The evangelical Protestant writer Hal Lindsey is probably best known for writing a book titled The Late Great Planet Earth decades ago. That book went into various aspects of prophecy–many of which were in error–as well as several items Hal Lindsey currently erroneously teaches (see, for example, Is There A Secret Rapture for the Church? When and Where is the Church Protected?).

That being said, he has now written the following couple of items:

The Infrastructure Of Antichrist: Living In The Age Of Surveillance
November 28, 2022
We live in the age of surveillance. Cameras (attached to facial recognition systems), satellites, street sensors, license plate readers, drones, credit cards, computers, phones, televisions, “smart” devices, and other technologies watch every move we make. …

Alexa is a cloud-based personal assistant. The original idea was that it would build brand loyalty to Amazon by giving people easy access to things like the weather or favorite music. Planners had also hoped to make it easier for people to order products from Amazon. That part hasn’t worked too well. It turns out that people want to see products (or at least pictures of those products) before they buy them.
But Alexa is more than an assistant. It is also a massive data vacuum cleaner. It sucks up information about you at unprecedented levels. By default, the microphones on Alexa devices are always on. They are required to be on so that Alexa can know when you are addressing it, and then follow your instructions. Amazon says that Alexa only listens for key words that “wake up” the device. But that’s something we just have to take their word for.
A few years ago, Samsung admitted that its smart TVs listen to all kinds of things. “Please be aware,” Samsung warned, “that if your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data captured and transmitted to a third party through your use of Voice Recognition.” …
Services such as Alexa were originally built to make money and serve customers. Sadly, the companies that built them were unknowingly building the infrastructure of Antichrist. https://harbingersdaily.com/the-infrastructure-of-antichrist-living-in-the-age-of-surveillance/
The Beast and His Money
For years, I have taught that to make the mark of the beast possible, the world would shift away from cash. To a far greater extent than most people realize, that shift has already taken place. Only a small part of the world’s money supply is printed on paper. Money today exists mostly in the form of computer code.
But for the mark of the beast system to work, governments will have to eliminate all cash. And that’s not so far off. Governments will say that digital currency will be good for the environment. They will promise an end to money laundering, something that helps keep organized crime going. Cash is also the primary means of funding terrorist operations. They will remind us that cash carries viruses and germs. Also, it can be stolen easily.
The US dollar has been the world’s reserve currency for a long time. That gives the United States certain advantages such as the ability to borrow money at lower interest rates. With so many US leaders crying out for “equity,” how long will the United States keep such an advantage? How long will other countries allow it to have such an advantage?
A world full of digital currencies opens up the possibility of linking those currencies. Every nation will want their Central Bank Digital Currency to be linked into a global system. That link would become the new global currency. Proponents will argue that this gives every nation a stable currency. In reality, it will make trade easy and put trillions into the hands of global corporations. And it will be the beginning of world government. https://www.hallindsey.com/ww-8-6-2021/

Is electronic surveillance consistent with the Beast of Revelation and the Antichrist?

Yes.

Before getting to scriptures, notice the following:

When I was a kid in the late 1970s, I bought a copy of the mega-seller The Late Great Planet Earth, Hal Lindsey’s end-times book. …
I specifically remember back then, as a kid, wondering how the so-called “Mark of the Beast” would work. In Revelation 13, the “Beast” is the name for Satan’s regent, a man who will lead a world government. There are two beasts in the prophecy, one serving the other. St. John writes (Rev 13:16-17) …
That made little sense to a kid in the late 1970s. How could any government control whether or not people can buy or sell? Even back then, I was smart enough to know that with cash, there is always the possibility of an unofficial economy. About the “mark of the beast,” I recall today that the Evangelicals I read in 1979-80 were talking about literal marks on one’s forehead or hand, or maybe microchips. …
Nevertheless, when I read things … A CBDC would mean that the US Government controlled all transactions in this country, digitally. … The government understands perfectly well that if it has the power to control every financial transaction in this country, that it can require all who wish to buy or sell to conform, or be cast out of the economy. This is how we are going to get an American version of China’s social credit system. If the US Government decides that you are a “threat to democracy” because of your political views, your religious beliefs, or anything at all, all it will take is the push of one button, and you will be a non-person, unable to buy or sell. 09/20/22 https://www.theamericanconservative.com/central-bank-digital-currency-totalitarianism/

Now, here are some scriptures:

1 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. (Revelation 13:1-2, ESV)
16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave,e to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. 18 This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666. (Revelation 13:16-18, ESV)

A cashless society is one where buying and selling can be controlled. This is not something that was possible when Jesus had the Apostle John pen the above. But it is possible now with technology–but that does not necessarily mean a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, but simply digital money. More and more in the world in general and Europe in particular are moving that way.

Also, as Hal Lindsey pointed out, much surveillance is already in place–and more is to come!

Years ago, Jim Rickards wrote:

Interest in Bitcoin is red hot at the moment. It’s impossible to open a website, listen to a podcast, or watch a video in the financial space without hearing about the meteoric rise in the price of Bitcoin. …
Yet the crypto-hysteria is distracting you from a scary truth no one is talking about. There is every indication that governments, regulators, tax authorities, and the global elite are moving in for the crypto-kill. The future of Bitcoin may be a dystopia in which Big Brother controls what’s called “the blockchain” and decides when and how you can buy or sell anything and everything.
Furthermore, cryptocurrency technology could be the very mechanism used by global elites to replace the dollar based financial system. …
Governments have been patiently watching blockchain technology develop and grow outside their control for the past eight years.
Libertarian supporters of blockchain celebrate this lack of government control. Yet, their celebration is premature, and their belief in the sustainability of powerful systems outside government control is naïve.
Governments don’t like competition especially when it comes to money. Governments know they cannot stop blockchain, in fact they don’t want to. What they want is to control it using powers of regulation, taxation, and investigation and ultimately more coercive powers including arrest and imprisonment of individuals who refuse to obey government mandates with regard to blockchain.
Blockchain does not exist in the ether (despite the name of one cryptocurrency) and it does not reside on Mars. Blockchain depends on critical infrastructure including servers, telecommunications networks, the banking system, and the power grid, all of which are subject to government control. https://dailyreckoning.com/global-elites-secret-cryptocurrencies/

Jim Rickards’ comment about “Big Brother” controlling buying and selling is consistent with biblical prophecies. Before going further, let me mention that I tried to explain the points that are in his last paragraph above to someone last year, as I asserted that governments can control cryptocurrencies. Notice that I also asserted that on this page over four years ago:

There is no way governments will intentionally allow a system that gets around all of their financial espionage. China is starting to publicly state that, and the government of USA has also began to try to figure out how to handle Bitcoin (Congress has held one or more hearings). (Thiel B. Bitcoin, China, NSA, & the Beast. COGwriter, December 5, 2013)

Yet, governments do want control–and will get more of it according to prophecy. Hal Lindsey and I agree on that.

The technology for the Beast of Revelation to control buying and selling is being put in place and is getting more acceptance.

As far as European efforts go, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) recently put together the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

Cashlessness and 1984
The government of Belgium is in the process of ordering small businesses to accept credit cards. In Sweden more and more cashless transactions are occurring. The European Central Bank as well as the government of the United States is working on developing Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). Could this be used for ‘1984’ type monitoring? Is something like this needed for ‘666’ control of buying and selling as warned in the Book of Revelation? Does the European Union now have a unit that could do ‘666’ monitoring? What about the use of gold? Steve Dupuie asks Dr. Thiel various questions related to these topics.

Here is a link to our video: Cashlessness and 1984.

We are getting closer to the time of the end.

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