am inclined to disagree snail
a) with technology advancing at such a rapid pace, take computers for example, you can purchase the most top of the line and and in six months if not less it will be out of date. look at this new industrial diamond they are making, it is far smaller than the silicon chip, holds much more data and operates at a much cooler temperature making it operate faster. when the time comes the chip will probably be so small it won't even be noticeable under the thinnest layer of skin.
b) does it really say visible? (not being funny as I don't think it does) A tattoo or etching surely will not work, the skin sheds and over time will distort, look at ink tattoos how they have to be touched up after a few years besides, the way the monetary system is going it is clearly heading toward a cashless society so what better way to introduce a chip with all your information on and without it you won't be able to work, buy or sell as all shops/workplaces etc will have scanners...makes sense really, no more cash to worry about for someone to steel or losing it.
They're good points but there might be other reasons why putting in the hand or forehead is not a good idea.
It doesn't say visible but that's what the word for stamp or brand implies. i.e. it can't mean the sign of the cross made with water in catholic churches because this is invisible, and it needs to be seen so that you can buy or sell with it.
There will also be the question of logistics with the chip, the whole world presumably has to take it, so I'm not sure how easy or how much it costs to get every person in a third world country, who don't even have a telephone, chipped up.
Yes it does make sense to have a chip with all your information on it, it is convenient, fast, and reliable and more secure than paper or plastic money that's why I like the idea.
When you think about it, we already live in a society by which we cannot buy or sell unless we have the right tender. You can't buy your groceries with a sack of potatos, and credit cards are no different to any mark of the beast the difference is it is in your wallet in your pocket instead of in your body. This mark, by which we cannot buy or sell, could have been with us for quite a while already - at least since the time when you had to use money to buy goods and could not buy them with your produce or other goods. Some have suggested that the mark is the visible etching or image on currency, in past times it was of the emperor or king, and still is today. Perhaps it's the queen of england, which all our coins have stamped on it, h we cannot buy or sell without it.