Mark of The Beast

Image of the Beast

PROPHETIC SIGNIFICANCE:
Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.
Revelation 13:14-15 (NIV)

The Image of The Beast is not the same as the Beast himself (Antichrist). It is a statue that has "come to life." In modern terms this would be a life-like robot. We have been accustomed to life-like images since the introduction of "Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln" at Disneyland in 1965. There has also been a growing interest in "cyborgs," or bionic men, first popularized by the television series "The Six Million Dollar Man," and a steady development on Star Trek type programs of the concept of "The Borg" with their collective consciousness.

Dramatic advances in the fields of Computer Science, especially Artificial Intelligence, Computer Animation, Medical Implants and Robotics, have made it possible to picture the fulfillment of this prophecy.

Key Scriptures
Current Events and Links



Key Scriptures

Click on one of these
references to see
the passage.
Thanks to the services of:

<I>Bible Gateway</I> And
<I>Blue Letter Bible</I>
Go To Bible GatewayGo To Blue Letter Bible
NIV & Other VersionsIncludes Commentary
Revelation 13 Further Study
Revelation 14:9-11; 20:4 Further Study

Current Events and Links

Prophetic Significance of the Image of the Beast


See also:

Mark of the Beast
Cloning and Genetic Modification
False Christs
Antichrist
Modern Technology



Elon Musk thinks humans need to become cyborgs or risk irrelevance

Feb. 13, 2017 - Billionaire technologist Elon Musk, speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai, said that Human beings are in danger of being eclipsed by artificial intelligence unless we develop the ability to communicate directly with machines. He said:

“Over time I think we will probably see a closer merger of biological intelligence and digital intelligence... It's mostly about the bandwidth, the speed of the connection between your brain and the digital version of yourself."

Source: The Verge

Prophetic Significance of the Image of the Beast


Scientists Create Part-Human, Part-Pig Embryo — for Interspecies Organ Transplants

Jan. 27, 2017 -

Scientists have grown human cells inside pig embryos, a very early step toward the goal of growing livers and other human organs in animals to transplant into people.

Source: NewsMax
Mar. 3, 2017 - Artificial human life could soon be grown in lab after embryo breakthrough - Telegraph



Silicon Valley Kingpins Commit $1 Billion to Create Artificial Intelligence Without Profit Motive

Dec. 12, 2015 - Wealthy Silicon Valley investors committed $1 billion to ensure the non-profit development of artificial intelligence, They will fund a non-profit research firm called OpenAI Inc. to allow the technology to be freely used, shared, and modified.

The announcement follows a string of moves ... to make AI technology available on a noncommercial basis. Facebook, Google, and International Business Machines recently donated portions of their formerly proprietary AI software through an open source license.

Source: Wall Street Journal
Billion-Dollar Non-Profit AI Research Lab to Open in San Francisco - IEEE
Tech giants pledge $1bn for 'altruistic AI' venture, OpenAI - BBC
Scientists Develop Algorithm That Can Teach Machines To Learn Like Humans - STGist
Killer robots: Tech experts warn against AI arms race - BBC
Why Google’s new quantum computer could launch an artificial intelligence arms race - Google claims the D-Wave 2X is 100 million times faster than any of today’s machines - Washington Post

Human head transplants: are we close to making them a reality?

Aug. 16, 2015 -

So when Italian neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero first announced his intention to perform the first ever human “head transplant” by December 2017 – part of his “head anastomosis venture” or HEAVEN project – science fiction seemed to inch a little closer to science fact.

Canavero’s is planning to conduct a 36-hour surgery, removing head of a patient suffering from a debilitating disease, and fusing onto the body an the spinal chord of a dead donor with an otherwise healthy body.

Source: Independent - UK

Brainlike Computers, Learning From Experience

Dec. 30, 2013 - Computers thaat can learn from their own mistakes, are about to become a reality.
The first commercial version of the new kind of computer chip is scheduled to be released in 2014... It can also sidestep and even tolerate errors, potentially making the term “computer crash” obsolete.
Source: NY times

Scientific First: Mini 'Human Brains' Grown From Stem Cells

Aug. 29, 2013 - Australian scientists have successfully grown human stem cells into tiny masses of brain cells.
The tiny organoids, as the researchers call them, grow to around 4 millimeters in size. They have many of the same specialized regions that are seen in fetal brains around nine weeks into development.
Studying these growths will help them understand brain development and treat genetic problems with the brain..
Source: NewsMax

Scientist Operates Colleague's Brain From Across Campus

Aug. 27, 2013 - At the Seattle campus of the University of Washington one researcher has been able to transmit a brain signal via the Internet to control the hand motion of a colleague on the other side of campus. Similar experiments have been conducted before using rats or monkeys. in a February experiment from Duke University Medical Center, sensors captured thoughts of a rat in Brazil and sent them to a rat in the U.S., causing it to mimic the behavior of the first rat.
That raised dystopian visions of battalions of animal soldiers - or even human ones - whose brains are remotely controlled by others. Duke's research had received funding from the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or DARPA.
Source: NewsMax
Israel launches first Brain Hack - Jerusalem Post

Could an Italian Scientist Pave the Way for Human Head Transplants?

July 1, 2013 - Unsuccessful head tranplants have been attempted by Russians and Americans since the 1950's. Now an Italian scientist, Sergio Canavero, has a new technique that he hopes will make such a radical surgery possible. The key to the success of the procedure is the fusion of the spinal chord.
To be transplanted, the head would have to be cooled to between 55 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, the two heads must be cut at exactly the same time and in the same operating room. Surgeons then have one hour to connect the head.
If successful, the living person would be controlled by the head, so in reality, the procedure would be a body transplant.
Source: U.S. News and World Report

Scientists successfully create living embryo of an extinct species

Mar. 15, 2013 - Scientists successfully inserted non-living genetic material of a gastric-brooding frog, extinct since the mid-1980's, into the egg of a similar frog, and the organism began to develop.
Although the embryo ultimately failed to develop into a tadpole, scientists say that it is only a matter of time before that this process, called somatic-cell nuclear transfer, is successful in bringing this or other species back into viable adulthood.
Source: Treehugger
(Story no longer online.)

Biological computer created with human DNA

Apr. 1, 2013 - Don't let the date fool you. It's not an April Fools' joke, but a true development that ties the biological and the computer worlds together.
A transistor is a device that controls the flow of electrons in an electrical circuit, which acts as an on-off switch. Similarly, the biological transistor — termed a transcriptor — controls the flow of an enzyme as it moves along a strand of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid).
The current issue of the journal Science reveals new developments that enable enzymes to flow like electrons inside cells and do things like reporting the condition of cells and turning their processes on and off.
Source: Fox
Amplifying Genetic Logic Gates - Science

Cyborg bugs and glow-in-the-dark cats: How we're engineering animals

Apr. 1, 2013 -
GloFish, which are zebrafish that have been genetically engineered to contain a fluorescent protein gene, are sold as pets in 49 states.
This article discusses the many new developments in the area of genetic engineering and the ethical issues that are being raised by them.
Source: CNN

World's first GM babies born

June, 2012 - Some thirty healthy babies have been born in the U.S. in recent years after infertile mothers' eggs were infused with extra genes from another woman's cells.
Writing in the journal Human Reproduction, the researchers, led by fertility pioneer Professor Jacques Cohen, say that this 'is the first case of human germline genetic modification resulting in normal healthy children'.
Two of the babies have been tested and found to contain genes from three 'parents'. The announcement has caused fierce debate among genetic scientists, most of whom do not believe it is ethical to tamper with the DNA. They fear that this method could be used to create new races of humans who are stronger or more intelligent.
Source: Daily Mail

Bionic Brains and Beyond

June 1, 2012 - High-tech implants will soon be commonplace enhancements under our skin and inside our skulls, making us stronger and smarter.
"Amped" author Daniel Wilson discusses the emergence, in the not-so-distant future, of a new class of people whose microchip-enhanced mental abilities may raise questions about what it means to be human.
Some disabled people are already receiving prosthetics or implants that make them stronger faster, or smarter. The article discusses a variety of these devices. Brain implants are the special focus. Aspirin-sized devices are placed on the surface of the brain and connected to control medical disorders. They can "read" brain activity and then modify it. Some can control outside robotic devices to enable paralyzed people to interact with their environment again.

Wilson says that new solutions may actually leave patients better off than "able-bodied" folks. He claims that the person who has a disability today may have a superability tomorrow. He explains that in his new novel, "Amped," these implants create a class of superabled people, leading to a full-on civil rights movement.

Source: Daniel Wilson - Wall Street Journal

Secret U.S. experiments to prompt 2nd Coming?
Aug. 22, 2011 - For several decades sci-fi literature and films have portrayed the gradual development of "transhumanism," a future breed of intelligent beings who might no longer have mortal flesh and bones. One recent development in the news is a tiny, high-tech, electronic body monitor resembling a temporary skin tattoo. [See next story.]
Meanwhile, IBM just unveiled an experimental computer chip it says mimics the human brain in that it perceives, acts and even thinks.
The article documents many other developments and relates the trend to Matthew 24:21–22 - "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened."
Source: WorldNetDaily

Electronic skin tattoo has medical, gaming, spy uses
Aug. 11, 2011 - A new technology called an epidermal electronic system (EES) has been developed to replace bulky electrodes and integrate the body with electronic equipment. The device is a hair-thin electronic patch that adheres to the skin like a temporary tattoo. It can be used for medical sensing, computer gaming and even spy operations. The device was developed by an international team of researchers from the United States, China and Singapore.
Source: Breitbart - Story no longer online

Image courtesy of J. Rogers, University of Illinois



Robots Have Feelings, Too, With New 'E-Skin'

Sept. 13, 2010 - Engineers at the University of California, Berkeley have invented a new artificial “e-skin” for robots. It is a matrix of "nanowires" rolled onto a sticky polyimide film, then coated by pressure-sensitive rubber. This new development will allow robots to apply the right pressure to tasks they are doing. Without this feedback they might drop objects or crush them.
Source: TIME - Story no longer online

Scientists Successfully Embed Silicon Chips Inside Human Cells

Mar. 17, 2010 - A study published in the journal Small describes a process that could plant microprocessors and other silicon-based devices inside cells.
Experiments found that living human cells can ingest or receive injections of silicon chips and continue functioning as usual for the most part. More than 90 percent of chip-containing [cells]... still survived a week after receiving their silicon loads.
Source: Popsci

Annihilation omens

Oct. 10, 2006 - By By Arnaud de Borchgrave

"Annihilation from Within," the new book by Fred C. Ikle, one of America's foremost strategic thinkers, suggests that brain-computer-interface(BCI)projects will one day produce "Homo Connectus," humans with brain-power greater than today's supercomputers.

This gigantic leap of history will "obliterate all previous notions about military power, pose a fundamental challenge to all religions, and eventually upend human civilization."
Source: Washington Times

The next big bang: Man meets machine

May 29, 2006 - Brainwave research is making amazing progress. Some experiments allow subjects to control pong-like games and switch TV channels simply by thinking about them.
All of these overlapping strands of scientific inquiry are known colloquially as "BANG," which stands for bits, atoms, neurons and genes. "All these things are converging because biology, nanotech and organic chemistry are running together."
Source: Cnet

Honda Says Brain Waves Control Robot

May 24, 2006 - Honda has developed an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) analysis of brain activity that can be translated into signals to a robot. Later versions will have a portable helmet to collect the brain activity.
Source:Breitbart - Story no longer online

Malaysian achieves success in artificial intelligence research

Apr. 25, 2005 - Dr M. Sethuraman, 26, has developed a break-through in the field of artifical intelligence, with the goal of producing robots that could “think, feel and behave like a human being.”
Dr Sethuraman said his research was based on an evolutionary process that allowed an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) – a microchip modelled on the human brain – to evolve in a modular fashion until real intelligence emerged.
Source: The Star

'Living' robots powered by muscle

Jan. 17, 2005 - Scientists at UCLA have built a tiny silicon chip with a simple skeleton. Living muscles from rat cells are attached to the chip, so that the little creation can move itself along without any external source of power.
Under a microscope, you can see the tiny, two-footed "bio-bots" crawl around.
Source:BBC

Of Mice, Men and In-Between

Nov. 20, 2004 - Numerous experiments are being conducted with human cells or organs growing inside animals. Creatures with mixtures of two or more individuals in a single body are called chimeras. Scientists are debating the ethics of these experiments, but so far there are no federal laws to restrict this field of study.
During one recent meeting, scientists disagreed on such basic issues as whether it would be unethical for a human embryo to begin its development in an animal's womb, and whether a mouse would be better or worse off with a brain made of human neurons.
Source:Washington Post
See: Raiders News Update for articles about this subject.

Strange food for thought

June 17, 2004 - Brain enhancement drugs and brain imaging, or mapping, could lead to a future similar to the sci fi movie, "The Matrix." Will such enhanced humans be like Einstein or like Frankenstein?
2002 book "Our Posthuman Future: Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution," influential thinker Francis Fukuyama called for governmental regulation of using such technologies for neural enhancement.
Source:Christian Science Monitor

FDA Approves Human Brain Implant Devices

April 13, 2004 - Human trials are about to be conducted on tiny computer chips that are implanted in the human brain. Cyberkinetics Inc. of Foxboro, Mass., has received Food and Drug Administration approval for the tests, which they hope will lead to improved quality of life for victims of strokes and debilitating diseases like cerebral palsy or Lou Gehrig's.
If successful, the chips could allow patients to command a computer to act - merely by thinking about the instructions they wish to send.
Source:MyWay - Story no longer online

The Techno Sapiens Are Coming

Dec. 19, 2003 - this fascinating article by C. Christopher Hook, director of bioethics education for the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, details the advances of nanotechnology and the way it may change what a human is in the future.
Eradicate cancer. Retain and recall everything you can find on the Internet. Give your child a high IQ. ... Give sight to the blind. * Soon, you won't have to be God to fulfill this wish list. But you may not be human, either. *
The article contains an extensive list for further study on the subject.
Source:Christianity Today

Full Face Transplants No Longer Science Fiction
Nov. 28, 2002 - Peter Butler from London's Royal Free Hospital claims that we have the technology to do full face transplants, but there are many ethical questions that should be settled first.
Source:Reuters - Story no longer online

Frankenstein fears after head transplant
Apr. 7, 2001 -
Professor Robert White, from Cleveland Ohio, transplanted a whole monkey's head onto another monkey's body, and the animal survived for some time after the operation.
Now the scientist wants to work toward human head transplants for people who have good minds but diseased or broken bodies.
The controversial procedure is considered "grotesque" by many other members of the scientific community.
Source: BBC

Genetic engineering boosts intelligence
Sept. 1, 1999 - Scientists at Princeton University have produced smarter mice by adding one gene which aids memory by association. Source: BBC News

Biocomputer uses living nerve cells to calculate
Aug, 1999 - A successful experiment in Atlanta uses nerve cells from leeches, connected to electronic devices to do simple addition. The union of electronics with biological nerves is still very primitive, but it promises a fascinating future. Source: Computer News Daily - Story no longer online

Geneticists make faithful mice
Aug. 20, 1999 - BBC News

Facing a remote control future?
June 23, 1999 - The same technology used to allow a animal (mouse) to control a device by thought processes connected to external devices (see next article) could be used in reverse to allow computers to control human thought and action! Source: BBC News

Mind Over Matter
June 21, 1999 - Using a mouse, Dr John Chapin, of the MCP Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, has shown that a robotic device, such as an artificial arm could be activated directly by the brain. Much work must still be done to make it practical, but it is a big breakthrough in this field of science. Source: BBC News

The New Bionic Man
Feb. 1999 - Popular Mechanics
"New breaktrhoughs in Bionics perfect battery-powered eyes, ears, limbs and muscles."
Artificial retinas, cochleas, taste buds, muscles, heart pump, and connections between nerves and electronics are now available.
- Story no longer online


The Post-Human Century Awaits
Jan. 8, 1999 - This ZD Net article by Tom Steinert-Threlkeld suggests that the power of the personal computer will continue to increase geometrically, so that by 2025 it will be "smarter" than the human brain. It will continue to increase for a few years, surpassing the brain-power of an entire village, and then, by mid-century will have the power of the whole country! People will want, and will be given "memory strips and processing sheets implanted inside their skulls and connected to the tissue of their brains."
The article bases its ideas in part on the musings of Ray Kurzweil, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur who forsees the merging of the human and technology into a "Spiritual Machine." Cloning will become commonplace, and the contents of a person's aging brain could be scanned into a portion of the electronic brain which would then totally control the new-cloned body. At that point the real person will be the computer. In passing, at the very end of the article, he expresses hope that the human spirit will not become irrelevant.
Thanks to Jack Van Impe Ministries for finding this article. - - Story no longer online

Is human chip implant wave of the future?
From our "Mark Of The Beast" section

An Artificial Head
August 22, 1998 - In the New Scientist article, "Meet Kismet," science journalist Duncan Graham Rowe writes:
A disembodied head with gremlin-like features is about to be given life in the artificial intelligence department of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Named Kismet, the head is a robot that learns about its environment like a baby, depending almost entirely upon benevolent carers to help it find out about the world.
Researchers working on Kismet are part of a larger group in the AI department that is building an artificial humanoid called Cog. Kismet is Cog's baby brother, and what the researchers learn while putting the robots together will be shared to speed up development.
- Story no longer online

Humanoid Robotics Group
Visit this official site of MIT's Artificial Intelligence program.

Star Trek and Collectivism: The Case of The Borg
1997 article by Steven Yates on the dangers of the "A world-government-as-savior theme."


Check out Today's News



Return to Top | Prophecy Central Home




Last Updated: 3/4/17
Copyright © 1998-2017 by Ron Graff. All rights reserved.