Microchip implants

From all accounts progress towards (identification/location) chip implants is well on its way.
In a society which is now both technically capable and socio-politically amenable, it is increasingly likely that microchips will soon be implanted in humans. (Domestic pets already carry these devices.)

The incentives will be several and various -

Convenience. Night-clubbers are accepting implants as means of "entry to premises" and also to pay for drinks etc.
Security. e.g. to allow employees access to restricted areas and facilities
Prevention of fraud. A chip cannot be lost or detached from its rightful owner
Safety. Parents like to know where their children are
Health and Welfare. Chips can be used to monitor (say) old people living alone; or those who suffer from mental illness, diabetes, etc. There is now talk of using this technology to try and limit the spread of HIV/AIDs.
Counter-terrorism and immigration control.
Crime reduction. Frequent offenders, known paedophiles, etc. can be tracked

The above list covers the whole age spectrum of the population - from the very young to the elderly.

In a further development, the need to identify bodies (in scenes of widespread disasters and accidents) is being cited as a reason to have everyone microchipped.

"A refrigerated truck was running in the parking lot Thursday with 10 bodies, six of which could not be identified. Broadus said most of the victims drowned or suffered severe injuries when buildings collapsed around them. Their faces have been distorted from the water or the rubble and they have started to decompose. Their identification and clothes were swept away, and many bodies had drifted miles from home."
- Mississippi Struggles to Deal With Dead Bodies - By Russ Bynum, ASSOCIATED PRESS Sept 1, 2005

"Most of the dead from Hurricane Katrina don't have names yet. Many will never be identified because their bodies decomposed in the floodwaters and heat before they were found."
- Many of the Dead Never to Be Identified - By TIM DAHLBERG, ASSOCIATED PRESS Sept 5, 2005

The technology is often referred to under the acronym "RFID" (Radio Frequency IDentification); and plans are being discussed to insert these - which can be as small as a grain of rice - on High Street goods and clothing to allow marketeers to track their products.

Many say that these developments should be of no threat to law-abiding citizens. However the time may come when Bible-believing Christians are seen - as they are in many countries around the world - as threat by the authorities to the state.
Allied to number-plate recognition, surveillance cameras, iris recognition and genetic fingerprinting; allied to satellite, mobile phone and internet tracking: the Orwellian society is now upon us.

And as for the other prophet of his day and reproduction (cloning) technology, read either Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" - or alternatively read a copy of your daily newspaper.

The Editor, 31/07/2007