Before becoming a priest, I graduated from the Department of Experimental and Theoretical Physics of the Moscow Institute of Engineering and Physics, so I will try to explain the ideas behind the liquid chips and 5G towers, first from the technical and then from the spiritual standpoint.
Good news No. 1: “Liquid chip” is a misnomer. The chip has a solid silicon structure and simply cannot be liquid in the typical meaning of the word. What it actually refers to is quantum dots or quantum sensors. A quantum dot assembly may be placed in a colloidal capsule. So the ubiquitous “liquid chip” is nothing more than a colloidal capsule with quantum dots in it.
Good news No. 2: Technically, this “liquid chip” cannot function as a controller. According to the publicly available scientific data, the quantum dot research has been continuing since 1998, reaching its peak in 2008-2013. Later on, concerned that competitors may steal their inventions, the companies stopped publishing any information about their discoveries in this field.
The innovation is based on the idea that under certain conditions the quantum dot, this nano-object, starts to glow, but this glow is imperceptible to the human eye. This technology was primarily developed for medical purposes, such as diagnostics of autoimmune disorders and treatment of cancer. Rather than marking the whole tumor, quantum dots may be used to mark cancerous cells precisely, making targeted treatment possible. In other words, this is a way to mark an object of any size. I emphasize that the object can be marked, but not controlled.
This technology, which was initially developed for medical purposes, is now commercialized. The patent with the scary number 060606, which notably was registered after Bill Gates had already left Microsoft, describes how quantum dots may be used to monitor allowed and prohibited activities. For example, this technology can be used to check if people are watching the prescribed shows or leading a healthy lifestyle. It is some kind of a monitoring device. Although monitoring is an important issue, there’s nothing mystical about it.
Good news No. 3: These so-called “liquid chips” have nothing to do with radio emissions. According to the publicly available scientific research data, the 5G technology cannot be used to work with these dots. The UHF band used in 5G is not used by liquid chips. The 5G networks and liquid chips use two different frequencies and have nothing in common.
So how do the 5G towers figure in this story? A Chinese company won a tender for installation of base electronic stations all over the world, and the USA did not like it. It was the USA that started the rumor that mankind will be controlled through the 5G network and chips. I believe that this rumor was driven by intense competition between the two technologically advanced countries: the States did not want to get rid of the towers, they wanted to build them themselves.
The 5G technology can indeed be harmful to people since it involves emission of microwaves (just like a microwave oven). However, it could be harmful only to people who stay in close proximity to the towers for extended periods of time. Any emission poses a significant environmental risk, and scientists are trying to resolve such issues by developing optimal solutions for people.
Still, the ancient Romans used to build their aqueducts with lead pipes, and Russian women used to apply mercury-containing blush to their cheeks. Shoe stores used to have shoe-fitting X-ray machines, while DDT used to be the pesticide of choice used in daycare facilities. Mankind has always been faced with the problem of weighing the benefits and risks associated with its own achievements.
Should we speak out against this? I am certain that we have no right to brush aside technological innovations. Development of technologies is an objective process that will continue whether we like it or not.
As Christians, we must understand that after the original sin, man’s nature is sinful, so any achievement may be both boon and bane. Nuclear technology can be used to build nuclear power stations or make bombs. It all depends on people’s intentions.
The Church has always been wary of digital technologies being used against people’s interests, recognizing that they may ultimately be used to gain total control over people. This issue has been the topic of discussion in the Church since the Bishops’ Council in 2000, back when Alexiy II was Patriarch [of Russia]. The matter of bar codes was discussed at that Council for the first time. Every time this question arises, the Church calls on the authorities to take a more serious and responsible approach to finding the solution. We may consider the so-called liquid chips a potentially dangerous technology since, as I noted earlier, there may be different approaches to their application. Yes, we all have real concerns about digital technologies, but it is not good for our souls to resort to conspiracy theories.
I think that serious global shocks still lie in store for us, but since I believe in God and know a bit of history, I think that mankind can handle it. What words do we often come across in the New Testament? “Fear not”. “Fear not” doesn’t mean that we should do something foolish. We need to have a global perspective on the Testament given to us by God: We shouldn’t fear the trials and tribulations of our everyday lives, because God is with us.
Focusing on chips and global conspiracies distracts us from the main issues. If we are fixated on the global processes that are beyond our control, it takes our minds off the most important questions. How to pray correctly? How to build our relationship with God? How to avoid judging people? These are the questions we should be asking, for this is something that we can control.
Many people associate the suddenly ubiquitous liquid chips with the coming of the antichrist. However, if we review our history, we’ll see that people have associated the end times with many events. First, people thought that the end times were approaching when Jerusalem fell, and the Temple was destroyed. What did the Christians in Rome have to think when their city fell? Then Constantinople fell and Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque. What about the Revolution of 1917? In the wake of the execution of the Royal Family, destruction of churches, and mass killings of priests, many people thought that the coming of the antichrist was imminent. I personally remember that the breakup of the Soviet Union and the ensuing global transformations were considered by many to be the “end times”.
We must understand that interpreting the Apocalypse is a very complicated matter. There is a good reason why this book is the only one that is not read during the Liturgy. It is extremely allegorical. Interpreting the Apocalypse in reference to the present day is like trying to interpret the Hexameron, the story of the world’s creation in six days, in terms of the modern cosmology or anthropogenesis. The language of the biblical Hexameron and the language of modern science are too different, and it is very difficult to reconcile them. The language of the Apocalypse is also very figurative, and I believe that we should not try to find direct references to the modern day.
Speaking about the antichrist and “the mark of the beast”, we must remember the most important thing: when we reach the end times, the problem will be with conscious and willing worshiping of evil. No mark secretly affixed to you can be the antichrist’s mark, because you need to know what it is and knowingly accept it. Only then it will have any spiritual meaning. The digital technology-related fears are quite reasonable, because in the wrong hands, these technologies can help somebody to gain total control over people. But I would like to reiterate that the technological progress cannot be arbitrarily stopped as it is driven by global competition.
Any serious changes and fear of the unknown may make people see the signs of the “end of the world”. The question is, “What should we do about it?” I think that we should be guided by the words of the Sermon on the Mount, which seemingly were said about something else:
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof (Matt. 6:34). It was then that God said, Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? (Matt. 6:26).
This does not mean that we should quit our jobs and hide in the forests. Nor does it mean that we should close our eyes and pretend that the things happening in the world do not concern us. We should not be afraid, for we rely on God’s will. We still need to look, see and think—but this should not prevent us from sowing and reaping.
