This article is written to let you know the limits of human knowledge. Human knowledge is beset with various limitations, uncertainty, difficulty, restricted and limited by time and space, and lacking of true knowledge. “Had I known” is a very regrettable expression because the person does not know the true facts about a situation. If the truth were known in advance, he would act differently, he would do differently. If he knew that waiting for a taxi in Shanghai at a bus stop for two hours would not get on a taxi after all, he would not have gone there to wait for the taxi and wasted two hours for nothing! This is an illustration of the sad and sorrowful meaning of “Had I known!”
Luk 16:19-31, “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in
purple and fine linen, enjoying himself in splendor everyday. And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and
longing to be fed from the scraps which fell from the rich man’s table;
not only that, the dogs also were coming and licking his sores. Now it
happened that the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s arms; and the rich man also died and was buried. And in
Hades he raised his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away
and Lazarus in his arms. And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham,
have mercy on me and send Lazarus, so that he may dip the tip of his
finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’
But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being
comforted here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us
and you a great chasm has been set, so that those who want to go over
from here to you will not be able, nor will any people cross over from
there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I request of you, father, that you send
him to my father’s house—for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not come to this place of torment as
well.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them
hear them.’ But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to
them from the dead, they will repent!’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not
listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if
someone rises from the dead.’”
Note: We are not here to discuss Hades which means Hell had been
moved. It is impossible for those in the Paradise to see those in Hell
now. Nowadays you have the Gospel of Jesus Christ preached all over
the world. The point is had the rich man known, he would not want to be
in the place of torment. Actually, the rich man asked Abraham to let
Lazarus rise from the dead and send him to his father’s house to warn
his five brothers, so that they will not come to the place of torment as
well. This is a lesson and warning to the unbelieving and the wicked,
they had better know now and repent and believe so that they will not go to Hell. It will be too late to regret then and there. I believe all who are in Hell suffering now, if they had known Hell is such a place of eternal torture and agony, they would not want to be there. If you do not have other knowledge, you should have this knowledge. So, beware, when you still have a chance to repent and believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Do it now when you can!
July 14, 2021 is the day of infamy and ignominy for me. If you can picture or imagine an old man getting up early, eating breakfast, and getting ready to get to a taxi because he has some important business to be done. He could not have a full breakfast because he is incontinent. From where he is to where he is going it will take a long time even by a taxi. He cannot afford to have urination or bowel movement anywhere like home. The old man retired in Shanghai because he could not afford to retire in America. Besides it is costly and dangerous for a man of advanced years to drive in America. In Shanghai his transportation completely relies on taxi. It is impossible to get on a public bus to go where you want to go in Shanghai. It would not be possible for an old man to travel by subway (although cheap) because there is no seat available and it requires plenty of walking, and up and down in fighting the crowds.
So before 10 a.m. the old man with his cane is walking slowly and
unsteadily to the elevator. Getting down from the elevator, he struggles
with his cane walking toward a bus stop where there is a metal bench he can sit down there waiting for the taxi. He does not have a cellphone to call taxi, so he just sits there hoping luckily an empty taxi may come by. You do not know how inconvenient in Shanghai waiting for a taxi if you do not have a cellphone to make a call. The day is hot with 36℃ and he feels thirsty and tired. He waits, waits and waits. One hour has passed. There he sits waiting and waiting and waiting. All his expectations, turning his head left and right watching and looking for an empty taxi, do not bring a good result. He is still patiently waiting, waiting and waiting. Twelve o’clock strikes in his travel watch silently, there is no hope to get on a taxi. So he disappointingly walks with his cane going back home. If the old man had known that waiting two hours for a taxi would not produce a positive result, he would not have gone to the bus stop to wait there anyway.
You see, man has limited knowledge. He does not know the real situation. Many things that he does, he has no assurance what will be the outcome. Not only the old man, but every man and woman, even the scientist and philosopher does not and cannot know the future whether immediate or tomorrow or by and by.
Once I was watching an earthquake taking place in Los Angeles, many
were driving on a bridge. A certain man driving westward, suddenly and without notice, the front part of the bridge fell off to the sea; the poor man with his car plunging into the sea helplessly and hopelessly. “Had he known” what would happen to the bridge, he would certainly change the course of his driving and drive safely to where he was heading. No one would intentionally head for disaster unless he is insane or suicidal. This unfortunate life situations happen to billions of people on earth. You just do not know what lies ahead. No one has advanced knowledge, however bright and brilliant a person maybe.
I knew the family of a white beautiful blond young woman who married to a white man. It happened that I met the white man at the friend’s house. After a number of years of marriage, suddenly the white man told his wife that he wanted a younger woman and so divorced her. If the white woman knew that her marriage is going to be a divorce down the road, I am sure she would not have married that white man in after years.
I had met another Chinese fellow at the college. He knew my English was very good, and so he befriended me since college days. I went on to obtain a B.A. and advanced degree from a top American university, and became a very knowledgeable person. And when he had a business of his own, he even used me to write a policy and procedure manual to
satisfy the government requirement. Over the years he had consulted me which cost thousands of hours of my time to help him in many ways. Had I known he would be a traitor, I would not recognize the friendship from the beginning.
How many men and women get married, and did not know who their
spouses actually were. When they realized it, it was too late. Now it is
necessary to say I have been around the world, I have seen plenty of
beautiful girls and women. This is the most beautiful girl I have ever met in my life. After years have gone by, when this most beautiful girl turns into an old lady and after the death of her husband, she told me
personally something most shocking and sad, she said to me directly:
“I made a mistake in finding the wrong man!” You do not know how much tears and heartbreaks and pain in that confession.
A young woman who was a CPA, one day she consulted me of her
personal problem: her husband ran away. She asked me what to do about it. I told her confidentially: If she still loves him, run after him. By the way she was not a Christian, so divorce was not a problem for her case. However, Jesus Christ forbids Christians to have a divorce.
Human knowledge is so limited. Lots of knowledge you have are useless. The knowledge you really need, but you do not have. It is such a sad story. My German professor told us, when he was young, he needed the money, but he had no money. Now when he is old, he had the money, but he did not need the money. Knowledge is worth much more than money. Knowledge is often like money, when you need it you do not have it. It is useless to possess all kinds of knowledge when you do not need them. The knowledge you need, you do not have it. That is the tragedy of needing the true knowledge.
A young man told me his story. When he was young he thought or
fancied that to be a social worker would be a nice thing. So he went to
college and major in sociology. After he obtained his degree, he landed a job in a welfare department of a county. There and then he mourned for the mistake of his life everyday. He confided to me, it was terrible to
become a social worker. Everyday you meet and deal with the most
undesirable people and lowest strata of the society. He was sick of his
job, sick of his life….
Life is full of contradictions. When you need money, you do not have
money. When you have money, you do not need money. When you are
young, you have many friends, but you do not need friends. When you
are old, you do not have reliable friends. When you are successful, you
have many friends, but you do not need friends. When you are down, all your friends disappeared. In our lives probably there are a million of things we really do not know, had we known about the real situation, we may have done or lived differently.
This is my reflection and confession. After studying, working, and living in America for almost half a century. I gain some insights. Whether you know it or not, job has the most effects or impacts on anyone’s life. I discover among all medium and large corporations I have worked for, it was not principle and practice of management that ruled and dominated corporate life, it was personalities and politics. Unbelievable but it is real and true, most of executives were white males who knew nothing about management principles and practices and without any leadership skills.
Once I had a project to establish the company policy and procedure
manual. The senior vice president was angry at me and told me to get off his back because he did not do anything. Imagine the senior vice
president of a corporation who did nothing? Another vice president of
finance once called me and said he did not know the difference between a policy and procedure. I assured him I was there to help. Although I have retired more than 10 years, the ghost of awful corporate experiences still hunt me in my sleep. Only once I had the pleasant dream of being elected the chief of a big corporation; oh how I restructured the organization, appointed competent executives, laid down directives and objectives of the company! That was only a dream. In reality America is a very discriminatory society, structured and built in a way that the highest level an able minority can go is a middle level manager. I had known and worked with Chairmen, Presidents, CEOs, and many Vice Presidents before. They were all white males who did not have a respectable or proven ability, expertise, knowledge and leadership. Years ago but one white executive called Jim King was the most remarkable. He wanted to do a corporate wide project, he looked around and found me the most qualified. So he did a most remarkable and unusual thing by putting line executives, Vice President of Finance, Controller, General Manager under me a staff specialist to undertake and lead the project. When the project was completed, he ordered to give me a bonus of $2,000, but Uncle Sam took 50% of tax away. I learned an able, qualified, and talented minority is like an eagle without wings in America. Abilities without real opportunities will not go far.
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If the great Russian leader Putin said, “There is no happiness in this
world.” You should have knowledge of the peril and problem of super
powers. Jesus Christ says, Jhn 16:33, “These things I have spoken to
you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” Peace in Greek is eirēnē which means a state of emotional tranquility; rest; quietness; freedom from conflict and war; harmony; concord; felicity; assurance of one’s soul having passed from death to life; the blessed state; – which occurs 92 times in the New Testament. Tribulation in Greek is thlipsis which means anguish; affliction; oppression; trouble; pressure; distress; burden; straits; – which occurs 45 times in the New Testament.
Mat 12:7, “But if you had known what this means: ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, RATHER THAN SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.”
We often do not know the meaning of life, so often we condemn the
innocent. Without the true knowledge, we would not have known many
things.
Dan 12:4, “But as for you, Daniel, keep these words secret and seal up the book until the end of time; many will roam about, and knowledge will increase.”
Years ago people did not travel more than 50 miles from the place of their birth. In the end of time, travel becomes convenient by jets and fashionable and affordable. It was Helen Keller who said, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” I never regretted to spend a great sum of my savings for seeing the world when and where I developed the Theory of Good Society. This experience was more precious than owning a real estate. It was a bold and daring adventure of quitting a job, took my savings with me and explored and evaluated the six most advanced European societies. Clearly the trip broadened my vision and enriched my experiences to learn and discover how the best of the world had lived. I consider it is worth to pay for the knowledge of the world while you are young. Someone said, “I dislike feeling at home when I am abroad.” I like to say I feel at home in Scandinavia (Denmark, Sweden, and Norway) but not for the cold climate; and I dislike England, France, and Germany anyway. I agree with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart who said, “A man of ordinary talent will always be ordinary, whether he travels or not; but a man of superior talent will go to pieces if he remains forever in the same place.”
Tourists roam around the world and knowledge of the people will increase. The world witnesses the tremendous increase of knowledge. Probably in the last 50 years the world has acquired more knowledge than in the last 5,000 years.
“If you had known” …
I. WHAT IS KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge is difficult to define, and there are many opinions. I define
knowledge as the comprehension of truth by the mind in reality.
Knowledge is more than belief, opinion, perception, or information. Later I will divide knowledge into two kinds: divine and human. It will better explain their differences.
Merriam Webster defines knowledge: the circumstance or condition of apprehending truth or fact through reasoning : COGNITION
No one can by human knowledge discover the ultimate truth of life. Not one human idea can explain all things.
What we see may not be true. For example, it is a well known fact that a
straight stick looks bent if it is half-immersed in water. The straight stick does not really become crooked when submerged in water. It only
appears to be so. So we know appearances are deceptive. Perception
alone cannot be basis of knowledge. Perception is often subjective.
One’s belief is not knowledge. All primitive people believe in idols and
their idols are true gods. Just like the Japanese who believe their
executed WWII war criminals are heroes and true gods. All idols are
actually false gods. You might say then what is the difference between
the belief of an idol worshipper and the faith of a Christian? There are
great differences between falsity and truth, between darkness and light.
The Bible says, Heb 11:1, “Now faith is the certainty of of things hoped
for, a proof of things not seen.”
Christian faith is based on the certainty of things and a proof of things
not seen. What are the certainty of things? Death is certain. The Bible says, Rom 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
It is certain that all have sinned, for all will die. There is no man who will not die. So death is certain. Eternal life is a proof of things not seen. God is eternal. For God is Spirit cannot be seen. Faith is to believe in God’s Word that sinners who repent and believe in Jesus Christ will have eternal life. Secondly, let you know for certain, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of mankind, that God has made Jesus Christ both Lord and Christ. Act 2:36, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.” The Gospel is first preached to the Jews, the Jews may know for certain that this Jesus whom they crucified is both Lord and Christ.
How do we know that God has made Jesus Lord and Christ? By the
power of resurrection from death. Because my Redeemer lives for ever,
so I shall live. Therefore, the Christian faith is unlike the belief of idolaters. The things we hope for is eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven, and the proof of things we have seen is Jesus Christ rose from the dead, ascended to the highest Heaven, sitting at the right hand of God, and He is coming to be the King of kings and the Lord of lords. This revealed knowledge of God is the certainty and proof of the Christian faith. Christians know the reason of our faith: it rests on the Word of God and the Person of Jesus Christ.
The blind man testifies, Jhn 9:25, “He then answered, “Whether He is a
sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now
I see.” Christians do know now because Jesus Christ has opened our
eyes so that we may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of
Satan to God. Act 26:18, “to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among who have been
sanctified by faith in Me.” The forgiveness of sins are certain, and an
inheritance among saints are what we hoped for. The proof is the Spirit
of the Lord living in us.
Jhn 20:29, “Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you now believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”
In early days, all disciples and believers had seen the Lord and witnessed the miracles that Jesus performed. In the last days we do not see, and yet we believed.
Gal 1:11, “For I would have you know, brothers and sisters, that the
Gospel which was preached by me is not of human invention.” The
glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ is not of human invention, because it is according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past. We know evolution was a human invention. We know “big bang” was also a human invention. We know “higher criticism” was also a human invention. In 1907, Leo Baekeland developed Bakelite, the first popular synthetic plastic. Now plastics have polluted lands and oceans everywhere. Many human inventions are as trash and rubbish as used plastics.
Eph 1:18, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the
glory of His inheritance in the saints.”
Note: I do not know whether the eyes of your heart means your mind.
One thing is clear Christians have the eyes of their hearts enlightened so that they will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. I also know that unbelieving scientists, theologians and philosophers do not have the eyes of their hearts enlightened. So they are blind spiritually.
Phl 3:10, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”
Not many know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the
fellowship of His sufferings, including me.
Apostle Paul said, 2Ti 1:12, “For this reason I also suffer these things;
but I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am
convinced that He is able to protect what I have entrusted to Him until
that day.”
What reason? 2Ti 1:10-11, “but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, Who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher.”
The Lord Jesus has also given me life and immortality. I cannot compare myself with the great Apostle Paul, what I have suffered for Christ and the Gospel is very little and almost nothing. But I am also not ashamed, for I know Whom I have believed, and I am also convinced that He is able to protect what I have I have entrusted to Him until that day. That day is coming soon.
Cited above are examples of the faith and knowledge of Christians are
quite different from the people of the world. We have sure and true
knowledge in Jesus Christ which secular scientists, scholars, and
philosophers could never have.
For Christians, knowledge is based on the revelation of Jesus Christ,
enlightened in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. It is not human concept or
invention. Christians do not trust our perception, conception, cognition, figures and numbers, sensations, experiences, analysis, imagination, impression, induction, intuition, introspection, deduction, opinion, observation, proposition, representation, reflection, and reason. Christians trust in the Word of God, and the revealed truth in Jesus Christ.
Someone said, “There are two kinds of knowledge: the first one is
because of our senses and the second one is because of thought.” Now we know our senses are not dependable. If thought is able to produce knowledge, then the mental hospital with psychotic patients would be profuse with knowledge.
Gen 12:11, “It came about, when he was approaching Egypt, that he said to his wife Sarai, “See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman.”
Note: Know in Hebrew is yāḏaʿ which means to perceive and see;
acknowledge; consider; declare; learn to know; know by experience; find out and discern; recognize; have understanding of; to be acquainted; – which occurs 953 times in the Old Testament. Abraham knows Sarai or Sarah by acquaintance, senses, experiences and reason. If Abraham and Sarah were standing there, I could not honestly say I know Abraham because I have never met him before. However, although I did not know Sarah before, I could honestly say I recognize she is a beautiful woman. Just as I know my professor Dr. Harold Koontz intimately, so I could say I know Dr. Koontz was a world class great professor.
Jhn 7:29, “I do know Him, because I am from Him, and He sent Me.”
Note: Know in Greek here is oida which means to have knowledge;
understand; to know for sure. Jesus uses the word “know” especially
emphatic. He knows God emphatically which no one can say. Jesus
does know God, because He is from God, and God sent Him to the world to save sinners. Such knowledge is not possible for mankind, because the knowledge of Jesus Christ is absolutely true, pure, infallible, highest, complete, ultimate, and eternal. God is ONE and ETERNAL.
Despite of all you know, there are only two kinds of knowledge: divine
and human. Divine knowledge is impossible and beyond human, it is
only acquired by revelation of God through Jesus Christ. It is impossible for human to find or get to know God. There is no human way to God. God must reveal Himself or man has no means to find or get to know God. The knowledge of the Most High is the sure and true knowledge because God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. God has foreknowledge, for He knows the end from the beginning. Just as the clay cannot be anything without the potter, so the creature without the Creator is nothing. A dog without its mater is nothing, so man without God is less than a dog. The OMNIPOTENT, OMNIPRESENT, AND OMNISCIENT GOD is all and in all. Everything good flows down from God. So the knowledge of God as He is, is from everlasting to everlasting.
God knows the end from the beginning. Isa 46:10, “Declaring the end
from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been
done, Saying, ‘My plan will be established, and I will accomplish all My
good pleasure’.” God has no beginning and no ending. Jhn 1:1-5, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being though Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. In Him was Life, and the life was the Light of mankind. And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it.”
Divine knowledge is the Light, humankind being in the ignorance of
darkness cannot grasp it. For this reason, the knowledge of God is
absolute, complete, pure, sure, infallible, supreme, ultimate, and eternal. This divine knowledge is the revealed knowledge.
Eph 1:17, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of
Him.”
The knowledge of the Almighty God can be obtained only through the revelation. Revelation in Greek is apokalypsis which means manifestation; enlightenment; laying bare; making known things before unknown; disclosure of truth; instruction; – which occurs 18 times in the New Testament. The revealed knowledge of God is precise, correct and true knowledge.
On the other hand, human knowledge is verified knowledge, never a foreknowledge. The best of human knowledge is scientific, organized,
but limited by time and space, always progressive and tentative, never
absolute or ultimate or eternal. For example, Japan is a country in Asia.
This is a current knowledge. But we do not know if 50 years from now
would God use ten largest earthquakes of 10 magnitude and ten biggest tsunamis to sink Japan to the bottom of Pacific Ocean. Then Japan will be no more, what you know now about Japan will not be true anymore. Another example, California is a state of America. Who knows if later California successfully secedes from the Union, then California will not be a state of the United States. One hundred years from now, probably all adults in the world today will be gone for good — dead.
Exo 18:11, “Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods; indeed, it was proven when they acted insolently against the people.”
Note: Did I not tell you that human knowledge is limited by space and
time? The Scripture cited above, “Now I know” is spoken by Jethro, the
father-in-law of Moses after Moses told him everything that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had confronted them on the journey, and how the Lord had rescued them. You see the divine knowledge can also be verified. Divine knowledge is more than belief, fact, experience, and reason. We may not understand what we see. For example, when the children of Israel are crossing the dry Red Sea, do you understand what you see? Insight, introspection, good sense and cognition may not grasp the divine truth. Someone has well said, “Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.” I am saying you cannot use imperfect human instruments trying to attain true knowledge.
Nicolaus Copernicus said, “To know that we know what we know, and to know that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge.” NO. That is not true knowledge, it is only human knowledge that you do not know. I like the humor of Mark Twain, “The trouble with the world is not that people know too little; it’s that they know so many things that just aren’t so.”
Just look at your own life, is it not true that you know so many things
that just are not so? History has proven, even scientists have known so many things that just are not so. Human knowledge is fallible. I like
Confucius who said, “Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s
ignorance.” The extent of human ignorance is further from this side of
Heaven to that side of Heaven. It is not exaggeration to say that human
ignorance is unlimited. Humans have too many stupid ideas.
Of all the knowledge in the world, most people do not know there are
only two kinds of knowledge: human and divine. Divine knowledge is
beyond humans no matter scientists or philosophers. Divine knowledge by nature is absolute, complete, definitive, infinite, infallible, supreme, supernatural, ultimate, and eternal. The God of the universe is OMNIPOTENT, OMNIPRESENT, OMNISCIENT, SELF-EXISTENT, and
ETERNAL. That is the reason man cannot compare with His creator. A
creature cannot compare with the Lord of the Universe. As regards
human knowledge, by nature it is progressive, tentative, never complete or ultimate. Immanuel Kant said, “All our knowledge begins with the senses, proceeds then to the understanding, and ends with reason. There is nothing higher than reason.” The senses, understanding, and reason of all people are not equal and the same, therefore one may know better than the other. It was Socrates who said, “I know that I know nothing.” This confession should humble all human limitations, ignorance, and incompetence.
Knowledge is not equal to understanding. Albert Einstein said, “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” For example, as it is reported on TV that Western Europe recently suffers severe floods; but I have no understanding why more than two hundreds of people died. Could it be the floods come all too suddenly and catch the people unprepared? Could it be the level of water was too high and some people who could not swim were drowned? One may have knowledge without understanding. It is not possible to have understanding without knowledge. “But knowledge is easy for one who has understanding.” I found my female university classmates were so afraid of philosophy because they could not understand what they read. We all know to believe in Jesus Christ is to have eternal life. Many, including me, would not really understand the meaning of eternal life. “But rebuke one who has understanding, and he will gain knowledge.” But if you rebuke a fool, that is a different story. You see it is not easy even to know the relationship between knowledge and understanding. “But when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.” Most people may think the wise does not need to be instructed. Pro 24:5, “A wise man is strong, and a person of knowledge increases power.” A wise man is strong, because knowledge is power. Do you know knowledge can be increased? No one has enough knowledge in this life. May I suggest understanding this paragraph alone is better than many books you have read. How many do you know have learned wisdom?
Western civilization has gone through thousands of years and earnestly sought the wrong things, namely money, power and sex– striving after wind. Ecc 2:26, “For to a person who is good in His sight, He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who is good in God’s sight. This too is futility and striving after wind.”And the West has followed the path of injustice to this day; confronting futility and striving after wind.
Western knowledge is ridiculous. They propagandize democracy, human rights, freedom, and justice; but they practice the opposite. In the last 500 years or more they practiced imperialism, colonialism, capitalism, militarism, monopolism, supremacism to dictate and dominate the world.
Take the United States, from the beginning it lied, killed the natives of
America and robbed the land of the Red Indians. The West (Europe and
America) has oppressed China since the infamous Opium Wars. Since
the end of WWII, America has been a warmonger and aggressor that
killed millions of innocent peoples around the world. The democracy
practiced in America is a phony democracy where 1% of the population
rules over and controls the 99%. The 1% of the population owns most of the power and wealth, while the 99% work for the one percent. American leaders and politicians spread so-called democracy and freedom by attacking, occupying, robbing, and changing the governments of many nations. America passes extra-territorial laws to force other countries to comply, interfere and intervene and sanction many nations that do not kowtow to America. America is the hegemonic power in the world with its allies. America is no model for the world. The wisdom and knowledge of the West has led the West astray and produced corrupt, worldly and secular civilizations.
The best organized human knowledge is acquired by senses, but senses are not perfect instruments, not completely reliable. Sigmund Freud said, “Knowledge is the intellectual manipulation of carefully verified observations.” Human observations themselves are not completely reliable and can be manipulated by many factors.
On the other hand, divine knowledge is quite the opposite of human
knowledge just as God is not like man. It is impossible to compare the
infinite with the finite, the glorious with the ignoble, the eternal with the
temporal. The sooner a man realizes his sinfulness and weaknesses and ignorance and bows down to the Almighty God the better.
Even so, human knowledge needs to be verified. The standard of human knowledge is so low in terms of space and time. For example, all have the knowledge that Japan is a nation in Asia. Suppose in 50 years from now God uses ten earthquakes of 10 degrees and ten giant tsunamis to sink Japan down to the bottom of Pacific Ocean; then Japan is no more. Who can be sure that Japan will always be in Asia? No one.
This is the knowledge not all have it:
Knowledge will cease and will be done away with.
II. THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL
Since the Fall of Adam, every human is born with the knowledge of good and evil. All human adults have the innate knowledge of good and evil, right and wrong, light and darkness. Conscience is not something
acquired, however conscience can be deadened by sin. The knowledge
of good and evil is not acquired by the senses.
Little ones (babies and infants) do not have knowledge of good and evil, therefore they should not be baptized because they do not know how to repent of their sins and believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The Roman Catholic Church baptizes every infant because it counts them as their members. The Roman Catholic Church may have the largest members in the world because their infants and babies are
counted as members.
U. S. is dominated and ruled by American leaders and politicians that
make democracy a mockery. One of the greatest flaws of American
government is its criminal justice system. The judges habitually plea
not guilty on behave of crooks and criminals. There is an insanity plea
which is most outrageous. Insanity plea is not a plea on behalf of the
insane person. An insanity plea is a plea by defense lawyers to make
culpable crook and criminal to escape punishment and judgment on the pretense the criminal is insane. I had visited a mental hospital before where various insane and psychotic persons were hospitalized. I saw one most pitiful act was the insane patient eating his own feces. If all those crooks and criminals in American courts make insane pleas would voluntarily and willingly eat their own feces, then probably I would believe in their insanity pleas.
All human beings are born with the knowledge of good and evil. Every
rapist, robber, arsonist, terrorist, extortionist, monopolist, con artist, liar, killer, prostitute, pimp, drug trafficker, etc. knows what he/she has done is wrong and evil, but they do it.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said, “The battle line between good and evil
runs though the heart of every man.”
Rom 7:19, “For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very
evil that I do not want.” The heart of every man and woman knows the
difference between good and evil. No one has to be told.
Origen was right, “The power of choosing good and evil is within the
reach of all.” God has given mankind free will, he/she is free to choose.
But the sad thing is the fact that mankind often chooses evil. By nature
man has a tendency toward evil. To sin is natural, to be holy is
supernatural.
I agree with Marcus Tullius Cicero, “The function of wisdom is to
discriminate between good and evil.” Racial discrimination as practiced in America is bad. There is a kind of discrimination which is good, that is the discrimination between good and evil. The Bible says, Rom 12:9, “Love must be free of hypocrisy. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good.” Let this be the motto of every Christian, Detest what is evil; cling to what is good.
Immaneul Kant said, “The only objects of practical reason are therefore
those of good and evil. For by the former is meant an object necessarily desired according to a principle of reason; by the latter one necessarily shunned, also according to a principle of reason.” Immaneul Kant is wrong. We can only know good and evil by the Word of God. According to the sight of God who determines which is good or evil. Human reason is faulty.
Blaise Pascal was right, “When we would think of God, how many things we find which turn us away from Him, and tempt us to think otherwise. All this is evil, yet it is innate.” Remember, Cling to good; for the choice of evil has bad eternal consequences.
III. MAN’S KNOWLEDGE IS LIMITED AND
FALLIBLE.
Peoples of the world are divided into two groups: not the rich and the
poor, but those who have knowledge, and those who have not. There are also two kinds of knowledge: the human and the divine.
Socrates may represent the best of human wisdom, who said, “True
wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand
about life, ourselves, and the world around us.” Among the three to
know and understand, ourselves may be the easiest and smallest (yet
most people do not know themselves); life is complicated, when one
starts to understand life a bit, the person is already old; and the world is the largest and may be the most difficult to understand because of its size, scope and complexity. Socrates did not even mention the
unknowable: God, truth, wisdom and eternity. The wise is characterized
by humility.
John Locke points out, “The knowledge of man can not extend beyond
his own experience.” Now, a born blind person can never know what a
beautiful sunset is, that is beyond his own experience. If you have never tasted the original delicious Hangzhou’s beggar chicken, it is impossible you have such understanding. If you have never seen the beauty of green valley in Norway, it is not possible you understand what I am talking about. Man’s knowledge is limited by his own experience. For this reason, Jesus says, Jhn 3:6, “That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit.” Flesh can never understand spirit. A natural man like scientist, theologian, and philosopher can never understand spiritual things or things pertaining to God.
I appreciate and almost love the statement of a great scientist, Werner
von Braun, the father of space science, who said, “They (evolutionists)
challenge science to prove the existence of God. But must we really
light a candle to see the sun? They say they cannot visualize a Designer. Well, can a physicist visualize an electron? What strange rationale makes some physicists accept the inconceivable electron as real while refusing to accept the reality of a Designer on the grounds that they cannot conceive Him?”
I concur with Pascal who said, “It is the heart which perceives God and
not the reason. That is what faith is: God perceived by the heart, not the reason.” Heart may have a reason to believe in God which reason may not know. It was Immanuel Kant who discovered, “The human heart refuses to believe in a universe without a purpose.” God created the universe with a purpose.
Eph 3:9-11, “and to enlighten all people as to what the plan of the
mystery is which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all
things; so that the multifaceted wisdom of God might now be made
known through the Church to the rulers and the authorities in the
Heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The eternal God has eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord. Christ Jesus our Lord is appointed to reign and rule with the saints in the Kingdom of Heaven forever and ever.
It was Epictetus who said, “God gave man two ears, but only one mouth, that he might hear twice as much as he speaks.”
Rev 2:7, “The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant to eat from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.’”
Do you want to eat the fruit of life in the Paradise of God? No one yet
has the experience with the fruit of life and in the Paradise of God.
Gen 2:9, “Out of the ground the LORD God caused every tree to grow
that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life was also
in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil.” God caused every tree to grow that is pleasing to the sight and good for food. When I was in Norway, oh how beautiful those forest trees that I saw. How pleasant to the sight was the green valley! Ignorant man does not know God caused many things to happen, including the forest trees.
Man cannot see from a distance for several reasons:
1. Man’s eyes are too dim to see.
Eyes are dim from old age (cataract).
2. There are also blinded eyes who cannot see.
2Co 4:4, “in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds
of the unbelieving so that they will not see the light of the Gospel of
the glory of Christ, who is the Image of God.”
This explains WHY otherwise brilliant secularists and philosophers who do not and cannot see the light of the Gospel and the glorious Jesus Christ who is the Image of God. I do not need to name those blind scholars and unbelievers. I usually do not promote the names of the wicked or evildoers.
Num 33:55, “But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from you, then it will come about that those whom you let remain of
them will be like thorns in your eyes and like pricks in your sides,
and they will trouble you in the land in which you live.”
What are the thorns? Jesus Christ explains, Luk 8:7, “Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out.”
Luk 8:14, “And the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked by worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and they bring no fruit to maturity.”
European and American supremacists for hundreds of years are
chocked by worries, riches, and pleasure of this life, and they bring no
fruit although they claim to be Christians. Isn’t it funny that the white and black supremacists have worries about the peaceful rise of China? For riches and pleasure of this life they have dictated and dominated the world. They are also blinded by the god of this world, so they do not see the glory of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. No matter how bright and brilliant are unbelieving scientists, theologians, and philosophers — the god of this world (the devil) has blinded the minds of them so that they will not see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the Image of God.
1Jo 2:11, “But the one who hates his brother or sister is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”
Those who have racial hatred, and those who hate Christians are in the
darkness and walk in the darkness. Hatred is darkness that blinds people. Europeans and Americans who hate other nations and peoples are in the darkness and walk in the darkness. Blacks who attack, rob and murder Asians are in the darkness and walk in the darkness. Western leaders and politicians who harbor hatred and they are in darkness and walk in darkness, so that they cannot see the value of peace to coexist with Russia and China. They refuse to follow President Richard Nixon in seeking a just and lasting peace for the world.
Gen 39:7, “And it came about after these events that his master’s wife had her eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Sleep with me.”
Western leaders and politicians have their eyes on the wrong things in
dictating and dominating the world.
Men have their eyes on the wrong things: lust, greed, power, money,
glory — the things that will pass away.
Ridiculous is knowledge of Western powers. On the one hand they preach democracy, on the other hand they practice autocracy and dictatorship. For example, in America 1% of the population rules over and controls 99% of the population. The 1% of the population owns all the power and wealth, while the 99% work like slaves for the one percent. Is that called democracy and freedom?
According to Serghey Stoilov Gherdjikov, “We live and it seems we never experience Death. But actually we always experience the resistance of chaos against our lives and we finally die. So, science can not resolve the problems outside the limit (the form) of the perceived world. It is not possible to explain the un-observable, the indescribable.”
Herbert Spencer said something interesting: “Scientific knowledge is a
sphere floating in a space of ignorance and growing ever larger. As the
sphere grows, its outer surface grows, too, and thus the surface of
contact with ignorance grows.” In fact, humans also live and float in a
space of ignorance.
According to Jürgen Mittelstrass, “scientific knowledge must as a rule
be taken to be imperfect or incomplete and incorrect, though not in the
sense of a defect.”
It is interesting that Dr. Bryan W. Roberts lists the following limits:
· Limits on the study of human relationships.
· Limits on the transmission of data like television signals.
· Limits on human travel, such as to deep-sea regions.
· Limits on the tasks a computer can carry out.
· Limits on one’s ability to move.
· Limits on tasks like the turning on/off of a lamp.
· Limits on the speed of matter and light..
Limits on what you can see from outside a black hole, or hear from outside a dumb hole.
· Limits on what you can do from within a black hole.
· Limits on what you can prove.
After all, it is wise to know human is limited, limited in every way.
The following questions confront mankind perennially:
Do you know? What do you know? How do you know?
Do you not know? What can you know? Do you not know what these things mean? Do you not know what these are?
Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of
God? Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one
receives the prize? Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? There are limits to the human knowledge.
You do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and
naked.
You do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth.
You do not know the activity of God who makes everything.
You do not know destruction will come on you suddenly.
You do not know great and mighty things.
You do not know what you are asking.
You do not know which day your Lord is coming.
You do not know when the appointed time is.
You do not know how to analyze this present time.
You do not know about.
Pro 27:1, “Do not boast about tomorrow,
For you do not know what a day may bring.”
1Co 8:1, “Now concerning food sacrificed to idols, we know that we
all have knowledge. Knowledge makes one conceited, but love edifies
people.”
The danger of human knowledge is to make one conceited or puffed up. Have you ever met a humble professor? Or a humble rich and powerful person?
Worldly knowledge can ruin people. Eve wants to know like God.
Knowledge of poison can kill people. A babbling fool will come to ruin.
Wickedness brings the sinner to ruin. A fool’s mouth is his ruin.
Luk 19:40-42, “Jesus replied, “I tell you, if these stop speaking, the
stones will cry out!”
When Jesus approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known on this day, even you, the conditions for
peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.”
If you had known! If Christians do not tell the truth on this day, the
stones will cry out! What upsets me most is that many false preachers
pretend to tell the truth for money. Many false prophets predict the day
of the second coming of the Lord for money. Many teach false doctrines to mislead the people. I do not need to name names. The mainstream powerful American and Western media continuously and habitually spew out false opinions and views, and deliberately spread fake news and disinformation without shame. Jesus Christ wept over Jerusalem. Will any American weep for Washington, D.C.?
What is it that blinds American leaders and politicians? What is it that
blinds European leaders and politicians? What is it that blinds the
Japanese, Australian, Canadian, Indian, and British leaders and
politicians? It is most shocking they do not know the time. It is most
shocking they do not know what they should do. It is most shocking they do not know the condition for peace. The West does not feel
responsibility and remorse for their genocide, war crimes, sins and
iniquities. The truth is hidden from their eyes!
Jesus warns, Luk 17:26-30, “And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so will it also be in the days of the Son of Man: people were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, and they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, and they were building; but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from Heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.”
If Hitler, Hideki Tojo (and Japanese emperor) and Mussolini had known
their outcome would be defeat and death, would they start the World War II?
If you had known! Would you …
2Pe 3:10-14, “But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the
Heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the Day of God, because of which the Heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new Heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless.”
The Day of the Lord and the Day of God refer to the Day of the second
coming of Jesus Christ. This is the revealed knowledge that the Heavens will pass away with a roar, and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. That is the end of the world.
IV. MAN DOES NOT HAVE TRUE
KNOWLEDGE.
Num 22:31, “Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the
angel of the LORD standing in the way with His sword drawn in His hand; and he bowed all the way to the ground.”
Man as the measure of all things is not correct. Incorrect man can not
have true knowledge, just like a crooked ruler cannot make a straight
line. Using Plato’s cave as an illustration, what the prisoner sees is only the shadows, not the reality. The best of human knowledge is only the
shadows. White and black supremacists want to conquer the world, but
they do not know the Lord standing in the way with His sword drawn in
His hand. Not only many blinded by darkness only see shadows. The pornography produced by evildoers makes you see flesh, lust, lewdness and nakedness even you did not want them. They just suddenly popped up in your computer uninvited. There are so many evildoers who harm and hurt others’ computers. No government is doing anything to destroy those who force smut and dirt and filth and gunk of ugly female nakedness on others through the Internet. The last days are full of perils because many are lawless and useless and they are terrorists of all kinds. These evildoers love themselves, love pleasure, and love money by all means.
I don’t know who was Philip K. Dick, but he said something which is true. “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” There are people who actually do not believe the existence of sin, sickness, death and Hell. My friends, they do not go away just because you do not believe them. If you do not deal with sin, death, and Hell now; you will have eternity to regret then. No one can say I have no sin. Well, if you have no sin, then you will not die. Is there anyone who will not die? After death, everything is settled in the place of suffering, which is called Hell, the place of eternal suffering. They will not go away whether you believe it or not. The good news is the truth that the problems of sin, death and Hell can be resolved once and for all while you are still alive. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, WHO came down from Heaven is to be your Savior and my Savior. All you need to do is to repent and believe in Jesus Christ, you can be saved by grace through faith. All your sins may be forgiven because Jesus Christ has paid for them by His life. Jesus Christ rose from the dead and so He can justify you before God. Then death is not a fear. For Jesus says, Jhn 6:40, “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” The last day is the end of the world. We do not see Jesus Christ now for He is sitting on the right of God in Heaven. But those who do not see and yet believe are blessed. Because our Redeemer lives forever, so we shall also live.
Those who died in Christ will be raised on the last day, the day Jesus
Christ comes to judge the world and to be the King of kings and the
Lord of lords. You had better deal with the reality of sin, death, and Hell
while you can now. Sweat, determination, and hard work cannot deal
with sin, death, and Hell. Jesus Christ can. But you must seize the
moment of salvation.
Mar 8:22-25, “And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought a
man who was blind to Jesus and begged Him to touch him. Taking the
man who was blind by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and
after spitting in his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him,
“Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see people, for I
see them like trees, walking around.” Then again He laid His hands on
his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see
everything clearly.”
In an analogy, the best perception of man is seeing people like trees,
walking around. Perception is not knowledge. Is seeing knowing? Is
knowing seeing? Even a man can see clearly, it does not mean he
understands what he sees. Like the ten blind men by touching an
elephant have different perceptions of what an elephant really looks like.
The Blind Men and the Elephant is a parable from India that has been
adapted by many religions and published in various stories for adults and children. It is about a group of blind men who attempt to learn what an elephant is, each touching a different part, and disagreeing on their findings. Their collective wisdom leads them
to half truth. The same collective wisdom of mankind leads only to half truths.
The enemies of the true knowledge are lies, falsehoods, falsity, deceit, conceit, fake news, disinformation, misinformation, false religions, false doctrines and teachings, false theories, etc. which are so prevalent like dog feces on the streets.
2Co 4:6, “For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
The mass of mankind needs the Light to shine out of darkness. Only God who is Light can give the Light of the true knowledge. All primitive religions born and bred in darkness and ignorance, and spreads superstition like wild fire. There are trillions of examples how superstition destroys and ruins lives. When there is great rain storm and flood, the primitive people believe somehow they angered the god of the sea. So they picked a virgin and sacrificed her by throwing the girl to the sea to appease gods. In the West, some believe wearing a rabbit’s foot around your neck brings good luck. Some Chinese believe turning the word blessing 福 upside down will bring good luck. Every race has its own superstitions. A few examples are sufficient.
Jer 10:14, “Every person is stupid, devoid of knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his cast metal images are deceitful, and there is no breath in them.”
A stupid person is devoid of knowledge. Idols and cast metal images are deceitful. The Word of God says every person who worships idols is stupid. I do not have to name countries and peoples. Idolatry breeds superstition, and superstition promotes backwardness. Not a few primitive people believe they had previous existence. The fact is, you only exist when you are born. No one, except Jesus Christ, had previous existence. Jesus Christ had previous existence before He came down to the earth. Jesus Christ was with God. Some people believe they have life to come. Their belief in the life to come is quite different from Christian belief in eternal life. They believe in so-called cyclical life, one does not die and he just changes into different animal. Some believe in the life to come they may marry the persons they could not marry in this life. The Word of God says in the life to come there will be no marriage or given to marriage, the saints will live like angels. There is no such a thing called reincarnation. Every person who dies either goes to Hell or goes to Heaven. It is very funny, being superstitious is ridiculous.
Some people in Portugal believe that walking backwards may connect you to the devil. However, in China some people think walking backwards is a beneficial exercise. In China the number 4 is an unlucky number, because the pronunciation of “four” in Chinese is similar to the word “death.” In primitive societies, the most pitiful and pathetic is the live sacrifice of humans to appease their angry gods.
False preachers who merchandise the Gospel and get rich by preaching do not know the Lord is standing in the way with His sword drawn in His hand.
European and American supremacists want to dictate and dominate the world do not know that the Lord standing in the way with His sword drawn in His hand.
Japanese militarists who committed genocide of 35 million Chinese, sex slavery, slave labor, and untold atrocities, but denied them and refused to pay reparations and compensations; and they want to revive an imperial and militaristic Japan. The Lord is standing in the way with His sword drawn in His hand. The judgment of the Lord is going to fall upon the world sooner than you think.
Increasing knowledge of the world results in increasing pain. The more knowledge you have about the world, the more worries you have.
Ecc 2:26, “For to a person who is good in His sight, He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who is good in God’s sight. This too is futility and striving after wind.”
The people who seek money, power, and pleasure are striving after wind. A life that is striving after wind is futility and vanity.
The knowledge of the Most High is the real knowledge and the true knowledge. God is the measure of everything. It is God’s sight that determines good and evil. It is the will of God which rules the universe.
1Co 8:2, “If anyone thinks he knows anything, he has
not yet known as he ought to know.”
Unbelieving scientists, theologians and philosophers think they know something, but the Word of God says they have not yet known as they ought to know. They do not know what they ought to know. Just like the children in kindergarten do not know what they ought to know. Most people do not know what they ought to know. The poor man knows he is poor, but a fool does not know he is a fool.
Eph 4:13, “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.”
A mature Christian has attained to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. The fullness of Christ can only be known by the revelation of God. So the human knowledge cannot reach the revealed knowledge.
Luk 1:77, “To give His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins.”
A Western philosopher was so arrogant that he wrote an article, “Why I Am Not A Christian”. What is the use of worldly knowledge that a man died in his sins?
What is the point of having science, theology and philosophy, if you do not have the knowledge of salvation? The knowledge of salvation is the revealed knowledge of God. Salvation is the way of God. You may obtain the salvation of God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of sins.
1Co 12:8, “For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit.”
God is Spirit, beyond the inquiry of science and philosophy. The power of the Spirit is the power of God. The Spirit of Christ dwells in Christians. 1Co 2:12,
“Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.” To know the things freely given to us by God, you need to have the Spirit who is from God.
1Co 2:13-14, “We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
Human knowledge can be taught by human wisdom. The Ivy League American universities at best teach human wisdom, they do not know spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. A scientist or philosopher is a natural person who does not accept and does not understand the things of the Spirit of God. Worse of all, these natural persons think the things of God as foolishness to them. Since they are not spiritual, so they cannot discern thing spiritually.
I agree with Karl Popper, “Our aim as scientists is objective truth; more truth, more interesting truth, more intelligible truth. We cannot reasonably aim at certainty. Once we realize that human knowledge is fallible, we realize also that we can never be completely certain that we have not made a mistake.”
Actually some so-called scientific theories have been wrong and mistaken.
Someone said, “The pretensions of final truth are always partly an effort to obscure a darkly felt consciousness of the limits of human knowledge.”
Human knowledge has no final truth, only pretensions, because human knowledge is limited and faulty.
I agree with Robert Frost, “Courage is the human virtue that counts most-courage to act on limited knowledge and insufficient evidence. That’s all any of us have.” There is no need to be arrogant. All humans have are limited knowledge and insufficient evidence.
Jean Piaget admits, “This means that no single logic is strong enough to support the total construction of human knowledge.”
On the other hand, the Savior Jesus Christ is not only strong enough but powerful to uphold all things by the Word of His power.
Heb 1:3, “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the Word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” In Christ is the final truth and certainty of all things.
2Co 10:5, “We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”
Secularists have many arguments and arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, it is the task of Christians to destroy anything theory or teaching against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. The true knowledge is the knowledge of God. The true wisdom is obedient to Jesus Christ.
V. THE GOD OF THE BIBLE IS THE GOD OF KNOWLEDGE
1Sa 2:3, “Do not go on boasting so very proudly, Do not let
arrogance come out of your mouth; for the LORD is the God of knowledge,
And with Him actions are weighed.”
The Lord knows if you are boasting, if you let arrogance come out of your mouth. The Lord God also weighs the actions of men. Unbelieving theologians, secular scientists and philosophers, national leaders and politicians, Wall Street executives, the rich and powerful go on boasting so very proudly. They do not know that the God of knowledge weighs their actions. God will judge every word, deed, and thought of every man. God weighs every word, deed, and thought of every man. There is no exception, be it president or pimp, prime minister or prostitute.
The Lord is the God of knowledge. Unlike idols and false gods who know nothing.
Luk 16:15, “And He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of people, but God knows your hearts; because that which is highly esteemed among people is detestable in the sight of God.”
The God of knowledge knows all things, including every secret, and the hearts of men. Are not leaders and politicians highly esteemed among people? If I tell you the truth, you will be offended. The people who are highly esteemed among you are the detestable in the sight of God. How do you stand if you know God detests your president, prime minister, general, high ranking official? God knows the hearts of men, although most men are deceptive. Can you find an honest man in government, business, industry, education, entertainment, sports, and media?
Psa 44:21, “Would God not find this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.”
God knows everything. God can find out everything. Your sins will find you out. God knows the national secrets of America, Japan, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, etc. with their genocide. God knows the secrets of all nations, all peoples, the secrets of the heart. God knows the heart and the secrets of the heart. No one can escape God’s judgment for God knows everything. You cannot have a dream team of lawyers to fool God. God knows the secrets of evidence. Most pathetic is Japan trying to revise history textbooks to whitewash the evil and dark history of Japan. God searches the hearts. God knows all things and all peoples.
Job 11:11, “For He knows false people,
And He sees injustice without investigating.”
God knows, white and black supremacists are false people. They create conflict and chaos in this world, and yet they have the gall to call for order. They are the trouble makers in this world, and yet they do not have shame to pass the blame on others. They practice darkness, evil, and injustice and yet they are like the Pharisees who point the fault and flaw of other peoples. What they really want is to dictate and dominate the world and enslave the whole world. Europeans are false people who fool the world for hundreds of years with their evil deeds. Japanese are false people who deny their war crimes and refuse to pay compensations. Americans are false people who invade and attack other nations under false pretenses. Palestinians and Hamas are false people who claim they have resettlement right in Jerusalem and the Jewish land. Illegal migrants are false people who pretend refugees and invade America and Europe; they want to get something for nothing. Funny parts about Western governments, whenever there are bad and unlawful things happen, there will be investigation. Investigations benefits lawyers and legal professions at huge public expense. The worst thing is the investigations of American presidents that amount to millions and millions of dollars for nothing. God knows injustice without investigating.
There is a Chinese saying, You know the man, you know his face, but you do not know his heart.
Psa 44:21,“Would God not find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.”
God also knows the haughty from afar.
Historically, there are no people who are more haughty than white supremacists. You would not be able to bear or stand it if the black supremacists gain power and position.
Dan 2:22,“It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him.”
God reveals the profound and hidden things. God knows what is in the darkness because God dwells with the light. The light of God exposes all dark and evil things profound and hidden. There are so many revisionists to cover up dark and profound and hidden things in history. On the Day of Judgement, God can play back all those dark, profound and hidden things of nations and peoples. The light of God will reveal everything so that the wicked cannot make excuses. For God knows all things, He is greater than our heart.
May I remind the rich and powerful of the world, you have no way to escape the torchlight of God; and so you have no way to escape the judgment of God. It is much better you repent and believe than go to Hell for eternal punishment.
The following is a contrast between our God and the idols:
Psa 115:3-8, “But our God is in the Heavens; He does whatever He pleases.
Their idols are silver and gold, The work of human hands. They have mouths, but they cannot speak; They have eyes, but they cannot see;
They have ears, but they cannot hear; They have noses, but they cannot
smell; They have hands, but they cannot feel; They have feet, but they cannot walk; They cannot make a sound with their throat.
Those who make them will become like them, Everyone who trusts in them.”
Why in the age of information, there are still many who worship idols? Those who make idols become like them. Those who trust idols are fools.
VI. THE HIGHEST KNOWLEDGE.
The knowledge of God is the highest knowledge. The creature has a need to know the Creator. Without the knowledge of the Creator, the creature is lost.
Saint Augustine said something most remarkable, “Because God has made us for Himself, our hearts are restless until they rest in Him.” For thousands of years, Western civilization has looked for and pursued the wrong things: money, power, and sex. That is why the Western civilization is restless and manifested itself in imperialism, colonialism, capitalism, monopolism, supremacism, materialism, militarism, secularism, etc. arrogant and self-centered, and under the pretense of democracy, human rights, freedom and justice.
Augustine also said, “Remember this. When people choose to withdraw far from a fire, the fire continues to give warmth, but they grow cold. When people choose to withdraw far from light, the light continues to be bright in itself but they are in darkness. This is also the case when people withdraw from God.” Western civilization does not lead people to God, in fact it leads people to corruption, evildoing, ruin, and destruction.
Immanuel Kant said, “A single line in the Bible has consoled me more than all the books I ever read besides.” Life is full of problems and troubles. We can get consolation of love from the Word of God which cannot find anywhere in the world. This is one of the many benefits from the knowledge of the Most High. It is all free because it is the grace of God.
Marcus Tullius Cicero said something partly true, “The wise are instructed by reason, average minds by experience, the stupid by necessity and the brute by instinct.” When Cicero talked about human, he only meant the human reason. The human reason is not infallible and perfect. The Word of God is infallible and perfect. So let the wise, average minds, the stupid and all instructed by the Word of God. The knowledge of the Most High is the highest knowledge.
I concur with Immanuel Kant, “The sum total of all possible knowledge of God is not possible for a human being, not even through a true revelation. But it is one of the worthiest inquiries to see how far our reason can go in the knowledge of God.” There is no one has more knowledge of God through revelation than the great Apostle Paul. For this reason even Paul says, 1Co 13:9-10, “For we know in part and prophesy in part; but when the Perfect comes, the partial will be done away with.” No one has perfect knowledge of God on earth. When the Perfect Jesus Christ returns, we will know fully as we are fully known. 1Co 13:12, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known.” This is the advanced knowledge based on true revelation: The day is coming when Christians will have full knowledge.
The key of knowledge includes the knowledge of sin, the knowledge of salvation, and the knowledge of the Savior. With the knowledge of sin, the sinner seeks the salvation of God. In seeking the way of Salvation one must come to the knowledge of the Savior, the Son of God who came down from Heaven to save sinners.
Num 24:16, “The declaration of him who hears the Words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered.”
The knowledge of the Most High is the most important knowledge because God is the Judge and measure of all things. To have the knowledge of the Most High, firstly, you must hear the Word of God. Secondly, you must have the mind of Christ. Thirdly, you must have the Spirit of God to enlighten you.
Isa 55:9, “For as the Heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
I heartily concur with the magnanimous John Milton who said, “The end of all learning is to know God, and out of that knowledge to love and imitate Him.”
It seems to many secularists, the end of all learning is to glorify themselves. In the last days, we witness people who love themselves, who love money, and who love pleasure and hate God.
Christians do well if we can echo the great Apostle Paul, Phl 3:8, “More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ.” Do you know money, power, and sex are actually rubbish? On the other hand, human knowledge acquired by scientists, theologians and philosophers makes them “puffed up” and more “self-centered” than others. Col 2:18, “Take care that no one keeps defrauding you of your prize by delighting in humility and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind.” The values of money, power, and pleasure are inflated so high in Western nations that truth, integrity, and justice disappear from them. The worldly have the fleshly mind. The fleshly mind is a depraved mind, the mind set on the flesh; but Christians have the mind of Christ. To have the mind of Christ is to have the highest knowledge, surpassing all the values of men.
Deu 31:29, “For I know that after my death you will behave very corruptly and turn from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will confront you in the latter days, because you will do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger with the work of your hands.”
Note: Moses by revelation had advanced knowledge that after his death, the children of Israel would behave very corruptly and do evil in the sight of the Lord. After your death, do you know how would your children behave? I always felt sorry for those who by faith built a great institution or organization, but after their death those institutions or organizations turned out to be against the wishes of the founders. Harvard university is one of many examples. Whoever thought after the death of President Richard Nixon, his Library would invite a pompous betrayer to speak at his Library against the strategic policy and grand vision of the great Richard Nixon who sought a just and lasting peace for the world?
This is a great precious lesson in life we can draw from David. In spite of all his faults, David was a great believer. In his darkest hour and the most difficult moment of his life, he said something most memorable:
1Sa 22:3, “And David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother come and stay with you until I know what God will do for me.”
Although David was a man after God’s own heart, a prophet, but he did not know everything. So David must wait until he knows what God will do for him. Christians must not run ahead of God, or make preparations until they know what God will do for them. What God will do for you is much more important than what you will do for God. George W. Truett was right, “To know the will of God is the greatest knowledge! To do the will of God is the greatest achievement.”
1Ki 17:24, “Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the Word of the LORD in your mouth is truth.”
Note: This is the second “Now I know” in the Old Testament. The poor widow who had her boy brought back from death said to the prophet of God, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the Word of the Lord in your mouth in truth.” This poor widow also verified the Word of God as truth. When I was a professor hired by the Chinese Ministry of Education at a Chinese university, the students asked me if I had encountered errors in the Holy Bible. I said to them, If the Word of God is wrong, I would not have believed in God on the basis of truth.
1Ch 12:32, “From the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their kinsmen were at their command.”
Note: The sons of Issachar were blessed; they were men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do. Since the death of President Richard Nixon who sought a just and lasting peace for the world, I hold American leaders and politicians do not understand the times, with no knowledge of what America should do. This is the day of infamy and calamity. American leaders and politicians do not understand the times, with no knowledge of what America should do. America is in crisis. The world is in crisis. They may have windy knowledge of democracy, human rights, freedom, equality and justice. They are in darkness, and they do not practice truth, integrity, and justice.
Jesus Christ not only is the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth— Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Jhn 14:5-6, “Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; how do we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I AM the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus Christ is the Way to God, there is no other way. This is the Truth; to believe in the Truth is to have Life. To have Life is to have eternal Life. The way of the world is the ungodly way. The way of salvation is to be saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Christianity is the Way. It is not narrow minded to say all religions are the wrong ways to God. Truth may be offensive. The way of life is not corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit. The Western way of life is corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit. The Christian way is a new and living way, for in this way is the entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ a new and living way. Christ has taken the old way and nailed it to the cross. The way of the truth is the way of righteousness. This is the mature Christian way of life:
Eph 4:14-17, “Henceforth, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him Who is the Head, that is, Christ, from Whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the Body for the building up of itself in love. So I say this, and affirm in the Lord, that you are to no longer walk just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their minds.”
Christians no longer walk just as the Gentiles also walk. There are also Gentile Christians. The Gentiles here means the unbelievers, the worldly. Christians no longer walk just as the unbelievers and the worldly also walk. The unbelievers and the worldly walk in the futility of their minds. Money, power, and sex are futility. The minds that seek money, power, and pleasure are the futility of minds.
Col 1:9, “For this reason we also, since the day we heard about it, have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”
The highest knowledge is not didactic, dialectic, mathematics, geometric, atomic, scientific, theoretic, hyperbolic, astrophysics, linguistic, cosmologic, Vedic, Platonic, Aristocratic, Socratic, Stoic, etc. The highest knowledge is the knowledge of the Most High and the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Secular scientists, scholars, and philosophers however brilliant and bright they may be, they do not have the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Much worse are world leaders and politicians who are actually agents of the devil who rules this present world.
Col 1:9-10, “For this reason we also, since the day we heard about it,have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”
For Christians, to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that we will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God — this is the highest peak of a Christian life or the Summum Bonum which all believers aspire to. They understand the ultimate truth of life in Christ.
We like to conclude with the prayer of Augustine:
Mar 11:10, “Blessed is the coming Kingdom of our father David; Hosanna in the highest!”
The Highest One is coming. Hosanna is Greek is hōsanna which
means an exclamation of adoration; oh save! Be propitious; blessed be;
save us! hooray! hallelujah! – which occurs 6 times in the New Testament. Hallelujah! The Highest One is coming.
THE TRUE KNOWLEDGE IS TO KNOW
THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE SON OF GOD, AND
THE SAVIOR OF MANKIND.
BY REPENTANCE AND FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST
YOU CAN HAVE FORGIVENESS OF SINS AND
RECEIVE THE ETERNAL LIFE.
WOULD YOU COME TO JESUS NOW?
Willie Wong Thought
Willie Wong
August 15, 2025
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