I was driving down the road listening to the bible and heard Ephesians 5-6 earlier today. I’ve always interpreted that verse in terms of slavery such as the Egyptians enslaving Israel, or early american slavery.
But earlier today I saw this verse in a different way as it could POSSIBLY relate to technology moving forward and surveilling every one of our movements.
For those of you who know me, I believe that everything will be surveilled eventually by artificial intelligence. Eventually we won’t be able to even have a thought apart from others knowing about it. For many people this strikes fear in them. They feel as if it’s orwellian. They don’t want to be known. They’re scared to be seen. They don’t trust the Observer. And while I understand that, to me the mathematical certainty of Technology continually progressing and creeping is Unstoppable.
Because of this Unstoppable nature I’ve had to wrestle with how we can see its progression in the Bible, but not just see its progression, but also see how God will use this progression for his purposes.
Habakkuk chapter 1 illustrates a principle of God using everything to his own end. In it he describes one instance of this principle by using what was external from Israel, the Babylonians, those outside of the circle of God’s people, to sweep across the whole earth, and invade homes that were not their own. That chapter talks of a ruthless and impetuous people and it is almost shocking to a soft conscience that God could use that for his glory. But the section makes clear that God is the one backing that “external” power.
In the same line of reasoning, I believe that God is behind even an orwellian type scenario where we get surrounded By technology, and the technology invades our house, and the It’s measurements will force us to submit. Because it watches everything we do.
Now this is a very scary proposition if you don’t understand that you are valuable. If you believe that at your core you’re worthless, then you absolutely don’t want anything looking at you deep inside. But the fear starts to recede if you can believe that at your core God does not make trash, and that you’re not abandoned. It begins to feel less fearful when you believe that God is behind the technology that is getting raised up, and you keep in mind that rulers hold no fear for those who do right, but instead for those who do wrong. ( At the Bible verse by the way).
So then, let’s look at this verse quickly in in light of the above thought process.
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Slaves, (Us humans in our physical nature)
obey your earthly masters (the Orwellian tech) with respect and fear (Do we Christians respect the authority that surveilling tech has over us? Or do we rebel against it? I see very little respect for surveilling technology in much of the church. Instead, rather than believing that God is behind it, using it to expose evil, they assign it to the creation of enemy.),
and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. (So do what’s right as if you’re serving Christ)
Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, ( God has set up this technology to observe and lock us down, don’t rebel against it, do the right thing in serving God wholeheartedly.)
because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free. (It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about you obey in the natural laws and loving your brothers and sisters here in the physical Earth, you’re still going to be rewarded if you do the right thing. Because God’s laws are God’s laws.)
(And next God speaks into existence as He did in the beginning, speaking directly to the technology itself) And masters(tech), treat your slaves (us) in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
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Now I realize how easy it is to say speaking to the technology? That’s a stretch! But is it really a stretch? I mean he spoke directly to nothingness and made it become light, and made it become this world.
So what if maybe this is more accurate then we first see on first Bluff? What if the technology is bound By God’s word? what if this is him speaking this into existence as he did in raising up the Babylonians?
Could you believe it even if you were told?
I realize it’s hard to except this initially. It’s hard to believe that God would be raising up a worldwide internet things to monitor us, but it’s not too difficult when look at the end result.
As I’ve stated many other places, the end result is that sin will happen less, first in the physical, but eventually in the spiritual. Meaning eventually you will no longer be able to lust after your brothers and sisters in your heart. Eventually it will enter into your very house, your brain, and prevent you from murdering others in your mind. Being angry with others in your mind. This technology will creep into every facet and every dimension of our being.
The King sits on his throne to judge and winnows out evil with his eyes.
Technology is not going away. Measurement is not going away. Tracking our movement is not going away. It’s not fading back but pressing forward. Privacy however is going away.
Men will not stop until computers are clamped to our brains.
God has put it in the hearts of man to accomplish his purpose. And no matter how much we kick and scream, he is in control, and he will be glorified.
