Previously published in October of 2001, the topic of surveillance and national security remains as relevant now as it was then, and more so. Since then, we have seen a greater erosion of our civil liberties in almost every detail of our lives. There is no privacy anymore governing one’s medical treatments and condition. Doctors and other healthcare providers maintain a detailed up to the moment record online of all prescriptions, treatments, exams, allergies and other details of one’s condition of health. This is accessible to providers in tracking treatment and to insurers for determining your eligibility for coverage and in your local pharmacy. Take a drive in any city or major road and there are cameras recording your driving with detailed photography, able to track your license plate and your whereabouts at a given time of day, and are often used in law enforcement, not just here in the States but globally.

Browsing on the internet is monitored by marketing services and retailers in an effort to sell you more than you want. Any casual search for goods or services turns into a marketing blitz to ensure you buy it. In spite of efforts to put privacy settings into our social media, our government has the means and the will to observe users, to determine if one is involved in any criminal, subversive, or terrorist activities and it observes actions with a user’s contacts. Doing something as simple as registering to vote is rapidly becoming another issue to certify one’s identity with extreme prejudice. In truth, it is nigh impossible to hide in today’s world without being discovered by the technology of today, through personal finances, or use of technology, or by simply being captured on camera in your movement. Why is this such an important issue today? It tells us how close we are to the powerful antichrist system foretold of in Bible Prophecy. Revelation 13:7-8 “And it was given unto him (Antichrist) to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

Christian Spirit Magazine Fall/Winter 2001 – Since the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001, we are witnessing a new phase in God’s prophetic plan. People have become more aware of their mortality and how fragile life is. As we witnessed on the 11th, an unpredictable foe unleashed terror, live on television. The effects were far more destructive than the wreckage seen in most disaster films. In its wake, the civilized world suffers from an increasing sense of fear and impending doom. This state of fear and the realization of how vulnerable the United States is has brought a new era in the way we are governed and defended from future attacks. Our government has responded by moving quickly, to round up potential terrorists and to exact “justice” from the perpetrators. All of these moves have the support of most citizens of the United States and have served to help restore confidence to the public. In so doing, the Government has extended its power and has encroached upon our civil liberties. In our state of declared war against terrorism, our government has been empowered to round up and hold suspects, almost indefinitely. The Attorney General, John Ashcroft, instituted trials for suspects, by military tribunal. In so doing, the accused does not have to be informed of the evidence against them, going into trial. While it makes rational sense that the Government should be able to protect its intelligence sources, it does put the accused at a distinct disadvantage. This action nullifies the 6th Amendment to the Constitution, promising the right to a trial by a jury of one’s peers. (At present, it should be noted that this method of prosecution is reserved for non-citizens suspected of terrorist activities.)

In addition to the arrest and detention of suspected terrorists and their compatriots, the government is also seizing financial assets of organizations suspected of filtering money to terrorist organizations. Most recently, a charitable organization said to raise money to support Palestinians was closed down and their records were seized by the FBI. The authorities have also shut down a grocery chain, involved in a bogus coupon scam. The coupons were redeemed through the grocery for items never purchased. Millions of dollars were siphoned to Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups in this money laundering scheme. In Boston, a check cashing store was closed down when authorities discovered a link between the proprietor and one of the hijackers. These actions were swift and laudable to law-abiding citizens. However, with the growing sense of conspiracy in this country, there is a risk that innocent parties could be persecuted on the basis of ethnicity or from having befriended a suspected terrorist. Some of the effects of September 11th are reminiscent of the days of the McCarthy “witch hunt” of the 50s, searching out communism, especially among the entertainment industry.

In this electronic age of the internet, comes a new potential for a loss of privacy and civil liberties. The FBI has many tools at its disposal to trail suspected criminals and terrorists. A recent innovation has been dubbed the ominous handle of “Carnivore”. Carnivore is an email surveillance system, capable of intercepting the email of any person or group of people the FBI targets for surveillance. The FBI asserts that it only captures data that has been isolated by a software filter, limiting the scope to information authorized by a court order. All law-abiding citizens should be concerned about this development because it does pose the possibility of a loss of privacy, based on hearsay or a mild suspicion of a given authority. Even more alarming, the FBI has not fully disclosed all the capabilities of their electronic internet surveillance systems. In truth, all of your internet activities could be observed and recorded now and without your knowing about it. In the future, it could become a part of your credit record. These details may appear on a chip on your national ID card. The technology is already here and has been proposed to legislators.

Why should Christians be concerned with all of this if they are living law-abiding peaceful lives? Because all these changes in our judicial system pave the way for the antichrist system. I would urge Christians to be alert to these changes, happening even now. They will affect us in our day to day lives. Our liberty, which we have taken for granted all these years, is eroding very quickly and we will realize the effects. Once the antichrist system is fully unleashed, there will be no more liberty. People will be totally subservient to this false leader and his one-world system. The United States will only serve as a cog in the machine. Our nation is not going to be passed over in the coming judgment. The whole world is going to be judged and that includes the United States.

“From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
   Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
   Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
   Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever, therefore, will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
   Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
   But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
   Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
   Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
   Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to heaviness.
   Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” James 4:1-10

How can one avoid being sucked into this system and be condemned to death or worse, the second death? Christians need to heed Jesus advice to watch and pray. Be watchful, with your lamp trimmed with the oil of the Holy Ghost, waiting for the Bridegroom to come for you, as one of the wise virgins. And pray without ceasing that you may be found worthy to be spared from suffering the Great Tribulation. Do not put yourself in jeopardy of having to lose your head or take the mark of the beast and be forever condemned. Seek to be spiritually perfected, that you might be found worthy to escape the Tribulation and be raptured.

“Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”   Luke 21:36