact, it not only opened it, it kicked the door down) to the "digital world". Everything is now a number. Everything gets a barcode. As someone truly said, "If it exists, bar code it". I remember when barcodes first started appearing. I began telling people back then, the barcode was preparing the world for 666: the Mark of the Beast. Was I ever laughed at. . . even by the Christians. I can still remember their laughing and ridicule, "You mean to tell me, everything is getting one of those "marks". You mean, I'll go even to the local "7-Eleven" and they'll have laser scanners and they'll scan these "marks". No way. It would be too obvious what was happening. Everybody would know the mark of the beast is coming". But isn't it amazing 25 years later. . . and nobody gives the "mysterious" barcodes even a "second thought". Satan very carefully and subtlety (see Genesis 3:1 and 2 Cor. 11:3) indoctrinated us to our wonderful, convenient, new "digital world". And the road to 666 is just ahead. . .