Cashless Canada?
Commentary by Roger Oakland
Understand The Times International: Roger Oakland Ministries
www.understandthetimes.org
1.800.689.1888
Over the past several decades, the world has seen amazing changes take place as the rapid advancement of technology leads the entire planet towards a “cashless society.” While this may not cause concern to a younger generation that has been conditioned to accept that global electronic transactions are necessary for the convenience and necessity of buying and selling, there are still a few who take heed to the biblical warning that such an electronic global cashless system will be exactly what will be implemented in the future in order to monitor and control every person on the planet.
I have followed this trend towards a global cashless society for over four decades. During the ’70s and ’80s when people were shown how a system for a global purchasing plan was developing and how this could be understood in light of the warning found in the Bible (Revelation chapter 13), people paid attention and were concerned.
Not so today. According to a current news item, our generation is not only ready to accept such a plan, for most, a global cashless society cannot happen fast enough. For example, check out this news headline and the introductory statement of the article “Canada Walks the Road Towards Cashless Society”:
Financial experts predict Canada to follow the trails of many leading economies such as Sweden and Denmark to eradicate cash in the future. According to recent data published by payment processing and financial firm Moneris, nearly 77% of individuals who participated in a nationwide survey preferred to settle payments and purchases using credit cards, debit cards and alternative financial platforms such as Paypal, instead of cash. [1]
Canada is certainly not alone on the march towards a cashless global society. In fact, the whole world is heading down that road, and nothing that will occur in the future will prevent this from happening. As we read in the article:
According to the Canadian Press, participants in the Toronto Region Board of Trade panel are extremely optimistic in digitalized payments and cashless economy. Many experts including MasterCard Canada head of market development Wendy Braithwaite believes that electronic payments systems have become an important foundation of the Canadian economy, which it cannot live without. [2]
So what happens next? A cashless society requires a global communications network in order to transfer data electronically. Of course, with the Internet, we know this system is already in place.
Such a system would also require all products that are bought or sold to be identified with a barcode or some form of electronic identity. We have that almost in place.
And finally it would require that every person on planet earth who participates in this system would need a personal ID. While credit and debit cards suit this purpose, as everyone knows, they are not quite personal enough.
The Bible foretells exactly what will happen: “And He causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand or their foreheads: And that no man might be able to buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Revelation 13: 16-17).
Get ready. This will be coming soon.