The book isn't the issue, it's people's attempts to figure out somethings we aren't supposed to understand until they happen, or figure out times we aren't supposed to know yet, or just flat out manipulate/make money off of/gain power by pulling ideas about it out of their butts. IHMO
The chip in the article isn't as bad as some corporate ones that are floating around. I've seen at least one company that gave employees the option to get a chip which connected to their work ID for electronic doors and clocking in, as well as connected to their bank account or company charge account to use the vending machines and cafeteria. This one sounds relatively benign, but Revelations or not, I have no intentions of letting anyone, government or corporate, implant anything in me, and would recommend others maintain the same healthy level of paranoia. Our phones are bad enough, never mind something you can't leave behind.
Back to the comparisons, it seems very likely that the Mark from Revelations will be some similar form of technology that John couldn't comprehend because he had nothing to compare it too back then. Frankly, it's also possible that the world will get blown back to the stone age before those end times hit, and the Mark really will be a tattoo one has to show to do any type of legal trading and selling. If that doesn't happen, steps like this one are more about acceptance of the premise of allowing the government or corporations to implant stuff in us, for convenience.