This world-wide organization and its identification system were established in Brussels, Belgium, 40 years ago, with 12 founding member organizations from European countries. Now its presence is in over 100 countries with more than a million organizations as members.

This organization provides electronic data coding standards for the identification, capturing and sharing of information for physical objects and relationships used in barcodes and RFID technologies. Its systems and standards govern aspects of life, and if you’ve ever bought anything or received healthcare, you’ve come into contact with it. It is known as the GS1.

In section 6 of their data standards document they describe a unique relationship number. This number is used to identify not products – but people, with a number for identifying a man or woman’s relationship with an organization. This number for man (“…for it is the number of a man…” Revelation 13:18) is called a Global Service Relation Number (GSRN).

They describe the GSRN as the GS1 identification key used to identify the relationship between a service provider and service recipient. The function of the GSRN is to provide an identification point to be used to retrieve information held in a database associated with that particular service relationship.

It can be produced as a barcode (mark), an RFID tag (number), or printed as an identifier (name).  This GSRN could be counted as 6+6+6, or as described by GS1, as an 18 digit number.

Or could it have been described nearly 2000 years ago like this? …“Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate (or count, KJV) the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.” Revelation 13:18 NKJV

If the Mark of the Beast was literally 666, everyone would know it…but no, it’s more diabolical than that. The prophecy says it is a number of a man and is counted or calculated. Such as a system that uses 3 sets of 6 digits for an 18 digit global service number that is a person’s unique identifier.

The GS1 identification technology is already the standard in society being used in retail for product barcode scanning everything that we buy and sell (“…and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark…” Revelation 13:17) and its GSRN is already used in healthcare scanning the patient’s bar-coded arm band for identification (“He causes all…to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads…” Revelation 13:16).

As described by GS1, if you’re already using GS1 standards to identify products and locations, then it’s easy to extend your use to identify service relationships as well. And as technology continues to move the boundary of what society was previously comfortable with then it’s quickly accepted since it provides the convenience of what is wanted.

GS1 also describes the GSRN is for use in identification and access to programs of membership and loyalty, used for identification and traceability, including tracking entitlements. Although GS1 produced this identification system for business purposes, how convenient it could be for the Antichrist and his False Prophet to take and use this existing system, and move the bar-coded arm band permanently onto the right hand as a tattoo or RFID tag. And in an environment of stolen IDs and terrorism, describe it as a loyalty system for personal identification and safety; so to control who have entitlement to the world system of commerce, without exception.

That’s why, as the prophecy of the Holy Scripture says, taking this mark is a direct ticket to damnation (“If anyone worships the beast… and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand… He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone” Revelation 14:9-11).

Why?… because it is a mark of loyalty and allegiance. Instead of taking the Name of Jesus Christ as the identifier for the Name of Salvation (“…there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved…” Acts 4:12), one has taken onto themselves the name of the Antichrist through his system, who is one that opposes all that is Holy and True in Jesus Christ.

“Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place.” Revelation 22:6

Learn more in our Prophecy Study “Understanding the Signs of the Last Days™”.