490. Miceli, Vincent P., S.J. The Antichrist. West Hanover, MA: The Christopher Publishing House, 1981.
A Catholic philosophical and theological tract on the presence and meaning of the Antichrist in modern society, mentioned here because it admirably demonstrates the logical fallacies forced upon those committed to a particular theological standpoint. For example, Miceli traces the history of the idea in Catholic dogma, strenuously denying Bousset's argument that the legend is a syncretism of pagan ideas (item 118). This is impossible. Since Christian prophecy is true it could not have drawn on false pagan ideas. He includes an astonishingly comprehensive list of "limbs of Satan."
Of real interest are some items in the appendix: especially a piece from On Target, a weekly published in Flesherton, Ont., June 1975, describing a new international monetary system, "in use today." It is controlled by an immense computer called "The Beast" in Europena Union headquarters in Brussels. It does or will control all world trade, is a "self-programming unit" with "over 100 sensing input sources."
Every human being will have a "digital number [is there another kind?]Ê-- laser-tattooed" providing "a walking credit-card system," which would be read by infra-red scanners at all places of business. A Dr. Edelman suggests that using three six-digital units [three sixes, you see] would allow enough numbers for every soul on the planet. This system would replace all currency and credit cards; no purchases could be made without the mark.
Ladies Line (Australia), September 1974 reports a similar story "said to be from a magazine called Die Betschaft von Reich [wherein] it is claimed that a Christian working at UNO in Switzerland reported a speaker as saying that plans were already in hand to replace the UN." Each individual would receive a number and a certain amount of money which was already printed. The project provides for a single form of worship and the unification of church and state. Everyone with a number would be employed in some area. Recusants were to have their numbers canceled and would be deprived of the right to buy or sell "and thus be forced to destruction." Truth is not claimed for this, but it is pointed out that a Rev. Webber in an article called "The Checkless, Cashless Society" in Network of Patriotic Letter Writers--USA (n.d.) quotes Rev. 13:16-18 as prophesying just such events as these in the time of Antichrist. Webber wonders if 666 could turn out to be Antichrist's personal computer code.
[It is interesting to observe Miceli's chain of "evidence" for the second version of the computer legend. It seems to have arrived at his attention at fifth hand, coming in every step from sources that cannot be verified. This is precisely the process of transmission of urban legends. This material is of interest because of the breathlessness, not to say hysteria, with which Miceli suspends all judgement of the reliability of sources, when they say what he wants, or at least expects, to hear.]
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