"Mark of the Beast" - What is it?

In one of our services, Pastor Karl taught about this mark (the number 666 as stated in Revelation 13:18) that will be necessary if people are to buy or sell anything. The Bible says that those who do not bear this mark, will not be able to buy or sell anything (Revelation 13:17).

So what is this "mark?" Scholars suggest that this mark will be a microchip embedded under the skin of one's forehead or the back of the hand. The subcutaneous (below the skin) chip will contain all biological, personal and financial information about the bearer. For every commercial transaction, the person will need to get his/her chip scanned by a chip-reader, the way bar codes are scanned by an optical reader at supermarkets. Sounds scary, doesn't it?

The Indian Government has embarked on a massive project (see earlier post) to issue Biometric Unique Identification Cards (UID) to each of India's 1.2 billion citizens! Jesus has blessed India with terrific talent in diverse fields, especially technology. If the management and logistics fall in place, this project is likely to succeed. Now here are 2 questions for you all:

1. Is the Biometric ID Card the mark of the Beast?
2. Can a Christian who wilfully chooses receives this mark become "un-saved" and therefore hell-bound?

Drop-in your comments and opinions. It'll make for an interesting discussion, I'm sure.