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GIVING POWER TO THE IMAGE OF THE BEAST
By
Thomas Horn
May
1, 2005
NewsWithViews.com
"And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed (Revelation 13:14-15 New KJV)."
New Science Magazine reported this month that, "after being patiently nurtured for 22 years, an artificial brain called Cyc (pronounced 'psych') will be put online for the world to interact with.... Opening Cyc up to the masses is expected to accelerate the rate at which it learns, giving it access to the combined knowledge of millions of people around the globe as it hoovers up new facts from web pages, webcams and data entered manually by anyone who wants to contribute."[1]
While science in most any form can be used for good or evil, this news information above, combined with the ravenous growth of human-monitoring legislation and advances in compatible technologies in the US and abroad, will undoubtedly fill the worst of the salivating Neo-Cons at the White House with voracious and slobbering expectancy.
On the other hand... conservatives of the Reagan era (true conservatives who believed in smaller, non-intrusive government) might see these technological possibilities through a different filter. Some of them may even question if the biblical Antichrist, and the science necessary to fulfill his mission, is unfolding before their eyes.
"The Image of The Beast is not the same as the Beast himself (Antichrist)," says pastor Ron Graff at Prophecy Central. "It is a statue that has 'come to life'.... Dramatic advances in the fields of Computer Science, especially Artificial Intelligence, Computer Animation, and Robotics, have made it possible to picture the fulfillment of this prophecy."
But if an image of the Antichrist of whatever type is someday "given life" and everybody everywhere is expected to worship it at a particular time or interval, how will global authorities know whether or not the masses obey?
Some believe this will be accomplished through new wave interactive televisions where the "image" is broadcast at regular intervals and an all-seeing "Cyc" like A.I. computer records people paying homage as ordered.
Simple fish-eye lenses on newer televisions have the potential to watch us now, and a report by the Center for Digital Democracy warned in a 2001 report - TV That Watches You: The Prying Eyes of Interactive Television [Read] - that this technology could become compatible with the larger prophetic task of Revelation 13.
Among several startling facts, the Digital Democracy summary said, "For the first time ever, companies are able to collect detailed information about what each user of the system is doing.... A key concern for privacy is that each set-top box has a unique identifier built into it that allows for the service provider to identify the household or location of that box....ITV systems are generally based on a sealed 'black box' controlled by the company, giving users little or no ability to make decision to protect their own privacy. The systems are proprietary, making it difficult, if not impossible, even for advanced users to identify what the system is doing."
Over time, the report speculated, the ITV would integrate payments systems, which according to Raiders News Service could be compatible with implanted microchip technology, also satisfying the global networking and prophetic necessities of the Antichrist.
Advances in TV-technology since 2001 have made it even more likely, not less, that concerns published by Digital Democracy could lead to a not-to-distant future in which ownership of an interactive viewing system connected to a massive artificial intelligence computer could cause the political "image of the beast" to move, speak, receive the world's worship, and dispatch arrest orders for those who fail to attend the family's mandatory weekly gathering.
"But I don't believe in Bible Prophecy!" you say.
Does that really matter with regard to your civil liberties?
Whether the Bible is correct or all of this is nothing more than the self-fulfilling prophecies of a Neo-Con lunatic fringe, look around! It's developing right before your eyes!
Footnotes:
1. From issue 2496 of New Scientist magazine, 23 April 2005, page 32
� 2005 - Thomas Horn - All Rights Reserved
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Thomas is a nationally recognized lecturer, author, and businessman who has served 25 years in Christian ministry. A veteran speaker, researcher, and freelance writer, Tom has appeared on numerous radio and television programs worldwide, including Art Bell's "Coast to Coast" and Pat Robertson�s "The 700 Club." Tom�s new book � THE ARHIMAN GATE - fictionalizes �Big Brother�s� role in the End Times. It is scheduled for release in the fall of 2005.
E-Mail: tomhorn@pacifier.com
New
Science Magazine reported this month that, "after being patiently nurtured
for 22 years, an artificial brain called Cyc (pronounced 'psych') will
be put online for the world to interact
