With the federal deadline for REAL ID implementation looming on May 7, Americans are beginning to feel the pressure of what some are calling a choice, yet others see clearly as a coercion masked in bureaucracy.
While Fox News reports that “many states will continue to offer non-REAL ID forms of identification,” these alternatives come with a major catch: they “will not be acceptable for federal purposes such as boarding domestic flights or accessing federal facilities.” That means you can choose not to get a REAL ID—but you’ll also be choosing to limit your ability to move freely, fly or even enter government buildings.
That’s not a choice; that’s a warning.
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The government tells you it’s not a national ID, just a license that meets “certain federal standards.” But let’s be honest: it walks like a duck and quacks like one too. If the government mandates it for travel and federal access, what freedom do you really have?
And here’s where this all starts to echo something much darker: the book of Revelation warns of a time when no one will be able to buy or sell unless they bear the mark of the Beast (Rev. 13:17). It’s a system built on total control, where freedom is promised but never delivered, just like today’s push for digital IDs, vaccine passports and now, the REAL ID.
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This isn’t about a single license, it’s about where the road leads.
As Fox News noted, “Some critics… have claimed that REAL ID presents a risk to citizens’ privacy.” And while officials like Simon Hankinson downplay the difference, “the difference between the REAL ID version and the kind of noncompliant version is not that big,” they also admit its impact: “You can’t go to other countries and just get a driver’s license with zero ID… I think it’s about time we caught up.”
But caught up to what? A future where surveillance and centralized control become the new normal?
It’s easy to dismiss these steps as necessary for safety. But the more restrictions placed on those who opt out, the more obvious the agenda becomes. This isn’t freedom—it’s conditioning. Conditioning the world to accept tighter controls and fewer liberties until one day, the only way forward is through a mark, a scan, a chip… a Beast.
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Christians should not be surprised. We were told this day would come. The question is: are we watching? Are we ready?
James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
