The Prophetic Messenger
A Newsletter From Mysteries From The Word Of God Ministries
September/October 2014 - Volume 16/Issue 5
Name Change For Mark of The Beast Technology - Part V
16 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: 17 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. 18 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
In this issue of The Prophetic Messenger, we will finish a message titled “Name Change For Mark of The Beast Technology”
In this issue of The Prophetic Messenger, we will finish a message titled “Name Change For Mark of The Beast Technology”
1. Future Plans
a) Face Recognition Software
The face recognition software that is available today is more accurate than the human eye. A video titled “Record-Setting Facial Recognition Software Tests Near Perfect”(Note 1) briefly looks at advances that researchers have made in developing technology that can be used to identify people.
b) Smart Street Lights and Surveillance Drones
Smart street lights and surveillance drones are providing new ways to track everything we do almost everywhere we are. A couple of videos worth viewing take a look at these two technologies. The first video is titled “Smart Street Lights That 'Track Everything We Do All The Time'”(Note 2) The second video is titled “From 17,500 Feet, It Can See What You’re Wearing”(Note 3). A quote from the article accompanying this video states
“A new technology called ‘ARGUS’ has the ability to capture details like an individual’s clothing or a bird’s nest- all from 17,500 above and all the footage could potentially be stored. ARGUS is The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Autonomous Real-Time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance Imagine System. Engineer Yiannis Antonaides designed it using 368 basic cellphone cameras. ARGUS boasts 1.8 billion pixels and is also the world’s highest resolution camera, making it one enviable piece of technology. The narrator of a video about ARGUS explained its significance, “Argus is the equivalent of having up to 100 predators look at an area the size of a medium-sized city at once,” he said. ARGUS has the ability to automatically track any moving object. “You can see individuals crossing the street, you can see individuals walking in parking lots. There is actually enough resolution to be able to see the people waving their arms or walking around or what kind of clothes they wear,” Antonaides revealed. The technology stores everything- a million terabytes of video each day- the same as 5000 hours of high definition footage. Employing the 368 cellphone cameras, ARGUS combines video from each one and subsequently makes a 1.8 billion pixel video stream system. Is ARGUS currently being used to spy on Americans? Antonaides refuses to say. ‘I’m not at liberty to discuss plans with the government,’ he admitted. ‘But if we had our choice, we would like ARGUS to be over the same area 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That’s not very achievable with manned platforms- this is where UAVs come in and they’re absolutely the perfect platform,’ he explained.”
c) Apple Pay and Walmart Checking Accounts
Both Apple and Walmart are working hard to be a part of how we spend money. Apple has incorporated a new mobile payment system to be used with its two new iPhones and the soon to be released iWatch. It is called Apple Pay. Walmart is offering checking accounts with Green Dot. An article titled “ID TECH's Contactless Readers Now Apple Pay Compatible”(Note 4) states
“ID TECH, a manufacturer of secure payment solutions, mobile payment, point of sale and digital signage, this week announced its contactless readers support Apple Pay. ID TECH, which claims to have the largest installed base of unattended NFC and contactless devices deployed worldwide, said its contactless product line now allows Apple Pay users to make payment transactions with the tap of their iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus or Apple Watch. ‘ID TECH with the ViVOpay products has been at the forefront of the NFC adoption since its beginning,’ said Eric Lecesne, COO and vice president of products at ID TECH. ‘With Apple Pay, ID TECH's long term commitment to NFC has been validated once again.’ ID TECH's contactless product line has a variety of product offerings from all-in-one NFC, magstripe and EMV payment terminals to contactless and NFC-only reader modules. ID TECH's ViVOpay 4800, ViVOPay 5000 and Xpress CM100 are products for merchants to integrate contactless payment acceptance into existing point-of-sale systems to support NFC and Apple Pay. These products, as well as ID TECH's contact EMV products, allow for merchants to prepare for the October 2015 mandate of contact and contactless EMV, according to the press release. In addition to Apple Pay, ID TECH's contactless products are also capable of accepting Google Wallet, Softcard (formerly Isis Mobile Wallet) and other NFC mobile wallets, and support all major payment brands. ID TECH said its contactless readers and technology are currently being widely used in retail, quick-service restaurants, public transportation and other unattended solutions such as vending machines, kiosks and the parking industry.”
In another article titled “Apple Pay And Digital Currency Mean Time Is Running Out For Physical Cash”(Note 5) it says
“With the announcement of Apple Pay, Apple is betting that consumers want an even more convenient way to pay in person. Many in the payment space have attempted to make this evolutionary leap, but it seems that with Apple’s dominance of the easy-to-use mobile device market, it is uniquely positioned to become successful. There are existing examples of similar, successful implementations, with consumers in South Korea and Japan having long used mobile phones at the point of sale. Glenbrook Partners, a payments strategy and consulting firm, believes that consumer adoption of new payment mechanisms comes down to two things: significant increases in convenience and/or perceived financial gains. Apple Pay has internalized these two main drivers of consumer adoption and will likely be successful given its relationships with major card networks and banks. Similarly bitcoin, once past the learning curve, has significant conveniences over other payment methods and as the software evolves, will become more so. However, the financial benefits have not yet materialized. Another parallel between Apple Pay and bitcoin is security. Apple Pay employs tokenization of information across the network and so is one of the most secure ways to pay in person, along with cash. Apple Pay is well-positioned to make mobile payments pervasive with 220,000 merchants already signed up, an estimated 5 to 10 percent of the millions of merchant locations in the U.S. It’s important to note, though, that Apple Pay has a dozen partner banks representing 83 percent of credit card spending in the U.S. but makes no mention of debit cards, which are issued by 14,000 merchants. As Generation Y is considered the debit card generation, hopefully Apple can cover that market, as well . . . . Apple Pay and digital currency will play a massive part in changing how consumers perceive — and make — low-value payments. The businesses that are quickest to realize this will be the ones that benefit – but believe me, the days of physical cash are numbered.”
In another article titled “Walmart Prepares to Offer Low-Cost Checking Accounts”(Note 6) it says
“Here comes Wal-Bank. After years of thwarted efforts to break into banking, Walmart is making its biggest foray yet into everyday financial services. Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, is teaming up with Green Dot, known for its prepaid payment cards, to supply checking accounts to almost anyone over 18 who passes an ID check. Daniel Eckert, senior vice president at Walmart, said on Tuesday that the accounts would be available nationwide by the end of October. The accounts are intended to be low-cost alternatives to traditional bank checking accounts, with no fees for overdrafts or bounced checks and no minimum account balance. In comparison, a basic checking account at Citibank charges $12 if a check is returned and $34 for overdrafts. The new accounts from Green Dot, called GoBank, will cost $8.95 a month if they have direct deposits totaling less than $500 a month. Mr. Eckert said that most people on Social Security or fixed pensions would qualify. GoBank, as the service is known, is part of Walmart’s long-running push into financial services for people with little or no access to traditional banking. In recent years, many banks have reduced services to those with weak credit. According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, an estimated 10 million households in the United States do not use a bank. Consumer advocates say that many people without checking accounts are forced into the financial hinterlands, where they have little choice but to turn to costly alternatives for basic transactions. Fees for these services can quickly add up, making saving even more difficult. . . . But the new Walmart initiative will be the first full-blown, off-the-shelf checking account. To help attract customers, Walmart and Green Dot will forgo a screening system many banks use to vet potential customers and rely instead on a proprietary system. The model is expected to allow almost any consumer who passes an identification check to open an account in minutes, according to Green Dot.”
The one thing in common with the Apple Pay and Walmart checking accounts is the push to move to a cashless society.
d) Internet Everywhere
An article titled “Intel pushes factory IoT with $9 million cost savings at plant”(Note 7) it says
“The Internet of Things is billed as an almost magical realm of possibilities where everything from thermostats to cars will be online. Industrial applications are a key proving ground. Combined with big data analytics, plants full of smart things could generate billions of U.S. dollars in cost savings. But manufacturers will have to see convincing evidence that IoT will benefit them before they sign on to the concept, according to Intel, which makes chips for IoT gateways. ‘We’ll have to provide proof points for a period of time to demonstrate the value and effectiveness of the capabilities,’ Intel Asia-Pacific sales director Philip Cronin said in an interview Tuesday in Tokyo. Cronin was referring to a collaborative pilot project using IoT technology in which Intel generated US$9 million in cost savings at its plant in Penang, Malaysia . . . .Industrial IoT applications could begin in areas such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) services. Equipping commercial air conditioners with low-cost sensors and communications capability, for instance, would produce an enormous volume of data that could predict when units will need service. ‘We think predictive maintenance will be one of the bigger plays because it lends itself to IoT easily,’ Cronin said. ‘If I have a thousand machines at a motor car plant and I can figure out which ones are running too far, too high, too soon then I start to get into predictive maintenance and the resultant savings.’ Intel is promoting its Quark processors, which are small, low-power chips, for next-generation IoT gateway devices as well as sensors and wearable devices . . . . Intel is collaborating with the Open Interconnect Consortium and the Industrial Internet Consortium, two groups that are working to realize a future of billions of smart devices and components that can communicate over networks.”
In closing, these articles show that with new technological advances in surveillance, mobile payment systems, Walmart checking accounts and internet everywhere we are moving quickly to the fulfillment of the mark of the beast. In Revelation 13:16-18 it says “16 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: 17 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. 18 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.”
The face recognition software that is available today is more accurate than the human eye. A video titled “Record-Setting Facial Recognition Software Tests Near Perfect”(Note 1) briefly looks at advances that researchers have made in developing technology that can be used to identify people.
b) Smart Street Lights and Surveillance Drones
Smart street lights and surveillance drones are providing new ways to track everything we do almost everywhere we are. A couple of videos worth viewing take a look at these two technologies. The first video is titled “Smart Street Lights That 'Track Everything We Do All The Time'”(Note 2) The second video is titled “From 17,500 Feet, It Can See What You’re Wearing”(Note 3). A quote from the article accompanying this video states
“A new technology called ‘ARGUS’ has the ability to capture details like an individual’s clothing or a bird’s nest- all from 17,500 above and all the footage could potentially be stored. ARGUS is The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Autonomous Real-Time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance Imagine System. Engineer Yiannis Antonaides designed it using 368 basic cellphone cameras. ARGUS boasts 1.8 billion pixels and is also the world’s highest resolution camera, making it one enviable piece of technology. The narrator of a video about ARGUS explained its significance, “Argus is the equivalent of having up to 100 predators look at an area the size of a medium-sized city at once,” he said. ARGUS has the ability to automatically track any moving object. “You can see individuals crossing the street, you can see individuals walking in parking lots. There is actually enough resolution to be able to see the people waving their arms or walking around or what kind of clothes they wear,” Antonaides revealed. The technology stores everything- a million terabytes of video each day- the same as 5000 hours of high definition footage. Employing the 368 cellphone cameras, ARGUS combines video from each one and subsequently makes a 1.8 billion pixel video stream system. Is ARGUS currently being used to spy on Americans? Antonaides refuses to say. ‘I’m not at liberty to discuss plans with the government,’ he admitted. ‘But if we had our choice, we would like ARGUS to be over the same area 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That’s not very achievable with manned platforms- this is where UAVs come in and they’re absolutely the perfect platform,’ he explained.”
c) Apple Pay and Walmart Checking Accounts
Both Apple and Walmart are working hard to be a part of how we spend money. Apple has incorporated a new mobile payment system to be used with its two new iPhones and the soon to be released iWatch. It is called Apple Pay. Walmart is offering checking accounts with Green Dot. An article titled “ID TECH's Contactless Readers Now Apple Pay Compatible”(Note 4) states
“ID TECH, a manufacturer of secure payment solutions, mobile payment, point of sale and digital signage, this week announced its contactless readers support Apple Pay. ID TECH, which claims to have the largest installed base of unattended NFC and contactless devices deployed worldwide, said its contactless product line now allows Apple Pay users to make payment transactions with the tap of their iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus or Apple Watch. ‘ID TECH with the ViVOpay products has been at the forefront of the NFC adoption since its beginning,’ said Eric Lecesne, COO and vice president of products at ID TECH. ‘With Apple Pay, ID TECH's long term commitment to NFC has been validated once again.’ ID TECH's contactless product line has a variety of product offerings from all-in-one NFC, magstripe and EMV payment terminals to contactless and NFC-only reader modules. ID TECH's ViVOpay 4800, ViVOPay 5000 and Xpress CM100 are products for merchants to integrate contactless payment acceptance into existing point-of-sale systems to support NFC and Apple Pay. These products, as well as ID TECH's contact EMV products, allow for merchants to prepare for the October 2015 mandate of contact and contactless EMV, according to the press release. In addition to Apple Pay, ID TECH's contactless products are also capable of accepting Google Wallet, Softcard (formerly Isis Mobile Wallet) and other NFC mobile wallets, and support all major payment brands. ID TECH said its contactless readers and technology are currently being widely used in retail, quick-service restaurants, public transportation and other unattended solutions such as vending machines, kiosks and the parking industry.”
In another article titled “Apple Pay And Digital Currency Mean Time Is Running Out For Physical Cash”(Note 5) it says
“With the announcement of Apple Pay, Apple is betting that consumers want an even more convenient way to pay in person. Many in the payment space have attempted to make this evolutionary leap, but it seems that with Apple’s dominance of the easy-to-use mobile device market, it is uniquely positioned to become successful. There are existing examples of similar, successful implementations, with consumers in South Korea and Japan having long used mobile phones at the point of sale. Glenbrook Partners, a payments strategy and consulting firm, believes that consumer adoption of new payment mechanisms comes down to two things: significant increases in convenience and/or perceived financial gains. Apple Pay has internalized these two main drivers of consumer adoption and will likely be successful given its relationships with major card networks and banks. Similarly bitcoin, once past the learning curve, has significant conveniences over other payment methods and as the software evolves, will become more so. However, the financial benefits have not yet materialized. Another parallel between Apple Pay and bitcoin is security. Apple Pay employs tokenization of information across the network and so is one of the most secure ways to pay in person, along with cash. Apple Pay is well-positioned to make mobile payments pervasive with 220,000 merchants already signed up, an estimated 5 to 10 percent of the millions of merchant locations in the U.S. It’s important to note, though, that Apple Pay has a dozen partner banks representing 83 percent of credit card spending in the U.S. but makes no mention of debit cards, which are issued by 14,000 merchants. As Generation Y is considered the debit card generation, hopefully Apple can cover that market, as well . . . . Apple Pay and digital currency will play a massive part in changing how consumers perceive — and make — low-value payments. The businesses that are quickest to realize this will be the ones that benefit – but believe me, the days of physical cash are numbered.”
In another article titled “Walmart Prepares to Offer Low-Cost Checking Accounts”(Note 6) it says
“Here comes Wal-Bank. After years of thwarted efforts to break into banking, Walmart is making its biggest foray yet into everyday financial services. Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, is teaming up with Green Dot, known for its prepaid payment cards, to supply checking accounts to almost anyone over 18 who passes an ID check. Daniel Eckert, senior vice president at Walmart, said on Tuesday that the accounts would be available nationwide by the end of October. The accounts are intended to be low-cost alternatives to traditional bank checking accounts, with no fees for overdrafts or bounced checks and no minimum account balance. In comparison, a basic checking account at Citibank charges $12 if a check is returned and $34 for overdrafts. The new accounts from Green Dot, called GoBank, will cost $8.95 a month if they have direct deposits totaling less than $500 a month. Mr. Eckert said that most people on Social Security or fixed pensions would qualify. GoBank, as the service is known, is part of Walmart’s long-running push into financial services for people with little or no access to traditional banking. In recent years, many banks have reduced services to those with weak credit. According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, an estimated 10 million households in the United States do not use a bank. Consumer advocates say that many people without checking accounts are forced into the financial hinterlands, where they have little choice but to turn to costly alternatives for basic transactions. Fees for these services can quickly add up, making saving even more difficult. . . . But the new Walmart initiative will be the first full-blown, off-the-shelf checking account. To help attract customers, Walmart and Green Dot will forgo a screening system many banks use to vet potential customers and rely instead on a proprietary system. The model is expected to allow almost any consumer who passes an identification check to open an account in minutes, according to Green Dot.”
The one thing in common with the Apple Pay and Walmart checking accounts is the push to move to a cashless society.
d) Internet Everywhere
An article titled “Intel pushes factory IoT with $9 million cost savings at plant”(Note 7) it says
“The Internet of Things is billed as an almost magical realm of possibilities where everything from thermostats to cars will be online. Industrial applications are a key proving ground. Combined with big data analytics, plants full of smart things could generate billions of U.S. dollars in cost savings. But manufacturers will have to see convincing evidence that IoT will benefit them before they sign on to the concept, according to Intel, which makes chips for IoT gateways. ‘We’ll have to provide proof points for a period of time to demonstrate the value and effectiveness of the capabilities,’ Intel Asia-Pacific sales director Philip Cronin said in an interview Tuesday in Tokyo. Cronin was referring to a collaborative pilot project using IoT technology in which Intel generated US$9 million in cost savings at its plant in Penang, Malaysia . . . .Industrial IoT applications could begin in areas such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) services. Equipping commercial air conditioners with low-cost sensors and communications capability, for instance, would produce an enormous volume of data that could predict when units will need service. ‘We think predictive maintenance will be one of the bigger plays because it lends itself to IoT easily,’ Cronin said. ‘If I have a thousand machines at a motor car plant and I can figure out which ones are running too far, too high, too soon then I start to get into predictive maintenance and the resultant savings.’ Intel is promoting its Quark processors, which are small, low-power chips, for next-generation IoT gateway devices as well as sensors and wearable devices . . . . Intel is collaborating with the Open Interconnect Consortium and the Industrial Internet Consortium, two groups that are working to realize a future of billions of smart devices and components that can communicate over networks.”
In closing, these articles show that with new technological advances in surveillance, mobile payment systems, Walmart checking accounts and internet everywhere we are moving quickly to the fulfillment of the mark of the beast. In Revelation 13:16-18 it says “16 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: 17 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. 18 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.”
Notes:
Note 1:http://shar.es/L32Kw
Note 2: http://www.wnd.com/wnd_video/smart-street-lights-that-track-everything-we-do-all-the-time/
Note 3: http://freebeacon.com/national-security/from-17500-feet-it-can-see-what-youre-wearing/
Note 4: http://www.mobilepaymentstoday.com/news/id-techs-contactless-readers-now-apple-pay-compatible/
Note 5: http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/11/apple-pay-and-digital-currency-mean-time-is-running-out-for-physical-cash/
Note 6: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/24/business/finding-a-door-into-banking-walmart-to-offer-checking-accounts.html?_r=1
Note 7:http://www.pcworld.com/article/2690192/intel-pushes-factory-iot-with-9-million-cost-savings-at-plant.html
Note 1:http://shar.es/L32Kw
Note 2: http://www.wnd.com/wnd_video/smart-street-lights-that-track-everything-we-do-all-the-time/
Note 3: http://freebeacon.com/national-security/from-17500-feet-it-can-see-what-youre-wearing/
Note 4: http://www.mobilepaymentstoday.com/news/id-techs-contactless-readers-now-apple-pay-compatible/
Note 5: http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/11/apple-pay-and-digital-currency-mean-time-is-running-out-for-physical-cash/
Note 6: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/24/business/finding-a-door-into-banking-walmart-to-offer-checking-accounts.html?_r=1
Note 7:http://www.pcworld.com/article/2690192/intel-pushes-factory-iot-with-9-million-cost-savings-at-plant.html
Coming Up In The Next Issue
Is Russia Rebuilding The Former Soviet Union?-Part I. Read this article in the next issue of The Prophetic Messenger.
Memory Verses
As Christians if we want to live in victory and if we want to be able to share the Word Of God with others we must know the Word of God ourselves. Let's see what the Bible says about this. "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." Psalm 119:11. "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." John 15:7. "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed." John 8:31. We encourage you to put the following scriptures in your heart: Proverbs 13:22, Romans 3:23, Joel 3:14, I Corinthians 2:15, Habakkuk 3:3, Genesis 18:27, I John 5:13, Proverbs 12:18, Philippians 3:20, Isaiah 59:16 . Use only the Old King James version of the Holy Bible. (If you have any questions about this please see the book New Age Bible Versions, by G.A. Riplinger ©1993, ISBN 0-9635845-0-2.)
Join Us For Service
We invite you to join us for service. For details on where we meet click here.