Are Swedish citizens fulfilling Biblical prophecy by implanting microchips in their skin?

This question comes to mind as thousands of people in Sweden get microchips implanted under their skin breaks.

Christian Headlines reports that this implant is to replace credit cards, keys, and personal identification. According to Agence France-Presse, about 3,000 citizens have done this implant.

"Swedes have gone on to be very active in microchipping, with scant debate about issues surrounding its use, in a country keen on new technology and where the sharing of personal information is held up as a sign of a transparent society," AFP reports.

One of these 3,000 people, who now have a microchip in their hands, is Ulrika Celsing, a 28-year-old.

For her, it's a stress-free way to enter her office or gym without using a key or physical ID card. In her words, "It was fun to try something new and to see what one could use it for to make life easier in the future."

For others, it is a great way to use Sweden's national railway without the hassle of having to buy tickets.

Reactions to microchips

While many see these implants as a convenient way to do life, Futurism.com's Victor Tangermann is not as convinced that the technology is the way to go.

He notes that the chip which uses near-field communication (NFC) "can be hacked with the use of a specialized reader and a lot of coding skills."

He added, "Smartphones have tackled this security problem by combining NFC technology with biometric readings, like your fingerprint. But microchips like these don't have such security, which could make your personal info more vulnerable to hacking."

For a lot of Christians, their concern is not based on the technology itself but on the religious implications of it.

In 2017, Pastor Dave Doyle from Hope Christian Fellowship Church in Iowa said microchips make him think about the "mark of the Beast" from Revelation 13:16.

The verse says the beast "forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads."

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According to KCRG in Cedar Rapids, he said, "I take microchipping as a form of the mark. There's many pieces of the mark, and then again, all these pieces of the mark is designed to control."

He also said that he will advise his congregation not to get it adding that "It will eventually become something that's mandatory, and for those who refuse it, you will have to deal with the authorities who don't appreciate your opinions.

"If I'm told I need to go against the Word of God, I would prefer to go to jail first. And Christians need to have that mindset because that's what we're going to go against," he concluded.

What do you think? Should we be concerned?