Don't get Caught in Caesar's Web

The Internet. It can be used for good, or it can be used for evil. The Internet, also known as “The Web,” is used mainly for commerce. And those who trust in this spider's Web for commercial gain are like the paths of those who forget God.

Job 8:13-14, "So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish: Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web."

The Internet is called “The Web” because merchants, just like spiders, weave a web which traps and enslaves unsuspecting victims to the whims and desires of the deceivers in the merchant world, which lead to the path of death and destruction.

Isaiah 59:5-6, "They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper. Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands."

But not all Internet activity must be commercial in nature. Those in and of the Christ, who are moved to use the Internet in order to reach and edify others concerning the Word of God and His Kingdom, and those who are moved to fellowship with others through the Internet, can avoid this commercial Web and remain separate from these unclean things. This article will attempt to explain how you can have an E-mail and a Website without joining yourself to the commercial side of the Web.

The Internet is Neutral Ground

The Internet, in and of itself, is not unclean. Things are not unclean. It is what one does with those things that determine if it is unclean or not. There are many positive things that can be done through the Internet. One can have a Website to edify others concerning God's Word, or one can fellowship with others through E-mail, or one can discuss godly subjects in chat rooms and discussion boards, and in many other ways.

The major negative thing about the Internet is its commercial nature. For example, the Website addresses (also known as URL's) and the E-mail addresses. Almost all of them have a “.com, .net, .org, etc.” designation attached to them. These addresses, just like postal addresses, identify these Websites and E-mails as commercial in nature. So, just how can the bondmen in and of Christ avoid these commercial addresses in this "virtual world"? The answer is similar to how we avoid commercial addresses in the "real world"; by using a “location” instead of an “address”!!

Internet Service Providers

To begin with, one must have an Internet Service Provider (ISP) in order to connect to the Internet. Most ISP's charge a price for their “service” (usually $20/month), thus forcing you to engage in commercial activity. They also require your name, address, a credit card, and other marks from the beast in order for you to partake of their sins. However, God provides a way out for His people.

There are free ISP's out there that do not require any form of payment. Additionally, they will not ask for any "identification" from you. However, they may ask you to fill out some info on an online form, but they do not verify the information you give them. In other words, they might ask for “name, address, phone, etc.” but you can put any name and any address in those blanks. You can do this because they never ask for your name, or your address; they only ask for “A” name and “An” address. Therefore, you are not bearing false witness, you're simply giving them "just" what they ask for! You can write, “Name: Peter Pan - Address: Never Never Land, etc.,” and they will be satisfied; and additionally, "Peter Pan" will have free ISP service. And there is nothing to sign, because you can't “sign” your name over the Internet; all you have to do is “click” your mouse, or hit “enter.” Therefore, you are not entering into any contracts.

The only drawback is that most free ISP's will place a constant "advertisement" banner on your monitor screen while you are connected to the Internet, because the advertisers pay for this service. However, I find it easy to ignore these, and sometimes place an obstacle in front of my monitor to avoid seeing it (i.e., a piece of paper covering the ad).

Websites

When someone wants their own Website with their own URL, the “Internet Police” usually require you to give them a verifiable name, verifiable address, verifiable phone number, verifiable credit card, etc. You also have to pay "big bucks" to register your Website, pay an annual fee to keep it, and then pay someone else to allow you to upload files to your website. Fortunately, there is another way around this "merchant path."

There are many free Web Hosting sites out there. These are sites that allow you to create a Webpage, upload files yourself, and have a URL address, without having to pay anything, without having to give them any "personal" information, and without having to show them any "identification." The majority of these free sites, however, have banner ads posted on your Website (which can be annoying to visitors). However, you may be able to find a free Web Hosting site that does not have any banner advertising.

Redirect URL

"Normally," the negative thing about having any kind of Website is that the URL's, as stated above, all end in some commercial designation such as “.com, .net, .org, etc.”, which are all commercial in nature (just like a zip "code" is commercial in nature). So the question is, “How do we avoid associating with these commercial designations on the Internet? How does the body of Christ remain separate from this sticky Web, but still have access to it?” As with the free ISP's, God provides a way for His people!

It's called a “Redirect URL.” A Redirect URL allows you to choose your own URL for your Website, and you are able to keep your current ISP and current Website URL (which will be called the “Target-URL” henceforth). To give you an example, when I "created" a Website on a free Web Hosting site, I was given the URL “http://www.angelfire.com/pr/truth/index.html.“ But as you can see, this target URL is long, and difficult to remember, and it has a “com” address! So I came up with a couple of my own Redirect URL locations to take my Target URL out of the commercial world.

One is “http://devoted.to/truth” and another one is “http://i.am/the-door”. These are short URL's, easy to remember, and most importantly, there are no commercial designations associated with them! When someone enters one of these two Redirect URL locations in his or her browser, he or she will automatically be redirected to my Target URL site! These Redirect URL's will also, if you so choose, cloak or hide the Target URL address! For example, the only URL that visitors to my site will see in their location bar is either “http://devoted.to/truth” or “http://i.am/the-door,” no matter which page they go to on my website. In other words, they will never see my Target URL website address with a “.com, .net, .org, etc.” extension in it!

The main advantage of having a Redirect URL is that there are no commercial designations after it. Other advantages are that you can keep your Redirect URL for the rest of your life, even if you change from one ISP to another, or even if your Target URL changes locations. You can also change your Redirect URL anytime you want.

The only disadvantage to having a redirect URL is that, again, advertisers pay for this service, so there will most likely be an "advertising" banner that appears on your site when someone visits it, but you can easily close or minimize this pop-up window once it appears. However, you may be able to find a URL Redirect service that does not have any banner advertising.

If this is confusing to understand, let me pause to give you an analogy. Let's say someone sends you postal matter to the local post office. This post office has both an “address” and a “mailing location.” The address is commercial in nature, the mailing location is not. In our case, the Target URL is similar to the post office's address, whereas the Redirect URL is similar to the post office's mailing location. The Website is at the same place, just as the post office is located at the same place, but you access them either through an “address” or a “location.”

Redirect E-mail Addresses

When you find an ISP, they will give you an E-mail address. This allows you to fellowship with other brothers and sisters in the Lord throughout "the world." The negative thing about having an E-mail address is, just like a Website URL, is that they "mostly" end in an extension such as “.com, .net, .org, etc.”, which are all commercial in nature. So, what are we to do about this?

Just like your Website URL, you can simply go from an address to a location! A further advantage of a Redirect URL is that they sometimes give you an alternative E-mail location! For example, the E-mail my ISP gave me is “godlyman2u@hotmail.com” (which will be called the Target E-mail henceforth). The “com” extension at the end of this E-mail address signifies commercial activity. But since I'm not engaged in commerce, I don't want that extension! Therefore, when I created my Redirect URL (http://i.am/the-door), I also received an alternative E-mail location. My E-mail location is “the-door@i.am”. Notice there is no “com, net, org” or any other commercial designations in this alternative E-mail location. When someone sends an E-mail to “the-door@i.am,” I can read my messages in two ways. Firstly, I can log on to a certain Website to read my messages online, or secondly, I can have my alternative E-mail location automatically Redirected to my Target E-mail account. Even if you choose to have it forwarded to your Target E-mail address, you can hide your Target E-mail address (the one ending in “com, net, org, etc.”) from everyone so that nobody can ever associate this address with you; even when you send E-mail from your Target E-mail account!

Remember, there is not enough darkness in the world to extinguish the light of a small candle. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus, the Christ, said the following:

Matthew 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

May our Father guide you to pierce the darkness of Caesar's Web with the Light and Sword of His Word. Amen.