Pastor’s Corner: “Facial Recognition”
Luke 10:20 (NLT) – 20 But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”
I recently read that the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) has created a monstrous digital camera system whose eyes never cease watching Chinese citizens. It utilizes a software that tracks what it deems are subversive acts that oppose its power and control. In 2018, China had 350 million surveillance cameras or roughly one camera for every four people. This year the number is expected to exceed 580 million cameras or roughly one camera for every two people. This should astonish us.
In the past three years the CCP has used this technology to facilitate the mass incarceration of more than 1.5 million ethnic, political and of course, religious minorities. The cameras with related computers and software recognize faces and log unfavorable actions using a “social index” to score citizens. In China, practices of Biblical faith including gathering for worship or teaching children about Jesus are considered crimes. Anything that may even appear remotely subversive to the CCP’s power and control is added to their “permanent digital record.”
As frightening as this is, followers of our mighty Lord and Savior Jesus Christ are reminded there is a more important and truly permanent record in the mind of our Heavenly Father that absolutely supersedes every other record! Psalm 56:8 (NLT) – 8 You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. Revelation 3:5 (NLT) – All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine.
How much more does the God of heaven exercise His intelligence capabilities which exponentially exceed that of man? Job declares that God observes the ways of every person. He is keeping book. Some in their ignorance vainly attempt to conceal their evil ways. Only by the blood and sacrificial death of Christ can all our sins be deleted. God then only sees that we have been made clean by the salvation made possible by His Son’s death.
We have learned something that the CCP does not understand; there is something so much better than power and authority. Rejoice that your names are written in heaven! What a beautiful truth! In heaven, a book contains your name, if you are in Christ. It’s not in your handwriting. It’s not your signature. It’s in the handwriting of the King of kings and Lord of lords. The book is signed by the victorious Savior – stamped and approved to bring about eternal life for all who are written within its binding. This is a permanent record that cannot be destroyed, stolen, altered, faked, forged or fabricated.
A Chinese Christian leader recently encouraged his church with these words: “Of course the government is watching you, and even listening to you in your own home! So make sure that what they are seeing and hearing is a true disciple of Christ!” Let us stand and rejoice in our salvation and not back down to any power and rule in this world; because there is only one Kingdom that will stand when all others crumble, fade and are forgotten. The CCP or any other power, or government cannot stand against “The Kingdom of Heaven!”
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton