📱 TL;DR

A coal miner was fired for refusing biometric hand scanners—he called it the mark of the beast. Amazon now scans palms at 500+ Whole Foods stores. October 31st: Luther chose Reformation. We choose compliance. The third angel warned us. The infrastructure exists.

Welcome, Family

The mark is already here.

A coal miner refused to use biometric hand scanners. He believed scanning his right hand fulfilled Revelation's prophecy about the mark of the beast. The company fired him. A federal court awarded him $586,861, ruling his religious conviction was legitimate.

Amazon now scans palms at 500+ Whole Foods stores nationwide. The system links your palm vein structure to your payment card, creating a "unique palm signature" for buying and selling. Over 3 million people have used it.

October 31st isn't Halloween. It's Reformation Day.

508 years ago, Martin Luther nailed 95 Theses to a church door, refusing to compromise truth for convenience. He rejected the corrupt system of indulgences—paying money to buy salvation.

Today, we're accepting biometric marks to buy groceries.

The third angel's message in Revelation 14:9-12 warns us: Worship the beast and receive his mark, and you'll drink the wine of God's wrath. This isn't ancient prophecy—it's present reality.

The infrastructure for mark-based commerce exists right now.

Reserve your spot for Friday's Bible study where we're examining the third angel's message and why October 31st forces you to choose: Reformation or mark?

🍞 This Week's Bread

• ⏳ The Sign: Why Amazon palm scanners prove prophecy is unfolding

• 📖 The Word: The third angel's warning about the mark

• 🌍 The Witness: Beverly Butcher vs. Babylon's biometric control

• 🔥 The Work: Three questions about marks, compliance, and compromise

• ⚡ Midweek Power: Wednesday prayer for discernment in end times

• 🙏 Prayer Corner: Wisdom to refuse the mark

📚 This Week's (Virtual) Bible Study
Friday, October 24th (8-10 PM ET)

[🔗 Join Live Study] | [📱 Request Replay Link]

Can't make it live? We'll send you the recording!

⏳ The Sign

Beverly Butcher worked 37 years in West Virginia coal mines.

When his company installed biometric hand scanners requiring employees to scan their right hand to clock in, Butcher refused. As an evangelical Christian and ordained minister, he believed the scanner represented the mark of the beast from Revelation.

The company offered to let him scan his left hand instead. Butcher refused—his conviction wasn't about which hand, but about biometric compliance itself. The company had already accommodated two employees with hand injuries by letting them use a keypad. But they wouldn't accommodate Butcher's religious conviction.

He retired under protest. The EEOC sued. In 2017, federal courts awarded him $586,861. The 4th Circuit ruled: "For Butcher, participating in the hand-scanner system would have presented a threat to core religious commitments."

That was 2017. Now it's everywhere.

Amazon One palm-scanning is now in 500+ Whole Foods stores. The system captures your palm print and underlying vein structure, creating what Amazon calls a "unique palm signature." You hover your right hand over the scanner, and it links your biometric data to your payment card.

Over 3 million uses. Growing demand. Expansion to stadiums, airports, entertainment venues.

Here's what should terrify every believer: U.S. Senators warned that unlike Apple's Face ID which stores data on your device, Amazon One uploads biometric data to the cloud, creating unique security risks.

You're not just scanning your palm—you're uploading your biometric identity to corporate servers that can be hacked, subpoenaed, or sold.

Revelation 13:16-17 describes a system where no one can buy or sell without the mark. Amazon One is that infrastructure. Right hand. Biometric signature. Linked to commerce.

The third angel's message warns:

October 31st, 1517: Luther nailed his theses, refusing corrupt indulgences—paying money for spiritual freedom.

October 31st, 2025: We scan our palms for shopping convenience.

Same test. Different technology. Reformation or compliance?

📖 The Word

Three angels. Three messages. We've reached the third.

First angel (Rev 14:6-7): Fear God, give Him glory, worship the Creator. Judgment has come.

Second angel (Rev 14:8): Babylon is fallen. Come out of her.

Third angel (Rev 14:9-12): Don't worship the beast or receive his mark. The cost is eternal.

Notice the sequence: First, worship God alone. Second, leave Babylon's system. Third, refuse the mark.

You can't skip steps. If you're still in Babylon, you'll accept the mark. If you won't worship God alone, you'll worship the beast by default.

The mark isn't just about buying and selling—it's about worship compliance.

When Nebuchadnezzar built his golden statue in Daniel 3, the issue wasn't the statue itself—it was forced worship. Daniel's friends refused. The furnace couldn't change their minds.

Same test today. Amazon palm scanners aren't inherently evil—it's the system they create and what they represent prophetically.

Revelation 15:2 describes the victorious:

Victory belongs to those who refused.

Not those who debated whether it technically qualifies. Not those who justified convenience. Not those who said "it's optional for now."

Those who flat-out refused biometric compliance because they understood the trajectory.

Beverly Butcher understood. That's why he walked away from 37 years of employment. Not because scanning a hand is automatically the mark—but because biometric compliance creates the infrastructure for mark-based control.

Here's what the third angel reveals:

1. The mark connects to worship—not just commerce

2. The mark goes in right hand or forehead—biometric locations

3. The mark enables buying/selling—economic control

4. Refusing the mark requires patience and faith—it won't be convenient

Amazon's system checks every box: Biometric data. Right hand. Commerce. Cloud storage. Corporate control.

Is Amazon One literally the mark? Maybe not yet. Is it the infrastructure? Absolutely.

And Beverly Butcher's $586,861 court victory proves even secular courts recognize the prophetic implications.

🌍 The Witness

Daniel 3: Nebuchadnezzar builds a 90-foot golden statue. When music plays, everyone must bow. Those who refuse? The furnace.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused. Not because bowing was inherently sinful—because it represented worship compliance with Babylon's system.

They didn't negotiate. Didn't compromise. Didn't say "it's just cultural."

Beverly Butcher faced the same test 2,500 years later.

For 37 years, Butcher worked without incident. When biometric scanners arrived, he provided his pastor's letter explaining his religious conviction. He offered alternatives—manual check-in, supervisor verification, keypad entry.

The company refused. They believed his interpretation was "erroneous." They accommodated hand injuries but not religious convictions.

Butcher retired under protest.

The court ruled in his favor: "It is neither the employer's nor the court's place to question the correctness or even the plausibility of Butcher's religious understandings."

Translation: Even secular courts recognize that believers have legitimate reasons to refuse biometric compliance based on Revelation's prophecy.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego got the furnace. Butcher got vindication.

Both refused to compromise. Both trusted God more than the system.

Now it's your turn.

🔥 The Work

Three diagnostic questions:

1. Would I refuse biometric scanning if required for my job?

Beverly Butcher walked away from 37 years of employment. Would you?

Be honest. If your employer required palm scanning tomorrow, would you refuse? Or would you justify it as "just technology" and "not technically the mark yet"?

The test isn't whether it's officially the mark—it's whether you'll comply with the system that creates mark-based control.

2. Am I prioritizing convenience over conviction?

Amazon One promises faster checkout. No wallet, no phone, just your palm. Sounds great.

But at what cost? Your biometric identity uploaded to corporate servers. Your purchasing patterns tracked. Your compliance with the infrastructure Revelation warned about.

Convenience always justifies compromise. Eve ate the fruit because it looked good. Esau sold his birthright for soup. You'll scan your palm for groceries.

Unless conviction outweighs convenience.

3. Have I already accepted smaller marks of compliance?

Think about what you've already accepted:

• Social media tracking your every move

• Smartphones recording your conversations

• Facial recognition at airports

• Digital payment replacing cash

• QR codes for basic access

Each compromise made the next one easier. Each "optional" system became mandatory. Each convenience became control.

The mark won't arrive all at once—it's arriving incrementally. And most believers won't recognize it because they've been trained to prioritize convenience over conviction.

⚡ Midweek Power

Wednesday night (October 22nd, 8-9 PM ET): Discernment for end times

Pray for:

• Wisdom to recognize prophetic fulfillment

• Courage to refuse biometric compliance

• Conviction stronger than convenience

• Victory over the beast's system

"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." (Revelation 14:12, KJV)

📅 What's Next

🎯 100 Days of Love in Action Challenge
Now - Dec 31st
One intentional act of kindness every day

Virtual Bible Study
Friday, October 24th (8-10 PM EST) 
[🔗 Join Live Study] | [📱 Request Replay Link]

Fall Kickball Fellowship
Sunday, October 26th (1-6 PM EST)
Get ready to play in the annual event where all young adults are welcome for snacks, prayers, fun, and competitive fellowship!

Virtual Bible Study
Friday, October 31st (8-10 PM ET):

📣 Take Action:

🎯 Switching to WhatsApp! GroupMe only works for US numbers. We're moving to WhatsApp to include international members. Click here to join!

• Forward this to someone using Amazon One

• Follow @mogakaeventsministry for prophetic updates

✝️ Final Word

October 31st forces a choice.

1517: Luther chose Reformation over corrupt indulgences—refusing to buy spiritual freedom.

2025: We're choosing palm scanners over prophetic conviction—accepting biometric control for shopping convenience.

The third angel warned us: Receive the mark, drink God's wrath. Forever.

Is Amazon One literally the mark? The answer doesn't matter as much as you think.

What matters: Are you training yourself to refuse compliance now, or justifying convenience until refusal becomes impossible?

Beverly Butcher refused a hand scanner for time-tracking and won $586,861. Most Christians today scan their palms for groceries without thinking twice.

The infrastructure exists:

• ✅ Biometric identification

• ✅ Right hand scanning

• ✅ Commerce control

• ✅ Cloud-based tracking

• ✅ Corporate/government access

Revelation 14:12 describes those who overcome:

Patience means waiting for Jesus without compromising. Saints means refusing the mark even when everyone else complies.

The third angel's message isn't future—it's now.

Reformation or mark. Convenience or conviction. Compliance or courage.

Choose wisely. October 31st reminds us: Luther chose truth over compromise 508 years ago.

What will you choose today?

In His Love,
- Mogaka Events Ministry

Come As You Are is a Spirit-led devotional for young adults hungry for God's presence. Written by Ravi Patel and Chriss Mogaka.