More Signs of the Time

I must admit that there are times when I read an article that I back up and re-read it just to make sure that I was reading it right.  I have often said to myself, "You know, you just can't make this stuff up!"  Well, I came across such an article this morning while reading the headlines on the Drudge Report.  I clicked on the article headline and began reading.  The article was written by Paul Joseph Watson and was posted on the Infowars.com website.  The article was titled, "Ex-DARPA Head Wants You to Swallow ID Microchips."  You can find it at www.infowars.com/ex-darpa-head-wants-you-to-swallow-id-microchips.

"Former DARPA director and now Google executive Regina Dugan is pushing an edible 'authentication microchip' along with an electronic tattoo that can read your mind.  No this isn't a movie script about a futuristic scientific dictatorship, it's trendy and cool!"  Dugan is quoted as saying, "This pill has a small chip inside of its with a switch.  It also has what amounts to an inside out potato battery. When you swallow it, the acids in your stomach serve as the electrolyte and that powers it up.  And the switch goes on and off and creates an 18 bit ECG wide signal in your body and essentially your entire body becomes your authentication token."  What this means is that your entire body would act as a biological authentication system to open and close your garage door, to lock and unlock your doors, to turn on your cellphone and other devices.  Sounds like you could become your own remote control.  It would sure save having to say, "Honey, where did you put the TV remote?"  The article goes on to say that the chip has already been FDA approved and could be taken 30 times a day for someone's entire life without effecting their health.  I am not sure of the validity of that claim. 

Also, according to the article, Motorola, a division of Google, is working on a wearable e-tattoo that could read a user's mind by detecting the unvocalized words.  "'It has been known for decades that when you speak to yourself in your inner voice, your brain still sends neural spike volleys to your vocal apparatus, in a similar fashion to when you actually speak aloud,' explains Extreme Tech's John Hewitt, noting that the device could allow covert voice activation as well as being used to detect stress and emotion (because Big Brother cares about your feelings)."

I have to admit that I have become fascinated with the recent articles, some reported in previous blogs, that announce this new development of technology.  The main purpose, from what I have been able to ascertain, is to allow others to know who you are and what you are doing.  It is a system of control.  We are already seeing it in the form of drone plane that hover over just about anywhere.  The little cameras within a drone are recording moments for someone else's viewing.  What if there were a device that could read your thoughts, really the last vestige of privacy that a person has, and use those thoughts against you.  Pretty scary, don't you think?  I am beginning to realize with clarity how the world, with the use of its technology, is preparing itself for the advent of someone who will use that technology and its power to control the world.  When one reads the book of Revelation in the light of today's world, it simply doesn't sound so futuristic.  One does not read Revelation and scratch his or her head as in days of old and say, "How could that possible happen?"  No, today one reads and scratches his or her head and say, "Now I am beginning to see how it all fits together."

I have to share with you one more story that was found on the Fox News website.  The article was written by Todd Starnes and was published yesterday, January 7, on the website: www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/01/07/teacher-tells-6-year-old-jesus-is-not-allowed-in-school.  The story occurs in California where "an elementary school is facing a possible lawsuit after a teacher allegedly confiscated a six-year-old child's Christmas candy canes and told him 'Jesus is not allowed in school.'  Last December, Isaiah Martinez brought his first grade classmates at Merced Elementary School candy canes.  Attached to each treat was a message explaining the religious legend surrounding the candies.  The legend references a candy maker who created the candy cane to symbolize the life of Christ.  When the six-year-old boy arrived at school, his teacher noticed the religious message and immediately confiscated the gifts.  The teacher then consulted with the supervising principal who instructed her to prevent Isaiah from distributing the candy canes.  The teacher ripped the candy cane legend off and then threw the messages back into the box and told Isaiah that he could now distribute the candy canes."  Friends, here is what is so interesting, in that same classroom, Isaiah's classmates were able to distribute gifts with images of Santa Claus, Christmas trees, etc. to others with nothing being said.  Once again we see that the message of Jesus is an offense. 

I am reminded of these words of the Apostle Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians: "For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.  To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life..." (2 Corinthians 2:15-16).  And it seems to me, anyway, that the aroma of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is becoming more offensive to the world.  Again, Jesus told us that the world would hate us because the world hated Him.  I believe that there will be a growing separation between those who stand for Christ and those who oppose Christ.  It will no longer be easy to merely pretend to be a follower of Christ.  Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, there will be the need to consider the cost. 

Friends, I believe that 2014 will prove to be a pretty interesting year.  Let's stay in the Word, our sure foundation, and keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.