It was almost a perfect crime. No one could see them because they were thousands of miles away in dark rooms behind computers. They had perfected the fool proof scheme - almost.

Cliff Stoll was a 36 year old astronomer. But because there weren't many want ads for astronomers, he had to take a job as a computer man in a lab in Berkley California. On his second day of work, someone asked him to check out a .75 cents error in the computer accounting system.

Each time someone would use the computer, they would have to pay for the time they spent on it. The computer showed that someone owed .75 cents but it couldn't identify who it was. It seemed almost like a joke, but Cliff Stoll took it as a challenge.

Many companies used the big Lavrence Berkley Lab computers to solve difficult problems. Each had an account that was charged whenever they called up the computer and used it. Because there was also very secret information from the government on the computer, each company had their own code words. These code words would allow them to get certain information, but not all the information available on the computer. Some things had to be kept secret for the government and companies that worked with the government.

For over five months Cliff Stoll spent every extra minute trying to find out where the .75 cents was. He finally discovered that someone was stealing information from the computer. They were computer genius' who had broken the code and found ways to access all the information, even the top secret files, that were in the computer.

Do you forget that when you are doing something wrong that God can still see and take notice? Do you know that every sin is known to God?

He slept in the computer room trying to be there when the thieves would call. He couldn't see them. He had no idea were they lived. But if he could be there when they called, he could track their call.

Finally, after months of waiting, he was able to trace their phone call. Imagine his surprise when he found out that it came from Germany. Now he knew that he was not playing with a bunch of kids, but with international spies.

But how to catch people who were so far away? Finally he hit upon a plan. He made a file for the computer marked "top secret" in the code that the spies were familiar with. Then he waited for them to take the bait. One night it happened. The spies called in and began searching the files. When they came to the new top secret one, they opened it and began searching. Stoll had purposely made it a huge involved file. He used the time they were searching to notify police in West Berlin. With the help of FBI, German police and a little time, he was able to trace the very building and then the very room in which the spies worked.

The spies were captured. Even though Stoll had never seen them. Even though they were working thousands of miles away where no one could see them, they were caught.

In an even more accurate way, God will bring every sin into judgment. Distance and darkness does not hide from His eyes. The spies were wrong. The people of israel were wrong in Exodus 32. Every sin is known to God. Eccl 11:9.

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