A Biblical View of SIM CARD Registration

The Philippines had already officiated the SIM card registration law. It’s a law that’s been in several countries already. There can be protests from leftist groups about privacy. There can even be conspiracy theories on what the Mark of the Beast could be. Some people may be hesitant to register their SIM cards fearing what Revelation 14 says about receiving the mark and landing on the Lake of Fire. The same went for membership shopping, national ID, or COVID-19 vaccination laws (which include a vaccine passport).

We need to take Revelation in context. Revelation 13 tells us that the Mark of the Beast is received on the right hand or on the forehead. SIM card registration, membership shopping, and the COVID-19 vaccination are not administered to those parts of the body. I had my COVID-19 vaccination on my less dominant arm. Getting membership shopping doesn’t require getting marked on the right hand or forehead. The same goes for SIM card registration laws.

The late J. Vernon McGee also said this regarding the Mark of the Beast:

Don’t misunderstand me. This is not the fulfillment of prophecy, but it sure shows how prophecy can come to pass. What is the mark of the Beast? It is not given us to know. We are not told, but that has not kept many expositors from telling us what it is!

In short, a lot of things are happening according to God’s prophetic plan. Daniel 12:4 says that knowledge will increase. We’re seeing a lot of new stuff lately. We’ve seen how WAZE uses GPS to help us find our way. We’re seeing the world becoming what’s called a global village. Yet, these are not all bad. Also, the mark of the Beast in Revelation isn’t here yet. The Rapture didn’t occur on December 21, 2012, and if it did, we’d have the world government defeated in 2019, and it’d be the Millennium Kingdom today. Instead, it’s still the church age, not the Millennium Kingdom. A wrong view is what happens when people don’t understand the Bible.

SIM card registration and Romans 13

Christians should comply with the law if it doesn’t violate the Bible. Paul even wrote this during the reign of the vile tiny tyrant, Emperor Nero:

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. ² Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. ³ For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, ⁴ for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. ⁶ For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. ⁷ Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

SIM card registration, in itself, isn’t unethical or unbiblical unless abused or misused. A lot of illegal and/or unethical activities can be traced back to unregistered SIMs aside from criminals accepting payment only in cryptocurrency. Some people have used different SIMs to hide illicit activities such as adultery, fraudulent money transactions, communicating with criminals, and the like.

Should it be surprising that Privacy International’s founder, Simon Davies, is a big-time sex offender? No surprise there and I feel Privacy International might be more concerned about protecting criminals (like their founder) instead of law-abiding citizens. True, the government can abuse its power but it’s also a God-ordained institution. Registering your SIM card is no different than getting a driver’s license, your house phone number, and information sheets these days also ask for the individual mobile phone number when applicable, and the like.

Besides, Christians don’t need to worry about what the Mark of the Beast will be. It’s not here yet. The bigger concern Christians should have is the Great Commission. Christians should get their SIM cards registered. The only time Christians are required to disobey is if the government is telling them to go against God’s law.