The software security measures that have been developed for directory and file permissions on computers and servers connected to the global network may incredibly reveal one of the main applications in which the number 666 will be used in the economy of the Beast.  In fact, it is already being used even before the Antichrist and the Mark arrive.  The security setting 666, sometimes referred to as chmod 666 (chmod means change mode), is a UNIX permissions setting that designates the level of access allowed to protected folders and files.  Derivatives of UNIX (particularly Linux but also the Mac OS X) are the most commonly used operating systems on servers that run the Internet and the World Wide Web today.  Permission settings are used as part of the server security measures to allow only authorized users to access certain locations in file system hierarchies, especially when connected to the Internet through computers or point of sale (POS) terminals.  When accessing commercial web sites or when using POS terminals in retail stores, the servers that control the processes behind the scenes contain important data to support the web experience and also provide security for electronic buying and selling of goods and services.  Using the correct security settings will permit access to only those files and information intended to be accessed and nothing else.  As we will see in this section, the security setting 666 will soon be used alongside the Mark of the Beast and the 666-containing EAN/UPC barcode technology to allow a person to participate in electronic buying and selling in a cashless society, precisely as predicted in Revelation 13:18.

As the world moves closer to an economy designed around the Mark of the Beast several critical technologies are being developed and merged together to allow the final system to operate.  As we have seen in previous sections on the topic of the Mark, this includes the advent of computer technology; the elimination of cash through the use of credit cards, debit cards, and smart cards; the development of the global electronic network which forms the basis for the Internet, the World Wide Web, and electronic funds transfer (EFT); and the advent of biometrics to eliminate fraud by positively confirming identities.  In all of these inventions and developments, security has become the principal requirement and driving force for the creation of a cashless society that allows people to make purchases electronically without the physical exchange of money and also while preventing fraud.  The security setting 666 has become a vital part in this system.

The development of the Internet and the Web also required important security considerations to be designed into the software to protect the files and information on the servers that contain data used to create web pages.  This data might contain information that gets displayed when a site is visited or it might contain the personal confidential information of members or people who have accounts with a company.  People who visit web sites want to view the pages and information that the sites have available; however, the owners of the web sites don’t want people to be able to access the raw databases and programs that support their sites on the hosting servers.  They also want to prevent visitors from accessing the account information of people who have registered with their site or have done business with them in the past.  Financial information, tax documents, social security numbers, account numbers, names, addresses, and other private information must be maintained in complete security for the system to work with confidence.  For this reason, the operating systems that control the servers all have security levels that can be set for directory (folder) and file access.  Web sites use data and executable programs on their servers to create and present finished web pages to visitors, but their security systems also prevent anyone from actually accessing or changing the data and programs so that no malicious activity can occur.   Unless the system allows for specific access to particular directories or files on a web server, a visitor cannot see them merely by visiting a web site or entering an Internet address, even if that Internet address happens to refer to an actual folder or file on the server.  With the proper security in place, any attempt to access a restricted part of a server without the appropriate permissions will result in an error message or a “page not found” response.  As we will see, this is where the security permissions setting 666 comes into play…[read entire article]