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Euronews reported the following:

Euroviews. We deserve better than the digital euro

13 February 2024

Even if the digital euro began as an exploration into solving financial system friction and not just a way to outmanoeuvre the expansion of EU stablecoins, it now can evolve into something far worse, Marc Taverner writes.

The unethical and unchecked use of artificial intelligence is the threat du jour, both for those working to preserve personal freedoms and companies seeking to secure their market competitiveness.  …

The ECB was slow to develop the digital euro. The digital euro has been in development since 2020.

Originally planned to preserve the role of central banks in the supply of money, it was an apparent response to the explosion of digital currencies outside of state control.

Unfortunately for those operating within and with the EU, it is now entering its “preparation phase” just as artificial intelligence arrives. …

The convergence of these technologies means the digital euro can be the arbiter of all exchange within and with the EU.

It will do so by using AI to exploit financial data and financial access to first analyse, then affect, the financial activities of EU residents, citizens, companies and trading partners.

It is time to be concerned. …

Currently, the ECB cannot control what a commercial, private bank allows its customers to spend money on — aside from sanctioned activities — and the data available to them from which to make policy decisions is limited.

Any attempt to change this status quo would require a legacy digital transformation of the highest order. The cost of this, much less the cost of the public outrage, made this a non-starter.

The digital euro fixes these issues immediately for the ECB and its member states. Over the past years, I have been privy to meetings in Brussels where the digital euro was excitedly mentioned as the solution for auto-collecting taxes, distributing social security payments, and even “ensuring state financial support is used on the right purchases.” https://www.euronews.com/business/2024/02/13/we-deserve-better-than-the-digital-euro

Notice that the above article stated that the inability to control other digital currencies is one of the reasons for the development of some type of digital euro.

The reality is that many European Union leaders want a digital euro, and have taken steps to do so (e.g. see ‘EU Advances Controversial Digital Euro Project Amid Privacy and Power Grab Concerns’). Wikipedia has the following:

A Digital Euro, is the project of the European Central Bank (ECB), decided in July 2021, for the possible introduction of a central bank digital currency (CBDC). The aim is to develop a fast and secure electronic payment instrument that would complement the Euro for individuals and businesses in its existing form as cash and in bank accounts, and would be issued by the European System of Central Banks of the Eurozone.^[1][2][3]

After concluding a two-year investigation into the design and distribution models for a digital euro, the ECB decided on October 18, 2023 to enter the preparation phase, which involves tasks such as finalizing the rulebook and selecting providers to develop the required platform and infrastructure, setting the stage for the potential issuance of a digital euro.^{[4] …}

Criticism and risks of the digital euro

• Increased centralisation and central planning of monetary policy
• Loss of privacy
• Risk of financial censorship and loss of human rights
• Hacking and information security issues
• Higher risks of loss of central bank independence and political influence on monetary policy
• Potential for much faster transmission of bad monetary policy
• Risks to banking system of bank runs towards CBDC
• Distribution fairness issues (Cantillon effect)
• Higher political control of individual spending and saving
• Weakened Property Rights

(Digital Euro. Wikipedia, accessed 02/13/24)

Biblically, a CBDC or other type of digital euro appears to be a step towards ‘666’ control.

It is certain that massive state control over buying and selling will come to Europe (cf. Revelation 13:16-18)– as I have written for many years, some type of electronic currency will be involved. Other prophecies also point to persecution and censorship.

Notice some of what was in item 13 of my list of 24 items to prophetically watch in 2024:

13. CBDCs and 666

Notice the following prophecy:

16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. (Revelation 13:16-18)

This type of financial surveillance could not have happened during the time of the Apostle John as there was no real way to monitor many financial transactions then (despite the fact that ‘preterists’ believe this was fulfilled almost 2000 years ago, see also The Dangerous Rise of Preterists). The same was true for all the centuries that followed until the late 20th and now the 21st century. But now not only does the technology exist to monitor most financial transactions, the political will is there as well.

It will be a European power that will fulfill the above prophecy of 666 (watch Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?).

It will likely take supercomputers aided with artificial intelligence to aid in the fulfillment of the scriptures in Revelation 13:15-18, as well as cyber-spying/monitoring. I do believe that cyber monitoring will be used by the European Beast, King of the North, 666 power. ..

Knowledge and monitoring of financial transactions is greatly increasing.

Europe has claimed that it will be the dominant force in cryptocurrency.

The Europeans will push for a CBDC. …

While 2024 will not see a cashless world, expect to see more movements towards monitorable payments.

Expect to see more steps related to Central Bank Digital Currencies in 2024.

Look for more totalitarian steps to be proposed and/or implemented in 2024.

Europe wants to set the standards for digital tech for the world as the euobserver reported: https://euobserver.com/democracy/154207

Setting the standards will also lead to more controls and, ultimately, contribute to the actual apocalypse.

Although various ones in the EU are warning against various controls and claiming to push for rights and privacy, the biblical reality is that Europe will become totalitarian itself (Revelation 17:12-13; see also EU summits to push for ‘European industry strategy’ and ‘proper’ thinking and EU proposes billions for ‘Digital Europe’ surveillance: This would assist 666).

Europe wants to dominate big tech itself. It is working on many ways to bypass the USA (e.g. Der Spiegel says Europe needs to employ ‘clever resistance’ as it works towards a post-USA world) as well as BRICS.

Plus, it has already taken various steps in order to do so.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 13th, 2024 at 4:00 pm and is filed under Prophecy.

• ‘EU Advances Controversial Digital Euro Project Amid Privacy and Power Grab Concerns’
• ‘Germany’s bold move to crush BRICS dominance – Will the Digital Euro work?’
• AP: Ready for a digital euro? At 25, European Central Bank preps for future of money
• US Congress tries to thwart CBDCs, but . . .
• ‘CBDCs are a solution for a problem we don’t have, and they want to implant it under our skin’
• ZH: American Totalitarian ‘Crypto Dollar’ May Come Before The Election; CG: EU Parliamentary Committee votes in favor of ‘digital euro’ CBDC
• ‘EU proposes giving legal backing to digital euro’
• ‘We Are Working Hard On A Global CBDC’ ‘The Reset: When Will Globalists Attempt To Introduce Their Digital Currency System?’
• ECB Cuts Off Greek Banks
• ‘The digital euro could usher in total state control’