SSN: Number of the Beast?

And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. καὶ ἵνα μή τις δύνηται ἀγοράσαι ἢ πωλῆσαι εἰ μὴ ὁ ἔχων τὸ χάραγμα, τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θηρίου ἢ τὸν ἀριθμὸν τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ.  — Apocalypse (Revelation) of John, 13:17, King James translation.

Is the social security number or its equivalent in the United States and other countries (here called “SSN” for short) the “number of the beast” foretold by John? Many believe that it is. (See links at end.) It is certainly taking on all the attributes of what seems to have been foretold. Today it is being made increasingly difficult to borrow money, get a job, receive government benefits, vote, or open a bank account, without it. Some think John meant only that believers would be forced to use Roman currency, with the visage of the emperor stamped on it, rather than currency issued by Hebrews or other nationalities. But historically it was never mandated that people use Roman coins for all transactions, only for the payment of taxes. Never before in history have we approached such comprehensive intrusion into ordinary business, “that no man might buy or sell”. The United States is increasingly making it difficult even for foreign nationals to do business without an SSN in their own countries if the transactions might involve the U.S. banking system.

Most people find nothing wrong with having to present their SSN to conduct business. After all, they think, we all have one so what is wrong with having to present it, other than the fact that identity thieves can use it to steal one’s money. The ease with which that can be done should be a warning clue to everyone, because it means that the government can steal your money with it as well, or make it difficult to live without their permission. The government can cancel a persons SSN at any time, and refuse to issue a replacement, making one a kind of stateless nonperson, almost an outlaw in the sense of that word in medieval times, as one anyone could kill with impunity. We may not have gotten that far yet, but we are getting close. Many argue that yielding to the demands one present a SSN makes one a kind of slave to a godlike (or godless) state, and one that is becoming increasingly abusive of our rights.