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Some false theologians and scholars hold the opinion that the Holy City, New Jerusalem, should be interpreted figuratively, not literally. Jerusalem is the figure of the Church of God. I believe where the Bible is figuratively speaking, it should be figuratively interpreting. When the Bible is clearly and plainly making statements of fact, they should be interpreted as statements of fact. The Holy City, New Jerusalem is a place–more real than Shanghai, London or Paris. The Holy City, New Jerusalem is the capital of the Kingdom of Heaven; the eternal abode of the Saints, Christians, and Children of God. Everything the Revelation says about the Holy City, New Jerusalem, is faithful and true. Do not let false theologians and scholars fool you.
The Holy City, New Jerusalem means the Holy City, New Jerusalem. It does not mean the Church, the Body of Christ. The more Bible knowledge I have, the more tired and weary I am of those theologians who misrepresent the truth of the Bible. The Church is not the Holy City; — the Church is a holy assembly, holy priesthood, holy people, holy temple, and a holy nation; never a holy city. Christians can be sure grace and truth have come by Jesus Christ and that Christ is the truth. I reluctantly mention the predestination doctrine taught by John Calvin was and is wrong. So I do not wish to mention the spiritualizing theory of so-and-so is also false and wrong.
Biblical interpretation is a big subject which is not the subject of this article. So I am not dwelling on it. While in passing I want you to know that spiritualizing method of interpreting the Bible is unsound and should be rejected by all believers. You need to take the Word of God as faithful and true.
With all my heart, I hold Revelation Chapter 21 is no figure or parable. In fact, I believe it is the fulfilment and answer to Jesus following statement,
Jhn 14:2-3, “In My Father’s home are many mansions; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be.”
I believe with all my heart and mind, the Holy City, New Jerusalem of Revelation Chapter 21 is the place Jesus has prepared for His followers. I also believe,
“THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD,AND WHICH HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HUMANHEART,ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”
The Holy City, New Jerusalem, of Revelation Chapter 21, is also what God has prepared for those who love Him. Every word as it is written is FAITHFUL AND TRUE. Therefore, do not let unbelieving theologians and scholars fool you, Revelation Chapter 21 is real as it is written. The Holy City, New Jerusalem is real. They are prepared for those who love God and Jesus Christ. They are the Kingdom of Heaven where God will dwell with His children for ever and ever.
Re 21:1-27. The New Heaven and Earth: New Jerusalem Out of Heaven.
The remaining two chapters describe the eternal and consummated kingdom of God and the saints on the new earth. As the world of nations is to be pervaded by divine influence in the millennium, so the world of nature shall be, not annihilated, but transfigured universally in the eternal state which follows it. The earth was cursed for man’s sake; but is redeemed by the second Adam. Now is the Church; in the millennium shall be the kingdom; and after that shall be the new world wherein God shall be all in all. The “day of the Lord” and the conflagration of the earth are in 2Pe 3:10, 11 spoken of as if connected together, from which many argue against a millennial interval between His coming and the general conflagration of the old earth, preparatory to the new; but “day” is used often of a whole period comprising events intimately connected together, as are the Lord’s second advent, the millennium, and the general conflagration and judgment. Compare Ge 2:4 as to the wide use of “day.” Man’s soul is redeemed by regeneration through the Holy Spirit now; man’s body shall be redeemed at the resurrection; man’s dwelling-place, His inheritance, the earth, shall be redeemed perfectly at the creation of the new heaven and earth, which shall exceed in glory the first Paradise, as much as the second Adam exceeds in glory the first Adam before the fall, and as man regenerated in body and soul shall exceed man as he was at creation.
1. the first—that is the former.
passed away—Greek, in A and B is “were departed” (Greek, “apeelthon,” not as in English Version, “pareelthe”).
was—Greek, “is,” which graphically sets the thing before our eyes as present.
no more sea—The sea is the type of perpetual unrest. Hence our Lord rebukes it as an unruly hostile troubler of His people. It symbolized the political tumults out of which “the beast” arose, Re 13:1. As the physical corresponds to the spiritual and moral world, so the absence of sea, after the metamorphosis of the earth by fire, answers to the unruffled state of solid peace which shall then prevail. The sea, though severing lands from one another, is now, by God’s eliciting of good from evil, made the medium of communication between countries through navigation. Then man shall possess inherent powers which shall make the sea no longer necessary, but an element which would detract from a perfect state. A “river” and “water” are spoken of in Re 22:1, 2, probably literal (that is, with such changes of the natural properties of water, as correspond analogically to man’s own transfigured body), as well as symbolical. The sea was once the element of the world’s destruction, and is still the source of death to thousands, whence after the millennium, at the general judgment, it is specially said, “The sea gave up the dead … in it.” Then it shall cease to destroy, or disturb, being removed altogether on account of its past destructions.Revelation 21:1 A new heaven and a new earth. Revelation 21:2 The new Jerusalem. Revelation 21:3-7 The blessedness of God’s people. Revelation 21:8 The judgment of the wicked. Revelation 21:9-27 A description of the heavenly Jerusalem.
Chapter Introduction This chapter begins with the vision of the new heaven and the new earth, …mentioned Revelation 20:1-3, in which (as was said) the church should enjoy great quiet and peace.
1. That interpretation carrieth on the history in order; whereas, according to the other, we must say the history, Revelation 20:1-5, was interrupted by the battle with Gog and Magog, and the account of the day of judgment, Revelation 21:7,15. 2. In reason, as the close of the former chapter gave us an account of the issue of the day of judgment, as to wicked men, so this should give us some account how it should fare with the saints. 3. We shall find some things in the new Jerusalem here described, which will agree to no state of the church upon earth: see Revelation 21:22,23. A new heaven and a new earth; a new and glorious state of things relating to the church. For the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea; for now there was an end to the world, and all the troubles that the people of God had met with in it, as well as the material earth, heaven, and sea, were passed away. This new heaven was prophesied of of old by Isaiah, and more lately by Peter, 2 Peter 3:13”.
2. And I John—”John” is omitted in A, B, Vulgate, Syriac, Coptic, and Andreas; also the “I” in the Greek of these authorities is not emphatic. The insertion of “I John” in the Greek would somewhat interfere with the close connection which subsists between “the new heaven and earth,” Re 21:1, and the “new Jerusalem” in this verse.
Jerusalem … out of heaven—(Re 3:12; Ga 4:26, “Jerusalem which is above”; Heb 11:10; 12:22; 13:14). The descent of the new Jerusalem out of heaven is plainly distinct from the earthly Jerusalem in which Israel in the flesh shall dwell during the millennium, and follows on the creation of the new heaven and earth. John in his Gospel always writes [Greek] Hierosoluma of the old city; in the Apocalypse always Hierousaleem of the heavenly city (Re 3:12). Hierousaleem is a Hebrew name, the original and holy appellation. Hierosoluma is the common Greek term, used in a political sense. Paul observes the same distinction when refuting Judaism (Ga 4:26; compare Ga 1:17, 18; 2:1; Heb 12:22), though not so in the Epistles to Romans and Corinthians [Bengel].
bride—made up of the blessed citizens of “the holy city.” There is no longer merely a Paradise as in Eden (though there is that also, Re 2:7), no longer a mere garden, but now the city of God on earth, costlier, statelier, and more glorious, but at the same time the result of labor and pains such as had not to be expended by man in dressing the primitive garden of Eden. “The lively stones” were severally in time laboriously chiselled into shape, after the pattern of “the Chief corner-stone,” to prepare them for the place which they shall everlastingly fill in the heavenly Jerusalem.”
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
A Voice from Heaven of Blessing and Judgement, Revelation 21:3-83. out of heaven] Read, out of the Throne; cf. Revelation 19:5. the tabernacle of God] i.e. the Shechinah, the divine Presence, see on Revelation 7:15. So in the next words, he will dwell with them] Lit., have His tabernacle with them, the verb being the same as in St John’s Gospel John 1:14; though the prepositions “among” and “with” are different. his people] The word is a plural: peoples, though used in modern English, at least as a Gallicism, is scarcely (see however Revelation 10:11, Revelation 17:15) admitted in the English of the A. V. It would not do to translate “His nations,” for in Hellenistic language, representing O. T. usage, “the nations” means Gentiles, and “the people” Israel. Here therefore the use of this word in the plural has a special significance: all nations shall be God’s people, in the sense that one nation only has been hitherto. (and be) their God] There is considerable authority for the omission of this clause. If it be retained, it is a question of taste whether to insert the words in brackets, or to render “God Himself, their own God, shall be with them”—something like Psalm 67:6. There may be a reminiscence of the name Immanuel: there certainly is of Jeremiah 24:7 &c.; Ezekiel 11:20 &c.; Zechariah 8:8, whether on St John’s part or only on that of his copyists.”
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes – This will be one of the characteristics of that blessed state, that not a tear shall ever be shed there. How different will that be from the condition here – for who is there here who has not learned to weep? See the notes on Revelation 7:17. Compare the notes on Isaiah 25:8.
And there shall be no more death – In all that future world of glory, not one shall ever die; not a grave shall ever be dug! What a view do we begin to get of heaven, when we are told there shall be no “death” there! How different from earth, where death is so common; where it spares no one; where our best friends die; where the wise, the good, the useful, the lovely die; where fathers, mothers, wives, husbands, sons, daughters, all die; where we habitually feel that we must die. Assuredly we have here a view of heaven most glorious and animating to those who dwell in a world like this, and to whom nothing is more common than death. In all their endless and glorious career, the redeemed will never see death again; they will never themselves die. They will never follow a friend to the tomb, nor fear that an absent friend is dead. The slow funeral procession will never be witnessed there; nor will the soil ever open its bosom to furnish a grave. See the notes on 1 Corinthians 15:55.
Neither sorrow – The word “sorrow” here – πένθος penthos – denotes sorrow or grief of any kind; sorrow for the loss of property or friends; sorrow for disappointment, persecution, or care; sorrow over our sins, or sorrow that we love God so little, and serve him so unfaithfully; sorrow that we are sick, or that we must die. How innumerable are the sources of sorrow here; how constant is it on the earth! Since the fall of man there has not been a day, an hour, a moment, in which this has not been a sorrowful world; there has not been a nation, a tribe – a city or a village – nay, not a family, where there has not been grief. There has been no individual who has been always perfectly happy. No one rises in the morning with any certainty that he may not end the day in grief; no one lies down at night with any assurance that it may not be a night of sorrow. How different would this world be if it were announced that henceforward there would be no sorrow! How different, therefore, will heaven be when we shall have the assurance that henceforward grief shall be at an end!
Nor crying – κραυγὴ kraugē.” This word properly denotes a cry, an outcry, as in giving a public notice; a cry in a tumult – a clamor, Acts 23:9; and then a cry of sorrow, or wailing. This is evidently its meaning here, and it refers to all the outbursts of grief arising from affliction, from oppression, from violence. The sense is, that as none of these causes of wailing will be known in the future state, all such wailing will cease. This, too, will make the future state vastly different from our condition here; for what a change would it produce on the earth if the cry of grief were never to be heard again!
Neither shall there be any more pain – There will be no sickness, and no calamity; and there will be no mental sorrow arising from remorse, from disappointment, or from the evil conduct of friends. And what a change would this produce – for how full of pain is the world now! How many lie on beds of languishing; how many are suffering under incurable diseases; how many are undergoing severe surgical operations; how many are pained by the loss of property or friends, or subjected to acuter anguish by the misconduct of those who are loved! How different would this world be, if all pain were to cease forever; how different, therefore, must the blessed state of the future be from the present!
For the former things are passed away – The world as it was before the judgment.”
5. And he that sat upon the throne said] The first time that He speaks. The reference is rather to the eternal throne of Revelation 4:2 than to the judgement-throne of Revelation 20:11, so far as the two can be distinguished. Behold, I make all things new] Some O. T. parallels are alleged, e.g. Isaiah 43:19; Jeremiah 31:22; but really the only close parallel is 2 Corinthians 5:17; and the meaning of this passage is, of course, even fuller than of that. he said unto me] Read only, he saith. It is doubtful whether the speaker is still “He that sat on the throne;” for a similar command to “write” has been given already,—Revelation 14:13, Revelation 19:9; cf. Revelation 10:4—either by an impersonal “voice from heaven” or by the revealing angel. The question is best left open. The repetition of the words “He said unto me” in the next verse is a reason against ascribing all three speeches to Him that sat on the throne; the fresh mention of a revealing angel in Revelation 21:9 is perhaps a stronger one against supposing an angel to be speaking here; and the form of the words themselves against their referring to an impersonal voice. Write: for] Or perhaps, “Write, ‘These words are’ ” &c.: lit. that these words are”.… true and faithful] Read, faithful and true, as at Revelation 3:14, Revelation 19:11, and still more exactly Revelation 22:6.”
And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Revelation 21:6-8. And he “that sat upon the throne” said to me, It is done — All that the prophets have spoken is fulfilled. This is the consummation of all things: and now all the promises of God, and the desires of his faithful servants, shall be fully accomplished I am Alpha, &c. — Greek, το αλφα, και το ωμεγα, the Alpha and the Omega; the beginning and the end — The latter clause explains the former; the everlasting. I will give unto him that is athirst — That sincerely and earnestly desires it; of the fountain of the water of life — Refreshing consolation, which shall abundantly satisfy his most enlarged desires and most exalted expectations; happiness which shall ever flow in upon him, as water from a perpetually flowing fountain; freely — Δωρεαν, as a free, unmerited gift. He that overcometh — To do which is much more than to thirst; shall inherit all things — Which I have made: the whole creation shall be laid open to his enjoyment. And I will be his God — A source of complete and everlasting blessedness to him; and he shall be my son — And consequently mine heir: the inheritor of my eternal kingdom, yea, and a joint-heir with my only-begotten and well- beloved Son. But the fearful and unbelieving — Who have not courage to face the difficulties which an open profession of my religion requires, and therefore do not overcome; and the abominable — All who indulge themselves in abominable vices to gratify their lusts; and murderers — Of the bodies, souls, or reputation of their fellow-creatures; and whoremongers, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars — All who allow themselves, in their words or actions, to violate the eternal and immutable laws of truth and righteousness; shall have their part in the lake, &c. — All these shall have their portion with Satan, to whose party they joined themselves, and whose will they obeyed; and shall with him undergo the punishment of the secured death. Let this therefore be recorded, that every future generation of men may carefully peruse and seriously consider it; that every sincere believer, however weak, may be encouraged, and that every obstinate sinner may be terrified, and, if possible, awakened; and that none, in the day of my final judgment, may complain that they have not been warned and cautioned, with the greatest plainness and the greatest solemnity.”
7. He that overcometh] Carries back our thoughts to the promises at the beginning of the book, Revelation 2:7, &c. There is perhaps some significance in the Father thus taking up and repeating the language of the Son. all things] Read, these things; viz. the new heavens and earth, and the things in them which, like them, have just “come into being.” I will be … my son] Lit. I will be to him a God, and he shall be to Me a son. The form of the promise therefore resembles 2 Samuel 7:14, at least as closely as Jeremiah 24:7, &c.: and the sense combines that of both. The finally victorious share in the privileges, not only of God’s people, but of the Only-begotten: see Revelation 3:21.”
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
(8) But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable . . .—Better, But for the cowardly andunfaithful (or, unbelieving) and defiled with abominations, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and for all the false, their part (is) in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which thing is the second death. The list here given points to those classes of character which cannot find a place in the Holy City. Nothing that defileth shall enter in. The less glaring faults stand first, the cowardly and unbelieving. There is a high and holy fear in which the Christian passes the time of his sojourn here (1Peter 1:17); but there is a base and selfish fear, a fear of man, which brings a snare; those who have faith enter boldly the strife, following the Lamb whithersoever He goeth, and conquering by faith. The cowardly sink into companionship with the faithless and unbelieving, with the workers of iniquity. The abominations spoken of here have reference to those mentioned in Revelation 17:4. The characters, it has been thought, form four pairs. Fear and unbelief go hand in hand (Deuteronomy 20:1-8; Matthew 8:26); the workers of abomination and the murderers, the fornicators and the sorcerers are united as those who sin in secret; the idolaters and the false, as those who change God’s truth into a lie. (Comp. Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:5; Philippians 3:19.) These who are thus shut out from the heavenly city stand in contrast to those who are admitted; yet among those admitted arc such who have sinned through fear, faithlessness, and fleshliness. Sin indeed excludes from the city, but it is sin loved sin unrepented of, which alone can close the gate of the city whose gates lie open day and night.”
And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.
And there came unto me one of the seven angels,…. Either the first of them, as one of the four beasts is the first of them, Revelation 6:1 or it may be the last, and very likely the same as in Revelation 17:1
which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues; that is, the wrath of God poured out by them on the antichristian party; see Revelation 15:1.
And talked with me, saying, come hither; see Revelation 17:1.
I will show thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. The “Lamb” is Christ, who is often so called in this book; see Revelation 5:6Revelation 19:7 and is the Son of God, the heir of all things, the Maker and Governor of the universe, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; and who, as Mediator, has all accomplishments and qualifications to recommend him as a bridegroom, such as beauty, riches, and wisdom: the bride, his wife, is not any particular believer, nor any particular church; not the Gentile church, nor the Jewish church only, but all the elect of God, consisting of the raised and living saints at the coming of Christ; who will make up one body, one general assembly, and be as a bride, prepared and adorned for her husband: these were first betrothed to Christ in eternity, and were openly espoused by him, one by one, at conversion; and now being all gathered in by the effectual calling, the dead being raised, and the living changed, and all glorified, the marriage is consummated, and they are declared publicly to be the bride, the Lamb’s wife; See Gill on Matthew 22:2. And now, though John had had a sight of her before, Revelation 21:2 yet that was but a glimmering one, at a distance, he being in the wilderness, Revelation 17:3 wherefore the angel calls him to him, and proposes to give him a clear, distinct, and particular view of her, in all her glory; and a glorious sight this indeed! to see the bride brought to the King in raiment of needlework, and the queen stand at his right hand in gold of Ophir. This is a sight of a quite different nature from that of the filthy strumpet, which the same angel proposed to give to John in Revelation 17:1.”
And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
And he carried me away in the Spirit,…. John was in an ecstasy, as in Revelation 1:10 and in the thoughts and apprehensions of his mind and spirit, it seemed to him as if he was carried away from one place to another; for this was not a corporeal sight, nor were any of the visions he had, but what was represented to his mind or spirit; it being with him as it was with the Apostle Paul when he was caught up to the third heaven, who knew not whether he was in the body or out of the body. The Ethiopic version renders it, “the Spirit brought me”; not the evil spirit Satan, who took up our Lord corporeally, and carried him to an exceeding high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of this world, and their glory, Matthew 4:8 but either a good angel, or the Spirit of God:
to a great and high mountain; to such an one was Ezekiel brought in the visions of God, when the frame of a city and temple was shown him, with their dimensions, Ezekiel 40:2 as here a city is shown to John, with its wall, gates, foundations, and their measures: and he was brought to such a place, partly that he might have the more plain and full view of it; and partly to suggest unto him, that now the church of Christ was established upon the top of the mountains, and exalted above the hills, and was a city on a hill, which could not be hid, Isaiah 2:2.
And showed me that great city; which is no other than the church, the bride, the Lamb’s wife; just as the apostate church, all along in this book before, is called the great city, Revelation 11:8 but now that being demolished, there is no other great city in being but the church of Christ, called a city before; Revelation 21:2 here a “great one”, not only because of its prodigious large dimensions, Revelation 21:16 but because of the number of its inhabitants, being such as no man can number; and because it is the residence of the great King, the tabernacle of God will be in it; though this epithet is left out in the Alexandrian copy, and in the Vulgate Latin and all the Oriental versions: “the holy Jerusalem”; called “the new Jerusalem”, Revelation 21:2 here “holy”, in allusion to the city of Jerusalem, which was called the holy city, Matthew 4:5 on account of the temple in it, the place of divine worship; but here this city is so called, because it is the residence of the holy God, Father, Son, and Spirit, inhabited only by holy men, made perfectly so, and encompassed by holy angels.
Descending out of heaven from God; See Gill on Revelation 21:2.”
Having the glory of God – A glory or splendor such as became the dwelling place of God. The nature of that splendor is described in the following verses.
And her light – In Revelation 21:23 it is said that “the glory of God did lighten it.” That is, it was made light by the visible symbol of the Deity – the “Shekinah.” See the Luke 2:9 note; Acts 9:3 note. The word here rendered “light” – φωστὴρ phōstēr – occurs nowhere else in the New Testament except in Philippians 2:15. It means, properly, a light, a lightgiver, and, in profane writers, means commonly a “window.” It is used here to denote the brightness or shining of the divine glory, as supplying the place of the sun, or of a window.
Like unto a stone most precious – A stone of the richest or most costly nature.
Even like a jasper stone – On the jasper, see the notes on Revelation 4:3. It is used there for the same purpose as here, to illustrate the majesty and glory of God.
Clear as crystal – Pellucid or resplendent like crystal. There are various kinds of jasper – as red, yellow, and brown, brownish yellow, etc. The stone is essentially a quartz, and the word “crystal” here is used to show that the form of it referred to by John was clear and bright.”
And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
(12, 13) And hada wall great and high . . .—Or, better (for the construction is continued), Having a wall great and high, and having twelve gate-towers, and at the gate-towers twelve angels, and names inscribed which are (names) of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel: from the sun-rising (i.e., facing east) three gate-towers; from the north three gate-towers, from the south three gate-towers; from the sun-setting three gate-towers. On this arrangement of gates Numbers 2, Ezekiel 48, and Revelation 7 should be compared. In the encampment in the wilderness (Numbers 2) the tribes were arranged as follows: on the east, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun; on the south, Reuben, Simeon, Gad; on the west, Ephraim, Manasseh, Benjamin; on the north, Dan, Asher, Naphtali. There is perhaps allusion in the present passage to this wilderness encampment, and to the re-adjustment of the order of the tribes in Ezekiel (Ezekiel 48); but there is more than order here: the gates lie open to all quarters; there is no refusal of admission to any people. The representatives of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, are (Revelation 7:9) in the city of Christ; in Him there is neither barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, but all are one. The diversities of human nationality and character, of age and race, and climate, are brought into one communion and fellowship. (Comp. Note on Revelation 7:4.) “The wall great and high” is mentioned to assure us of the security and peace of that city where no foe “or thief approacheth” (Isaiah 26:1; Zechariah 2:5).”
Verse 13. – On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. The following are the dispositions of the tribes in the Old Testament: – Order in Numbers East Judah. Issachar. Zebulun. North – Dan. Asher. Naphtali. South – Reuben. Simeon. Gad. West – Ephraim. Manasseh. Benjamin. Order in Ezekiel 49:30. East – Joseph. Benjamin. Dan. North – Reuben. Judah. Levi. South – Simeon. Issachar. Zebulon. West – Gad. Asher. Naphtali. Revelation 21:13”
14. And the wall … twelve foundations] Probably each of the twelve sections into which the wall is divided by the gates rests on an enormous jewel, reaching from gate to gate. This symbolises the solidity as well as the beauty of the divine structure: and was itself symbolised by the enormous size of the stones used in the foundations of the earthly temple. See St Mark 13:1 and parallels. Had is literally having, a solecism like that of Revelation 21:12. twelve names of the twelve apostles] Expressing the same doctrine as St Paul in Ephesians 2:20, and (probably) our Lord in St Matthew 16:18. It is absurd to suppose that there is any pointed insistance on the Apostles being only twelve, St Paul being excluded: to introduce thirteen or fourteen would have spoilt the symmetry characteristic of the whole vision. We might just as well say, that there ought to be thirteen gates for the thirteen tribes; counting Ephraim, Manasseh and Levi all as coordinate with the rest. Really, it is idle to ask whether the twelfth name was that of St Paul or St Matthias. St John does not notice his own name being written there, though of course it was (cf. St Luke 10:20); the Apostles are here mentioned in their collective and official, not in their individual character. (See on Revelation 5:5.) of the Lamb] His identity is taken for granted with the Jesus of the earthly ministry, as in Revelation 14:1 with the Son of God.”
Revelation 21:15-16. And he that talked with me had — Like the angel who appeared in vision to Ezekiel; a golden reed, &c. — A measuring-rod, with this circumstance of illustrious distinction, that it was golden; to measure the city, &c. — In the several parts thereof; by which measure was signified the greatness and extent of the city, with the exact order and just proportion of every part: to show figuratively that this city was prepared for a great number of inhabitants, how small soever the number of real Christians may sometimes appear to be; and that every thing relating to the happiness of this heavenly state was prepared with the greatest care and exactness. And the city lieth four-square — Upon measuring it appeared that the city was an exact square, of equal length and breadth, and of a very large extent. For it appeared on measure to be twelve thousand furlongs — Or one thousand five hundred miles, not, it seems, in circumference, but on each of the four sides. Jerusalem was thirty-three furlongs in circumference; Alexandria thirty in length, ten in breadth; Nineveh is reported to have been four hundred furlongs round, Babylon four hundred and eighty. The length, and the breadth, and the height of it — That is, says Bishop Newton, of its walls and buildings; are equal — Are everywhere of the same beauty, strength, and proportion. For this equality, as Grotius observes, seems to belong to the walls and buildings compared with each other, not with the length and breadth of the city. For to understand the height of the city, whether of its walls or buildings, to be equal to the length or breadth of it, would make its houses and walls to be out of all proportion. For how large soever men may conceive the extent of the city, and of the contiguous buildings, houses twelve thousand furlongs high are beyond all propriety in the boldest figures…. Nor is it easy to say what end could be answered by making the height of the buildings so enormous, unless to render the city a perfect cube, for which no reason can be assigned; a perfect square rendering the emblem full as perfect. The truth is, the numbers themselves are evidently typical, taken from twelve, the number of the apostles, multiplied by one thousand. For as before, the number of the members of the Christian Church was represented by one hundred and forty-four thousand, the square number of twelve multiplied by one thousand; so this manner of numbering will very properly signify a city, of which true Christians are to be the happy citizens and settled inhabitants; a city which shall have incomparably greater extent, and more strength and beauty, than ancient Babylon, Rome, or any other seat of empire ever known in this world.”
And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
Rev 21:16, “The city is laid out as a square, its length being the same as its width; and he measured the city with his rod—twelve thousand stadia (about 1,400 miles); its length and width and height are equal.”
And the city lieth four square,…. To the four corners of the world, from whence its inhabitants come, and denotes the regularity, uniformity, perfection, and immovableness of it.
And the length is as large as the breadth; this church state will be all of a piece, perfect, entire, and wanting nothing.
And he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs; or fifteen hundred miles; a monstrously large city indeed! such an one as never was upon earth; see Ezekiel 48:35 … here being room enough for all the twelve tribes of Israel; that is, for all the elect of God; for as in Christ’s Father’s house, so in this kingdom state of his, there will be many mansions, or dwelling places, enough for all his people. This city will hold them all. The Jews (h) say of Jerusalem, that in time to come it shall be so enlarged, as to reach to the gates of Damascus, yea, to the throne of glory.
The length, and the breadth, and the height of it are equal. A perfectly uniform state! according to the Ethiopic version, it is in length twelve thousand furlongs, and every measure equal, so that it is so many furlongs in length, breadth, and height.
(h) Shirhashirim Rabba, fol. 24. 1.”
The Holy City, New Jerusalem, it is a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, its length and width and height were each 1,400 miles.
The Holy City, New Jerusalem, is such an enormous city unheard of. It can house all the redeemed of all ages and generations. Only God knows the number of His children, probably between 1 to 2 billions. Such a mega City will take a long time to get acquainted, it will take even longer to get to know its residents. I am very excited and thrilled about everything written about the Holy City, New Jerusalem.
I do not know whether “friendship” is allowable in the Kingdom of Heaven. Because friendship implies preference, favoritism, and selfishness. No matter what, I shall comply with the Mandate of Heaven, and obey willingly the Will of my Heavenly Father.
Given a choice, however, I sure want to make friends with Abraham, Enoch, Noah, Joseph, Moses, David, Jonathan, Nathan, Elijah, Isaiah, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abed-nego, Stephen and all martyrs, Paul, John, John the Baptist, Mary the mother of Jesus, Ruth, Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany, etc. Regarding angels include Michael, Gabriel, and the angel who used great chain to bound Satan. On the history of the world I would like to make friends with Martin Luther, John Bunyan, Immanuel Kant, Arthur Mouw, D. Edmond Hiebert, Blaise Pascal, Helen Kelly, Augustine, G. Campbell Morgan, J.C, Ryle, Charles Spurgeon,
ATHANASIUS OF ALEXANDRIA, Charles H. Mackintosh , etc.
Revelation 21:17-18. And he measured the wall thereof — That is, Lowman thinks, the height of the wall; one hundred and forty-four cubits — The square of twelve: about seventy-two yards high, according to the lesser cubit, or about eighty-six yards according to the greater, a height sufficient to express the most perfect security against all attempts of any surprise by an enemy. Doddridge understands these cubits of the thickness of the wall, with the same view, namely, to signify the great strength of the city, and that it might defy all assailants. According to the measure of a man — A measure common among men; that is, of the angel — For such was the measuring-rod, made use of by the angel. And the building of the wall was of jasper — The wall appeared to be built with unparalleled strength and magnificence, not of brick, or squared and polished stones, but of some precious stone, as solid, firm, and beautiful as a jasper. And the city was of pure gold — Namely, its houses and other buildings, separate from the wall; like unto clear glass — Or crystal. It seems it is the city in general, and not the gold, which is represented as shining like glass or crystal. It is not easy to understand how pure gold should shine like crystal: but a city adorned with crystal, set in gold, may easily be supposed to shine in that manner.’
And the building of the wall of it – The material of which the wall was composed. This means the wall above the foundation, for that was composed of twelve rows of precious stones, Revelation 21:14, Revelation 21:19-20. The height of the foundation is not stated, but the entire wall above was composed of jasper.
And the city was pure gold – The material of which the edifices were composed.
Like unto clear glass – The word rendered “glass” in this place – ὕαλος hualos – occurs in the New Testament only here and in Revelation 21:21. It means, properly, “anything transparent like water”; as, for example, any transparent stone or gem, or as rock-salt, crystal, glass (Robinson, Lexicon). Here the meaning is, that the golden city would be so bright and burnished that it would seem to be glass reflecting the sunbeams. Would the appearance of a city, as the sun is setting, when the reflection of its beams from thousands of panes of glass gives it the appearance of burnished gold, represent the idea here? If we were to suppose a city made entirely of glass, and the setting sunbeams falling on it, it might convey the idea represented here. It is certain that, as nothing could be more magnificent, so nothing could more beautifully combine the two ideas referred to here – that of “gold and glass.”
Perhaps the reflection of the sunbeams from the “Crystal Palace,” erected for the late “industrial exhibition” in London, would convey a better idea of what is intended to be represented here than anything which our world has furnished. The following description from one who was an eyewitness, drawn up by him at the time, and without any reference to this passage, and furnished at my request, will supply a better illustration of the passage before us than any description which I could give: “Seen as the morning vapors rolled around its base – its far-stretching roofs rising one above another, and its great transept, majestically arched, soaring out of the envelope of clouds – its pillars, window-bars, and pinnacles, looked literally like a castle in the air; like some palace, such as one reads of in idle tales of Arabian enchantment, having about it all the ethereal softness of a dream. Looked at from a distance at noon, when the sunbeams came pouring upon the terraced and vaulted roof, it resembles a regal palace of silver, built for some Eastern prince; ‘when the sun at eventide sheds on its sides his parting rays, the edifice is transformed into a temple of gold and rubies;’ and in the calm hours of night, when the moon walketh in her brightness, the immense surface of glass which the building presents looks like a sea, or like throwing back, in flickering smile, the radiant glances of the queen of heaven.”
And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
(19) And the foundations of the wall . . .—Better, The foundations of the wall of the city (were) adorned with every precious stone. We may compare the adornment of the harlot (Revelation 17:4). Her robe was decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls. …. The comparison reminds us, in a vivid and figurative way, of our Master’s often-repeated teaching. He that saveth his life, loseth it; he that loseth, saveth it; he that is content to pass by the dazzling attractions of the world, refusing splendour from the outstretched hand of Babylon, will win the true spiritual riches. There is no man that has turned away for Christ’s sake from the attractions of the world-spirit, that hath forsaken houses and lands for Christ’s sake and the gospel, but shall receive manifold more, &c. (Mark 10:28-31). The “jewels of right celestial worth” are part of the heritage of him who can nobly hold cheap the degrading hire of the world. (Comp. Isaiah 54:12.)
The foundation are various. There were in the foundation of the Church diversities of gifts and administrations, but the same Lord and the same spirit. In the heavenly city we have harmony, not monotony; variety, not sameness; unity, not uniformity. The stones are not arranged in the order of the high priest’s breastplate, but according to their various shades of colour, beginning from the foundation.
1. Jaspis, dark opaque green.
2. Sapphirus, Lapis-lazuli, opaque blue.
3. Chalcedon, an Emerald of a greenish hue.
4. Smaragdus, bright transparent green.
5. Sardonyx, white and red.
6. Sardius, bright red.
7. Chrysolite, our Topaz, bright yellow.
8. Beryl, bluish green.
9. Topazion, or Peridot, yellowish green.
10. Chrysoprasus, a darker shade of the same colour.
11. Hyacinthus, Sapphire, sky blue.
12. Amethystus, violet.
“Chrysoprasus is probably an error for Chrysopaston, a dark blue stone, studded with gold, by which substitution all the shades of blue will follow each other.” (See King, On Gems.)
With this blended harmony of colour the foundation-stones would encircle the heavenly city as with a rainbow belt. In the seer’s view the light of the heavenly city would shine with hues that betoken the advent of the morning. The varying tints would glow like pledges of a dayspring from on high.
“Along the tingling desert of the sky,
Beyond the circle of the conscious hills
Were laid in jasper-stone as clear as glass
The first foundations of that new, near Day,
Which should be builded out of heaven to God.
Jasper first, I said;
And second, sapphire; third, chalcedony;
The rest in order;-last, an amethyst.”
The foundation-stones are twelve. “As twelve, they indicate their numerical completeness (Revelation 7, 14); as shining with a common lustre, their unity; as stones of different hues, their manifoldness; as brilliant stones, the glorification of this earthly life through the light of Heaven” (Lange).”
The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
The fifth, sardonyx – This word does not occur elsewhere in the New Testament. The “name” is derived from “Sardis,” a city in Asia Minor (notes on Revelation 3:1), and ὄνυξ onux, a nail – so named, according to Pliny, from the resemblance of its color to the flesh and the nail. It is a silicious stone or gem, nearly allied to the onyx. The color is a reddish yellow, nearly orange (Webster, Dictionary).
The sixth, sardius – This word does not elsewhere occur in the New Testament. It is also derived from “Sardis,” and the name was probably given to the gem because it was found there. It is a stone of a blood-red or flesh color, and is commonly known as a “carnelian.” It is the same as the sardine stone mentioned in Revelation 4:3. See the notes on that place.
The seventh, chrysolite – This word does not elsewhere occur in the New Testament. It is derived from χρυσὸς chrusos, “gold,” and λίθος lithos, “stone,” and means “golden stone,” and was applied by the ancients to all gems of a golden or yellow color, probably designating particularly the topaz of the moderns (Robinson, Lexicon). But in Webster’s Dictionary it is said that its prevalent color is green. It is sometimes transparent. This is the “modern” chrysolite. The ancients undoubtedly understood by the name a “yellow” gem.
The eighth, beryl – This word occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. The beryl is a mineral of great hardness, and is of a green or bluish-green color. It is identical with the emerald, except in the color, the emerald having a purer and richer green color, proceeding from a trace of oxide of chrome. Prisms of beryl are sometimes found nearly two feet in diameter in the state of New Hampshire (Webster).
The ninth, a topaz – This word does not elsewhere occur in the New Testament. The topaz is a well-known mineral, said to be so called from “Topazos,” a small island in the Arabian Gulf. It is generally of a yellowish color, and pellucid, but it is also found of greenish, bluish, or brownish shades.
The tenth, a chrysoprasus – This word χρυσόπρασος chrusoprasos does not occur elsewhere in the New Testament. It is derived from χρυσὸς chrusos, “gold,” and πράσον prason, “a leek,” and denotes a precious stone of greenish golden color, like a leek; that is, “apple-green passing into a grass-green” (Robinson, Lexicon). “It is a variety of quartz. It is commonly apple-green, and often extremely beautiful. It is translucent, or sometimes semi-transparent; its hardness little inferior to flint” (Webster, Dictionary).
The eleventh, a jacinth – The word does not occur elsewhere in the New Testament. It is the same word as “hyacinth” – ὑάκινθος huakinthos – and denotes properly the well-known flower of that name, usually of a deep purple or reddish blue. Here it denotes a gem of this color. It is a red variety of “zircon.” See Webster’s Dictionary under the word “hyacinth.”
The twelfth, an amethyst – This word, also, is found only in this place in the New Testament. It denotes a gem of a deep purple or violet color. The word is derived from α a, the alpha privative (“not”), and μεθύω methuō, to be intoxicated, because this gem was supposed to be an antidote against drunkenness. It is a species of quartz, and is used in jewelry.”
And the twelve gates were twelve pearls,…. Denoting the purity and preciousness of Christ, by whom the saints enter, and of the saints who enter in thereat, as well as of the place into which they enter.
Every several gate was of one pearl; the pearl of great price, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only gate, door, and way into this happy state: this shows that this account cannot be taken literally, but mystically, for no such pearl was ever known, large enough to make a gate of.
A pearl is a hard, white, shining body, usually roundish, found in a shell fish resembling an oyster, but is three or four times the size of the common oyster; and which ordinarily yields ten or twelve pearls, and sometimes more. Those of the largest size that have been known are that of Cleopatra, valued by Pliny at centies H S, or at 80,000 pound sterling; and that brought in 1574 to Philip the Second, of the size of a pigeon’s egg, worth 14,400 ducats; and that of the Emperor Rudolph, mentioned by Boetius, called “la peregrina”, or the incomparable, of the size of a muscade pear, and weighing 30 carats; and that mentioned by Tavernier, in the hands of the emperor of Persia in 1633, bought of an Arab for 32,000 tomans, which, at three pounds nine shillings the toman, amounts to 110,400 pounds sterling (p).”
But what is one of these pearls to make a gate of, for a wall which was an hundred and forty four cubits high? Revelation 21:17. The Jews say (q), that the holy blessed God will bring precious stones and “pearls” of thirty cubits by thirty, &c. and place them “in the gates of Jerusalem”, as it is said, Isaiah 54:12 which must be understood also not in a literal but mystical sense: and L’Empereur (r) makes mention of an ancient commentary on Psalm 87:1 which says, that the holy blessed God will make a gate at the east (of the temple), and in it two doors, each of one pearl. So R. Joshua ben Levi says (s), that there are in paradise two gates of agates or diamonds; some render the word rubies.
And the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass; denoting the preciousness and delightfulness of the saints’ conversation one with another; and the purity and cleanness of it, there being no mire and filth of sin in these streets; and the sincerity and openness of it, each one walking in his uprightness; which will be seen and known of all, as clearly as anything can be beheld in a transparent glass. So the Jews say (t) of paradise, that the ground is paved with precious stones, the lustre of which may be compared to the light of burning torches.
Revelation 21:22-27. And I saw no temple therein — The whole city being, properly speaking, a temple; the Lord God and the Lamb surrounding, filling, and sanctifying the whole, and being more intimately present in every part of it, and with every individual, saint or angel, than had ever been known on earth. And the city had no need of the sun — To give light to its inhabitants; for the glory of God — Infinitely brighter than the shining of the sun; did lighten it — The illustrious manifestation of his presence rendered every other light unnecessary. It seems the whole city appeared to St. John like a luminous object, sending out rays on every side, which he knew to be the consequence of God’s dwelling there in a peculiar sense. And the nations of them which are saved — From the guilt and pollution of sin before they leave this world; shall walk in the light of it — In a higher degree than they could possibly do on earth: for they shall no longer see through a glass darkly, but face to face; shall no longer know in part, but shall know as they are known. And the kings of the earth — Those of them who have a part there; do bring their glory and honour into it — Not their old glory, which is now supposed to be abolished, but such as becomes the new earth, and receives an immense addition by their entrance into this city. Or the sense may be, as Doddridge thinks, “If you were to conceive all the monarchs upon earth uniting all their treasures to adorn one single place, they could produce nothing comparable to the glory of this city.” And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day — That is, shall never be shut; for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory, &c., of the nations into it — Whatever is most desirable among all nations seemed to meet together to adorn that place, where good men of all nations shall dwell and reign with God for ever. Or all that can contribute to make any city honourable and glorious shall be found in it; as if all that was rich and precious throughout the world was brought into one place. And there shall in nowise enter any thing that defileth — Greek, κοινον, common; that is, unholy; or that worketh abomination — That is impure or vicious; or maketh a lie — Is chargeable with hypocrisy, falsehood, or deceit; but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life — Namely, true, holy, persevering believers. This blessedness is enjoyed only by such, and such as these only are registered among them who are to inherit eternal life.”
(23) And the city had no need of the sun . . .—Rather, And the city hath not need of the sun, nor of the moon that they should shine on (or, for) her; for the glory of God enlightened her, and her lamp is the Lamb. The Shechinah is again alluded to. Light is the emblem of knowledge and holiness. God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all (1John 1:5). Christ the Lamb, came as the Light of the World. Now in the heavenly Jerusalem is the light seen as a lamp that burneth. The imagery is drawn from Isaiah. “The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee; but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory” (Isaiah 60:19). No more will there be needed subsidiary or intermediate luminaries. He who makes the righteous to shine like stars, and causes His churches to shine like lights in the world, will be Himself the Light and Sun of His people: they shall see Him as He is. It is again to be noticed that the emblem of the Lamb is used to describe our Lord in this verse, and in the last, as it was also in Revelation 21:14. The memory of Christ’s work on earth is never obliterated: still in the intense splendour and joy of that city of light the remembrance of Him who was led as a lamb to the slaughter gives depth and fulness to its joy.”
And the nations of them which are saved,…. In distinction from them that will be deceived by Satan, Revelation 20:8. These are not all the nations of the world, which will be gathered before Christ, the Judge, for all will not be saved, there is a world that will be condemned; nor the Gentiles only, which shall come into the church state of the Jews when called, for that state is not here designed; and besides, all Israel shall be saved then; nor the living saints at Christ’s coming, who shall have escaped, and are saved from the general conflagration; for these, with the raised ones, will be caught up together to Christ, and descend and dwell together on earth, and make one church state; but all the elect of God, both Jews and Gentiles, whom God has chosen, Christ has redeemed, and the Spirit has called out of all the nations of the earth: these are only saved ones; such are already saved, not only are determined to be saved, and for whom salvation is wrought out by Christ, and to whom it is applied at conversion, and who are representatively set down in heavenly places in Christ, and are already saved by hope and faith, and with respect to the certainty of salvation; all which may be said of saints in the present state; but these will be such, who will be actually and personally saved, will be in the full possession of salvation, enjoying all the blessings of it: they will be partakers of the first resurrection, and the glories of it: the tabernacle of God will be with them, they will be free from all sorrows and death, and will inherit all things: the Syriac version reads, “the nations that are saved”; who are redeemed and saved by Christ: this may teach us how to understand those phrases, which seem to favour general redemption, as all men, the world, the whole world; see Isaiah 45:20. These words, “of them which are saved”, are left out in the Vulgate Latin, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, but are in all the copies. These nations are the inhabitants of this city, and they shall walk in the light of it, which is Christ; they shall enjoy it; they shall have the light of life, and be partakers of the inheritance with the saints in light, and that continually: they shall not only come to it, but continue in it, and walk at it, and by the light of it: the walk of these will be different from the walk of saints now, who walk by faith, and not by sight; but these shall walk by sight, enjoying the beatific vision of God, and the Lamb. The Jews say (b), that Jerusalem, in time to come, will be made a lamp to the nations of the world, , “and they shall walk in its light”, or by the light of it, which is the sense of Isaiah 60:3 “the Gentiles shall come to thy light”; see Isaiah 9:1
and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it; by whom may be meant either mystically all the saints, who will be kings as well as priests unto God, and will reign as such with Christ in this state, will cast their crowns at his feet, and give him all the honour and glory; or literally, the kings of the earth, who shall have relinquished antichrist, hated the whore, and burnt her with fire, and who will have been nursing fathers in the spiritual reign; or rather all good kings that ever have been in the earth: not that they will be kings of the earth at this time, for now all rule, authority, and power, will be put down; nor will any worldly riches, honour, and glory, be brought by them into this state, nor will they be needed in it; but it is to be understood of who have been kings on earth, though not of their having brought earthly riches and grandeur into the interest and churches of Christ; as David gave much towards the building of the temple, which was begun and finished by King Solomon his son, and as Constantine greatly enriched and aggrandized the church when he became emperor; but the sense seems to be this, that such who have been Christian kings on earth will prefer the happiness of this state to all their riches and greatness here; and that could all the glory of the kings of the earth be put together, it would not equal, but be greatly inferior to the glory of the new Jerusalem; Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of the inhabitants of this place; see Revelation 20:6 besides, these shall do all homage, and submit to Christ the King of kings in the midst of the church, which may be meant by “glory” and “honour”.
And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day,…. Which does not design the free communication between the living saints on the new earth, and the raised ones in the new heaven, as some have thought, for these shall be together, and make up one body; but rather the universal collection, and free admission of all the saints from all parts into this city; though it seems best to interpret it of the safety of the inhabitants, see Jeremiah 49:31 who will have no enemy to fear, and therefore need never shut their gates; the beast and false prophet will have been taken, and cast into the lake of fire long ago; ungodly men will be destroyed in the general conflagration, and Satan will be bound in the bottomless pit during the thousand years:
for there shall be no night there; this is a reason given why it is before said the gates shall not be shut by day, since it is unusual to shut gates in the day, unless in time of war, because there will be no night in this city, and so no need of ever shutting the gates; the night time being the season for thieves and robbers, and for enemies to make their incursions, and to surprise: but here will be no night; either literally, times and seasons, as measured by the revolutions of the sun and moon, will be no more, they will not have the use they have; at least this city will stand in no need of them. The Jews say (c), that the world to come will be , “all day”: or mystically and figuratively, there will be no night of spiritual darkness and desertion, of drowsiness, sleepiness, and inactivity, of error and heresy, or of calamity and distress of any kind; all which are sometimes signified by night in Scripture; see Sol 3:1 Isa 26:9.
And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. The glory of the nations are the people of God, who, though they are reckoned the filth of the world, are the excellent in the earth; these will be brought into this city, and be presented to the King of it, in a glorious manner, and that by the kings of the earth; either such who have been ecclesiastical rulers over them, who will introduce them as their joy and crown of rejoicing; or who have been political governors of them, their fathers and protectors; or the sense is as before, that whatever is great and glorious in the nations of the world, will be counted as nothing in comparison of the glory and magnificence of this state, and not to be mentioned with it: the Arabic version renders it, “the nations shall bring glory and honour to it”; in the sense before given..”
And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
And there shall in no wise enter into it: in the Greek there are two negative particles, which though in the Latin they make an affirmative, yet in the Greek make a stronger negative, which we translate in no wise, or by no means. Any thing that defileth: this strongly denying particle is brought to make the bar excluding all unclean persons from heaven evident. And alas! How often had this need be denied, to make men and women, mad of their lusts, believe it! The word translated, that defileth, signifieth, what is common; nothing, no person that hath not by a holy life separated himself from the world, and all sin and wickedness, and dedicated himself to God. Neither whatsoever worketh abomination; no profane or lewd person. Or maketh a lie; nor any false or lying hypocrites, nor any idolaters, for idols are lies. But they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life; none but those whose names are written in the book of life, predetermined to salvation, and redeemed with the blood of Christ. Some am not pleased with this sense; but what other thing can be meant? This is, at least, the sixth time we have met with this phrase in this book, Revelation 3:5Revelation 13:8 17:8 20:12,15. It is also mentioned, Philippians 4:3. And what else can be meant in Moses’s prayer, Exodus 32:32? It is twice {Revelation 13:8 17:8} said, that names were written in it from the foundation of the world. God hath a particular, certain, infallible knowledge who are his, and had it from eternity; and whence he should know it, without willing of it, is very hard to conceive. It is called the Lamb’s book, to let us know, that the act of redemption by Christ bears proportion to the counsels of election.”
If you repent of your sins, believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of mankind, you can obtain forgiveness of sins, and your name may be written in the Book of Life and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. I would like to explore the New Heavens and New Earth. It will take eternity; thank God I will have eternity.
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This article is written in memory of my good mother.
My mother was the most beautiful and skillful woman I ever know. All I am I owe to my godly mother. I attribute all my virtues and values and tastes in life to my moral and spiritual education I received from my mother. She always lives in my heart and then we will be in the Kingdom of Heaven for eternity. The value of a good and godly mother not even $1 billion can buy.
This article is written to let you know not only the importance of motherhood, it is great to be a mother, for a mother has the greatest influence and impact on her children for better or worse. A good mother can produce good children, and eventually good people. Only good people can build a good society. Mother is the most intimate person to a human being. An infant first learns to say Mama before he can say Papa. To have a good mother is worth more than $1 billion dollars. Oh, no, $1 billion cannot buy a good mother. A good mother is invaluable. Blessed is he/she who has a good mother.
God considers the importance of parenthood and lays down His law:
“He who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.”
I have met millions of peoples in the world, some of the finest. One mother impressed me very much. She was the wife of the Spanish Consul in Copenhagen years ago. One day I happened to be on the same train with her and her young daughter. I was captivated by their affectionate and melodious conversation although I did not understand a word they said. I could not tell what language it was. There are many languages that I could tell what they are although I do not speak them. I discovered they were speaking Castilian Spanish which was very different from the coarse Mexican Spanish I used to hear in California. There was no language as beautiful as the way they spoke. As regards my own mother, I can objectively say and describe her as the most gracious, kind, tender, generous, gifted, patient, honest, understanding and loving mother in the world. She was so gifted that she cooked most delicious food better than any chefs in the best restaurants of five stars hotel on earth. She was a natural nurse with tender loving care to treat her children in pain, illness or injury better than Florence Nightingale. My mother was the greatest blessing God had granted to me and I am eternally grateful.
1. For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife.
Gen 2:24 , “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.”
Note: The word “mother” in Hebrew is ‘ em, which means a female parent；- it occurs about 220 times in the Old Testament. The reason of a man joining to his wife requires him to leave his father and mother. Leaving even your mother is a necessary step in joining to your wife. This may imply it is not good for a young married couple to live with their parents. When a man is married to his wife, he should not let his mother meddle too much of the relationship between him and his wife. A man is joined to his woman for life, for better or worse. A mother should not stand in the way of her son joining to his wife.
Mat 19:5 , “And said: For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?” The secret of a happy marriage is that the two (man and woman) become one flesh. Mar 10:7, “For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife.” Marriage is worthy cause that man and woman have to dedicate themselves to it. Cleave in Greek is proskollaō which means to glue to, glue upon, join one’s self to closely, stick to; – it occurs only 4 times in the New Testament. The concept of sticking to one wife precludes adultery or divorce. The man shall leave his father and mother behind because he is starting a new life.
Eph 5:31, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” One flesh suggests the most intimate relationship. Marriage is the most intimate relationship between a man and a woman. Parents, stay behind your son and daughter. Do not interfere with their marital relationship. The idea of marriage between a man and a man, a woman and a woman is unnatural, un-Scriptural, diabolical, and condemned by God. For in the beginning God created Adam and created Eve for his mate. Although the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, God condemns it. The U.S. presidents and judges who promote and legalize homosexuality and same-sex marriage will face the Judgment of God.
America has become a strange and weird nation that some states have legalized same-sex marriage. Obama is the first American president who publicly endorsed homosexuality and supported same-sex marriage. Man shall be joined to man as husband and wife, and woman shall be joined to woman as husband and wife. Is there anything more ludicrous and ridiculous than a practice which is against nature? There is nothing so blind and confused and sinful as same-sex marriage. It is not an issue of marriage equality, it is an issue of doing against nature, the abnormal human behavior surely will destroy the nation and society. The biggest blunder is to confuse what is with what is not. A man is a man, a woman is a woman. A man is not a woman, and a woman is not a man. A man is to be a husband, and a woman is to be a wife. What is cannot and must not be confused with what is not.
2. She was the mother of all the living.
Gen 3:20 , “The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.”
Note: The word “Eve” in Hebrew is Chavvah which means the first woman being the mother of all living; – it occurs only 4 times in the Bible, 2 times in the Old Testament, and 2 times in the New Testament. Every human being is born of a mother, not through evolution. In the beginning God created man and woman, male and female.
1Ti 2:13 , “For Adam was formed first, then Eve.” This Scripture might not please feminists, but that was the way it is. God created Adam first, then Eve. That was the order. A woman who wants to lead her husband or be the head of the house is not going to be happy. Anything that violates the order of God will not have good result.
Gen 4:1 , “Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying: I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” Although God made a woman fit for childbearing, a woman can learn from Eve. Eve acknowledged that she got pregnant and had gotten a boy with the help of the Lord.
2Cr 11:3 , “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” Although the Bible does not explain why, somehow women are more easily deceived or led astray. All godly women should guard against vanity. The devil is cunning; he deceives and leads people astray. Anything that leads you astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ is from the devil.
3. She shall be a mother of nations.
Gen 17:16 , “I will bless her (Sarah), and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
Gen 17:15 , “Then God said to Abraham: As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.”
Note: Abraham’s wife was called Sarai, but God changed her name into Sarah. Sarai in Hebrew is Saray which means princess, original name of Sarah the wife of Abram or Abraham; – it occurs about 17 times in the Old Testament. Sarah in Hebrew is Sarah which means a noblewoman, a noble lady; – it occurs about 38 times in the Old Testament. In Greek it is Sarra which means princess; – it occurs only 4 times in the New Testament. Sarah was a princess, a noble lady, one of the noblest women in the Bible and in human history.
Rom 4:19 , “He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb.”
Note: Faith is not blind belief. Abraham considered he was about a hundred years old and his 90 years’ old wife was barren ( Gen 17:17 ); however, the promise of God is stronger than any circumstance. What God said will be accomplished.
Rom 9:9, “For this is what the promise said: About this time I will return and Sarah shall have a son.” How could a 90-year old woman conceive? By the power of God.
Hbr 11:11, “By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.” Sarah received the power to conceive from God who was faithful to His promise. How Sarah was noble?
1Pe 3:6 , “As Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are now her children if you do right and let nothing terrify you.” Christian women are daughters of Sarah if they do right and obey their husbands. Do not be deceived by feminist movement and false teachings of men and women.
4. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.
Gen 24:53 , “The servant brought out articles of silver and articles of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebecca; he also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.”
Note: Even in ancient times, the family which wanted to take a wife gave gifts of value to the girl’s mother. In evil cultures men kill their wives so that they can remarry and get more dowries. Those who marry for material reasons are doomed to failure and unhappiness.
If you grow up to be a good man or a good woman, a good Christian, this is the most precious thing you can give to your mother.
5. Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
Gen 24:67 , “Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and he took Rebecca, and she became his wife, and he loved her; thus Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.”
Note: The wife can comfort a man like no others. A man who takes a wife has duty to love her. Wife is the second most important woman in a man’s life. What a wife can do to a man no other woman can do. Wife can comfort a man no other woman can. If you do not love the woman, you have no right to marry her. A mother is a mother, a wife is a wife; they have different roles. Comfort in Hebrew is nacham which means to console, have compassion, show pity; – it occurs about 108 times in the Old Testament. Woman has such a power to comfort her husband that no one else and nothing can. A man needs a woman’s love just as a woman needs a man’s love. When man and woman love each other, it is Heaven on earth in spite of all troubles. When you are young, you need a mother. When you are a man, you need a wife. Blessed is the man who finds a good wife, not necessarily a beautiful wife. Remember Delilah, Jdg Chapter 16. Delilah in Hebrew is Dĕliylah which means feeble, weak, delicate, pining with desire who betrayed her husband Samson. Do not judge a woman by her good looks only.
6. His mother said to him.
Gen 27:13 , “But his mother said to him: Your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get {them} for me.”
Note: How much influence a mother has on her children. How many men are ruined by listening to the wrong advice of their mothers? An indulgent mother may lead her children to do wrong. Remember Herodias who told her daughter to get the head of John the Baptist on a platter, Mar 6:14-29 . Mothers, do not let what you do bring curses to your children. Sons and daughters do not listen to your mothers who order you to do wrong. There are many mothers who do not realize when they indulge their children is not to love them but to spoil them and destroy their future. A bad mother has bitter consequences. You must obey your parents in the Lord. Chinese Christians, you cannot obey your parents to worship idols or your ancestors, or eat blood. To obey God is more important than to obey parents or any man.
7. So the girl went and called the child’s mother.
Exd 2:8 , “Pharaoh’s daughter said to her: Go ahead. So the girl went and called the child’s mother.”
Note: The life of Moses demonstrated the sovereignty of God in a wonderful way. God arranged that the daughter of Pharaoh would pay for nursing of Moses by his own mother. God is able to turn the ill will of man to serve His good will. As the delightful poem by William Cowper would say:
God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm.
8. He who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
Exd 21:15 , “He who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.”
Note: Under the Mosaic Law, striking parents is sin of death. Capital punishment was instituted by God for certain crimes or sins. Those who oppose capital punishment oppose God’s law. Those who oppose God’s law oppose God. What about those who abandon their parents when they are old and poor? I recall taking my mother to a Chinese restaurant near Disneyland. She told me she could not eat much now. So if you want to treat your parents nicely, do it while they are able. Old age has many problems.
9. He who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
Exd 21:17 , “He who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.”
Note: Under Mosaic Law, cursing of parents shall surely be put to death.
10. You are not to boil a young goat in the milk of its mother.
Exd 23:19 , “You shall bring the choice first fruits of your soil into the house of the Lord your God. You are not to boil a young goat in the milk of its mother.”
Exd 34:26 , “The first of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.”
Note: The prohibition is based on similar reason that you cannot have sex with the woman and her daughter.
Lev 20:14 , “If a man takes a wife and her mother also, it is wickedness; they shall be burned with fire, both he and they, that there may be no wickedness among you.” Or similarly, you shall not take the mother with the young.
Deu 22:6-7, “If you chance to come upon a bird’s nest, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs and the mother sitting upon the young or upon the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young; you shall let the mother go, but the young you may take to yourself; that it may go well with you, and that you may live long.” Sufficient that you take the young, let the mother go. Excess is harmful. Greed is evil.
11. You shall not uncover…the nakedness of your mother.
Lev 18:7 , “You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, that is, the nakedness of your mother. She is your mother; you are not to uncover her nakedness.”
Note: The practice of nudist camp with family nudism is clearly against this commandment. Physically and morally you shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother. You shall not shame your mother.
12. Deborah…a mother in Israel.
Jdg 5:7 , “The peasantry ceased, they ceased in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, until I arose, a mother in Israel.”
Note: Deborah in Hebrew is Dĕbowrah which means a bee, a wasp; – it occurs about 10 times in the Old Testament. Deborah was a prophetess; she was a mother in Israel and a wasp to the enemies because she protected the children of Israel. I remember the great Golda Meir was a mother in Israel. A woman can be a great leader, too.
13. He did not tell his father or mother what he had done.
Jdg 14:6 , “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, so that he tore him as one tears a young goat though he had nothing in his hand; but he did not tell his father or mother what he had done.”
Note: Adults may not have to tell their parents what they have done. Children because lack of knowledge and judgment should tell their parents everything. Especially young girls who have been raped by their father, relative, teacher, neighbor or friend. Parents must insure their daughters are not becoming sex victims of evil adults. What children do not know may hurt them. Children were born stupid.
14. Return each of you to her mother’s house.
Rth 1:8 , “And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law: Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me.”
Note: The story of Ruth is the most beautiful and blessed of a virtuous and beautiful woman who loved and was loved by her mother-in-law. There has never been such a loving and moving and harmonious mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship. It is the model for a thousand generations. To have a daughter-in-law like Ruth is better than to have seven sons. To have a wife like Ruth is better than Solomon who had a thousand wives.
15. How you left your father and your mother.
Rth 2:11 , “Boaz replied to her: All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know.”
Note: It is worth to leave father and mother for a young woman to be married to a worthy man. Ruth became a part of the Messianic genealogy.
16. His mother would make him a little robe.
1Sa 2:19 , “And his mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.”
Note: Hannah was Samuel’s good mother. Hannah did not live in vain for lending Samuel to the Lord. It is not old-fashioned, what would a mother do who cannot make her boy a little robe? Yes, she can buy from the store. However, there are many things that a mother can do for her children which cannot be purchased. The mother touch is what money cannot buy.
17. Please let my father and my mother come and stay with you.
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.”
Note: David was filial, even in his most difficult time he made provision for his father and mother. Jesus made provision for Mary even on the cross of His last moment. David would not run ahead of God, he waited until he knew what God would do for him. What you do cannot be more important than what God does.
18. Ask, my mother, for I will not refuse you.
1Ki 2:20 , “Then she said: I am making one small request of you; do not refuse me. And the king said to her: Ask, my mother, for I will not refuse you.”
Note: It is wonderful if you can fulfill the request of your mother, provided she asks rightfully. You should treat your mother nicely while she is still alive. Do not refuse your mother if you are able to fulfill her request. My mother was so good that she never asked me anything. Even when I gave her money, she would think I needed money more than she did. Many Chinese parents are so wrong, they act and speak that their children owe them everything. Some parents are so stupid that they declare they gave lives to their children. How ignorant for a man and woman to have sex is to give life? Only God can give life.
19. She is his mother.
1Ki 3:27 , “Then the king said: Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother.”
Note: The wisdom of Solomon determined and judged that a true mother would not kill her child. Nowadays there are parents who kill their children to make insurance claims.
20. He had taken him and brought him to his mother.
2Ki 4:20 , “When he had taken him and brought him to his mother (the Shunammite), he sat on her lap until noon, and then died.”
Note: What a moving scene to see that a boy sat and died on his mother’s lap!
21. His mother was his counselor to do wickedly.
2Ch 22:3 , “He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly.”
Note: Your mother should be your counselor to do right and to do good. Ahaziah reigned in Judah, his mother Athaliah counseled him to do wickedly to his destruction. You have heard the infamous wife of a corrupt and disgraced politician who counseled her whole family, friends and relatives to do wickedly and fraudulently. A good mother counsels her children to do good and right. The evil influence of a wicked mother is inestimable. You do not have to obey your parents if they counsel you to do wickedly.
22. Naked I came from my mother’s womb.
Job 1:21 , “He said: Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Cf. Ecc 5:15, “As he came from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return. He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry away in his hand.”
Note: Job made a famous statement of truth: Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. Sadly, so many corrupt politicians, self-serving officials, crooked business executives, corrupt doctors and hospital owners and greedy capitalists have not learned the truth. They act as if they could carry all they have swindled and defrauded to their funeral. Some even think they were born with silver spoons in their mouths! Greedy capitalists and the richest man in the world, naked you came, naked you go. Believe it or not!
23. You made me feel safe while at my mother’s breasts.
Psa 22:9, “Yet You are He who brought me out of the womb; You made me feel safe while at my mother’s breasts.”
Note: If you know something about obstetrics, you know there are many things that can go wrong: during pregnancy, delivery and post-delivery. It is a wonder that a child is born safe and sound. There is no place like a mother’s breasts for an infant.
24. As one who sorrows for a mother.
Psa 35:14 , “I went about as though it were my friend or brother; I bowed down mourning, as one who sorrows for a mother.”
Note: Although I knew in my mind that my mother was advanced in years, it would not be a surprise if she should die anytime; however when she passed away I wept and mourned and cried for my mother as I never wept or mourned before.
25. In sin my mother conceived me.
Psa 51:5 , “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.”
Note: This does not mean it is sinful for husband and wife to have sex and to conceive. Every person born of a woman was born in sin. Whether it is original sin or personal sin or both, every human being is sinful. The only person who was not conceived in sin was Jesus Christ, the Son of God; for Mary was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
26. As a joyful mother of children.
Psa 113:9 , “He makes the barren woman abide in the house as a joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord!”
Note: A man cannot know what it is to be a joyful mother of children, nor a barren woman. The joy of motherhood makes a woman complete. The sorrow of having a bad son or bad daughter is also unbearable.
Someone wrote, “Motherhood is not a job. It is a joy.” I respond to the statement by saying: “Motherhood is a holy and joyful responsibility.” Those who take motherhood lightly and do not fulfill their responsibility are guilty and doomed to be failures. Those who take motherhood as a sacred task and joyfully fulfill their responsibility are blessed. What I am going to say may offend people: most of the mothers I have known or met do not satisfactorily fulfill their responsibility. There have been few Sarah (mother of Isaac), Hannah (mother of Samuel), Mary (mother of Jesus), and Elisabeth (mother of John the Baptist), etc.
Pro 23:25,“Let your father and your mother be glad, and let her rejoice who gave birth to you.” Mary said something about Jesus that is immortal,
Jhn 2:5 , “His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” The person who said that he really has a problem with Jesus not being nice to His mother is a son of devil who does not know Jesus. One of the last things that Jesus did was to commit His mother to the care of John. The best advice Mary had said, “Whatever Jesus says to you, do it.”
27. Like a weaned child resting on his mother’s breast.
Psa 131:2 , “Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child resting on his mother’s breast, like a weaned child is my soul within me.”
Note: There is no ideal or idyllic picture than that of a weaned child resting on his mother’s breast. It is humanity at its best and purest. America is the nation most obsessed with sex and sex organs. Women relish to wear in a way to expose their breasts. American sex culture has infected China so much as if Chinese women have just discovered their have breasts. Bras and breasts have become supreme concern of Chinese women as the media (TV and printed matter) has inundated the whole nation.
28. Do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
Pro 1:8 , “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”
Cf. Pro 6:20 , “My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching.”
Note: It was the teaching of Mencius’ mother that made Mencius the great philosopher and teacher. The teaching of a good mother is more precious than gold and diamonds. I am eternally grateful for the godly influence of my mother on my life.
29. A foolish son is a grief to his mother.
Pro 10:1 , “The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish son is a grief to his mother.”
Note: All stupid sons who smoke, drink, use drugs, live recklessly, have sex with prostitutes or bad women, and live prodigally are a grief to their mothers. The world is so evil there are today mothers who are happy to sell their daughters as prostitutes and their sons as crooks and criminals so long they have money.
30. A foolish man despises his mother.
Pro 15:20 , “A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish man despises his mother.”
Note: If you despise your mother, you must be a foolish man. Only a foolish man would despise his mother. It is a good man who loves his mother, and it is a wise man who respects his mother. Even if you are the richest and most powerful people on earth, if you despise your mother, you are certainly a foolish man. I told my students, if the president of the United States wanted to see me, I would bring my mother along. If I were with my mother, the mayor wanted to see me, I would tell him to wait.
31. He who…drives his mother away is a shameful and disgraceful son.
Pro 19:26 , “He who assaults his father and drives his mother away is a shameful and disgraceful son.”
Note: Mistreatment or abuse of your parents is the most shameful and disgraceful act.
32. He who curses his father or his mother, his lamp will go out in time of darkness.
Pro 20:20 , “He who curses his father or his mother, his lamp will go out in time of darkness.”
Cf. Pro 30:11, “There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers.”
Note: When a person curses his father or mother, something dark and dire is going to happen to him.
33. Do not despise your mother when she is old.
Pro 23:22 , “Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old.”
Note: It is cruel and ungrateful to despise your mother when she is old. Sons and daughters should take special care of their mothers when they are old. Make your mother happy before she dies.
Do you know when a person gets old, she does not enjoy food that much. I took my mother to an excellent Chinese restaurant in California, but she could not enjoy that much. So take your mother to the best restaurant while she enjoys it.
34. Let your father and your mother be glad.
Pro 23:25 , “Let your father and your mother be glad, and let her rejoice who gave birth to you.”
Note: To honor your father and your mother is to make them glad. If you become somebody, your father and mother will be glad. If you achieve something great, your mother will rejoice and be proud of you. There are some mothers who are so bad because they say or do things that discourage and provoke their children. There are evil mothers who sell their daughters as prostitutes.
35. A child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.
Pro 29:15 , “The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.”
Note: There are stupid mothers who think their job is to let their children have their own ways. They do not realize that an undisciplined child is a shame to his mother and a ruin to his future. Once I observed on a train back from Hangzhou, a five-year old girl slapped her mother in the face. Such a girl if not corrected and disciplined on time will bring shame to her mother. I have met so many bad mothers in the world who did not know how to educate their children.
36. Like mother, like daughter.
Eze 16:44 , “Behold, everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb concerning you, saying: Like mother, like daughter.”
Note: This is not only a powerful statement, it is a striking fact. A bad mother is likely to have a bad daughter. A filthy mother does not know how to rear clean and decent daughters. An ignorant mother produces uneducated and undisciplined children. An irresponsible mother lets her children get into trouble. You should not marry the daughter of a bad woman.
37. The wise men worshiped the Child.
Mat 2:11, “After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”
Note: Mother in Greek is mētēr which means a female parent; – it occurs about 85 times in the New Testament. Usually a mother is greater than her child. Do you notice in the case of Jesus it was different? The wise men from the East fell to the ground and worshiped the Child Jesus, not Mary His mother. The wise men also presented their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the Child Jesus. Why? Because Jesus was the Son of God. Mary knew that she was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Roman Catholics are so stupid that they worship Mary and call her the mother of God. The Roman Catholic Church teaches a false doctrine by making Mary to be the mediator between God and men. Apparently, Catholic leaders are not as wise as the wise men from the East. The Roman Catholic Church commits blasphemy by making Mary the Mother of God and calls her Holy Mother. How can God have a mother? Mary was the Mother of Jesus, conceived by the Holy Spirit, as God became Man according to the flesh. In the beginning Jesus was the Word, and the Word with God, and the Word was God. There is Holy Father, Holy Son, and the Holy Spirit, there is no such a thing called Holy Mother.
38. Whoever does the will of My Father…he is My brother and sister and mother.
Mat 12:50 , “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in Heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”
Cf. Mar 3:35 , “Whoever does the will of God is My brother, and sister, and mother.”
Luk 8:21, “But he said to them: My mother and My brothers are those who hear the Word of God and do it.”
Note: To the Lord Jesus Christ, those who hear and do the Word of God are as dear as His brothers and sisters and mothers. Spiritual relationship supersedes human relationship. Mind you, Jesus says whoever does the will of God is like His brother, sister, and mother. But not the Father who is One and only.
39. Prompted by her mother.
Mat 14:8 , “Having been prompted by her mother, she said: Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
Note: The daughter of Herodias was prompted by her mother to ask for the head of John the Baptist which was worth more than half a kingdom. See how an adulterous and wicked mother may lead her children to do wickedly. To have no mother is better than to have a wicked mother. Be sure you are prompted by your mother to do good and to do right. The mother who prompted her daughters to be prostitutes is worse than animal.
40. Honor your father and your mother.
Mat 15:4-6 , “For God said: Honor your father and mother, and, he who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death. But you say: Whoever says to his father or mother: Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God, he is not to honor his father or his mother. And by this you invalidated the Word of God for the sake of your tradition.”
Note: Tradition which is contrary to the Word of God is wrong tradition and should be discarded. China used to have a tradition of honoring father and mother, in a greedy capitalistic society the virtue is disappearing. Parents sue their children for the crime of neglect.
Exd 20:12 , “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you.”
Note: The promise of this Scripture is obviously given to the children of Abraham.
Deu 5:16 , “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you; that your days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with you, in the land which the Lord your God gives you.”
Mat 19:19 , “Honor your father and mother, and, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Mar 7:10 , “For Moses said: Honor your father and your mother; and, he who speaks evil of father or mother, let him surely die.”
Eph 6:2 , “Honor your father and mother (this is the first commandment with a promise),”
Note: This is the Fifth Commandment with a promise. Human tradition is usually opposed to the Word of God. A Christian does not invalidate the Word of God for the sake of the tradition. For example, it is a tradition of Chinese people to worship their ancestors and eat blood. A Chinese Christian cannot follow this tradition. Idolatry or ancestor worship and eating blood offend the living God. Certainly, this Scripture includes all believers, children of Abraham, to be blessed with the promise of long life.
Chinese civilization which stresses filial piety is close to the Biblical teaching of honoring your father and your mother. Honor in Hebrew is kabadwhich means to make honorable, glorify, do honor to; – it occurs about 116 times in the Old Testament. This is one of the Ten Commandments which gives a promise of longevity to people who honor their fathers and mothers. However, as greed has captured the Chinese society, the traditional virtue is disappearing.
41. The mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus…making a request of Him.
Mat 20:20 , “Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him.”
Note: There is nothing wrong for mothers to seek God’s favor for their children. How many mothers seek favors for their children for the wrong reasons? How often they do not know what they request. Find out for yourself what the mother of the sons of Zebedee made the request. Do not seek what you do not deserve.
42. His mother said…Whatever He says to you, do it.
Jhn 2:5 , “His mother said to the servants: Whatever He says to you, do it.”
Note: Mary did not write any book of the New Testament, but her advice to the servants is immortal. We must do whatever the Lord says. Whatever the Lord says to you, do it.
43. Standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother…
Jhn 19:25 , “Therefore the soldiers did these things. But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.”
Note: There are three immortal Mary (s): Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. It is a good thing if your mother would stand by you even if the whole world misunderstood you. It is not easy to have someone stand by you when you are in trouble. This does not mean a mother should support her son’s crime or sin. It is a shame and disgrace when you often hear mothers say in America: My boy or my girl is not a bad person…, when they in fact committed murder or outrageous crime.
44. Behold, your mother.
Jhn 19:26-27, “When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother: Woman, behold, your son! Then He said to the disciple: Behold, your mother! From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.”
Note: At the last hour, Jesus Christ did not forget to provide care for His mother. A woman can be as dear as your own mother. If you have a chance, Behold your mother! Children of men, have you lately really paid attention to your mother? Behold your mother! Take a good look of your mother. See that what she needs.
45. Along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus.
Act 1:14, “These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.”
Note: Those who pray together must do so with one mind. After the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, this is the last time the Bible mentions Mary the mother of Jesus. Mary was the mother of Jesus because Mary was conceived by the Holy Spirit to give birth to Jesus. Mary is not the mother of God for God cannot have a mother. Interestingly, the half brothers of Jesus now had all become His believers and disciples.
46. Who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb.
Gal 1:15 , “But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased.”
Note: Paul was set apart by God even from his mother’s womb and called him to be an apostle. There are people so special that God set them apart even from their mothers’ womb. Outside the Bible, I believe Martin Luther was one; John Bunyan was another, etc. I have not met or heard of any person in my life whom I believe God had set him/her apart even from his/her mother’s womb even though I knew a great number of preachers personally. I have met many unworthy ones.
47. As a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children.
1Th 2:7, “But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children.”
Note: Gentle in Greek is ēpios which means mild, affable; – it occurs only 2 times in the New Testament. To tenderly care in Greek is thalpō which means to cherish with tender love; – it occurs only 2 times in the New Testament. A mother is supposed to give tender loving care (TLC) to her children. A babysitter who shook a crying baby violently that the baby died had committed a murder. A mother who does not give tender loving care to her children is unworthy to be a mother. Parents who do not love children have no right to become parents. Tender loving care is only mother can give to her children.
To be a good mother is more difficult than to be a successful chairman of the board, and may be worth more than the president of a corporation. A good mother must teach and train her child many things not just feeding, clothing and housing her child. Among the most important things are morality, virtue, obedience, respect for the elderly, responsibility, honesty, gratitude, cleanliness, good habits, etc. Teach your child to say: please, thank you, etc. Good habits include flushing the toilet, not to litter or spit, not to say bad and dirty word, etc. A mother has great impact on the life of her child more than she realizes. As a real illustration, a woman divorced her husband because of his infidelity. She told everybody how bad her husband was. Her 6-year-old son was so vexed and troubled by hearing bad things about his father so many times that he wanted to kill himself!
48. Which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice.
2Ti 1:5 , “For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.”
Note: Eunice was the mother of Timothy. Eunice in Greek is eunikē which means good victory; – it occurs only once in the New Testament. A mother who has a son dedicated to the service of the Lord Jesus surely has a good victory. A mother who has a son committed a major crime is surely a failure. It bothers me when mother and grandmother defended her children or grandchildren who committed vicious crimes. Lois in Greek is Lōïs which means agreeable; – it occurs only once in the New Testament. A Christian matron is an agreeable person. It appears the sincere faith of godly mother and grandmother can have godly influence on her children and grandchildren, it is almost hereditary. A godly legacy is better than riches. A spiritual heritage is better than a great real estate.
A good mother is worth more than a billion dollars. Dollar has devalued over the years, but the value of a good mother is forever. If you are a billionaire but you do not have a good mother, you do not know how poor you are.
IN CONCLUSION
In the wisdom and lovingkindness of God the Almighty who predestined and prepared a godly mother for me and for which I am eternally grateful.
This article is dedicated to the memory of my good mother who is with the Lord; she has been the greatest blessing to me. I rise up to call her blessed.
Pro 31:28-29, “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”
I thank God for my mother, the most precious person to me. This article was written in memory of my mother. If your mother is still alive, treat her with the greatest respect and affection.
Jesus Christ at His last hour made preparation for His human mother.
Would you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, not only you will receive eternal life, you would be a good man and woman to take care of your mother and father.
*Our mission is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ absolutely free. We do not want donation. We only want you to know the truth.
The Christian philosophy is the structure and system of the Christian faith, according to the Christian mode of life, the eternal truth and universal moral standards based on the Holy Scriptures.
Act 24:14,“But I confess this to you, that in accordance with the Way, which they call a sect, I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything
14. after the way which they call heresy] Better (with Rev. Ver.) “after the Way which they call a sect.” The word is the same which is used in Acts 24:5 for the “sect” of the Nazarenes. St Paul employs the expression “the Way,” in that sense in which it soon became well known, to signify “the Christian religion.” See note on Acts 9:2. so worship I the God of my fathers] Better, as Rev. Ver., “so serve I the God of our fathers.” The verb is not the same as in Acts 24:11. Here the notion is of service which a man is bound to pay. The Apostle means that he has cast off no morsel of his old allegiance. The adjective can equally be rendered by “my fathers” or “our fathers,” but St Paul’s aim is to shew that he has not severed himself from the ancestral faith of the whole nation, and so his thought would include himself with them. believing all things which are written in the law and the prophets] The Rev. Ver. gives very literally “all things which are according to the Law, and which are written in the Prophets.” The Apostle thus testifies to his complete acceptance of all the Jewish Scriptures. Sometimes the division is given as “the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44), but more frequently, as in the text, only two sections are named (cp. Matthew 7:12; Matthew 11:13; Matthew 22:40; Luke 16:16; John 1:45).”
1.) Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is my God and Savior. This knowledge is more certain, IMPORTANT and MOST precious than anything else I know.
Jhn 20:31, “but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that by believing you may have life in His name.”
Rom 1:4, “who was declared the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
ATHANASIUS OF ALEXANDRIA said, “The Jesus whom I know as my Redeemer cannot be less than God.”
4. declared] Better, defined, marked out by sure signs. Same word as Hebrews 4:7 (“He limiteth a certain day”). His Resurrection shewed Him to be none other than the Son. The same Greek word is used in e.g. Acts 10:42; Acts 17:31; and rendered there “ordained;” perhaps rightly so. But obviously its meaning will slightly vary as connected with the Sonship or with the Judgeship of Christ. the Son of God] Cp. Acts 13:32-33, for a close parallel; one of the many between St Paul’s Discourses and Epistles. The Sonship of the Redeemer, the truth proclaimed at His baptism (Matthew 3:17), is enforced and illustrated through the N. T. In this Epistle see especially cch. Romans 5:10, Romans 8:3; Romans 8:29; Romans 8:32. with power] Lit. in power. Cp. 1 Corinthians 15:43. Power attended and characterized His Resurrection, both as cause and as effect. The practical reference here is to the fulness of the proof of the fact. The true Resurrection was not such as that imagined by e.g. Schleiermacher; the creeping forth of a half-slain Man from his grave. It was miracle and triumph. according to the Spirit of holiness] This phrase presents two questions: (1) what is “the Spirit of Holiness”? (2) what is meant by “according to”? We take them in order. A. “The Spirit of Holiness” must mean either the Holy Paraclete, or the sacred Human Spirit of Christ, or His Deity regarded as (what it is, John 4:24,) Spirit. The reference here seems to be to the Paraclete; for (1) in this Epistle He is very frequently referred to, in a way which makes an initial reference here highly probable; (2) the expression “Holy Spirit” is so closely akin to “Spirit of Holiness” that any reference of the words other than that to the Paraclete would need special evidence; and such evidence can hardly be found in St Paul. (See 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 9:14; for the nearest approaches to it in N. T.) B. The words “according to” may refer to the Paraclete, either (1) as the Agent in the Incarnation (Luke 1:35), or (2) as concerned in the Resurrection (see Romans 8:11 for a very partial parallel), or (3) as the Inspirer of the Prophets. Of these possibilities (1) is most unlikely, for the Sonship of Christ here in question is plainly the Eternal Sonship (see Romans 9:5), not that of the Incarnation; (2) accords better with Scripture usage; but (3) far more so, in view of the frequent mention of the Holy Spirit as the Inspirer. See Acts 20:23; 1 Timothy 4:1; Hebrews 3:7; Hebrews 9:8; Hebrews 10:15, (and cp. 1 Peter 1:11); for places where “the Spirit” is evidently the Holy Spirit as the Author of Prophecy. The present passage will thus mean: “He was declared to be the Son of God, with power, (even as the Holy Ghost foretold,) in consequence of the resurrection.” by the resurrection] Lit. out of, from; i.e. in consequence, as a result, of. The same construction and meaning occur e.g. 2 Corinthians 13:4, where lit. “He was crucified out of weakness; He liveth out of the power of God; we shall live out of, &c.” The grand result of the resurrection here stated is that His prophesied character and dignity were, by the resurrection, made unmistakably clear.”
Recently I bumped into so-called a Christian website with the striking picture of Jesus Christ. Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, we Christians should not publish the picture of Jesus Christ. Except the early disciples no one knows how exactly Jesus looks like. The artist conception of the image of Jesus is not true. Do you really WANT TO KNOW how Jesus looks like?
Rev 1:14-18, “His head and His hair were white like
white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze
when it has been heated to a glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.
In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. When I saw
Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed
His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I AM the first and the last,and the Living One; and I was
dead, and behold, I AM alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.”
Do you really see Him?
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.”
12. For now we see through a glass] Literally, by means of a mirror. Per speculum, Vulgate. Bi a mirour, Wiclif. Meyer reminds us that we are to think rather of the mirrors of polished metal used in ancient times, the reflections of which would often be obscure and imperfect, than of our modern looking glasses. darkly] Literally, in an enigma. Darke speaking, Tyndale. An enigma (in English, riddle) is properly a question, such as the Sphinx propounded to Œdipus, couched in obscure language, the answer to which is difficult to find. Cf. Numbers 12:8, and Proverbs 1:6, where the Hebrew word is translated in the Septuagint by the word used here by St Paul. Also Tennyson, Miller’s Daughter, “There’s something in this world amiss Shall be unriddled by and by.” face to face] Cf. Numbers 12:8, to which the Apostle is evidently referring. Also Job 19:26-27; 1 John 3:2; Revelation 22:4. then shall I know even as also I am known] The word in the original signifies thorough, complete knowledge. ‘I am known,’ should rather be translated I was known, i.e. either (1) when Christ took knowledge of me (Meyer), or (2) I was (previously) known. It is God’s knowledge of us, His interpenetrating our being with His, which is the cause of our knowledge. Cf. Galatians 4:9; ch. 1 Corinthians 8:3. Also St Matthew 11:27, and St John 17 throughout.”
Psa 14:1, “For the music director. A Psalm of David.
The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they have committed detestable acts;
There is no one who does good.”
Deu 32:39, “See now that I, I am He, and there is no
god besides Me; it is I who put to death and give life.
I have wounded and it is I who heal, and there is no
one who can save anyone from My hand.”
2Sa 7:22,“For this reason You are great, Lord GOD; for there is no one like You, and there is no God
except You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.”
1Ki 8:23, “And he said, “LORD, God of Israel, there
is no God like You in Heaven above or on earth
beneath, keeping the covenant and showing
faithfulness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart.”
1Co 8:4, “Therefore, concerning the eating of food sacrificed to idols, we know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no
God but one.”
Eph 2:12, “remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the people of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”
3.) The way of salvation is the Way of God. You cannot be saved by your own way or the way of false religions. I do not want to name false prophets and false religions lest I am offending many. Once you realize you are a sinner needs to be saved; the most important knowledge is the knowledge of the Savior.
Act 4:12, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under Heaven that has been given among mankind by which we must be saved.”
Neither is there salvation – The word “salvation” properly denotes any “preservation,” or keeping anything in a “safe” state; a preserving from harm. It I signifies, also, deliverance from any evil of body or mind; from pain, sickness, danger, etc., Acts 7:25. But it is in the New Testament applied particularly to the work which the Messiah came to do, “to seek and to save that which was lost,” Luke 19:10. This work refers primarily to a deliverance of the soul from sin Matthew 1:21; Acts 5:31; Luke 4:18; Romans 8:21; Galatians 5:1. It then denotes, as a consequence of freedom from sin, freedom from all the ills to which sin exposes man, and the attainment of that perfect peace and joy which will be bestowed on the children of God in the heavens. The reasons why Peter introduces this subject here seem to be these:
He was discoursing on the deliverance of the man that was healed – his salvation from a long and painful calamity. This deliverance had been accomplished by the power of Jesus. The mention of this suggested that greater and more important salvation from sin and death which it was the object of the Lord Jesus to effect. As it was by his power that this man had been healed, so it was by his power only that people could be saved from death and hell. Deliverance from any temporal calamity should lead the thoughts to that higher redemption which the Lord Jesus contemplates in regard to the soul.
this was a favorable opportunity to introduce the doctrines of the gospel to the notice of the Great Council of the nation. The occasion invited to it; the mention of a part of the work of Jesus invited to a contemplation of his whole work. Peter would not have done justice to the character and work of Christ if he had not introduced that great design which he had in view to save people from death and hell. It is probable, also, that he advanced a sentiment in which he expected they would immediately concur, and which accorded with their wellknown opinions, that salvation was to be obtained only by the Messiah. Thus, Paul Acts 26:22-23 says that he taught nothing else than what was delivered by Moses and the prophets, etc. Compare Acts 23:6; Acts 26:6. The apostles did not pretend to proclaim any doctrine which was not delivered by Moses and the prophets, and which did not, in fact, constitute a part of the creed of the Jewish nation.
In any other – Any other person. He does not mean to say that God is not able to save, but that the salvation of the human family is entrusted to the hands of Jesus the Messiah.
For there is none other name – This is an explanation of what he had said in the previous part of the verse. The word “name” here is used to denote “the person himself” (i. e., There is no other being or person.) As we would say, there is no one who can save but Jesus Christ. The word “name” is often used in this sense. See the notes on Acts 3:6, Acts 3:16. That there is no other Saviour, or mediator between God and man, is abundantly taught in the New Testament; and it is, indeed, the main design of revelation to prove this. See 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Acts 10:43.
Under heaven – This expression does not materially differ from the one immediately following, “among men.” They are designed to express with emphasis the sentiment that salvation is to be obtained in “Christ alone,” and not in any patriarch, or prophet, or teacher, or king, or in any false Messiah.
Whereby we must be saved – By which it is fit, or proper δεῖ dei, that we should be saved. There is no other way of salvation that is adapted to the great object contemplated, and therefore, if saved, it must be in this way and by this plan. The schemes of people’s own devices are not adapted to the purpose, and therefore cannot save. The doctrine that people can be saved only by Jesus Christ is abundantly taught in the Scriptures. To show the failure of all other schemes of religion was the great design of the first part of the Epistle to the Romans. By a labored argument Paul there shows Romans 1 that the Gentiles had failed in their attempt to justify themselves; and in Romans 2-3 that the same thing was true also of the Jews. If both these schemes failed, then there was need of some other plan, and that plan was that by Jesus Christ. If it be asked, then, whether this affirmation of Peter is to be understood as having respect to infants and the pagan, we may remark:
That his design was primarily to address the Jews, “Whereby we must be saved.” But,
The same thing is doubtless true of others. If, as Christians generally believe, infants are saved, there is no absurdity in supposing that it is by the merits of the atonement. But for that there would have been no promise of salvation to any of the human race. No offer has been made except by the Mediator; and to him, doubtless, is to be ascribed all the glory of raising up even those in infancy to eternal life. If any of the pagan are to be saved, as most Christians suppose, and as seems in accordance with the mercy of God, it is no less certain that it will be in consequence of the intervention of Christ. Those who will be brought to heaven will sing one song Revelation 5:9, and will be prepared for eternal union in the service of God in the skies. Still, the Scriptures have not declared that great numbers of the pagan will be saved who have not the gospel. The contrary is more than implied in the New Testament, Romans 2:12.
Neither has the Scripture affirmed that all the pagan will certainly be cut off. It has been discovered by missionaries among the pagan that individuals have, in a remarkable way; been convinced of the folly of idolatry, and were seeking a better religion; that their minds were in a serious, thoughtful, inquiring state; and that they at once embraced the gospel when it was offered to them as exactly adapted to their state of mind, and as meeting their inquiries. Such was extensively the case in the Sandwich Islands; and the following instance recently occurred in this country: “The Flathead Indians, living west of the Rocky Mountains, recently sent a deputation to the white settlements to inquire after the Bible. The circumstance that led to this singular movement is as follows: It appears that a white man (Mr. Catlin) had penetrated into their country, and happened to be a spectator at one of their religious ceremonies. He informed them that their mode of worshipping the Supreme Being was radically wrong, and that the people away toward the rising of the sun had been put in possession of the true mode of worshipping the Great Spirit. On receiving this information, they called a national council to take this subject into consideration. Some said, if this be true, it is certainly high time we were put in possession of this mode. They accordingly deputed four of the chiefs to proceed to Louis to see their great father, General Clark, to inquire of him the truth of this matter.
They were cordially received by the general, who gave them a succinct history of revelation, and the necessary instruction relative to their important mission. Two of them sunk under the severe toils attending a journey of 3,000 miles. The remaining two, after acquiring what knowledge they could of the Bible, its institutions and precepts, returned, to carry back those few rays of divine light to their benighted countrymen.” In what way their minds were led to this State we cannot say, or how this preparation for the gospel was connected with the agency and merits of Christ we perhaps cannot understand; but we know that the affairs of this entire world are placed under the control of Christ John 17:2; Ephesians 1:21-22, and that the arrangements of events by which such people were brought to this state of mind are in his hands. Another remark may here be made. It is, that it often occurs that blessings come upon us from benefactors whom we do not see, and from sources which we cannot trace.
On this principle we receive many of the mercies of life; and from anything that appears, in this way many blessings of salvation may be conferred on the world, and possibly many of the pagan be saved. Still, this view does not interfere with the command of Christ to preach the gospel, Mark 16:15. The great mass of the pagan are not in this state; but the fact here adverted to, so far as it goes, is an encouragement to preach the gospel to the entire world. If Christ thus prepares the way; if he extensively fits the minds of the pagan for the reception of the gospel; if he shows them the evil and folly of their own system, and leads them to desire a better, then this should operate not to produce indolence, but activity, and zeal, and encouragement to enter into the field white for the harvest, and to toil that all who seek the truth, and are prepared to embrace the gospel, may be brought to the light of the Sun of righteousness.”
More than anything else, you must know the Savior by the name Jesus Christ. What shall you do to be saved? On your parts you need to do ONLY two things:
(A). Repent of your sins.
Act 2:38,“Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Act 20:21, “solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”Note: Repentance in Greek is metanoia which means a change of mind; compunction for guilt; reversal of one’s decision; shame for sin; – which occurs 22 times in the New Testament. Repentance is made toward God, turning from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God.
Luk 5:32, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
Note: Secular academics, unbelieving theologians, scientists and philosophers are self-righteous, and so they would not repent. Jesus Christ has come to call sinners to repentance.
Act 26:20, “but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance.”
Note: Repentance is not a slogan or talk. When a man repents and turns to God, he automatically performs deeds appropriate to repentance. Study the history of Zaccheus,
2Co 7:10, “For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.”
Note: A man who truly repents of his sins will produce a sorrow leading to salvation. Without repentance there is no leading to salvation.
2Ti 2:25, “with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth.”
Note: Repentance leads to the knowledge of the truth. Those who do not want to repent will not have the knowledge of the truth. This is exactly the problem of secularists and unbelieving theologians, scientists and philosophers. That is why they do not have the knowledge of the truth.
2Pe 3:9, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
Note: The Lord is patient, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. John Calvin is wrong. God does not want you to perish but is waiting for you to repent.
Act 16:31, “They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Act 20:21, “solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Note: Faith in Greek is pistis which means belief; assurance; fidelity; conviction of the truth; conviction that God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe; conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah; moral conviction; reliance on Christ for salvation; trust; – which occurs 243 times in the New Testament. Faith in itself does not save. Faith cannot save anyone. Faith in science cannot save you. Faith in philosophy cannot save you. Faith in religion cannot save you. Faith in anything cannot save you. Religion cannot save you. The most ludicrous are the Western nations who have faith in nuclear umbrella. They may realize their mistake in ashes too late. Faith in any man cannot save you. Repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only One who can save you.
Rom 1:5, “through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake.”
Note: Faith obeys God, it is called obedience of faith. Faith is impossible without action. Faith without action is dead. Obedience in Greek is hypakoē which means compliance; submission; observing the requirements of faith; attentive hearkening; conformity; – which occurs 15 times in the New Testament. Faith is perfected in obedience. Any true believer automatically obeys the Lord, obeys the truth, obeys the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. Faith without obedience is rebellion. Believe and be saved.
Gal 5:22, “And the fruit of the Spirit is: Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
Note: It is important to know that faith is a fruit of the Spirit. He who is full of faith is full of the Spirit. Remember, Stephen was a man full of faith and full of the Holy Spirit. (Act 6:5)
Mar 1:15, “and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.”
Note: Repentance alone cannot save you, repent and believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ you will be saved.
Jhn 3:18, “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
Note: The good news is so simple that if you believe in the Son of God, you will not be judged. If you do not believe you have been judged already because you have not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Rom 10:9, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Note: If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Those who have head knowledge of the Gospel are not saved. To be saved you need to believe the Lord Jesus in your heart.
“Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is my God and Savior. This knowledge is more certain, IMPORTANT and MOST precious than anything else I know.”
However, the process of salvation or redemption is not easy:
(1). Jesus died for our sins.
1Co 15:3, “For I handed down to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for
our sins according to the Scriptures.”
The death of Jesus is substitutionary or vicarious.
Rom 5:15, “But the gracious gift is not like the offense. For if by the offense of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many.”
Rom 8:34, “who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, but rather, was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes
for us.”
1Pe 3:18, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.”
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins] As in the previous chapter (1 Peter 2:21-25), so here, the Apostle cannot think of any righteous sufferer needing comfort without thinking also of the righteous Sufferer whom he had known. And here also, as there, though he begins with thinking of Him as an example, he cannot rest in that thought, but passes almost immediately to the higher aspects of that work as sacrificial and atoning. Every word that follows is full of significance—“Christ suffered” (better than “hath suffered,” as representing the sufferings as belonging entirely to the past), once and once for all. The closeness of the parallelism with Hebrews 9:26-28 might almost suggest the inference that St Peter was acquainted with that Epistle, but it admits also of the more probable explanation that both writers represent the current teaching of the Apostolic Church. The precise Greek phrase “for sins” (literally, “concerning, or on account of, sins”) is used in Hebrews 10:6; Hebrews 10:8; Hebrews 10:18; Hebrews 10:26, and in the LXX. of Psalm 40:6, and was almost the technical phrase of the Levitical Code (Leviticus 4:33). the just for the unjust] The preposition in this case means “on behalf of,” and is that used of the efficacy of Christ’s sufferings in Mark 14:24, John 6:51, 1 Corinthians 5:7, 1 Timothy 2:6. It is used also of our sufferings for Christ (Php 1:29), or for our brother men (Ephesians 3:1; Ephesians 3:13), and therefore does not by itself express the vicarious character of the death of Christ, though it naturally runs up into it. In the emphatic description of Christ as “the Just,” we have an echo of St Peter’s own words in Acts 3:14; in the stress laid on the fact that He, the just, died for the unjust, a like echo of the teaching of St Paul in Romans 5:6. that he might bring us to God] This, then, from St Peter’s point of view, and not a mere exemption from an infinite penalty, was the end contemplated in the death of Christ. “Access to God,” the right to come boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16), was with him as with St Paul (Romans 5:2; Ephesians 2:18; Ephesians 3:12), the final cause of the redemptive work. The verb, it may be noted, is not used elsewhere in this connexion in the New Testament. being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit] The change of the preposition and the mode of printing “Spirit” both shew that the translators took the second clause as referring to the Holy Spirit, as quickening the human body of Christ in His resurrection from the dead. The carefully balanced contrast between the two clauses shews, however, that this cannot be the meaning, and that we have here an antithesis, like that of Romans 1:3-4, between the “flesh” and the human “spirit” of the man Christ Jesus, like that between the “manifest in the flesh” and “justified in the spirit” of 1 Timothy 3:16. By the “flesh” He was subject to the law of death, but in the very act of dying, His “spirit” was quickened, even prior to the resurrection of His body, into a fresh energy and activity. What was the sphere and what the result of that activity, the next verse informs us.”
(2). Regeneration (born again).
Tit 3:5, “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.”
Note: Regeneration in Greek is paliggenesia which means new birth; production of a new life; born again; spiritual renovation; internal change; – which occurs 2 times in the New Testament. By birth human nature is corrupt and depraved; by regeneration the Holy Spirit gives the believer a divine nature; or rather to participate in the divine nature. As Jesus says,
Jhn 3:6, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. A born again Christian has the Spirit of Christ dwelling in him. Secular academics, unbelieving theologians, scientists and philosophers do not have the Holy Spirit, so they will never have the knowledge of God. Once you have a new birth instantaneously you have a new life. Birth is once and instantaneous, life is continuous. New life in Christ is eternal life.
1Pe 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
Note: It is the Lord Jesus Christ who has caused believers to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Regeneration means to be born again, to have a new life in Christ.
2Co 3:6, “Who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
Note: The Spirit of the Lord gives life. Science cannot give life. Philosophy cannot give life. Religion cannot give life. If you have the Spirit of Christ, then you belong to Christ.
Tit 3:5, “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.”
Note: Regeneration in Greek is paliggenesia which means new birth; production of a new life; born again; spiritual renovation; internal change; – which occurs 2 times in the New Testament. By birth human nature is corrupt and depraved; by regeneration the Holy Spirit gives the believer a divine nature; or rather to participate in the divine nature. As Jesus says,
Jhn 3:6, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. A born again Christian has the Spirit of Christ dwelling in him. Secular academics, unbelieving theologians, scientists and philosophers do not have the Holy Spirit, so they will never have the knowledge of God. Once you have a new birth instantaneously you have a new life. Birth is once and instantaneous, life is continuous. New life in Christ is eternal life.
1Pe 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
Note: It is the Lord Jesus Christ who has caused believers to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Regeneration means to be born again, to have a new life in Christ.
2Co 3:6, “Who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
Note: The Spirit of the Lord gives life. Science cannot give life. Philosophy cannot give life. Religion cannot give life. If you have the Spirit of Christ, then you belong to Christ.
(3). Reconciliation through death.
Rom 5:10-11, “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”
Col 1:22, “yet He has now reconciled you in His body of flesh through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—”
In the body of his flesh.—There seems to be some emphasis on the word “flesh:” just as in the parallel of Ephesians 2:16, the expression is “in one body,” with a characteristic emphasis on the word “one,” suiting the genius of the passage. The meaning is, of course, His natural body, as distinguished from His mystic Body, spoken of above (Colossians 1:18). But this is no sufficient reason for the use of this phrase, for there could be no confusion between them in this passage. Hence, without ascribing to the word “flesh” a distinctly polemical intention, we may not unnaturally suppose that there was present to St. Paul’s mind the thought of the Gnosticism, which depreciated the body as evil, and which must have always inclined to the idea that “Jesus Christ had not come in the flesh” (1John 4:2-3); and that the presence of this thought induced some special emphasis in his language.Holy and unblameable and unreproveable.—See Note on Ephesians 1:4. The word “to present” is used both in a sacrificial sense (as in Romans 12:1) and in the sense of introduction and presentation (as of a bride, see Ephesians 5:27). The words, “holy and unblameable,” i.e., “without blemish,” suit the former sense. But “unreproveable” is incongruous with it, and the parallel passage (Ephesians 2:18) speaks of “access” or introduction to the Father.”
(4). Justification by faith.
Rom 4:25, “He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.”
Note: Justification in Greek is dikaiōsis which means acquittal; the act of God declaring men free from guilt and acceptable to Him (Strong’s Concordance); adjudging to be righteous; counted as righteous; – which occurs 2 times in the New Testament. Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead to justify us before God. The righteousness of Christ is imputed or credited to believers as the righteousness of God.
Rom 5:16, “The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification.”
Note: Justification is the free gift of God arose from transgressions to all who believe in Jesus Christ.
Rom 5:18, “So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.”
Note: The act of righteousness done by Jesus Christ has resulted justification of life to all men and women who believe in Jesus Christ.
righteousness of God has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,but it is the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction.”
21–31. The Divine method of holy pardon, alike for all 21. But now] i.e. “But as things are, as the fact is.” Here the great argument of Pardon and Salvation begins, to close with the triumphant words of Romans 8:37-39. the righteousness of God] See note on Romans 1:17. In Romans 3:5 this phrase had a reference different from that of most other passages in this Epistle[35]. Its meaning in that verse is modified and determined by the words “our unrighteousness,” which, by contrast, fix it to mean there the Divine veracity and fidelity. Here, and through the rest of this argument, it means the divinely-granted, and righteous, acceptance of believers. [35] See however the footnote there. without the law] “Apart from the code of precepts.” The best comment on this most important phrase is the rest of this chapter and Romans 4:4-8. The very essence of the argument here demands that the words should mean “to the total exclusion of any work of obedience of man’s from the matter of his justification.” is manifested] Lit. has been manifested; i.e. historically, “by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2 Timothy 1:10. witnessed by the law and the prophets] Its reality and virtue is by them attested, confirmed, to those who accept the O. T. as the Word of God.—“The Law” is here, by the context, the Pentateuch, with its prophecies of redemption, and its Levitical ritual, priesthood, and tabernacle, all which was (see the Epistle to the Hebrews) a “prophecy in act” of the “better things to come.”—“The Prophets,” including the Psalter, are full not only of direct predictions of the Redeemer and His Work, but of language of love and pardon from the Holy One which only that Work can reconcile with the awful sanctions of the moral law.
Justification means obtaining the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe. I do not know anyone in the secular world who knows more about the doctrine of justification than Martin Luther. Luther defined the doctrine of justification as “ the doctrine that we are redeemed from sin, death and the devil, and made partakers of eternal life, not by ourselves (and certainly not by our works, which are less than ourselves), but by the help of another, the only-begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ.”
(5). Adoption to be the children of God.
Not only a sinner can be justified by faith in Jesus Christ, he is given the right to become a son of God.
Jhn 1:12, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”
Eph 1:5, “He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.”
On earth the children of God as “sons and daughters”; in Heaven, there will be no more genders, only as sons of God.
Having predestinated us] Again an aorist, not a perfect, in the Greek; referring to a definite past act. For the same word, in the Greek, cp. Ephesians 1:11; Acts 4:28 (E. V. “determined”); Romans 8:29-30; 1 Corinthians 2:7 (E. V. “ordained”). It is lit. “to define, mark out, set apart, beforehand.” All idea of blind destiny must be excluded; the “pre-ordination” is the act of the Living and Holy God. But while we can thus repose upon its justice, it is none the less sovereign. And it is a cause, not an effect, of good desires and holiness in the saints. the adoption of children] For the (one) word rendered thus, cp. Romans 8:15; Romans 8:23; Romans 9:4; Galatians 4:5. The sacred truth of the filial relation of the saints to their Lord’s Father (see above on Ephesians 1:2) comes out further Ephesians 3:15, Ephesians 4:6, Ephesians 5:1. This sonship has two aspects in the N. T.; the generative aspect, a change in the state of will, character, nature, a new birth; and, as here, the adoptive aspect, a divinely legal institution into filial position and privilege. In the eternal Idea this latter may be said to be first in order; and thus it stands here, in this account of the heavenly origin of our salvation. by Jesus Christ] Lit., through Jesus Christ; Representative and Mediator. As in the Old Creation (see e.g. John 1:3, “all things came into being through Him”; and cp. Hebrews 1:2) so in the New, the Father works through the Son, Whom He “gives,” “anoints,” “sanctifies,” “sends.” to himself] As the Father is the Origin of the process of Redemption, so He is continually presented as its End. See the Lord’s discourses in St John’s Gospel, passim, and e.g. 1 Corinthians 15:28; Php 2:11. This fact makes it on the other hand the more deeply significant that the same language is used also with reference to the Son; e.g. below ch. Ephesians 5:27. And cp. “for Him,” Colossians 1:16. according to the good pleasure &c.] The ultimate account of all Divine procedure, from the creature’s point of view. Nothing in that Will is capricious; all is supremely wise and good. But it enfolds an “unseen universe” of reasons and causes wholly beyond our discovery; and here precisely is one main field for the legitimate exercise of faith; personal confidence as to the unknown reasons for the revealed action of a Known God. Cp. Matthew 11:26; 1 Corinthians 1:21. The word rendered “good pleasure” means specially (in N. T.) deliberate beneficent resolve.”
(6). Sanctification through His blood.
Rom 6:22, “But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.”
Note: Sanctification in Greek is hagiasmos which means holiness; purification; consecration; – which occurs 11 times in the New Testament. The suffering and death of Jesus Christ resulted in sanctification of believers. Believers have been freed from sin and enslaved to God. The outcome of sanctification is eternal life.
Rom 6:19, “I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.”
Note: If you know this, you will not be confused and dismayed. Sanctification has two meanings: positional and conditional. Believers freed from sin is sanctified by the Holy Spirit in Christ which is positional sanctification once and for all. Conditional sanctification is the will of God that we abstain from sexual immorality, and live daily a life or purity in faith and in the truth. Our position in Christ in perfect, our condition in the world is not. We need to be sanctified daily and progressively.
1Th 4:3, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality.”
Note: Sanctification is the will of God. Christians abstain from sexual immorality. Homosexuality and same-sex marriage is sexual immorality. Fornication and adultery are also sexual immorality.
1Th 4:7, “For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification.”
Note: Impurity is the opposite of sanctification.
2Th 2:13, “But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.”
Heb 12:14, “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.”
Note: Christians pursue peace and purity in hope of the second coming of Jesus Christ, for without sanctification no one will see the Lord.
(7). Glorification is the final victory.
1Co 2:7, “But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glorification.”
The glorification will take place beginning with the Rapture. When the dead in Christ shall rise first, those who remain will be transformed. This is called the redemption of the bodies. The bodies of the saints will be transformed into spiritual, glorious and immortal.
1Co 15:50-57, “Now I say this, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God; nor does the perishable
inherit the imperishable.Behold, I am telling you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.
But when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written: “DEATH HAS BEEN SWALLOWED UP in victory.
“WHERE, O DEATH, IS YOUR VICTORY? WHERE, O DEATH, IS YOUR STING?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1Th 4:16, “For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel
and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.”
1Th 4:17, “Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the space, and so we will always be with the Lord.”
I translate “in the air” as “in the space.”
As the Rapture was secret and silent, the second coming of Christ, the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven in great glory and power, with holy angels and saints, open and public and visible the largest parade in the universe.
Rev 1:7, “BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.”
Luk 9:26, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and the holy angels.”
Rev 20:1-4, “Then I saw an angel coming down from Heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.And he took hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw
him into the Abyss and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after those things he must be released for a short time. Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the Word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their foreheads and on their hands; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”
The second phase of glorification is the saints will reign with Christ for a thousand years.
The third phase of glorification is to dwell with the Heavenly Father in the Kingdom of Heaven for ever and ever which is the eternal glory,
Earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed
away, and there is no longer any sea.
And I saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned
for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from
their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain;
the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all
things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give water to the one who thirsts from the spring
of the water of life, without cost. The one who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.”
This is the third phase of glorification, the final phase, the eternal glory — the saints will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven and dwell with the Heavenly Father for ever and ever.
The Kingdom of Heaven is what Jesus Christ promised. Jhn 14:2, “In My Father’s home there are many mansions; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I AM going there to prepare
“THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD,AND WHICH HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HUMAN HEART,ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPAREDFOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”
I cannot wait to share with you a glimpse of the HOLY CITY, NEW JERUSALEM, which is the Capital of the Kingdom of Heaven:
Rev 21:9-27, “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven final plagues came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a vast and lofty mountain, and showed me the Holy (sanctified) City of Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven from God, having God’s glory [filled with His radiant light]. The brilliance of it resembled a rare and very precious jewel, like jasper, shining and clear as crystal.
It had a massive and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates [were stationed] twelve angels; and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were written. On the east side [there were] three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates.
And the wall of the City had twelve foundation stones, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (Christ). The one who was speaking with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, and its gates and its wall.The city is laid out as a square, its length being the same as its width; and he measured the city with his rod—twelve thousand stadia (about 1,400 miles); its length and width and height are equal. He measured its wall also—a hundred forty-four cubits (about 200 feet), according to man’s measurements, which are [also] angelic
[measurements]. The wall was built of jasper; and the city was pure gold, transparent like clear crystal.
The foundation stones of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite (yellow topaz); the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each separate gate was of one single pearl. And the street (broad way) of the City was pure gold, like transparent crystal. I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty [the Omnipotent, the Ruler of all] and the Lamb are its temple.And the City has no need of the sun nor of the moon to give light to it, for the glory (splendor, radiance) of God has illumined it, and the Lamb is its lamp and light.
The nations [the redeemed people from the earth] will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring into it their glory. By day (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed [in fear of evil];
and they will bring the glory (splendor, majesty) and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing that defiles or profanes or is unwashed will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices abominations [detestable, morally repugnant things] and lying, but only those [will be admitted] whose names have been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”
Revelation 21:1-3. And I saw — So it runs, Revelation 19:11; Revelation 20:1; Revelation 20:4; Revelation 20:11, in a succession. All these several visions follow one another in order, and this vision reaches into eternity; a new heaven and a new earth — That is, after the foregoing visions, in which I beheld a representation of the state of the church and world to the consummation of all things, I had the final happiness of the true worshippers of God, to be enjoyed after the resurrection and the general judgment, represented to me in a new vision, in which I beheld a perfectly new state of things; the heaven and earth, in which we now live, being quite passed away, melted with fervent heat and dissolved in fire, there was a new heaven and a new earth, in which I perceived one thing very remarkable, that there was no more sea — A circumstance which, whether it be effected by the means which the theorists of the earth (see Burnet’s and Whiston’s theory) have prescribed, or by any other, time, or rather eternity, must show; for it is evident from hence that this new heaven and earth are not designed to take place till after the general judgment; for at that judgment, (Revelation 20:13,) the sea gives up the dead which were in it. Many, however, understand the expression figuratively, that there shall be no troubles or commotions in the world; but it seems much more probable that it is to be understood literally. And I saw the holy city — The new heaven, the new earth, and the new Jerusalem, are closely connected. This city is wholly new, belonging, not to this world, not to the millennium, but to eternity. This appears from the series of the vision, the magnificence of the description, and the opposition of this city to the second death, Revelation 20:11-12; Revelation 21:1-2; Revelation 21:5; Revelation 21:8-9; Revelation 22:5. Coming down — In the very act of descending; from God — Its maker and builder; out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband — Prepared to meet him, with all her charms set out to the greatest advantage, and full of glory and splendour. At the commencement of the millennium it was said, (Revelation 19:7,) the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. At the conclusion of the millennium, Gog and Magog went up against the beloved city; and here it is represented as the metropolis of the new heaven and the new earth. The new Jerusalem shall be the habitation of the saints of the first resurrection, and it shall also be the habitation of the saints of the general resurrection; the church of Christ shall endure through all times and changes of this world, and shall exist eternally in the world to come. It shall be glorious upon earth during the millennium, and it shall be more glorious still in the new earth after the millennium, to all eternity. Earth shall then become as heaven, or rather it shall be heaven on earth; God dwelling visibly among men, and sin and suffering being for ever done away. For the apostle adds, I heard a great voice out of heaven — A voice proceeding from the eternal Word and Son of the Father; saying, Behold the tabernacle of God with men! — So it is in the original, there being nothing for the verb is; and he will dwell with them — In token of his favour and great love to them; and they shall be his people — Protected and governed by him; and God himself shall be with them — Continually, as their Friend and Father; and he shall be their God — Their supreme good and final portion, their all in all.
The Holy City is no allegory, no figment of imagination;
as it is written, it is absolutely real; the words are faithful and true. Have you ever imagined a city of 1,400 miles long, 1,400 miles wide, and 1,400 miles high? If it is symbolic or figurative, not real, not literally, then there is no need of measurement, be it human or angelic. It is a EXTREMELY large city indeed! Such an one as never was upon earth BEFORE. It is supposed to be the eternal mansions of all saints for eternity.There will be many mansions, or dwelling places, enough for all God’s children of all generations. This Holy City will hold them all; and I sincerely believe it.
According to some measure:
A furlong is 1/8th of a mile, so 12,000 furlongs would be 1,500 miles. Whether the Holy City is 1,500 miles or 1,400 miles long, 1,500 miles or 1,400 miles wide, 1,500 miles or 1,400 miles high, I have no problem to believe God is able to do it; and I praise the Lord.
3.) The Holy Bible is the Word of God — the final Authority of Christian faith and conduct. God is always right, His Word can never be wrong.
Mat 24:35,“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will not pass away.”
Act 1:3, “to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.”
seed which is perishable, but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring Word of God.”
Many do not seem to recognize the preciousness of the Word God. DO you know science is only the best human knowledge at a point in time and place, science is always progressive and tentative, never complete or ultimate. But the Word of God is absolute, complete, supreme, ultimate and eternal. Why do you waste your time on so-called human masterpieces?
1Pe 2:7, “This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for unbelievers,
“A STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED,
THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE.”
2Pe 1:19, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the Day Star arise in your hearts.”
Without the Word of God, you are groping in the dark. Science does not give light. Philosophy also cannot give light.
Jhn 1:9, “This was the true Light that, coming into the world, enlightens every person.”
Jesus is the true Light, the Light of the world who enlightens every person.
4.) To be is more important than to have. Being is more important than having. If you are a crook, whatever you have does not matter. It is better to be a poor righteous man than to be a wicked rich man.
Rom 8:16-17, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”
Luke 11:13. If ye then, being evil — If ye, who are, at least, comparatively evil, and perhaps inclined to a penurious and morose temper, yet know how to give good gifts to your children — And find your hearts disposed to relieve their returning necessities, by a variety of daily provisions; — if earthly parents, though evil, be yet so kind; if they, though weak, be yet so knowing, that they give with discretion, give what is best, in the best manner and time; much more shall your heavenly Father — Who has wrought these dispositions in you, and who infinitely excels the fathers of our flesh, as in power, so also in wisdom and goodness, be ready to bestow every necessary good, and even to give the best and most excellent gift of all, his Holy Spirit, to them that sincerely and earnestly ask him; a gift, inclusive of, or followed by, all the good things we ought to pray for; more than which, with its effects and consequences, we do not need, to make us wise, holy, happy, and useful; the Holy Spirit being the source of spiritual life to and in us here, and the earnest of eternal life hereafter; a gift which, therefore, it concerns us all earnestly, constantly, and perseveringly to pray for. Observe well, then, reader, both that it is our indispensable duty to ask this gift, and that we have all possible encouragement to believe that, if we ask aright, we shall not ask in vain. For as certainly as God’s power enables him, so certainly does his goodness incline him, and his promise bind him, to give it, and that to all those that ask as they are here directed.”
6.) God is rich and has abundance, but God does not approve waste.
here except five loaves and two fish. And He said,
“Bring them here to Me.” And ordering the crowds
to sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looked up toward heaven. He blessed the food and breaking the loaves, He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces: twelve full baskets. There were about five thousand men who ate, besides women and children.”
Pro 10:16, “The earnings of the godly enhance their lives, but evil people squander their money on sin.”
7.) The life goal of a Christian is not to have a good life on earth, but doing the will of God.
Rom 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
2Co 7:10, “For the sorrow that is according to the
will of God produces a repentance without regret,
leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world
produces death.”
Rom 14:8, “for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.”
1Pe 4:2, “so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human lusts, but for the will
That he no longer should live – That is, he has become, through the death of Christ, dead to the world and to the former things which influenced him, in order that he should hereafter live not to the lusts of the flesh. See the notes at 2 Corinthians 5:15.
The rest of his time in the flesh – The remainder of the time that he is to continue in the flesh; that is, that he is to live on the earth.
To the lusts of men – Such lusts as people commonly live for and indulge in. Some of these are enumerated in the following verse.
But to the will of God – In such a manner as God commands. The object of redemption is to rescue us from being swayed by wicked lusts, and to bring us to be conformed wholly to the will of God.
8.) Hell is a place of eternal suffering, it required the death of Jesus Christ to save you from eternal damnation. Hell is not a joke, once you are cast into it, there is no way out forever.
Mar 3:28-29, “Truly I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons and daughters of men, and whatever blasphemies they commit;but whoever
blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has
forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”—
Mat 10:28, “And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul
rose, and revived, that He might be Lord both of the dead and living.”
Phl 2:8, “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.”
Rev 20:10, “And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the Lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
And the devil that deceived them,…. Both before death, in the present life, by tempting and drawing them into immorality and profaneness, or idolatry, superstition, and will worship, or persecution of the saints; and after their resurrection, by instigating them to make this foolish attempt upon the saints of the most High:
was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone; the same with the everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels; this will be his full torment, in which he is not as yet; and this will not be until the judgment is finished hereafter described; though it is here mentioned to issue the account of Satan at once, and to show what will be his final state and condition:
where the beast and false prophet are; Revelation 19:20 who for so many years have been companions in wickedness together; the beast being the first beast that received his power, seat, and authority from the dragon, or devil; the false prophet being the second beast, or antichrist in his ecclesiastical capacity, as the beast is antichrist in his civil power, whose coming is after the working of Satan, with signs and lying wonders:
and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever; that is, not only the devil, but the beast and false prophet, for the word is in the plural number: and this will be the case of all wicked men, of all whose minds are enmity to God and Christ, and to his people; and is a proof of the eternity of hell torments.”
9.) Faith is your attitude toward God and the Faith is all the collective body of truth that all Christians believe throughout generations. Faith as a personal possession can grow.
Mar 11:22, “And Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.”
Jhn 14:1,“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.”
Rom 5:1, “Therefore, having been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ.”
2Co 13:5, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the Faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?”
1Co 15:3-4, “For I handed down to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”
It is right that we follow Martin Luther’s Sola Scriptura–the sufficiency of the Scriptures as our
supreme authority in all spiritual matters. Sola Scriptura simply means that all truth necessary
for our salvation and Spiritual life, faith and conduct, are taught either explicitly or implicitly in the Holy Scriptures.
Jde 1:3, “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith that was once
for all time handed down to the saints.”
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.”
Verse 13. – Until we all come. This marks the duration of the office of the ministry. Some maintain that it implies that all these offices are to continue in the Church until the result specified is obtained (Catholic Apostolic or Irvingite Church): this is contradicted by Scripture and by experience, so far as apostles and prophets are concerned, for the gifts for these offices were not continued, and without the gifts the offices are impossible. The meaning is that, till the event specified, there is to be a provision in the Church of the offices that are needed, and the apostle, in using “until,” probably had in view the last office in his list – pastors and teachers. To the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God. Both genitives are governed by unity; already there is one faith (ver. 5), but we all, i.e. all who compose or are yet to compose the body of Christ, the totality of this body, have to be brought to this faith. As in ver. 5 “faith” is not equivalent to “creed,” or truth believed, but the act of believing; so here the consummation which the ministers of the Church are given to bring about is a state in which faith in the Son of God shall characterize all, and that, not a blind faith, but a faith associated with knowledge. Usually faith and knowledge are opposed to each other; but here faith has more the meaning of trust than of mere belief – trust based on knowledge, trust in the Son of God based on knowledge of his Person, his work, and his relation to them that receive him. To bring all the elect to this faith is the object of the ministry; when they are all brought to it, the body of Christ will be complete, and the functions of the Christian ministry will cease. Unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. The idea of organic completeness is more fully expressed by these two clauses; the consummation is the completeness of the whole body of Christ as such; but that involves the maturity of each individual who is a constituent part of that body; and the measure or sign of maturity, both for the individual and for the whole, is the stature of the fullness of Christ (comp. Romans 8:29, “Whom he did foreknow, them he also forewarned to be conformed to the image of his Son”). The question has been put – Will this consummation be in this life or the next? The one seems to melt into the other; the idea of a complete Church and that of a new economy seem inseparable; as the coming of Christ will terminate the observance of the Lord’s Supper, so it will terminate the ministries ordained by Christ for the completion of his Church. Ephesians 4:13.”
10.) In the last days the world will proceed from evil to evil, and the wicked will get worse and worse. You cannot expect a new world until the second coming of Jesus Christ.
2Ti 3:1-8, “But realize this, that in thelast days
dangerous times will come.For people will be
lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without
self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than
lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these. For among them are those who slip into households and captivate weak women weighed
down with sins, led on by various impulses,
always learning and never able to come to the
knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose
the truth, men of depraved mind, worthless in
regard to the faith.”
1Jo 2:18, “Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many
antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.”
Rom 13:12, “The night is far spent, the Day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.”
The night.—The time during which the Messiah is absent from His people is compared to night. He is the sun. whose coming converts it to day.
It is rather strange that here, as in 1Thessalonians 5:8, the metaphor of night and day should suggest that of “armour.” The warfare in which the Christian is engaged is between the powers of light and of darkness. (Comp. Ephesians 6:12.) And the use of the word “putting off” (stripping oneself as of clothing) supplies a link between the two ideas by suggesting the putting on of a different kind of clothing, the Christian panoply.”
11.) Thinking has consequences. As a man thinks, so is he. God will judge mankind by thought, word and deed.
Gen 6:5, “The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and He saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.”
Mat 12:36, “But I tell you that for every careless word that people speak, they will give an account of it on the day of judgment.”
Mar 7:21-23, “For from within, out of the hearts of people, come the evil thoughts, acts of sexual
immorality, thefts, murders, acts of adultery, deeds
of greed, wickedness, deceit, indecent behavior, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these evil things
come from within and defile the person.”
Most people do not know that deeds of greed, indecent behavior, envy, slander, pride and foolishness are evil things.”
7:14-23 Our wicked thoughts and affections, words and actions, defile us, and these only. As a corrupt fountain sends forth corrupt streams, so does a corrupt heart send forth corrupt reasonings, corrupt appetites and passions, and all the wicked words and actions that come from them. A spiritual understanding of the law of God, and a sense of the evil of sin, will cause a man to seek for the grace of the Holy Spirit, to keep down the evil thoughts and affections that work within.”
12). If the ground exists for grass, and grass exists for cattle, and cattle exist for man, what does man exist for? It is logical that man exists for God, His creator.
Gen 1:27, “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He
Col 1:16, “for by Him all things were created, both in the Heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created
through Him and for Him.”
Act 17:28, “for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His descendants.’
for in him we live] i.e. through or by Him. All our existence is through His care, therefore He must be near to all of us. The preposition is rendered by in Acts 17:31, “By that man whom He hath ordained.” and move] More literally, are moved. The word does not refer to the motion of persons from place to place, but to those internal movements of the mind and spirit of which the outward actions are the effect. St Paul means that the feelings of men are acted on by God, who speaks to the heart through all nature if men will but hearken. This is the truth of which Pantheism is the caricature. your own poets have said] The words are a quotation from Arâtus, Phænomena, 5, and are also found in Cleanthes, Hymn to Jupiter, 5. Arâtus was a native of Cilicia, and St Paul may in consequence be supposed to have known of his writings as of those of a fellow-countryman. By quoting from their own literature to the Athenians, St Paul illustrates his own declaration that in his labours “he became all things to all men.” Such a quotation was also very well devised for arresting the attention of these cultivated hearers, and winning it may be some consideration for the speaker, as also being a man of culture.”
13.) If God answers my prayers 99 times, they may be coincidental. If God answers my prayers a life time, they must be miracles.
From childhood God had saved me from drowning and eaten by a crocodile to old age. God has answered my prayers a million times. They could not be coincidental.
Act 2:22, “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a Man attested to you by God with miracles andwonders and signs which God
performed through Him in your midst, just as you
yourselves know—.”
Heb 2:4, “God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders, and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.”
If you are a child of God, it is impossible you have never seen various miracles in your life.
God also bearing them witness] The original is stronger, “God bearing witness with them;” the supernatural witness coincided with the human.
both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles] “Signs” to shew that there was a power behind their witness; “portents” to awaken the feeling of astonishment, and so arouse interest; and various “powers.” These are alluded to, or recorded, in Mark 16:20; Acts 2:43; Acts 19:11. St Paul himself appealed to his own “mighty signs and wonders” (Romans 15:18-19; 1 Corinthians 2:4). and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will] The word “gifts” means rather “distributions” (Hebrews 4:12, “dividing”), and the words “according to His own will” apply only to this clause—the gifts which the Holy Spirit distributes as He wills (1 Corinthians 7:17; 1 Corinthians 12:11; Romans 12:3).”
14.) The Christian faith is not only based on human reason and evidence. It is completely based on the Holy Scriptures.
Heb 11:1,“Now faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen.”
Faith is to see the invisible, the reward is to see the invisible visible.
Now faith] Since he has said “we are of faith to gaining of the soul,” the question might naturally arise, What then is faith? It is nowhere defined in Scripture, nor is it defined here, for the writer rather describes it in its effects than in its essence; but it is described by what it does. The chapter which illustrates “faith” is full of works; and this alone should shew how idle is any contrast or antithesis between the two. Here however the word “faith” means only “the belief which leads to faithfulness”—the hope which, apart from sight, holds the ideal to be the most real, and acts accordingly. the substance of things hoped for] The word “hypostasis,” here rendered “substance,” as in Hebrews 1:3, may mean (1) that underlying essence which gives reality to a thing. Faith gives a subjective reality to the aspirations of hope. But it may be used (2) in an ordinary and not a metaphysical sense for “basis,” foundation; or (3) for “confidence,” as in Hebrews 3:14 (comp. 2 Corinthians 9:4; 2 Corinthians 11:17): and this seems to be the most probable meaning of the word here. St Jerome speaks of the passage as breathing somewhat of Philo (“Philoneum aliquid spirans”), who speaks of faith in a very similar way. the evidence of things not seen] The word rendered “evidence” means “demonstration,” or “test.” not seen] i.e. which are as yet invisible, because they are eternal and not temporal (2 Corinthians 4:18; 2 Corinthians 5:7). God Himself belongs to the things as yet unseen; but Faith—in this sense of the word, which is not the distinctively Pauline sense (Galatians 2:16; Galatians 3:26; Romans 3:25)—demonstrates the existence of the immaterial as though it were actual. The object of faith from the dawn of man’s life had been Christ, who, even at the Fall, had been foretold as “the seed of the woman who should break the serpent’s head.” The difference between the Two Covenants was that in the New He was fully set forth as the effulgence of the Father’s glory, whereas in the Old He had been but dimly indicated by shadows and symbols. Bishop Wordsworth quotes the sonnet of the poet Wordsworth on these lines: ”For what contend the wise? for nothing less Than that the Soul, freed from the bonds of sense, And to her God restored by evidence Of things not seen, drawn forth from their recess, Root there—and not in forms—her holiness.”
15.) Besides sin, suffering is probably the biggest problem of human life. Most people know you may suffer for doing wrong, very few know that you may suffer for doing right.
Some wrongly believe if you become a Christian, your life will be free of troubles and tragedies.
1Pe 2:20, “For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.
1Pe 3:14, “But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE IN DREAD.”
1Pe 3:17, “For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.”
1Pe 4:19, “Therefore, those also who suffer according
to the will of God are to entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.”
Do you know that saints may suffer according to the will of God in doing what is right?
Mar 10:29-30, “Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or
mother or father or children or farms, for My sake
and for the Gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.”
The highest form of suffering is for Jesus’ sake and for the Gospel’s sake.
Mark 10:28-31. Peter began to say, Lo, we have left all — Though the young man would not. Jesus said, There is no man that hath left house, &c. — This is explained Matthew 19:27-29. “Our Lord is not here speaking of such as have actually separated themselves from the persons, and parted with the possessions, here mentioned; for if that had been his meaning, he would not have said that wives and children were to be forsaken, having himself, on a former occasion, expressly prohibited divorce, on any account, except fornication. But he is speaking of those who, for his sake and the gospel’s, have renounced the pleasures and satisfactions which relations and possessions usually afford.” But he shall receive a hundred-fold now in this time, houses, &c. — Not in the same kind; for it will generally be with persecutions: but in value: a hundred-fold more happiness than any or all of these did or could afford. But let it be observed, None is entitled to this happiness, but he that will accept of it with persecutions. “They who have forsaken all for my sake, shall be no losers in the issue; because God, who designs to admit them into heaven, will give them the comforts necessary to support them in their journey thither, and will raise them up friends, who shall be as serviceable to them as their nearest kindred, whom they have forsaken. By the special benignity of his Providence, they shall have every thing valuable that relations or possessions could administer to them. And, besides, shall have persecutions, whose heat will nourish virtues in them of such excellent efficacy, as to yield them, even in this present world, joys a hundred times better than all earthly pleasures; so that they shall be fed by the bread of sorrows. But, above all, in the world to come they shall have everlasting life. Their afflictions contributing to the growth of their graces, which are the wings of the soul, they shall in due time be raised on them even up to heaven, leaving all sorrows behind them, and shall fly swiftly into the bosom of God, the fountain of life and joy, where they shall have full amends made them for all the evils they had undergone on account of Christ and his gospel.” — Macknight. But many that are first, &c. See on Matthew 19:30.”
16.) The Christians virtues are the virtues Christians possess or should have, identified by the Holy Scriptures; not by defined by the Roman Catholic Church, or so-called ethics described by theologians in any name such as natural, heavenly, theological, etc. I believe they are humility, faith, hope, love, purity, patience, gratitude, diligence, temperance, character, courage, honor and obedience.
Phl 4:8, “For the rest, my brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things have honour, whatever things are upright, whatever things are holy, whatever things are beautiful, whatever things are of value, if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, give thought to these things.”
Virtue in Greek is arete which means excellence, moral goodness, morality, valor, merit; moral vigor;
a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action;
any particular moral excellence, as modesty, purity;
— which occurs 5 times in the New Testament,
According to https://biblehub.com/greek/703.htm
“Word Origin: Derived from the Greek root ἀρ- (ar-), which is related to the concept of excellence or virtue.
Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: While there is no direct Hebrew equivalent for “areté,” the concept of virtue and moral excellence can be related to Hebrew words like “חַיִל” (chayil, Strong’s H2428) meaning strength or valor, and “צֶדֶק” (tsedeq, Strong’s H6664) meaning righteousness.”
Usage: In the New Testament, “areté” refers to moral excellence or virtue. It encompasses the idea of living in a way that reflects the highest moral standards and qualities. This term is often associated with the character and conduct that align with God’s nature and commands.
Cultural and Historical Background: In ancient Greek culture, “areté” was a significant concept, often associated with the fulfillment of purpose or function. It was used to describe the excellence of a person or thing in fulfilling its intended purpose. In the context of Greek philosophy, it was closely linked to the idea of living a life of virtue and moral integrity. In the New Testament, this concept is elevated to reflect the moral excellence that believers are called to exhibit as they follow Christ.”
(8, 9) Here, repeating the word “Finally,” the Apostle again draws to a conclusion, in a comprehensive exhortation to stand fast in all that is good on the foundation which he had laid in the name of Christ. The exhortation is marked by the reiteration of affectionate earnestness, in which, however, we may (as always) trace an underlying method. In each pair of epithets there seems to be reference both to an inner reality and to the outward development, by which it is at once manifested and perfected. In both St. Paul would have them grow up to perfection.
True . . .honest (better, venerable; see margin).—Truth is the inherent likeness to God, who is Truth. Whatever is true in itself is also “venerable”—i.e., as the original word, usually rendered “grave” (as in 1Timothy 3:8; 1Timothy 3:11; Titus 2:2) etymologically signifies, it claims a share of the reverence due primarily to God; it has in it a certain majesty commanding worship.
Just . . . pure.—“Just” is (as St. Paul’s habitual usage of “justify” shows) righteous in act and word, as tested by the declared will of man or God. “Pure” is righteous in essence, in the thought, which cannot be thus tested—showing itself in what is just and indeed perfected thereby, but in itself something holier still.
Lovely . . . of good report.—Both words are peculiar to this passage: in both we pass from truth and righteousness to love. “Lovely” is that which deserves love. The phrase “of good report” represents a Greek word which is commonly used for “fair-sounding,” or “auspicious” and “acceptable.” It is therefore the outward expression of what is “lovely,” winning the acceptance which loveliness deserves.
If there be any virtue, and . . . praise.—Still there is the same antithesis—“virtue” is the inherent quality; “praise” is virtue’s due. But the word “virtue,” so frequent in human morality, is hardly ever used in Scripture. In fact, the only other case of application to man is in 2Peter 1:5, where it stands between “faith” and “knowledge,” and seems specially to signify the energy of practice by which faith grows into knowledge. The reason of this is clear. To the very name of “virtue” clings the idea of self-reliance—such self-reliance as the Stoic philosophy (then the only dominant system of Roman opinion which had any nobleness in it) made its essential characteristic; and that idea is, of course, foreign to the whole conception of Christian morality. The occurrence, therefore, here of an appeal to “virtue” and to “praise” seems strange. We notice, however, that it is introduced by a new phrase of mere hypothesis (“if there be,” &c.), which may be taken to mark it as an outlying consideration, occupying a less firm and important ground. Probably, therefore, it is an appeal to the lower conceptions of the society, so characteristically Roman, around them: “Nay, even if there be any truth in the virtue and praise of mere human morality,” &c.”
There are vanities in beauty but no beauty in vanity. Women of virtue like Sarah and Ruth are few and rare.
to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT HE GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”
Humility in Greek is tapeinophrosynē which means humiliation of mind, i.e. modesty:—humbleness of mind, humility (of mind, lowliness (of mind) (Strong’s Concordance); , “the having a humble opinion of oneself; a deep sense of one’s (moral) littleness; modesty, humility, lowliness of mind”; (Vulg.humilitas, Luth. Demuth):— which occurs 8 times in the New Testament,
Humility is a special virtue. If you think you have it, you don’t have it. If you think you have enough of it, you lack it.
Faith in Greek is pistiswhich means faith; belief; assurance; persuasion, i.e. credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly, constancy in such profession; by extension, the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself: (Strong’s Concordance); fidelity; trust– which occurs 243 times in the New Testament.
Faith can be little or great or no. Faith is not based on human reason, it is based on the Word of God.
(3.) Hope
Rom 15:4, “For whatever was written in earlier times
was written for our instruction, so that through
perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
Hope in Greek is elpiswhich means expectation of good; expectation; joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation (Strong’s Concordance); something desired– which occurs 53 times in the New Testament.
Rom 8:25, “But if we hope for what we do not see, through perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”
(4.) Love
Gal 5:6, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision
nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.”
Love in Greek is agapēwhich means affection, good-will, love, benevolence: John 15:13; Romans 13:10; 1 John 4:18. Of the love of men to men; especially of that love of Christians toward Christians which is enjoined and prompted by their religion, whether the love be viewed as in the soul or as expressed. Of the love of men toward God: ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ; (obj. genitive [Winer’s Grammar, 185 (175)]. (Strong’s Concordance), — which occurs 116 times in the New Testament.
Gal 5:14, “For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
In my opinion, love includes compassion, kindness, goodness, gentleness and forgiveness; as
Jesus says,
Luk 6:35,“But love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil people.”
Love ye your enemies.—The tense of the Greek verb may be noted as implying a perpetual abiding rule of action.
Hoping for nothing again.—Better, in nothing losing hope. It is possible that the Greek verb may have the sense given in the text, but its uniform signification in the LXX. (as in Ecclesiasticus 22:21-24; Ecclesiasticus 27:21), which must be allowed great weight in interpreting a writer like St. Luke, is that of “giving up hope,” despairing. And this gives, it is obvious, a meaning not less admirable than that of the received version, “Give and lend according to the law of Christ, and do not let the absence of immediate profit make you lose heart and hope.” There is a “great reward.” The last words at least remind us of the promise made to Abraham, and may be interpreted by it. God Himself is our “exceeding great reward” (Genesis 15:1). One or two MSS. give a masculine instead of a neuter pronoun after the verb, and in that case the verb must be taken as transitive. We have accordingly to choose between in nothing despairing, or driving no man to despair. On the whole, the former seems preferable. So taken, we may compare it with St. Paul’s description of “charity” or “love,” as “hoping all things” (1Corinthians 13:7), and his counsel, “Be not weary in well doing” (Galatians 6:9).
The children of the Highest.—Better, for the sake of uniformity with the other passages where the word occurs, sons of the Most High. The passage is noticeable as the only instance in which our Lord Himself applies this name to the Father.
He is kind.—The generalised word takes the place of the more specific reference to the rain and sunshine as God’s gifts to all, in Matthew 5:45. The word rendered “kind” is applied to God in the Greek version of Psalm 34:8, quoted in 1Peter 2:3, and is there rendered “gracious.”
(5.) Purity
1Ti 4:12, “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.”
Purity in Greek is hagneiawhich means cleanliness; chastity; holiness; sinlessness of life; — which occurs 2 times in the New Testament.
Tit 2:7-8, “in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach,
so that the opponent will be put to shame, having
nothing bad to say about us.”
Purity in doctrine has to do with the Faith which means sound in the Faith. For example, the Roman Catholic Church teaches the impurity in doctrine purgatory and the worship of Mary.
1Ti 5:2, “to the older women as mothers, and to the younger women as sisters, in all purity.”
I believe purity includes holiness, or holiness includes purity.
(6.) Patience
Gal 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Patience in Greek is makrothymia which means
endurance; constancy; steadfastness; perseverance; longsuffering; forbearance; fortitude; — which occurs 14 times in the New Testament.
1Ti 1:16, “Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost sinner Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.”
which cannot be shaken, let’s show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe.”
Gratitude in Greek is charis which means thankfulness; graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act (abstract or concrete; literal, figurative or spiritual; especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude) (Strong’s Concordance); gratefulness; — which occurs 155 times in the New Testament.
Luk 17:11-17, “While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee.And as He entered a village, ten men with leprosy who stood
at a distance met Him; and they raised their voices,
saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When He
saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves
to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed.Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud
voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. But Jesus
responded and said, “Were there not ten cleansed?
But the nine—where are they?”
When I get to Heaven I request two private audiences, one with the Heaven Father, the other with the Lord Jesus.
I shall bow three times with a loud voice saying Holy, Holy, Holy to the Heaven Father saying: I am eternally grateful for all you have done for me. To the Lord Jesus my God and Redeemer I shall bow three times saying loudly, Holy, Holy, Holy, my God and Redeemer, how much I love Thee because You died for me. I don’t think I will get any crown, if I do, I shall lay it at the feet of Jesus Christ before I bow.
Col 2:7, “having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”
My life experience testifies that the majority of mankind are ungrateful.
(8.) Diligence
Heb 6:11, “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end.”
Diligence in Greek isspoudēwhich means universally, earnestness in accomplishing, promoting, or striving after anything (Strong’s Concordance); assiduity; industry; — which occurs 12 times in the New Testament.
You cannot accomplish anything worthwhile on earth without due diligence. It matters the same in spiritual things.
Rom 12:11, “not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.”
(9.) Temperance
Act 24:25, “But as he was discussing righteousness, temperance, and the judgment to come, Felix became
frightened and responded, “Go away for now, and when I have an opportunity, I will summon you.”
Temperance in Greek isegkrateia which means the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, especially his sensual appetites) (Strong’s Concordance); moderation in action, thought or feeling; self-control; — which occurs 4 times in the New Testament. I believe temperance includes self-control and discipline. From Sunday School we had taken an oath never to drink or smoke. I am now an old man, I have kept my oath.
(10.) Character
Heb 13:5, “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER
In these two verses (Hebrews 13:4-5) we have the same connection of thought as in Hebrews 12:16; Colossians 3:5; Ephesians 5:3. “Impurity and covetousness may be said to divide between them nearly the whole domain of human selfishness and vice” (Lightfoot on Colossians 3:5).
Conversation.—Literally, way of thought and life, character, disposition.
For he.—Rather, for He Himself hath said. As in many other places in this Epistle, the word of Scripture is regarded as directly spoken by God; but there is an emphasis here (“He Himself”) which well suits the remarkable impressiveness of the words quoted, “I will in no wise let thee go; no, nor will I forsake thee.” This promise of divine support and protection does not occur exactly in the same form in the Old Testament, but is clearly taken from Deuteronomy 31:6, “He will not fail thee nor forsake thee.” (Comp. also Genesis 28:15; Joshua 1:5; 1Chronicles 28:20.) The appositeness of these words and those which follow (Hebrews 13:6) will be seen if we remember the trials which the Hebrew Christians had already endured (Hebrews 10:32-34). It is very probable that this thought supplies the link of connection between Hebrews 13:5-6, and Hebrews 13:7.”
The old English “conversation” means conduct or character.”
According to https://www.worldhistory.org/video/2064/ancient-chinese-philosophy—mencius-on-human-natu/
Mencius
Xiao Niao (CC BY-NC-ND)
”By this example, he highlighted the human inclination toward doing good which he interpreted to mean that goodness was a basic human quality. The inclination toward goodness could be blunted, however, by poor treatment by others and lack of opportunity to develop it through education; this produces bad people who do bad things. Conversely, educating people in the value of the Good, and in acting on good impulses, produces contented and helpful citizens.”
“In Hobbes’ philosophy of human nature, the state of nature is good to the extent that we are able to fulfill our desires. When we want something, we will do whatever is necessary to fulfill that desire. Hobbes argues that our instincts for survival will lead us to sacrifice our rights in order to obtain that wish. But we are also able to override our passions when it comes to obeying a higher authority.”
I believe character is the mental and moral qualities
distinctive to an individual, including integrity. Character is the real person, his personality is what he appears to be. I have been thinking a long time how to define character. I borrow the idea from Jesus Christ.
Jhn 8:44, “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because
he is a liar and the father of lies.”
So I define character as the real nature of a person, whether a person has good character or bad character, out of his nature.
Let me illustrate how important is the character of a person, be it an adult or a child.
With respect to human nature, even I am old I cannot forget a childhood’s incident. We lived on East of the island, while a pastor lived in the West. When on vacation my brother and I went to visit the pastor family who had a son and a daughter. My father being the former town chief of the East and a man famous among the Chinese gave immense support (financially and in everything else to the pastor in the West), and my father after retiring from government became a missionary pastor. The son of the pastor of the West took us to pick up soft-shell crabs on the beach. We were ignorant about the tide of the sea. There was no beach like that in the East. Because the tide receded so much that a big sea became dry land to pick crabs. I was inexperienced and afraid to be pinched by crabs. A wide sea became dry land. The pastor’s boy knew that we could swim and intentionally led us deep into the sea without informing us about the tide. In a short time the tide was engulfing to our necks, we ran very hard in water for our lives. Thank God we got to the shore without drowning. The pastor’s boy acted nothing happened; that night we ate the delicious soft-shell crabs his mother fried. The son said nothing to his parents. We were too polite and ignorant to say anything. In retrospect, I knew for sure the pastor’s son tried to kill us by the tide and waves. I am sure they were macro tides. I didn’t know why he had such a malice. The boy shocked me that a boy at that age should harbor the wish to kill. His evil plot was perfect.
He used the sea and tide to kill while he was silent.
What was unthinkable was the fact we were not enemies, and my parents gave tremendous help to his parents. Now I think the boy must had the bad nature in him. Returning home we were too dumb to report the incident to our parents even they passed away, we never told them about it. Another example, Notre-Dame de Pariswas set fire by some unknown person or persons. I had been to Paris and I had seen the Cathedral. Although I am a Protestant, nonetheless it was not my character to support or burn down a Catholic Cathedral.
Jesus Christ has the Final Word because He is the Supreme Authority on anything.
Mat 7:11, “So if you, despite being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
According to Jesus, human nature is evil. For that reason, Jesus also says, Jhn 3:7, “Do not be amazed
that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
2Pe 1:4, “Through these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world on account of lust.”
To be born again is to be partaker of the divine nature.
For that reason, the Christian character is different from the worldly man. As E. Stanley Jones said,
Character is a set of attributes that make up an individual, distinctive qualities of a person,
mental and ethical traits of a person. I believe character includes faithfulness, self-control,
integrity, etc.
(11.) Courage
Psa 27:14, “Wait for the LORD;Be strong and let your heart take courage;Yes, wait for the LORD.”
Courage in Hebrew is ‘āmēṣwhich means stedfastly minded; be stout, strong, bold, alert (Strong’s Concordance); bravery; fearlessness; — which occurs 41 times in the Old Testament.
Mat 14:27, “But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
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.”
2Co 5:8, “but we are of good courage and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home
with the Lord.”
Be of good courage in Greek is tharreōwhich means be of good cheer; be bold; have confidence (Strong’s Concordance); — which occurs 6 times in the New Testament.
2 Corinthians 5:8. But we have good courage and are well pleased, etc. With this Paul resumes the thought of 2 Corinthians 5:6, and carries it on, yet without keeping to the construction there begun. The idea of the θαῤῥοῦμεν must in this resumption be the same as that of the θαῤῥοῦντες in 2 Corinthians 5:6, namely, the idea of confident courage in suffering. This in opposition to Hofmann, who takes θαῤῥοῦντες rightly of courage in suffering, but θαῤῥοῦμεν of courage in death, making the infinitive ἐκδημῆσαι depend also on θαῤῥοῦμεν (see below). δέ, no doubt, links on again the discourse interrupted by the parenthesis (Hermann, ad Viger. p. 847; Pflugk, ad Eurip. Hec. 1211; Fritzsche, Diss. II. p. 21), which may also happen, where no δέ has preceded (Klotz, ad Devar. p. 377); since, however, θαῤῥοῦντες is not repeated here, we must suppose that Paul has quite dropped the plan of the discourse begun in 2 Corinthians 5:6 and broken off by 2 Corinthians 5:7, and returns by the way of contrast to what was said in 2 Corinthians 5:6. Accordingly there occurs an adversative reference to the previous διὰ πιστ. περιπατοῦμεν, οὐ διὰ εἴδους, in so far as this state of things as to the course of his temporal life does not make the apostle at all discontented and discouraged, but, on the contrary, leaves his θαῤῥεῖν, already expressed in 2 Corinthians 5:6, quite untouched, and makes his desire tend rather towards being from home, etc. Comp. Hartung, I. p. 173. 2; Klotz, l.c. Thus there is a logical reason why Paul has not written οὖν. Comp. on Ephesians 2:4. εὐδοκεῖν in the sense of being pleased, of placet mihi, comp. 1 Corinthians 1:21; Galatians 1:15; Colossians 1:19; 1 Thessalonians 2:8; Fritzsche, ad Rom. II. p. 370. ἐκδημῆσαι ἐκ τοῦ σώματος] to be-from-home out of the body, is not to be understood of the change at the Parousia (Kaeuffer, ζωὴ αἰών., p. 80 f.), but, in accordance with the context, must be the opposite of ἐνδημοῦντες ἐν τῷ σώματι, 2 Corinthians 5:6; consequently in substance not different from ἐκδύσασθαι, 2 Corinthians 5:4. Hence the only right interpretation is the usual one of dying, in consequence of which we are-from-home out of the body. Comp. Php 1:23; Plato, Phaed. p. 67, B, C. The infinitive is dependent only on εὐδοκοῦμεν, not also on θαῤῥοῦμεν (Hofmann), since θαῤῥεῖν with the infinitive means to venture something, to undertake to do something, which would not suit here (comp. Xen. Cyr. viii. 8. 6; Herodian. ii. 10. 13),—even apart from the fact that this use of θαῤῥεῖν (equivalent to τολμᾶν) is foreign to the N. T. and rare even among Greek writers. The εὐδοκοῦμεν κ.τ.λ. is something greater than the θαῤῥοῦμεν. This passage stands to 2 Corinthians 5:4, where Paul has expressed the desire not to die but to be transformed alive, in the relation not of contradiction, but of climax; the shrinking from the process of dying is, through the consideration contained in 2 Corinthians 5:5 and in the feeling of the courage which it gives (2 Corinthians 5:6), now overcome, and in place of it there has now come the inclination rather (μᾶλλον) to see the present relation of ἐνδημεῖν ἐν τῷ σώματι and ἐκδημεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου (2 Corinthians 5:6) reversed, rather,[218] therefore, ἐκδημῆσαι ἐκ τοῦ σώματος καὶ ἐνδημῆσαι πρὸς τὸν κύριον, which will take place through death, if this should be appointed to him in his apostolic conflicts and sufferings (2 Corinthians 4:7 ff.), for in that case his spirit, having migrated from his body, will not, separated from Christ, come into Hades, but will be at home with the Lord in heaven—a state the blessedness of which will later, at the day of the Parousia, receive the consummation of glory. The certainty of coming by martyrdom into heaven to Christ is consequently not to be regarded as a certainty only apprehended subsequently by Paul. See Php 1:26, Remark. [218] μᾶλλον therefore belongs neither to εὐδοκοῦμεν nor to θαῤῥ. κ. εὐδοκ., as if Paul would say that he has this courage still more than that meant in ver. 6 (Hofmann), but to ἐκδημῆσαι … κύριον. We wish that, instead of the present home in the body, etc., there may rather (potius) set in the being-from-home out of the body and the being-at-home with the Lord. This “rather” no more yields an awkward idea here (as Hofmann objects) than it does in all other passages where it is said that one wills, ought to do, or does, instead of one thing rather the other. Comp. e.g. 1 Corinthians 5:2; 1 Corinthians 6:7; Romans 14:13; John 3:19.”
1Th 4:4-5, “that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God.” When a man commits a sexual immorality, he has no honor. When a man raped a girl, he is worse than a beast.
2Ti 2:21, “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be an implement for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”
1Pe 1:7, “so that the proof of your faith, being more
precious than gold which perishes though tested by
fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
The Gentiles and some church members do not know the proof of faith can be more precious than gold. How many seek gold and very few seek faith.
that the trial of your faith] The use of the self-same phrase as in James 1:3 strengthens the conclusion suggested in the previous note as to St Peter’s knowledge of this Epistle. Test, perhaps even proof or probation, would better express the force of the Greek word. Faith is not known to be what it is until it is tested by suffering. being much more precious than of gold that perisheth] The words suggest at once a natural similitude and point out its incompleteness. That “gold is tried and purified by fire” was a familiar analogy, as in Proverbs 17:3; Proverbs 27:21, Sir 2:5, 1 Corinthians 3:13, but the gold so purified belongs still to the category of perishable things, while the faith which is purified by suffering takes its place among those that are imperishable. might be found unto praise and honour and glory] The words stand somewhat vaguely in the Greek as in the English, and might possibly express that what men suffer is for God’s glory. The context, however, and the parallelism of Romans 2:7, make it certain that they refer to the “praise” [found here only in conjunction with the familiar combination (Romans 2:7; Romans 2:10, 1 Timothy 1:17) of “honour and glory”] which men shall receive (comp. 1 Corinthians 4:5), when sufferings rightly borne have done their work, in and at the revelation of Jesus Christ in His Second Coming as the Judge of all men.”
(13.) Knowledge
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.”
Knowledge like faith can increase. Col 1:10, “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.”
Col 2:2, “that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and that they would attain to all the wealth that comes from the full
assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself.”
comforted] Ut consolentur, Latin Versions. But the Greek verb means more than to console; it is rather to hearten, to encourage. Confortatio, the (late) Latin original of our “comfort,” is “to make fortis, strong;” and “comfort” long retained this meaning in English. Wyclif here has “counfortid;” and in his version of Isaiah 41:7 he actually writes “he coumfortide hym with nailes, that it should not be moved” (Bible Word-Book, p. 117). being] Better, they being; the Greek participle agrees not with “hearts” but with the owners of the hearts. knit together] Cp. below Colossians 2:19, and Ephesians 4:16 (a suggestive parallel). The Greek verb always in the LXX. means “to instruct”; and the Latin Versions here have instructi (hence Wyclif, “taughte”); which however may mean “drawn up,” “marshalled,” and so may be nearly the same as A. V. The parallels just quoted are decisive for A.V. in love] “which is the bond of perfectness,” Colossians 3:14. Cp. Ephesians 4:2-3; Php 2:1-4. and unto all riches] The saints, drawn together in love, would by the loving communication of experience and by other spiritual aid, all advance to a fuller knowledge of the Lord and His grace.—On “riches” see note on Colossians 1:27. the full assurance] “Fulness” R.V. margin; Latin Versions, plenitudo, adimpletio. The Greek word recurs 1 Thessalonians 1:5; Hebrews 6:11; Hebrews 10:22; and nowhere else in Biblical or classical Greek. In all these passages the word “fulness” would give an adequate meaning. But the cognate verb, which is more frequent, appears by usage to convey the idea of, so to speak, an active fulness, a fulness having to do with consciousness. This is an argument for retaining (with Ellicott, Alford, Lightfoot, R.V. text) the A.V. rendering.—He prays that they may more and more enter into the “wealth” of a deep and conscious insight into “the mystery of God.” understanding] See on Colossians 1:9 above. to the acknowledgement] This clause is the echo and explanation of the last; “unto all the riches &c., unto the acknowledgement &c.” “Acknowledgement”:—epignôsis; see on Colossians 1:9 above. the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ] “The ancient authorities vary much in the text of this passage” (margin, R.V.).—The chief variants are as follows: (a) “the mystery of God”; adopted by Tischendorf in his 7th (last but one) edition of the N.T., and by Alford: (b) “the mystery of God, even Christ,” or, as the same Greek may be rendered, “the mystery of the (or, our) God Christ”; adopted, with the first alternative translation, by Tischendorf in his 8th (last) edition, Tregelles, Wordsworth, Lightfoot, Westcott and Hort, and R.V.: (c) “the mystery of God, which is Christ”: (d) “the mystery of God the Father of Christ”: (e) the reading represented by A.V., which is that of most later mss. Lightfoot in a long and careful note (pp. 318, 319) reasons for the high probability of reading (b), and for regarding all others as formed from it either by explanatory addition or by cutting a knot of supposed difficulty by omission. Dr Scrivener (Introd. to N.T. Criticism, pp. 634–6) also discusses the case, with Lightfoot’s reasoning among other things before him, and inclines to the same reading, though apparently preferring the other rendering given above. His only difficulty lies in the small documentary support given to a reading in itself otherwise so likely. And he says, “The more we think over this reading, the more it grows upon us, as the source from which all the rest are derived. At present, perhaps, [‘of God the Father of Christ’] may be looked upon as the most strongly attested, … but a very small weight might suffice to turn the critical scale.” Adopting the reading thus accepted by Lightfoot and favoured by Scrivener, how shall we render it? Shall we say, “the mystery of the God Christ”? The phrase would convey eternal truth; but as a phrase it has no precise parallel in St Paul. To him Christ is indeed absolutely Divine, Coequal in Nature with the Father; but this truth is always seen, so to speak, through His Sonship, so that He is designated rather “the Son of God” than simply “God.” (See however Acts 20:28; Titus 2:13.) Shall we say “the mystery of the God of Christ”? Here a near parallel appears Ephesians 1:17. But the preceding context here (esp. Colossians 1:27) distinctly inclines to our connecting “the mystery” with “Christ,” so that He shall be the Father’s “Secret” of “all spiritual blessing” (Ephesians 1:3) for His people; their all-blessed Resource, hidden yet open, for “pardon, and holiness, and heaven.” Cp. 1 Corinthians 1:30, where “wisdom” is in a certain sense equivalent to “mystery” here. So we render, the mystery of God, even Christ.”
A true knowledge of the mystery of God is the highest knowledge. To know Christ is to know God. There are religions who claim to know God without Christ — they actually know nothing about God.
2Pe 3:18, “but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”
May our faith increase and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am in the pursuit of knowledge all of life, there is nothing more important than the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
(14.) Obedience
Rom 16:26, “but now has been disclosed, and through the Scriptures of the prophets, in accordance with the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith.”
Obedience here in Greek is hypakoēwhich means
compliance, submission, observing the requirement; — which occurs 15 times in the New Testament.
2Co 9:13, “Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the Gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all.”
Obedience here in Greek is hypotagēwhich means subordination, subjection, — which occurs 4 times in the New Testament.
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
Though he were a Son] Rather, “Son though He was,” so that it might have been thought that there would be no need for the great sacrifice; no need for His learning obedience from suffering. yet learned he obedience] Perhaps rather “His obedience. The stress is not on His “learning” (of course as a man), but the whole expression is taken together, “He learnt from the things which He suffered,” in other words “He bowed to the experience of absolute submission.” “The things which He suffered” refer not only to the Agony and the Cross, but to the whole of the Saviour’s life. Some of the Fathers stumbled at this expression. Theodoret calls it hyperbolical; St Chrysostom is surprised at it; Theophylact goes so far as to say that here Paul (for he accepts the traditional authorship) “for the benefit of his hearers used such accommodation as obviously to say some unreasonable things.” All such remarks would have been obviated if these fathers had borne in mind that, as St Paul says, Christ “counted not equality with God a thing at which to grasp” (Php 2:6). Meanwhile passages like these, of which there are several in this Epistle, are valuable as proving how completely the co-equal and co-eternal Son “emptied Himself of His glory.” Against the irreverent reverence of the Apollinarian heresy (which denied Christ’s perfect manhood) and the Monothelite heresy (which denied His possession of a human will), this passage, and the earlier chapters of St Luke are the best bulwark. The human soul of Christ’s perfect manhood “learned” just as His human body grew (Luke 2:52). On this learning of “obedience” see Isaiah 50:5, “I was not rebellious.” Php 2:8, “Being found in fashion as a man he became obedient unto death.” The paronomasia “he learnt [emathen) from what He suffered (epathen)” is one of the commonest in Greek literature. For the use of paronomasia in St Paul see my Life of St Paul, i. 628.”
Trust and Obey are the paramount duties of Christians.
So I believe the Christians virtues must consist of
humility, faith, hope, love, purity, patience, gratitude, diligence, temperance, character, courage, honor, knowledge and obedience. Virtue is moral excellence or moral excellent quality. I include integrity and faithfulness in character.
2Pe 1:5-8, “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral
excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,
and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.
For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they do not make you useless nor unproductive in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
17.) Grace is God’s favor to undeserved mankind. A human however noble cannot
give grace to another person. Due to uncouth and outlandish British culture of class and caste, certain individuals such as a duke, a duchess, or an archbishop are given unbecoming and inappropriate title.
5. dead in sins] Better, in respect of our trespasses. See on Ephesians 2:1 the construction is the same. hath quickened] Did quicken, i.e., bring from death to life; ideally, when our Lord and Head rose to life; actually, when we, by faith, were united to Him.
together with Christ] As vitally and by covenant one with Him. For all His true “members,” His Death of propitiation is as if theirs; His Life of acceptance before the Father, and of spiritual triumph and power, is as if theirs also. As it is to Him the Divine pledge of the finished work of satisfaction, that pledge is theirs; as He appears in it “in the power of indissoluble life” (Hebrews 7:16), they, “because He lives, live also” (John 14:19). For the phrase cp. Colossians 2:13, which fixes the main reference to Acceptance. See accordingly Romans 4:25; “He was raised again by reason of our justification.”—Another reading, but not well supported, gives, “He quickened us together in Christ.” (by grace ye are saved)] Lit. ye have been saved; and so Ephesians 2:8. The verb is perfect. More usually the present tense appears, “ye are being saved;” e.g.1 Corinthians 15:2; 2 Corinthians 2:15 (“them that are being saved; them that are perishing”); the Christian being viewed as under the process of preservation which is to terminate in glory. See 1 Peter 1:5. And again a frequent meaning of the noun “salvation” is that glory itself, as in the text just quoted and Romans 13:11. Here, where the whole context favours such a reference, the reference is to the completeness, in the Divine purpose and covenant, of the rescue of the members of the true Church. From the Divine point of view that is a fait accompli which from the human point of view is a thing in process, or in expectation.—“By grace:”—for commentary, see the Ep. to the Romans, esp. cch. 3, 4. and Romans 11:5-6. The emphatic statement here is due to the whole context, (so full of the thought of a salvation which the saved could not possibly have generated, dead as they were,) and, immediately, to the phrase “quickened with Christ,” which involves the thought of the entire dependence of their “life” on Him.”
18.) Many mistake a church building for the Church, the Body of Christ. A church building can be made of wood, cement, or steel. It is a public meeting place for Christians to worship and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A church building is visible, and the Church of Jesus Christ, the Body is invisible. The Church of Jesus Christ consists of all believers, from the first righteous man Abel to the last believer. Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church.
Eph 5:23, “For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the Head of the Church, He Himself being the Savior of the Body.”
Church in Greek is ekklēsia which means the whole
body of Christians scattered throughout the earth; Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both (Strong’s Concordance); the whole body of Christians; — which occurs 114 times in the New Testament.
23. the head] See 1 Corinthians 11:3. The husband and the wife are “one flesh” (Ephesians 5:31), and the husband, in that sacred union, is the leader. So Christ and the Church are one, and Christ is the Leader. even as] Not, of course, that the headship of the husband embraces all ideas conveyed by the Lord’s Headship, but it truly answers to it in some essential respects; see last note, and its reference. Christ is the head] See on Ephesians 1:22, and last note but one here. the church] The highest reference of the word “Church” (see Hooker, quoted on Ephesians 1:22, where see the whole note) is the reference proper to this passage. The out-called Congregation, truly living by the heavenly Bridegroom, in union with Him, and subject to Him, is in view here.—The sacred truth of the Marriage-union of the Lord and the Church, brought in here incidentally yet prominently, pervades (in different phases) the Scriptures. See not only the Canticles, but e.g. Psalms 45; Isaiah 54:5; Isaiah 61:10; Isaiah 62:4-5; Jeremiah 3:14; Jeremiah 31:32; Hosea 2:2-20; Matthew 9:15; Matthew 25:1-10; John 3:29; Galatians 4:21-31; Revelation 21:2; Revelation 21:9; Revelation 22:17.—It is observable that in the Revelation as in this Epistle the metaphors of building and of bridal appear in harmony; the Mystic Bride is the Holy City and the Spiritual Sanctuary. Cp. Psalm 87:3, where a possible rendering is, “With glorious offers art thou bespoken [for marriage], O City of God.” and he is, &c.] Read, with R.V., [being] himself the Saviour of the Body. The reference to the Lord, not to the earthly husband, is certain. And the emphasis (see on next ver.) is that Christ’s unique position, in this passage of comparison, must be remembered; as if to say, “He, emphatically, is to the Church what no earthly relationship can represent, its Saviour.” Some expositors see in this clause, on the other hand, an indirect precept to the husband to be the “preserver,” the loyal protector, of the wife. But the “but” which opens the next verse decides against this. saviour] So the Lord is called elsewhere, Luke 2:11; John 4:42; Acts 5:31; Acts 13:23; Php 3:20; 2 Timothy 1:10; Titus 1:4; Titus 2:13; Titus 3:6; 2 Peter 1:1; 2 Peter 1:11; 2 Peter 2:20; 2 Peter 3:2; 2 Peter 3:18; 1 John 4:14. Cp. for the word “save” in connexion with Him (in spiritual reference), Matthew 1:21; Matthew 18:11; Luke 19:10; John 3:17; John 5:34; John 10:9; John 12:47; Acts 4:12; Acts 16:31; Romans 5:9-10; Romans 10:9; 1 Timothy 1:15; Hebrews 7:25. Deliverance and Preservation are both elements in the idea of Salvation. See further, above, on Ephesians 2:5. the body] See on Ephesians 1:23, Ephesians 4:16. The Body is the Church, viewed as a complex living organism. The Gr. words Sôtêr (Saviour) and sôma (body) have a likeness of sound, and perhaps a community of origin, which makes it possible that we have here an intentional “play upon words.”
Mat 16:17-18, “And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in Heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this Rock I will build My Church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”
Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona.—Looking to the reality of our Lord’s human nature, its capacity for wonder (Mark 6:6, Luke 7:9), anger (Mark 3:5), sorrow (John 11:35, Luke 19:41), and other emotions, it is not over-bold to recognise in these words something like a tone of exalted joy. It is the first direct personal beatitude pronounced by Him; and, as such, presents a marked contrast to the rebukes which had been addressed to Peter, as to the others, as being “without understanding,” “of little faith,” with “their heart yet hardened.” Here, then, He had found at last the clear, unshaken, unwavering faith which was the indispensable condition for the manifestation of His kingdom as a visible society upon earth. The beatitude is solemnised (as in John 1:42) by the full utterance of the name which the disciple had borne before he was called by the new name of Cephas, or Peter, to the work of an Apostle. He was to distinguish between the old natural and the new supernatural life. (Comp. John 21:15.)
Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee.—Better, It was not flesh and blood that revealed. The words are used in their common Hebrew meaning (as in John 1:13; 1Corinthians 15:50; Ephesians 6:12) for human nature, human agency, in all their manifold forms. The disciple had received the faith which he now professed, not through popular rumours, not through the teaching of scribes, but by a revelation from the Father. He was led, in the strictest sense of the words, through the veil of our Lord’s human nature to recognise the divine.”
Verse 18. – And I say also (I also say) unto thee. As thou hast said unto me, “Thou art the Christ,” so I say unto thee, etc. Thou art Peter (Πέτρος, Petrus), and upon this rock (πέτρα, petra) I will build my Church. In classical Greek, the distinction between πέτρα and πέτρος is well known – the former meaning “a rock,” the latter “a piece of rock,” or “a stone.” But probably no such distinction is intended here, as there would be none in Aramaic. There is plainly a paronomasia here in the Greek; and, if our Lord spoke in Aramaic, the same play of words was exhibited in Kephas or kepha. When Jesus first called Peter to be a disciple, he imposed upon him the name Cephas, which the evangelist explains to be Peter (John 1:42). The name was bestowed in anticipation of Peter’s great confession: “Thou shalt be called.” This preannouncement was here fulfilled and confirmed. Upon this passage chiefly the claims of the Roman Church, which for fifteen centuries have been the subject of acrimonious controversy, are founded. It is hence assumed that the Christian Church is founded upon Peter and his successors, and that these successors are the Bishops of Rome. The latter assertion may be left to the decision of history, which fails to prove that Peter was ever at Rome, or that he transmitted his supposed supremacy to the episcopate of that city. We have in this place to deal with the former assertion. Who or what is the rock on which Christ says that he will hereafter build his Church? French Romanists consider it a providential coincidence that they can translate the passage, “Je te disque, Tu es Pierre; et sur cette pierre je batirai,” etc.; but persons outside the papal communion are not satisfied to hang their faith on a play of words. The early Fathers are by no means at one in their explanations of the paragraph. Living before Rome had laid claim to the tremendous privileges which it afterwards affected, they did not regard the statement in the light of later controversies; and even those who held Peter to be the rock would have indignantly repelled the assumptions which have been built on that interpretation. The apostolic Fathers seem to have mentioned the passage in none of their writings; and they could scarcely have failed to refer to it had they been aware of the tremendous issues dependent thereon. It was embodied in no Catholic Creed, and never made an article of the Christian faith. We may remark also that of the evangelists St. Matthew alone records the promise to Peter; Mark and Luke give his confession, which was the one point which Christ desired to elicit, and omit that which is considered to concern his privileges. This looks as though, in their view, the chief aim of the passage was not Peter, but Christ; not Peter’s pre-eminence, but Christ’s nature and office. At the same time, to deny all allusion to Peter in the “rock” is quite contrary to the genius of the language and to New Testament usage, and would not have been so pressed in modern times except for polemical purposes. Three views have been held on the interpretation of this passage.
(1) That Christ himself is the Rock on which the Church should be built.
(2) That Peter’s confession of Jesus Christ as Son of God, or God incarnate, is the Rock.
(3) That St. Peter is the rock.
(1) The first explanation is supported by passages where in Christ speaks of himself in the third person, e.g. “Destroy this temple;” “If any man eat of this bread; Whoso falleth on this stone,” etc. In the same sense are cited the words of Isaiah (Isaiah 28:16), “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation.” Almighty God is continually called “a Rock” in the Old Testament (see 2 Samuel 22:32; Psalm 18:31; Psalm 62:2, 6, 7, etc.), so that it might be deemed natural and intelligible for Christ to call himself “this Rock,” in accordance, with the words of St. Paul (1 Corinthians 3:11), “Other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid (κεῖται), which is Jesus Christ.” But then the reference to Peter becomes unmeaning: “Thou art Peter, and upon myself I will build my Church.” It is true that some few eminent authorities have taken this view. Thus St. Augustine writes, “It was not said to him, ‘Thou art a rock (petra),’ but, ‘Thou art Peter,’ and the Rock was Christ” (‘Retract.,’ 1:21). And commentators have imagined that Christ pointed to himself as he spoke. In such surmises there is an inherent improbability, and they do not explain the commencement of the address. In saying, “Thou art Peter,” Christ, if he made any gesture at all, would have touched or turned to that apostle. Immediately after this to have directed attention to himself would have been most unnatural and contradictory. We may safely surrender the interpretation which regards Christ himself as the Rock. (2) The explanation which finds the rock in Peter’s great confession has been widely adopted by commentators ancient and modern. Thus St. Chrysostom, “Upon this rock, that is, on the faith of his confession. Hereby he signifies that many were now on the point of believing, and raises his spirit, and makes him a shepherd.” To the same purport might be quoted Hilary, Ambrose, Jerome, Gregory Nyss., Cyril, and others. It is remarkable that in the Collect from the Gregorian Sacramentary and in the Roman Missal on the Vigil of St. Peter and St. Paul are found the words, “Grant that thou wouldst not suffer us, whom thou hast established on the rock of the apostolic confession (quos in apostolicae confessionis petra solidasti) to be shaken by any commotions.” Bishop Wordsworth, as many exegetes virtually do, combines the two interpretations, and we cite his exposition as a specimen of the view thus held: “What he says is this, ‘I myself, now confessed by thee to be both God and Man, am the Rock of the Church. This is the foundation on which it is built.’ And because St. Peter had confessed him as such, he says to St. Peter, ‘Thou hast confessed me, and I will now confess thee; thou hast owned me, I will now own thee. Thou art Peter,’ i.e. thou art a lively stone, hewn out of and built upon me, the living Rock. Thou art a genuine Petros of me, the Divine Petra. And whosoever would be a lively stone, a Peter, must imitate thee in this thy true confession of me, the living Rock; for upon this Rock, that is, on myself, believed and confessed to be both God and Man, I will build my Church.” As the opinion that Christ means himself by “this rock” is untenable, so we consider that Peter’s confession is equally debarred from being the foundation intended. Who does not see that the Church is to be built, not on confessions or dogmas, but on men – men inspired by God to teach the great truth? A confession implies a confessor; it was the person who made the confession that is meant, not the mere statement itself, however momentous and true. Thus elsewhere the Church is said to have been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20), “Ye,” says St. Peter (1 Peter 2:5), “as living stones are built up a spiritual house.” “James and Cephas who were reputed to be pillars” (Galatians 2:9). In Revelation (Revelation 21:14) the foundationstones of the heavenly temple are “the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” Hence we gather that the rock is a person. (3) So we come to the explanation of the difficulty which naturally is deduced from the language if considered without regard to prejudice or the pernicious use to which it has been put. Looking at the matter in a straightforward way, we come to the conclusion that Christ is wishing to reward Peter for his outspoken profession of faith; and his commendation is couched in a form which was usual in Oriental addresses, and intelligible to his hearers. “Thou hast said to me, ‘Thou art the Son of God;’ I say to thee, ‘Thou art Peter,’ a rock man, ‘and on thee,’ as a rock, ‘I will build my Church.’ “As he was the first to acknowledge Christ’s nature and office, so he was rewarded by being appointed as the apostle who should inaugurate the Christian Church and lay its first foundation. His name and his work were to coincide. This promise was fulfilled in Peter’s acts. He it was who took the lead on the Day of Pentecost, when at his preaching, to the hundred and twenty disciples there were added three thousand souls (Acts 2:41); he it was who admitted the Gentiles to the Christian community (Acts 10.); he it was who in these early days stood forth prominently as a master builder, and was the first to open the kingdom of heaven to Jews and Gentiles. It is objected that, if Peter was a builder, he could not be the rock on which the building was raised. The expression, of course, is metaphorical. Christ builds the Church by employing Peter as the foundation of the spiritual house; Peter’s zeal and activity and stable faith are indeed the living rock which forms the material element, so to speak, of this erection; he, as labouring in the holy cause beyond all others, at any rate in the early days of the gospel, is regarded as that solid basis on which the Church was raised. Christ, in one sense, builds on Peter; Peter builds on Christ. The Church, in so far as it was visible, had Peter for its rocky foundation; in so far as it was spiritual, it was founded on Christ. The distinction thus accorded in the future to Peter was personal, and carried with it none of the consequences which human ambition or mistaken pursuit of unity have elicited therefrom. There was no promise of present supremacy; there was no promise of the privilege being handed down to successors. The other apostles had no conception of any superiority being now conferred on Peter. It was not long after this that there was a strife among them who should be the greatest; James and John claimed the highest places in the heavenly kingdom; Paul resisted Peter to the face “because he stood condemned” (Galatians 2:11); the president of the first council was James, the Bishop of Jerusalem. It is plain that neither Peter himself nor his fellow apostles understood or acknowledged his supremacy; and that he transmitted, or was intended to transmit, such authority to successors, is a figment unknown to primitive Christianity, and which was gradually erected, to serve ambitious designs, on forged decretals and spurious writings. This is not the place for polemics, and these few apologetic hints are introduced merely with the view of showing that no one need be afraid of the obvious and straightforward interpretation of Christ’s words, or suppose that papal claims are necessarily supported thereby. I will build my Church (μου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν). My Church, not thine. Plainly, therefore, the Church was not yet builded. Christ speaks of it as a house, temple, or palace, perhaps at the moment gazing on some castle founded securely on a rock, safe from flood and storm and hostile attack. We know how commonly he took his illustrations from objects and scenes around him; and the rocky base of the great castle of Caesarea Philippi may well have supplied the material for the metaphor here introduced. The word translated “church” (ἐκκλησία), is found here for the first time in the New Testament. It is derived from a verb meaning “to call out,” and in classical Greek denotes the regular legislative assembly of a people. In the Septuagint it represents the Hebrew kahal, the congregation united into one society and forming one polity (see Trench, ‘Synonyms’). The name kehila in modern times is applied to every Jewish community which has its own synagogue and ministers. From the use of the metaphor of a house, and the word employed to designate the Church, we see that it was not to be a mere loose collection of items, but an organized whole, united, officered, and permanent. Hence the word Ecclesia has been that which designated the Christian society, and has been handed down and recognized in all ages and in all countries. It may be regarded as the personal part of that kingdom of heaven which was to embrace the whole world, when “the kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ” (Revelation 11:15; see Introduction, § 10.). The gates of hell (ᾅδου) shall not prevail against it. Hades, which our version calls “hell,” is the region of the dead, a gloomy and desolate place, according to Jewish tradition, situated in the centre of the earth, a citadel with walls and gates, which admitted the souls of men, but opened not for their egress. There are two ways of explaining these words, though they both come to much the same idea. The gates of Hades represent the entrance thereto; and the Lord affirms that death shall have no power over the members of the Church; they shall be able to rise superior to its attacks, even if for a time they seem to succumb; their triumphant cry shall he, “O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55). Through the grave and gate of death they shall pass to a joyful resurrection. The other interpretation is derived from the fact that in Oriental cities the gate is the scene of deliberation and counsel. Hence “the gates” here may represent the evil designs planned by the powers of hell to overthrow the Church, the wiles and machinations of the devil and his angels, Hades being taken, not as the abode of the dead, but as the realm of Satan. Neither malignant spirits nor their allies, such as sin, persecution, heresy, shall be able to wreck the eternal building which Christ was founding. Combining the two expositions, we may say that Christ herein promises that neither the power of death nor the power of the devil shall prevail against it (κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς), shall overpower it, keep it in subjection. The pronoun refers doubtless to Church, not rock, the verb being more applicable to the former than the latter, and the pronoun being nearer in position to ἐκκλησίαν. To see here an assurance of the infallibility of the pope, as Romanists do, is to force the words of Scripture most unwarrantably in order to support a modern figment which has done infinite harm to the cause of Christ. As Erasmus says, “Proinde miror esse, qui locum hunc detorqueant ad Romanum Pontificem.” Matthew 16:18
Therefore, I am surprised that there are those who would divert this place to the Roman Pontiff.Matthew 16:18
The Roman Catholic Church’s most favorite Scriptures to misquote Peter as the first pope.
Jesus Chris is the Rock, not Peter.
1Co 10:4, “and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the Rock was Christ.”
That spiritual Rock that followed them.—There was a Jewish tradition that the Rock—i.e., a fragment broken off from the rock smitten by Moses—followed the Israelites through their journey, and St. Paul, for the purpose of illustration, adopts that account instead of the statement in Numbers 20:11. The emphatic repetition of the word “spiritual” before “drink” and “rock” reminds the reader that it is the spiritual and not the historic aspect of the fact which is present to St. Paul’s mind. The traditional account of the Rock was a more complete illustration of the abiding presence of God, which was the point that the Apostle here desires to bring forward.
And that Rock was Christ.—As Christ was “God manifest in the flesh” in the New Dispensation, so God manifest in the Rock (the source of sustaining life) was the Christ of the Old Dispensation. The Jews had become familiar with the thought of God as a Rock. (See 1Samuel 2:2; Psalm 91:12; Isaiah 32:2.) Though the Jews may have recognised the Rock poetically as God, they knew not that it was, as a manifestation of God’s presence, typical of the manifestation which was yet to be given in the Incarnation. Such seems to be the force of the statement and of the word “But” which emphatically introduces it. But though they thought it only a Rock, or applied the word poetically to Jehovah, that Rock was Christ.”
Once I met a man in Los Angeles who claimed his church is the only church in Los Angeles. MANY mistake local churches to be the Church of Christ.
18.) Sin is a subject many would avoid. The conceive to admit you are a sinner is tantamount to admit you are a criminal. Many do not know the difference between a sinner and a criminal. A sinner violates the law of God. A criminal violates the law of a country. You may be a law-biding citizen and never violate the law of your country; but in the sight of God you are a sinner. What is sin? Sin has several definitions.
Romans 6:23. For the wages of sin is death — “The word οψωνια, rendered wages, properly signifies the food and pay which generals give to their soldiers for their service. By using this term, the apostle shows what sort of pay the usurper, sin, gives to those who serve under his banners. Further, as the sin here spoken of is that which men commit personally, and which they continue in, the death which is the wages of this kind of sin must be death eternal. It is observable, that although in Scripture the expression, eternal life, is often to be met with, we nowhere find eternal joined with death. Yet the punishment of the wicked is said to be eternal. Matthew 25:46;” (Macknight;) as also in many other passages. But the gift of God — Greek, χαρισμα, the free gift, or gift of grace; is eternal life — Or, eternal life is the free gift of God. “The apostle does not call everlasting life οψωνια, the wages which God gives to his servants, because they do not merit it by their services, as the slaves of sin merit death by theirs: but he calls it a free gift, or gift of grace; or, as Estius would render the expression, a donative; because, being freely bestowed, it may be compared to the donatives which the Roman generals, of their own good- will, bestowed on their soldiers as a mark of their favour.” We may now see the apostle’s method thus far: — 1st, Bondage to sin, Romans 3:9. 2d, The knowledge of sin by the law, a sense of God’s wrath, inward death, Romans 3:20. 3d, The revelation of the righteousness of God in Christ, through the gospel, Romans 3:21. 4th, The centre of all faith, embracing that righteousness, Romans 3:22. 5th, Justification, whereby God forgives all past sin, and freely accepts the sinner, Romans 3:24. 6th, The gift of the Holy Ghost, a sense of God’s love, new inward life, Romans 5:5; Romans 6:4. 7th, The free service of righteousness, Romans 6:23.”
This is even easier to prove: If you have never sinned, you will never die. Death is the result of sins.
The most important knowledge for everyone: You are a sinner, you need the Savior. I am a sinner, but I have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, sanctified by His precious blood.
19.) Study the Holy Bible and pray incessantly. Saints cannot increase their true knowledge without studying the Bible. When I was a boy, an American professor gave me the advice: Study the Gospel of John 100 times and the Book of Romans 100 times. I would give the same advice to you. It is wonderful to know the English language. I cannot speak for other languages. To study the Holy Bible, you only need Strong’s Concordance. It is absolutely free.
You could have many English translations and versions. I usually use American Standard Bible. If I suspect the translation is not accurate, then I search the original word in Greek or Hebrew and make my own translation accordingly.
https://www.eliyah.com/lexicon.html
For example, Revelation in Greek is ἀποκάλυψις apokalypsis which means laying bare, making naked; a disclosure of truth, instruction; manifestation, appearance.
You must be rooted in the Word of God. Do not waste your time on false teachers like John Calvin, Karl Barth, etc. However, I recommend the writings of Martin Luther, John Bunyan, G. Campbell Morgan, J. C. Ryle, Charles Henry Mackintosh, R. A. Torrey, Oswald Chambers, F. B. Meyer, Charles Spurgeon, etc. Many American mega church pastors who pretend to be theologians have their websites and publish articles not worthwhile. Watch out there are many websites who claim to be Christian and ask for donations. I have published the Words of Jesus on my website, The Words of Jesus, htpps://williewongthought.hpage.com/words-of-Jesus.html.
In addition to the study of the Word of God, saints must pray daily and incessantly. Prayer is basically asking God.
Mat 6:5-6,“And when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that
they will be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.But as for you, when you
pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”
When in emergency, you do not start with the Lord’s prayer. When Peter was sinking he prayed, Mat 14:30,
“But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and when he began to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
Peter used only 3 words, Lord, save me!
When I was a stupid and naughty boy downing, I cried out to the Lord and drank a lot of water. You do not need to cry out in water. You can pray with your heart. The Lord can hear your heart. You can pray anywhere. You can pray without words. You can pray to communicate with God, or thanks Him always.
Mar 11:24.“Therefore, I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted to you.”
Luk 6:28, “bless those who curse you, pray for those who are abusive to you.”
Luk 18:1, “Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not become discouraged.”
Luk 22:40, “Now when He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you do not come into temptation.”
2Co 13:7, “Now we pray to God that you do nothing wrong; not so that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right, though we may appear unapproved.”
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.”
Eph 6:18, “With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints.”
Phl 1:9, “And this I pray, that your love may overflow still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment.”
1Ti 2:8, “Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger and dispute.”
Phm 1:6, “and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for the sake of Christ.”
Heb 13:18, “Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things.”
Jas 5:13, “Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.”
Jas 5:14, “Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”
Jas 5:16, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. A prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought
about, can accomplish much.”
3Jo 1:2, “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.”
20.) What Christians are doing on earth before the second coming of Jesus Christ? Work, Witness, Wait.
Jhn 4:34, “Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work.”
Jhn 6:29, “Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”
Jhn 17:4, “I glorified You on the earth by accomplishing the work which You have given Me to do.”
1Co 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
1Co 16:10, “Now if Timothy comes, see that he has no reason to be afraid while among you, for he is doing the Lord’s work, as I also am.”
Gal 6:4, “But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting, but to himself alone, and not to another.”
Col 3:23, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people.”
A saint can do the work of a street sweeper, and does it heartily as for the Lord.
For saints there is no division between a secular and sacred work. Everything you do for the Lord is sacred.
1Th 1:3, “constantly keeping in mind your work of faith and labor of love and perseverance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father.”
quiet life and attend to your own business and work
with your hands, just as we instructed you.”
A farmer works with his hands, a manager uses computer also works with his hands.
2Th 3:10, “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.”
I hold that many peoples of undeveloped nations like games and sports, dislike work. They like to receive international aid for free. They sing and dance, drink beer and have sex. They produce many unwanted children they cannot support. Without Protestant Ethic, a hundred years from now they will still be poor.
Yet they like to eat and get fat.
2Th 3:11-12, “For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now we command and exhort such persons in the Lord Jesus Christ to
work peacefully and eat their own bread.”
Many Western leaders and politicians doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies to sanction other nations.
2Ti 3:17, “so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.”
1Pe 1:17, “If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth.”
The saints in addition doing every good work, they must also witness for Christ.
Rev 1:5, “and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood—”
Act 22:15, “For you will be a witness for Him to all people of what you have seen and heard.”
Early disciples can be a witness for the Lord to all people of what they had seen and heard. Today, the disciples of Jesus Christ are to preach the Gospel to the whole world.
Luk 24:46-49, “and He said to them, “So it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
The Holy Spirit, the promise of Heavenly Father, will clothe Christians with power from on high to witness
the resurrection of Jesus Christ and proclaim repentance for forgiveness of sins to all nations. The new life of believers is a witness of the resurrection of Christ from the dead.
Act 5:32, “And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
The Gospel consists of two parts: first Jesus Christ died for your sins; second, by the power of God Jesus Christ rose from the dead to justify all who believe.
Heb 12:1, “Therefore, since we also have such a great
cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which soeasily
entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race
that is set before us.”
To witness for the Lord is to win souls to Christ.
In addition to work, witness, saints wait eagerly for the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Rom 8:25, “But if we hope for what we do not see, through perseverance we wait eagerly for it.’
before the time, but wait until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of human hearts; and then praise will come to each person from God.”
Phl 3:20, “For our citizenship is in Heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
And to wait.—The idea of the Advent is that which both here and throughout the Epistle occupies the foreground in the minds of St. Paul and his friends. These two infinitives, “to serve” and “to wait,” express not so much the intention of the Thessalonians in turning, as the condition into which they came by turning.
Whom he raised.—Not only proves His Sonship (Romans 1:4), but also gives a kind of explanation of the “awaiting Him from heaven.”
Delivered.—Better, delivereth.
To come.—Better, which is already coming. The wrath is on its way to the world, to appear with Christ from heaven (2Thessalonians 1:7-8), and He is day by day working to save us from it (Hebrews 7:25).”
21.) Christianity has two rites or rituals, namely Water Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Unlike the Roman Catholic Church who falsely teaches there is salvation in water baptism, we hold the doctrine according to the Holy Scriptures. And what is forbidden for Christians.
Luk 3:7, “Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him: Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”
Note: Baptism is the Christian rite because no other religions have it. Baptism in Greek is baptisma
which means immersion, submersion; – it occurs about 22 times in the New Testament. The standard rite of baptism is through immersion, not sprinkling. Only through immersion or submersion can symbolize to be baptized into Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. The baptism of John the Baptist, that purification rite by which men on confessing their sins were bound to spiritual reformation, repentance of sins; obtained the pardon of their past sins and became qualified for the benefits of the Messiah’s Kingdom soon to be set up. This was valid Christian baptism, as this was the only baptism the apostles received and it is not recorded anywhere that they were ever rebaptized after Pentecost. The Christian baptism is a rite of immersion in water as commanded by Christ, by which one after confessing his sins and professing his faith in Christ, having been born again by the Holy Spirit unto a new life, identifies publicly with the fellowship of Christ and the Church. Baptism is like a wedding. When a man and woman love each other, they decide to have a wedding to declare to the world that henceforth they belong to each other. When a believer is baptized, he/she declares to the world that henceforth they belong to Christ, and they follow Christ.Water baptism does not save anyone. Catholic Church baptizes infants because they count infants as members of the church. The Bible does not teach baptism of infants because infants cannot believe and repent.Only those who believe in Jesus Christ and repent of their sins are qualified to be baptized. The Bible teaches dedication of infants to God. However, it is a duty of believers to repent and be baptized. Baptism is like a wedding ceremony. If a man and woman love each other, they must get married. The marriage declares from now on they are husband and wife, they belong to each other. In a baptism, a believer confesses his/her sins and identifies with Jesus Christ, and declares to the world he/she is a follower of Jesus Christ, and belongs to Christ once and for all.
The Lord’s Supper is not what the Catholics call Mass.Christianity does not have nor practice liturgy. The word ‘liturgy’ does not exist in the Bible. The more dead or lifeless a religion is the more liturgies it has. Christians observe baptism and the Lord’s Supper by the authority of Jesus Christ, not the pope, or apostle, or anyone else. Christians do not believe in Eucharistic theology or any theology made by men, only in the Biblical theology as it is written in the Scriptures. The Lord’s Supper is also called the Last Supper because it took place right before Jesus was going to die on the cross for sinners. The Lord’s Supper is also called the Holy Communion, the communion of believers with the Lord through the Holy Spirit. 1Cr 10:16 ,“The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” Note: Communion in Greek is koinōniawhich means fellowship, association, joint participation, the share which one has in anything, participation; – it occurs 20 times in the New Testament. Communion means the sharing in the benefits of Christ’s death and in the mystical body of Christ which is the Church. The Lord’s Supper is also called the Eucharist or the Sacrament. The word ‘Eucharist’ does not exist in the Bible. The word ‘sacrament’ also does not exist in the Bible. Eucharist means sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. A sacrament is a sacred rite. Based on their simple definitions, Eucharist and sacrament do not have conflict with the Bible. There are two symbols, namely, the bread and the wine. Bread and wine are symbols of the body of Christ and His blood, not the real things.
Luk 22:19 , “And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying: This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” Note: Remembrance in Greek is anamnēsiswhich means a remembering; recollection; bearing in mind; ability to remember; commemoration; which occurs 4 times in the New Testament. It can be said to have the Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of the Lord’s death and sufferings on the cross for our behalf.Catholics do Mass as an reenactment of the Lord’s sacrifice on the cross for our sins is un-Scriptural. Jesus only died once for all, and it was finished.
There are things which are forbidden for Christians: Act 15:28-29, “For it seemed good to the Holy Spiritand to us to lay upon youno greater burden thanthese essentials:that you abstain from things
sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from acts of sexual immorality; if you keep
yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.”
Acts 15:28-29. For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and, consequently, to us — This may include the decision which the Holy Spirit had given by his descent on Cornelius and his friends, but seems more directly to express the consciousness which this assembly had of being guided by his influences on their minds in the present determination. It cannot, however, be extended to any ecclesiastical councils that have not inspired apostles to preside, as this here had. To lay upon you no greater burden — They allude to the yoke spoken of Acts 15:10. So far were they from delighting to impose on the churches any mere human and unnecessary institutions, that they dreaded enjoining any thing which God had not required, and was not calculated to promote the faith and holiness of the new converts; than these necessary things — Some of the things here mentioned are of perpetual obligation upon Christians of all nations and ages, and they were all necessary for the peace of the church at that time, namely, to avoid giving offence to the converted Jews, and to promote brotherly love between them and the converted Gentiles. The first of them, however, was not necessary long, and the direction concerning it was therefore afterward repealed by the same Spirit, as we read in the former epistle to the Corinthians. With regard to abstaining from blood, concerning which there has been much controversy among divines, we may further observe here, that the eating of it was never permitted the children of God, from the beginning of the world. For, 1st, From Adam to Noah no man ate flesh at all; consequently, no man then ate blood. 2d, When God allowed Noah and his posterity to eat flesh, he absolutely forbade them to eat blood; and accordingly this, with the other six precepts of Noah, was delivered down from Noah to Moses. 3d, God renewed this prohibition by Moses, which was not repealed from the time of Moses till Christ came. 4th, Neither after his coming did any presume to repeal this decree of the Holy Ghost, till it seemed good to the bishop of Rome so to do, about the middle of the eighth century. 5th, From that time, those churches which acknowledged his authority held the eating of blood to be an indifferent thing. But, 6th, In all those churches which never did acknowledge the bishop of Rome’s authority, it never was allowed to eat blood, nor is it allowed at this day. This is the plain fact; let men reason as plausibly as they please, on one side or the other. From which keeping yourselves, ye will do well — That is, ye will find a blessing. This gentle manner of concluding was worthy the apostolical wisdom and goodness. But how soon did succeeding counsels, of inferior authority, change it into the style of anathemas! Forms which have proved an occasion of consecrating some of the most devilish passions under the most sacred names; and, like some ill-adjusted weapons of war, are most likely to hurt the hand from which they are thrown. The reader that wishes for further information on the subject of the prohibition of eating blood will find ample satisfaction in an excellent work of Dr. Delaney, entitled, Revelation examined with Candour; a work of great merit, although but little known. See vol. 2. p. 18, &c.”
22.) True Christians are not afraid to die. Why? To be with the Lord is far far better than to be in the world. To be with the Lord is to be in Paradise of God.
2Co 5:6-10, “Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight—but we are of good courage and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home
with the Lord. Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive compensation
for his deeds done through the body, in accordance
with what he has done, whether good or bad.”
Rev 14:13, “And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”
Years ago I was invited to preach the Gospel to a dying nurse supervisor. After preaching, the woman had no question and was smiling when we left. A few days later her daughter told us she was dying in peace.
Verse 4. – Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. A sudden transition and contrast, such as David loved. The quiet paths of righteousness and peace remind the poet of the exact opposite – the dark and dismal way through the valley of the shadow of death. Even when so situated, he does not, he will not, fear. I will fear no evil, he says. And why? For thou art with me. The same Protector, the same gracious and merciful God, will be still with him – leading him, guiding his steps, shepherding him, keeping him from evil. Thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff – i.e. thy shepherd’s crook, and thy staff of defence – they comfort me. They make me feel that, however long and however dreary the way through the dark vale, I shall still have thy guidance and thy protection. Psalm 23:4.”
23.) Wisdom is supreme. Philosophy is the love and pursuit of wisdom. There are two kinds of wisdom, worldly wisdom and the wisdom from above. Above all, Christ is the wisdom of God. Someone is so wrong to say, “Follow your instincts. That’s where true wisdom manifests itself.”
Rom 11:33, “Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”
1Co 1:20, “Where is the wise person? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has God not made foolish the wisdom of the world?”
1Co 1:24, “but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
1Co 1:30, “But it is due to Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.”
1Co 2:5-7, “so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of mankind, but on the power of God.
Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;but we speak God’s
wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God
predestined before the ages to our glory.”
1Co 3:19, “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God. For it is written: “He is THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE BY THEIR CRAFTINESS”
through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit.”
2Co 1:12, “For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you.”
might now be made known through the Church to the rulers and the authorities in the Heavenly places.”
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,
2Ti 3:15, “and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
Jas 1:5, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without
reproach, and it will be given to him.”
Jas 3:13, “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.”
Jas 3:15, “This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.”
Jas 3:17, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, free of hypocrisy.”
17. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable] The sequence is that of thought, not of time. It is not meant, i. e. that purity is an earlier stage of moral growth in wisdom than peace, but that it is its foremost attribute. The “purity” indicated is especially that of chastity of flesh and spirit (comp. 2 Corinthians 7:2; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Titus 2:5), and as such is contrasted with the “sensual” character of the false wisdom. Here again we have the tone of one who has learnt from the Masters of those who know, among the teachers of his own people, that wisdom will not “dwell in the body that is subject unto sin” (Wis 1:4). The sequence which places “peaceful” after “pure” has its counterpart in the beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:8-9). gentle, and easy to be intreated] The word for “gentle” means literally, forbearing. It describes, as in Aristotle (Eth. 10:6), the temper that does not press its rights, that is content to suffer wrong (comp. Php 4:5; 1 Timothy 3:3). The second adjective is used by classical writers, both in a passive sense as here, and active, (1) as meaning “persuasive,” “winning its way by gentleness,” or (2) as “obedient.” Our choice between the three meanings must depend on our view of what is most likely to have been the sequence of St James’s thoughts. On the whole, the second seems to me to have the most to commend it. True wisdom shews itself, St James seems to say, in that subtle yet gentle power to persuade and win, which we all feel when we come in contact with one who is clearly not fighting for his own rights, but for the cause of Truth. full of mercy and good fruits] The train of thought is carried on. Wisdom is suasive because she is compassionate. In dealing with the froward she is stirred, not by anger, but by pity, and she overflows, not with “every vile deed,” but with the good fruits of kindly acts. without partiality] Here again we have a Greek word which admits of more than one sense. The English version gives it an active sense, as describing the temper which does not distinguish wrongly, which is no respecter of persons. The sense in which the verb, from which the adjective is formed, is used in ch. James 1:6, James 2:4, is, however, that of “doubting,” or “wavering;” and it seems, therefore, probable that St James means to describe true wisdom as free from the tendency which he thus condemns. That freedom goes naturally with the freedom from unreality which the next word expresses. Without vacillation is the condition of “without hypocrisy.” Where the purpose is single there is no risk of a simulated piety.”
24.) The Lord never promises world peace, do you know why? That is not going to be.
Jhn 14:27,“Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful.”
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
These things I have spoken unto you . . .—At the conclusion of the discourse He sums up in a single thought what was the object of it, “Peace in Him. In the world, indeed, tribulation, but this as conquered in Him, and not interrupting the true peace in Him.” The thought is closely allied to that of the last verse, “Alone and not alone;” “Troubled, and yet having peace.” He had spoken of this from John 14:1 onwards, and from John 15:18 to John 16:4 specially of the tribulation which awaited them. (Comp. St. Paul’s experience of these contrasts in 2Corinthians 4:8et seq.)
In the world ye shall have tribulation.—The reading of the better MSS. is, “In the world ye have tribulation.” It is the general statement of their relation to the world. The two clauses answer to each other—the one defining the origin of their inner, the other of their outer life. The life in the world is but the life as it is seen by others; the true life is that which is in communion with God through Christ, and that is one of never-failing peace, which no tribulation can ever affect. Peace is the Christian’s birthright, and his joy no one taketh from him (John 16:22, John 14:27).
But be of good cheer: I have overcome the world.—The pronoun is strongly emphatic, “I have Myself overcome the world.” He speaks of the assured victory as though it were already accomplished. (See Note on John 16:11 and John 12:31; John 13:31.) Here is the reason why they should take courage and be of food cheer. He is the Captain of their salvation, and has already won the victory. The enemies they fear, the world in which they have tribulation, are already captives following in the Conqueror’s train. They themselves have pledges of victory in and through His victory.”
Act 10:36, “The Word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)—”
Rom 2:10, “but glory, honor, and peace to everyone
who does what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
Rom 5:1, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Rom 8:6, “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.”
Rom 12:18, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people.”
The West, pretending to be Christians, practices the domination of the world by conquest. The reason I supported President Richard Nixon because he sought a just and lasting peace for the world.
Rom 14:17, “for the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Rom 14:19, “So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.
Rom 15:13, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
1Co 14:33, “for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.As in all the churches of the saints.”
2Co 13:11, “Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice, mend your ways, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”
Gal 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Eph 4:3, “being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Col 1:20, “and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in Heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”
2Ti 2:22, “Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”
Jas 3:17, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, free of hypocrisy.”
Jde 1:2, “May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.”
Verse 2. – The greeting. This takes the form of a prayer or benediction in three articles. It is rendered in precisely the same terms – mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied – in Tyndale, Cranmer, the Genevan, the Authorized Version, and the Revised Version. In Paul’s Epistles the opening salutations usually mention only “grace and peace,” and these as proceeding from “Godthe Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” But in the pastoral Epistles (as also in 2 John) the three blessings, “grace, mercy, and peace,” appear, and these as coming from the same twofold source of Father and Son. In the Petrine Epistles we have again the two Pauline blessings of grace and peace, but with the distinctive addition of the “be multiplied.” Here, in Jude, we have the characteristic Petrine “be multiplied,” but this connected with three blessings, and these somewhat different from those which appear in the Pastoral Epistles – “mercy, peace, and love,” instead of “grace and mercy and peace.” What the writer desires, therefore, on behalf of the readers is an abounding measure of the three great qualities of grace, which refer respectively to the case of the miserable, the case of the hostile, and the case of the unworthy. Are these regarded as subjective qualities in man, or as objective gifts from God? The former view is favoured by some, who point especially to the closing benediction in the Epistle to the Ephesians (Ephesians 6:23) as a case in point. But the latter view is sustained by the force of the “beloved” in the previous verse, and the mention of” love” in verse 21, as well as by the general analogy of the inscriptions of Epistles. What Jude prays for, therefore, is not that his readers may be helped to exhibit in large measure a merciful, peaceful, and loving disposition to others, but that they may enjoy in liberal degree the great blessings of God’s mercy, peace, and love bestowed upon themselves. Jude 1:2.”
25.) You will not find truth in the world. There is no truth in the world. People who deny Jesus Christ cannot have truth.
2Sa 7:28, “Now then, Lord GOD, You are God, and Your Words are truth; and You have promised this
good thing to Your servant.”
The Words of the Lord are absolute, ultimate, and eternal truth.
Christ was his own way to his Father; By his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, Hebrews 9:12. See Luke 24:26Philippians 2:8. But both the former words, where the apostle spake of the way they should go, and the following words, hint to us, that Christ is here speaking of their way, not his own. As to them, he saith, I am the way; that is, the way by which those must get to heaven who will ever come there. Christ is our way to heaven by the doctrine which he taught; by his death, by which he purchased this heavenly inheritance for us; by his holy life and conversation, setting us an example that we should follow his steps; by the influence of his Spirit, guiding us to, and assisting us in, those holy actions by which we must come unto glory. He is the truth; that is, say some, the true way to life eternal: but he is the truth as to His doctrine, the gospel being the word of truth, Ephesians 1:13: and as truth signifies reality and accomplishment, in opposition to the prophecies and promises, all being but words till they were in him fulfilled; in which sense we read of the true tabernacle, and the true holy places, Hebrews 8:2Hebrews 9:24: or as truth is opposed to falsehood, as truth is taken John 8:44Romans 3:7. And he is the life, the Author and Giver of eternal life, John 11:251Jo 5:11; and the purchaser of it by his death; he who by his doctrine showeth the way to it, and by his Holy Spirit begins it, and carrieth it on to perfection. The Jews thought the way to it was by the law of Moses; but our Saviour beateth his disciples out of that opinion: for if the law could have given life, Christ had died in vain, as the apostle argues. Therefore (saith he) there is no coming to the Father but by me; no way for you or any other, to come to heaven, but by receiving, and embracing, and believing in me.”
26.) There is no justice in the world. The Supreme Court of Heaven is higher than the Court of Justice, the Court of Conscience. World leaders and politicians join as a crowd to pervert justice. It is the highest injustice when the department of justice distorts justice.
Deu 16:19,“You shall not distort justice, you shall not show partiality; and you shall not accept a bribe, because a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and distorts the words of the righteous.”
1Ki 3:11, “And God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked for yourself a long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the lives of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice.”
Ch. Colossians 4:1. The subject concluded 1. Masters] Cp. Ephesians 6:9. give unto] Provide for. The Greek verb suggests deliberate care. that which is … equal] In the Greek, equality, equity. The word in the classics often means “equality” in the political sense, as against arbitrary privilege; and the Gospel, by publishing for ever the spiritual equality of all men before God, secures all that is vital in that matter. But the meaning “impartiality,” “equity,” is more in place here; the master is not commanded to surrender his status, but to respect the interests of the slave as faithfully as his own, and to banish caprice and favouritism. This, consistently carried out, was a long and sure step towards the end of slavery; for nothing could be a more direct contradiction to the root-idea of ancient slavery. See pp. 156, etc. below. “Your slaves should find you fathers rather than masters” (Jerome). knowing … heaven] Nearly verbatim as Ephesians 6:9. The Lord’s sovereignty is the true guarantee of human liberty.”
27.) God has a plan for the world, how the world will end is revealed in the Holy Bible.
Most saints are anxious about how their lives will end. Gen 27:2, “Then Isaac said, “Behold now, I am old and I do not know the day of my death.” Even Isaac did not know the day of his death. Do you know who was Isaac? Exo 3:6,
“And He said, “I AM the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the
God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.” God told Moses that He is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac …
whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.”
Usually God does not reveal when saints are going to die, and much less how they will die. But the Lord said to Peter:
Jhn 21:19,“Truly, truly I tell you, when you were younger, you used to put on your belt and walk
wherever you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will put your belt on you, and bring you where you do not want to go. Now He said this, indicating by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had said this, He said to him, “Follow Me!” Jesus told Peter what kind of death he would glorify God. So saints, do not worry when and how you will die. What we must do is follow the Lord.
28.) FOR unbelievers, apparently money is the most important thing is this world. In America a person is evaluated by how much money he has. The more money you have, the more important you are. If you drive a new Mercedes and dress up well, even strangers will bow to you. Once I was an intern in a large hospital, a girl was chasing me to see if I am a doctor. Why? Doctors make big money. Money gives you more choices: where to live, where to go, and what to do. A lot of money reduces your worry, while too much money actually increases your worry. Someone facetiously says, “The lack of money is the root of all evil.” The Bible says, 1Ti 6:10, “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
There is no freedom like the freedom from the love of money. In my life experience, I have discovered there are more people who would be motivated by money than by truth. The Chinese says, “Money can even make demons to grind the mill.” Deu 14:26, “And you may spend the money on whatever your heart desires: on oxen, sheep, wine, other strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall
eat in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household.”
This may be called the purchasing power; the more money you have, the higher your purchasing power.
People who have a lot of money are controlled by money; very few rich people control their money. For that reason Jesus says, Mat 19:24,“And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God.”
You know why people worship money. Money can buy many things. Do you what money cannot buy? Salvation, happiness, peace, wisdom, health, truth, hope, love. Pro 17:16, “Why is there money in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, when he has no sense?”
Heb 13:5, “Make sure that your character is free from
the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT
YOU, NOR WILL I EVER ABANDON YOU,”
Those who have character are free from the love of money. Those who love money do not have character.
In these two verses (Hebrews 13:4-5) we have the same connection of thought as in Hebrews 12:16; Colossians 3:5; Ephesians 5:3. “Impurity and covetousness may be said to divide between them nearly the whole domain of human selfishness and vice” (Lightfoot on Colossians 3:5).
Conversation.—Literally, way of thought and life, character, disposition.
For he.—Rather, for He Himself hath said. As in many other places in this Epistle, the word of Scripture is regarded as directly spoken by God; but there is an emphasis here (“He Himself”) which well suits the remarkable impressiveness of the words quoted, “I will in no wise let thee go; no, nor will I forsake thee.” This promise of divine support and protection does not occur exactly in the same form in the Old Testament, but is clearly taken from Deuteronomy 31:6, “He will not fail thee nor forsake thee.” (Comp. also Genesis 28:15; Joshua 1:5; 1Chronicles 28:20.) The appositeness of these words and those which follow (Hebrews 13:6) will be seen if we remember the trials which the Hebrew Christians had already endured (Hebrews 10:32-34). It is very probable that this thought supplies the link of connection between Hebrews 13:5-6, and Hebrews 13:7.”
I am so glad that “conversation” is defined above. Conversation in today’s English is quite different from Biblical meaning.
29.) There are so many who make themselves the receiving objects of Christian giving. They set up so-called Christian organizations with the sole intention to ask for donation. They are like beggars to the shame of Christ. There are many on the Internet with questionable behavior. They would invade your computer so that you may become the objects of their solicitations. They are crafty and cunning like being licensed to receive tithes and offerings. They are lovers of themselves, lovers of money; not lovers of God. If you see anyone or any organization uses my name to ask for donation; they are fake and fraudulent. Because I do not associate with any organization, and I preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ absolutely free.
Eph 5:5, “For this you know with certainty, that no sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, which amounts to an idolater, has an inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.”
Verse 5. – For this ye know well; an appeal to their own consciences, made confidently, as beyond all doubt. That no fornicator, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom. Covetousness, the twin-brother sin of uncleanness, is denounced as idolatry. It is worshipping the creature more than the Creator, depending on vast stores of earthly substance in place of the favor and blessing of God. It must receive the doom of the idolater; instead of inheriting the kingdom, he must die the death. The doom in this verse is not future, but present – not shall have, but hath, inheritance, etc. (comp. Ephesians 1:11, 18). The lust of greed overreaches itself; it loses all that is truly worth having; it may have this and that – lands, houses, and goods – but it has not one scrap in the kingdom. Of Christ and God. The two are united in the closest way, as equals, implying the divinity of Christ and his oneness with the Father in the administration of the kingdom. Ephesians 5:5.”
30.) Christianity has betrayers and traitors. Remember Jesus Christ was betrayed by Judas one of the twelve. The traitors are anti-christs, false christs, false prophets, false teachers and false brothers.
Jde 1:4, “For certain people have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into indecent behavior and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”
Mat 24:10,“And at that time many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another.”
Jhn 13:2, “And during supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him.”
1Jo 2:18, “Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many
antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.”
{16} {n} Little children, {17} it is the last time: {18} and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
Now, he turns himself to little children, which nonetheless are well instructed in the sum of religion, and wills them by various reasons to shake off laziness, which is too familiar with that age.
(n) He uses this word Little not because he speaks to children, but to allure them the more by using such sweet words.
(17) First, because the last time is at hand, so that the matter suffers no delay.
(18) Secondly, because antichrists, that is, such as fall from God, are already come, even as they heard that they would come. And it was necessary to warn that careless and fearless age of the danger.”
2Jo 1:10-11, “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your
house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one
who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.”
2 John 1:10-11. If there come any unto you — Either as a teacher or a brother; and bring not this doctrine — Of Christ, namely, that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, did come in the flesh to save mankind; or advance any thing contrary to it, or any other branch of Christ’s doctrine; receive him not into your house — Either as a teacher or a brother; neither bid him God speed — Give him no encouragement therein; for he that biddeth him God speed — That gives him any encouragement; is partaker of — Is necessary to; his evil deeds — We may infer, from what the apostle here says, 1st, That when those who professed to be the disciples of Christ came to any place where they were not known to the brethren who resided there, nor were recommended to them by some with whom they were acquainted, they made themselves known to them as the real disciples of Christ, by declaring their faith. This shows the propriety of the apostle’s advice to this pious matron and her children. 2d, That as the Christians in those days exercised hospitality to their stranger brethren, who were employed in spreading the gospel; so the Christian sister to whom the apostle wrote this letter, being probably rich, and of a benevolent disposition, thought herself under an obligation to supply the wants of those strangers who went about preaching. Wherefore, to prevent her from being deceived by impostors, the apostle here directs her to require such teachers to give an account of the doctrines which they taught; and if she found that they did not hold the true Christian doctrine, he advised her not to receive them into her house, nor to give them any countenance. And this advice of the apostle was certainly perfectly proper, because they who entertained, or otherwise showed respect to, false teachers, enabled them the more effectually to spread their erroneous doctrine, to the seduction and ruin of those whom they deceived.”
31.) God’s attitude toward you is determined by your attitude toward God. There are people who blame God for everything; not only the act is incorrect, the attitude is also wrong. What should be the attitude of all saints?
1Th 5:18, “in everything give thanks; for this is the
will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”
Saints should learn and know to thank God for everything, including troubles and tragedies; for this is the will of God. Let me assure you, I thank God for all my troubles and tragedies.
6. Be careful for nothing] Better, in modern English, In nothing be anxious (R.V.). Wyclif, “be ye no thing bisie”; all the other older English versions are substantially as A.V.; Luther, Sorget nichts; Latin versions, Nihil solliciti sitis (fueritis). On the etymology of the Greek verb, and on the thought here, see note above, Php 2:20. There the mental action here blamed is commended; a discrepancy fully harmonized by a view of different conditions. Here, the saints are enjoined to deal with every trying circumstance of life as those who know, and act upon, the fact that “the Lord thinketh on me” (Psalm 40:17). Cp. Mark 4:19; Luke 8:14; Luke 10:41; Luke 21:34; 1 Corinthians 7:32; 1 Peter 5:7. The English word “care” is akin to older Teutonic words meaning lamentation, murmur, sorrow, and is not connected with the Lat. cura (Skeat, Etym. Dict.). English literature, from “Piers Plowman” (cent. 14) to Shakspeare and the A.V., abounds in illustrations of the meaning of the word here. E.g., Vision of Piers Plowman, v. 76: “carefullich mea culpa he comsed to shewe”; i.e. “he anxiously commenced to unfold” his sins in the confessional. So, in the same writer, a mournful song is “a careful note.” in every thing] An all-inclusive positive, to justify the all-inclusive negative just before.—Observe here, as so often, the tendency of Christian precepts to a holy universality of scope. Cp. Ephesians 4:29; Ephesians 4:31; Ephesians 5:3, and notes in this Series. by prayer and supplication] We might almost paraphrase the Greek, where each noun has an article, “by your prayer &c.”; by the prayer which of course you offer. “Prayer” is the larger word, often including all kinds and parts of “worship”; “supplication” is the more definite. Cp. Ephesians 6:18, and note in this Series. The two words thus linked together are meant, however, less to be distinguished than to include and enforce the fullest and freest “speaking unto the Lord.” with thanksgiving] “The temper of the Christian should always be one of thanksgiving. Nearly every Psalm, however deep the sorrow and contrition, escapes into the happy atmosphere of praise and gratitude. The Psalms, in Hebrew, are the Praises. All prayer ought to include the element of thanksgiving, for mercies temporal and spiritual” (Note by the Dean of Peterborough).—The privilege of prayer is in itself an abiding theme for grateful praise. be made known] Exactly as if He needed information. True faith will accept and act upon such a precept with very little questioning or discussion of its rationale. Scripture is full of illustrations of it in practice, from the prayers of Abraham (Genesis 15, 17, 18) and of Abraham’s servant (Genesis 24) onward. It is for the Eternal, not for us, to reconcile such humble but most real statements and requests on our part with His infinity. This verse is a caution against the view of prayer taken by some Mystic Christian thinkers, in which all articulate petition is merged in the soul’s perpetual “Thy will be done.” See Mme. Guyon, Moyen Court de faire Oraison, ch. 17. Such a doctrine has in it a sacred element of truth, but as a whole it is out of harmony with the divinely balanced precepts of Scripture.”
Our attitude should be: Be anxious for nothing, be prayerful for everything, and be thankful for all things. The things of the world are unpredictable.
32.) Your Kingdom come. The Kingdom of Heaven. There is no new world until there is new Heaven and new Earth, the Holy City, New Jerusalem. The world is not getting better. The world proceeds from evil to evil, it gets worse and worse until the second coming of Jesus Christ to judge and reign in the world with the saints.
The mysteries of the kingdom – The word “mystery,” in the Bible, properly means a thing that is “concealed,” or that “has been concealed.” It does not mean that the thing was “incomprehensible,” or even difficult to be understood.
The thing might be “plain” enough if revealed, but it means simply that it “had” not been before made known. Thus the “mysteries of the kingdom” do not mean any doctrines incomprehensible in themselves considered, but simply doctrines about the preaching of the gospel and the establishment of the new kingdom of the Messiah, which “had not” been understood, and which were as yet concealed from the great body of the Jews. See Romans 16:25; Romans 11:25; Ephesians 3:3-4, Ephesians 3:9. Of this nature was the truth that the gospel was to be preached to the Gentiles; that the Jewish polity was to cease; that the Messiah was to die, etc. To the disciples it was given to know these truths. This was important for them, as they were to carry the gospel around the globe. To the others it was not “then” given. They were too gross, too earthly; they had too, grovelling conceptions of the Messiah’s kingdom to understand these truths, even if communicated to them. They were not to preach the gospel, and hence our Saviour was at particular pains to instruct his apostles in the system which they were to preach. The Pharisees, and Jews generally, were not prepared to receive the system, and would not have believed it, and therefore he purposely employed a kind of teaching which was intended for his apostles only.”
Mat 13:44, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells everything that he has, and buys that field.”
Again the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure,…. By which is meant, not eternal life, the incorruptible inheritance, riches of glory, treasure in heaven; nor Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and all the riches of grace and glory; but the Gospel, which is a treasure consisting of rich truths, comparable to gold, silver, and precious stones; of the most valuable blessings, and of exceeding great, and precious promises; and reveals the riches of God, of Christ, and of the other world; and is a treasure unsearchable, solid, satisfying, and lasting: this is said to bid in a field. The Gospel was in some measure hid, under the former dispensation, from the Old Testament saints; and for a long time was hid from the Gentile world; and is entirely hid from them that are lost, who are blinded by the god of this world; and even from the elect of God themselves, before conversion: this is sometimes said to be hid in God, in his thoughts, counsels, and purposes, and in the covenant of his grace; and sometimes in Christ; who is the storehouse of truth, as well as of grace; and may be thought to be hid under the Mosaic economy, in the types and shadows of the ceremonial law: but here “the field” means the Scriptures, in which the Gospel lies hid; and therefore these are to be searched into for it, as men seek and search for silver and hid treasures, by digging into mines, and in the bowels of the earth:
the which when a man hath found; either with or without the use of means, purposely attended to, in order to find it; such as reading, hearing, prayer, and meditation: for sometimes the Gospel, and the spiritual saving knowledge of it, are found, and attained to, by persons accidentally, with respect to themselves, though providentially, with respect to God; when they had no desire after it, or searched for it, and thought nothing about it; though by others it is come at, in a diligent use of the above means:
he hideth; which is to be understood not in an ill sense, as the man hid his talent in a napkin, and in the earth; but in a good sense, and designs his care of it; his laying it up in his heart, that he might not lose it, and that it might not be taken away from him: another joy thereof; for the Gospel, when rightly understood, brings good tidings of great joy, to sensible sinners,
goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth the field: which is not to be interpreted literally and properly; though a man that knows the worth and value of the Bible, rather than be without one, would part with all his worldly substance for one; but figuratively, and denotes the willingness of such souls, who are led into the glory, fulness, and excellency of the word of God, the scriptures of truth, and of the immense treasure of the Gospel therein, to part with all that has been, or is dear unto them; with their sins, and self-righteousness; with their good names and characters; their worldly substance, and life itself, for the sake of the Gospel, and their profession of it: and may also design the use of all means, to gain a larger degree of light and knowledge in the Gospel. It seems by this parable, according to the Jewish laws, that not the finder of a treasure in a field, but the owner of the field, had the propriety in it; when it should seem rather, that it ought to be divided. Such that have ability and leisure, may consult a controversy in Philostratus (l), between two persons, the buyer and seller of a field; in which, after the purchase, a treasure was found, when the seller claimed it as his; urging, that had he known of it, he would never have sold him the field: the buyer, on the other hand, insisted on its being his property; alleging that all was his which was contained in the land bought by him.”
Mat 13:45, “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls.”
Like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls.—Here again the illustration would commend itself to the thoughts of the fishermen of Galilee. The caprices of luxury in the Roman empire had given a prominence to pearls, as an article of commerce, which they had never had before, and have probably never had since. They, rather than emeralds and sapphires, were the typical instance of all costliest adornments (Matthew 7:6; 1Timothy 2:9). The story of Cleopatra, the fact that the opening of a new pearl market was one of the alleged motives which led the Emperor Claudius to invade Britain, are indications of the value that was then set on the “goodly pearls” of the parable. Such a merchant seeking them, either on the shores of the Mediterranean, or as brought by caravans to other traders from the Persian Gulf or the Indian Ocean, must have been a familiar presence to the fishermen of Capernaum. The parable in its spiritual bearing, has, of course, much that is common with the preceding. But there is this marked and suggestive difference. The “search” is presupposed, The man has been seeking the “goodly pearls” of wisdom, holiness, and truth, and has found them in at least some of their lower forms. Then he is led to the higher knowledge of communion with the life of Christ, and for that is content to resign all that he had before prized most highly. Such, in the records of the New Testament, was the history of St. Paul when he counted “all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord” (Philippians 3:8). Such, in after days, was the history of Justin Martyr and Augustine. Such, in our own time, has been that of many noble and true-hearted seekers after truth and holiness. Such will evermore be the history of those who are faithful in a very little, and who, “willing to do the will of God, shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God” (John 7:17).”
Mat 18:3, “and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you
change and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Mat 19:14, “But Jesus said, “Leave the children alone, and do not forbid them to come to Me; for the
Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.”
Mat 25:1, “Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom.”
Rev 11:15, “Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying,
“The kingdom of the world has become the
Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.”
You have learned a lot about the CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY through the Scriptures. Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.
The leader of Ukraine is corrupt and evil. Ukranians are stupid to follow the path of destruction. He was the one who instigated war with Russia. Now he asks for security guarantees. The nincompoop should be executed to end the war.
Palestinians, Africans, and others serve as example of peoples who want to eat and do not want to work. UN, WHO, EU, etc. champion their cause. Palestinians do not want evacuate from Gaza, Jewish lands to resettle in Arab lands. Because they will lose their status as refugees where they can get their food, fuel, water, medicine and everything for free from international community. These problems multiply with the passage of time.
UN, EU, GERMANY, UK, FRANCE, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZELAND, ETC. are strange and unreasonable peoples. Who is stopping Palestinians to build a Palestinian state in an Arab land? It is wrong and illegal to build a Palestinian state in Jewish land (Gaza, West Bank, etc.). That is the cause of conflict.
The fact that National Guards have to patrol Washington, D.C. with weapons speaks loudly and badly of the capital. The mayor of Washington, D.C. should be dismissed and deported. All the more urgent the national capital should move to Lincoln, Nebraska, without delay.
The mayor of Washington, D.C. bowed to the illegal acts of street people who set up tents on public streets. She should be dismissed and deported. The National Guards are empowered to trash the tents, clear the streets and vanish street people. Los Angeles is a disgraced city because the California Governor and Los Angeles mayor failed to solve the problems of street people who not only set up tents on public streets, but also urinate and defecate. All the more urgent for the national capital to move to Lincoln, Nebraska. In the face of national debt exceeding $37 trillion, the people can save money by abolishing the House, retain the unicameral legislation of Senate to move also to Lincoln Nebraska. All this can be accomplished legally by a national refrerendum. America is ruined by dark and evil forces.
Heroes of all races who sacrified their lives for China in the war against Japanese aggression should be celebrated and remembered. The descendants of them are eternal friends of China. Descendants of American Flying Tiers whose forefathers had sacrified their lives in the war against Japanese aggression and atrocities must always be honored and remembered. The Chinse government must treat them as eternal friends, and they are welcome to China anytime. Such blood bonds must be appreciated and maintained forever.
The world wrongly marks the anniversary of dropping atomic bomb on Hiroshima while neglecting the Japanse aggression and atrocities of killing 35 million innocent Chinese without remorse or reparations. UN overappointed unqualified blacks and media have given too much covergage to unworthy black spoke-persons. It is amazing no matter how beautifully white organizations and individuals hail human rights, civil rights, democracy, development, technology, benefits, justice, etc., what they are actually after is MONEY. This can be said equally true about blacks.
Pet economy is wasted economy. Money should better be spent on nutrition and education of children and orphanes. In cities all dogs must have annual license of Y5,000, cats Y4,000, and birds Y3,000. It is exempt for rural areas. If a dog defecates in public place, it shall be fined Y3,000 plus cleanup by owner or walker.
Global media highlight the number of Palestinians who have died, but fail to consider why Palestinian Authority and Palestinians do not want to evacuate from Jewish land and resettle in Arab land. Palestinians, men and women, young and old, are shameless beggars. They remain in Gaza to qualify for refugees so that they can get everything free from international community. The international community is ignorant of the fact that GAZA and related territories all belong to the Jews. Israel has every right to take back and take over Gaza and related territories. Palestinians must evacuate and relocate to Arab lands, make a living and establish its own Palestinian state without further delay.
French nincompoop Macron reognized Palestine as a state but failed to know that Palestine does not have territory and sovereignty. Leaders of UK, GERMANY, AUSTRLALIA would commit the same mistake by supporting terrorists. Hamas, Hezebolla, Houthis are wicked terrorists, they should be destroyed without mercy. Leaders of Palestinian Authority are guilty for the death and malnutrition of children because they lead Palestinians to the path of destruction. They could have led Palestinians to lands of Arabs to earn a living and build their own Palestinian state. Palestinians (young & old, man & woman) are most shameless beggars for food & water, they don’t want to go to an Arab land to earn a living and build their own Palestinian state. Africa amid famine has the most fat people in the world, they are also shameless beggars. Ukranians are shameless beggars for weapons, they do not have reason for existence. Harvard though the richest university in the world is a shameless beggar for US aid. Japan claims to practice democracy, its ruling party lost election miserably, yet its prime minister shamelessly wants to stay in power. The world must realize years of aid to Africa produced nothing, trillions of dollars went to black holes. Africa is corrupt, unmotivated and useless.Black leaders and politicians take advantage of it; dress well, eat well, and live a luxurious life style. Black problems can be solved only by Blacks. Let Africa alone to survive on its own. Blacks create most of the problems in the world, given too much coverage and platform in world media, overappointed and given too many spokespersons and positions in UN. Any nation who shares destiny with Africa will be doomed. Nothing good comes out of Africa: primitive religion, superstition, spiritism, orgies, black magic, tribalism, voordoism.
If the Texas flooding is an act of God; Ukraine conflict, and conflicts of Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthis must be acts of the devil.
India must coexist with China, at the same time India and South Africa must be expelled from BRICS besause they do not remain true to BRICS’ founding mission, they do not belong, must be replaced by Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. US and EU must not rearm Ukraine, let Russia destroy it, and never to be rebuilt. The leader of Ukraine must also be executed.
Palestinian Authorities are guilty for leading Palestinians to a path of death, children died and suffer malnutrition. Palestian Authorities do not lead Palestinians (who are Arabs) to a land of Arabs to work for a living and build the Palestinian state.
American forces have successfully wiped out three Iranian nuclear sites through B-2 bombers. The “everlasting consequence” is Iran cannot be a nuclear threat anymore. I stand with the overwhelming majority of Dutch people to demolish NATO — the war machine.
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This article is written to let you know there are things which can be done or obtained only through Jesus Christ, and through no one else. There is no one else can save you or help you. To be without Jesus Christ is to be without hope for time and eternity; for this world and the world to come. Jesus Christ is the Way to God, there is no other way. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the Savior of the world. This is the Truth. To believe in Jesus Christ is to believe the Truth. Those who repent of their sins and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will receive life, the eternal life.
What must be done through Jesus Christ cannot be done through any person.
1. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Jhn 1:17 , “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
Note: Historically God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, the Law for the people to observe. There is truth in the Law, but no grace. Grace and truth came only through Jesus Christ. Under the dispensation of law, the law is good but man is sinful, so all men are condemned to death. In the dispensation of grace, Jesus Christ offers the righteousness of God which men can never obtain by keeping the law. This is the truth that to know Christ is to have eternal life. It is the grace of God. Outside of Christ, there is no grace and truth for salvation. The law only tells you are a sinner but cannot save you. Jesus Christ reveals the truth of God and the grace of God so that sinners can be saved. You are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
2. The good news of peace through Jesus Christ.
Act 10:36 , “You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, preaching the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.”
Note: There is no peace for sinners because the wrath of God is upon sinners. The good news of peace because Jesus Christ died for our sins so that we may have peace with God. When we have peace with God, we also have peace in our hearts.
3. Through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved.
Act 15:11 , “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.”
Note: Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. The word “grace” in Greek is charis which means unmerited or undeserved favor (contains the idea of kindness which bestows upon one what he has not deserved; preeminently of that kindness by which God bestows favor freely done even upon the unworthy and ill-deserving sinners) or gift of a heavenly benefit. Its dogmatic significance stresses the entire and absolute freeness of the lovingkindness of God to men. The eternal life is a gift of God, not that anyone is worthy or can earn by any means. No one is good enough to go to Heaven, everyone is bad enough to go to Hell. Salvation is the gift of God, it is free, you cannot earn it. We do not deserve it.
4. I thank my God through Jesus Christ.
Rom 1:8 , “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.”
Note: The fact that we have faith we must thank God through Jesus Christ. It is not any good in us that makes us believe. God loved us not because we love Him. Through Jesus Christ we were called and chosen to be the children of God. I thank my God through Jesus Christ for saving me and the Spirit of Christ lives in me to guide, lead and protect me.
5. God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus Christ.
Rom 2:16 , “This will take place on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my Gospel declares.”
Note: In the sight of God no man has any secrets. God knows everything about you and me and everybody. God knows your secrets, my secrets and everybody’s secrets. God knows the secrets of Washington, Wall Street and Hollywood. No top secrets can escape God. No classified information that God does not know. When God judges, no one can escape. The Father has given the Son the authority to judge, so there is no judgment for those who have been redeemed by our Savior the Lord. This is the essence of the Gospel. Jesus Christ died for sinners so that all who repent and believe in Him receive the forgiveness of sins. There is no more condemnation for those Jesus Christ has redeemed.
6. The righteousness of God comes through faith in Jesus Christ.
Rom 3:22 , “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference.”
Note: By keeping the law no one can obtain the righteousness of God. By good deeds and merit no one is worthy to be justified by God. There is no difference among men, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. This is the good news: The righteousness of God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. How? The following is the explanation.
7. Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Rom 3:24 , “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
Note: The redemption in Christ Jesus was purchased by His precious blood. All who repent of their sins and believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior are justified freely by His grace. To be justified by God means to be counted as righteous by God through Jesus Christ. There is no redemption outside of Jesus Christ. There is only salvation by grace and through faith in Jesus Christ.
8. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Rom 5:1 , “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Note: By dying on the cross Jesus Christ has reconciled repentant sinners to God. Since Jesus Christ paid for our sins with His life, we now have peace with God. We have peace with God because we will not face the wrath of God. Instead we also have the right to become the children of God.
9. We rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Rom 5:11 , “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”
Note: Sinners are enemies of God; Jesus Christ made peace with God on our behalf by sacrificing His life. There is no redemption outside of Jesus Christ. We rejoice in God because Jesus Christ rose from death by the power of God for our justification, and we have now received reconciliation with God who is our Heavenly Father.
10. The gift of righteousness through Jesus Christ.
Rom 5:17 , “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one Man, Jesus Christ.”
Note: In Adam all died because of sin. Through Jesus Christ believers receive the gift of righteousness which reigns in life. How does grace reign? Read the following:
11. Grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ.
Rom 5:21 , “So that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Note: Sin reigned in death. Grace reigns through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ.
12. Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free.
Rom 8:2 , “Because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”
Note: How? Rom 8:11 , “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
Note: If you have the Spirit of Christ in you, you have life.
13. I beg you through the Lord Jesus Christ…that you strive together.
Rom 15:30 , “Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me.”
Note: In the work of the Lord, brothers and sisters must strive in prayers to God through Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit. Our efforts for the Kingdom of God are moved by the love of Christ.
14. Called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God.
1Cr 1:1 , “Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother.”
Note: Apostles were special disciples of Jesus Christ, the Twelve; Judas the betrayer lost his position, Jesus Christ called Paul to replace him. Today there are many preachers by occupation who were not called by God. The worse are the false prophets and false teachers, preachers of prosperity gospel are not servants of Christ. Many preachers in America and Europe preach prosperity gospel who put their hearts on things of the world. Many Chinese preachers do not preach the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ, I do not know it is because they do not know and do not know how, or they do not want to. There are so many occupational pastors and preachers who are not called to serve. They have no living message, their churches are dead.
15. Through Jesus Christ we live.
1Cr 8:6 , “Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.”
Note: All things were created through Jesus Christ, and through Him believers live. To live for Christ is to do the will of God. Because the Redeemer lives forever, so believers shall live forever. The saved souls will live forever because our Redeemer lives forever.
16. He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Cr 15:57 , “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Note: Human victory is fought and won, but not spiritual victory. Victory is given through our Lord who has conquered death, the world, and the devil. Victory by military might does not last. All empires vanished.
17. Through Christ our comfort overflows.
2Cr 1:5 , “For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.”
Note: The word “comfort” in Greek is paraklēsis which means consolation, solace or cheer. The comfort in Christ is not only sufficient, it is abundant. The comfort of the world even for the rich and powerful will run dry. Through Christ our comfort overflows just like the psalmist says, My cup runs over.
18. We have such confidence through Christ toward God.
2Cr 3:4 , “We have such confidence through Christ toward God.”
Note: The word “confidence” in Greek is pepoithēsis which means trust, reliance. Recent events magnify the fact you cannot trust the government, banks, mortgage, insurance and big firms. There is nothing and no one you can trust in this world. Our confidence is through Jesus Christ toward God. No one can stand before the Holy and Righteous God. Through the blood of Jesus Christ we have access to God with confidence. Children of God, do not fear, you can call on the name of the Lord anytime and anywhere.
19. It came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Gal 1:12 , “For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Note: The Gospel that Paul preached and we believe came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. The word “revelation” in Greek is apokalypsis which means laying bare, uncovering or disclosure of truth concerning divine things before unknown. Revelation is direct disclosure from God, distinguished from other methods of instruction. Christianity is the revealed religion , not man-made like others. Prophets of old knew about the expanding universe because God revealed to them. You cannot use science to discover God, you cannot use human wisdom to find God. Jesus Christ reveals God to mankind. To know Jesus Christ is to know God.
20. The blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:14 , “He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”
Note: The blessing given to Abraham by God is made available to the Gentiles through Jesus Christ because He died for the whole world. By the redemption of Christ, the Gentiles (non-Jews) may receive the blessing given to Abraham by faith.
21. You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Note: False prophets and false teachers fool people by saying all human beings are children of God. Not, so. There are children of God and there are children of the devil. People who repent and believe in Jesus Christ are all sons of God. No matter how good you are, you are not good enough to become sons of God by your own merit. Only those who have the Spirit of Christ belong to Christ, those who belong to Christ are the children of God.
22. To be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ.
Eph 1:5 , “He (God) predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will.”
Note: It is God’s pleasure and will to adopt non-Jews who accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. This is a right given to all believers in Christ.
23. God who created all things through Jesus Christ.
Eph 3:9 , “And to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ.”
Note: The mystery from the beginning of the ages was Christ, the Creator, the Savior, the Son of God. God created all things through Jesus Christ. Evolution theory is the biggest scientific myth. Man is not made by evolution. In the beginning God created male and female. The universe did not come by “big bang” or small bang. God through Jesus Christ created the universe.
24. The fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.
Phl 1:11 , “Filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.”
Note: The fruit of righteousness only comes through Jesus Christ. No one can produce the fruit of righteousness through their own goodness or good deeds. Your righteousness is not acceptable to God, the righteousness of Jesus Christ is given to all who believe in Him. The righteousness of Christ is the righteousness of God.
25. The peace of God…will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Phl 4:7 , “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Note: There is nothing in this world which can guard your hearts and minds; not money, not power, not position, not connection, not science, etc. Only the peace of God which is beyond human understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. The world is full of troubles, no wonder some people lose their minds and have broken hearts.
26. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Phl 4:13 , “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Note: This lies the secret of our victory – Christ strengthens us in all things. Jesus Christ is the power of God, the power of Christian life. Believers, children of God, can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
27. God appointed us to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Th 5:9 , “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Note: Outside of Jesus Christ there is no salvation. The truth may offend people, all religions do not offer salvation; they may offer fake salvation. Those who worship other gods incur God’s wrath. Salvation comes only from Jesus Christ who died for sinners on the cross and rose from death to justify all who put their trust in the Savior of the world. God does not predetermine anyone to perish, God wants all repent and believe in Jesus Christ to be saved.
28. Make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
2Ti 3:15 , “And that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
Note: The world is upside down as witnessed by what is taking place recently in America, where Wall Street, bank, mortgage, insurance, and big firms executives managed their businesses into bankruptcy, not only they got hundreds of billions of dollars in bailout money from taxpayers, not only they are not held accountable for their corrupt and fraudulent practices, they also gave themselves who failed in management billions of dollars in compensation and bonuses. Are they not wise for themselves? Although they escape the judgment of men, they are certainly not wise for salvation, for they will die in their sins and condemned to eternal punishment. The children of darkness are much more shrewd in worldly matters than the children of light. The evil trinity – Wall Street, Washington, and Hollywood – is not wise for salvation, not wise for things that last.
29. Whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ.
Tts 3:6 , “Whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.”
Note: God poured out the Holy Spirit on believers generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.
30. Sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ.
Hbr 10:10 , “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
Note: Believers are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all because His precious blood cleanses us from all sins. Thus our position in Christ is sanctified before God.
31. Doing His will…through Jesus Christ.
Hbr 13:21 , “Equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
Note: The will of God is supreme; we must submit ourselves to God through Jesus Christ.
32. Offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
1Pe 2:5 , “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
Note: Spiritual sacrifices are acceptable to God only through Jesus Christ.
33. In all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.
1Pe 4:11 , “If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
Note: In all things, no human merit is acceptable to God. In all things Christ must be preeminent so that God may be praised through Jesus Christ.
34. To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ.
Jud 1:25 , “To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
Note: Glory, majesty, power and authority belong to God our Savior. Jesus Christ is the only God and our Savior.
You have learned only through Jesus Christ your sins can be forgiven, to be saved and to have the eternal life.
Would you believe and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior so that you can be saved?
*Our mission is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ absolutely free. We do not want donation. We only want you to know the truth.
为什么美国不能与中国战争？
The answer isMUTUAL DESTRUCTION, DESTRUCTIONand DESTRUCTION of the whole World!
同归于尽, 世界末日。 Any military attack by the United States of America the aggressor, must be immediately responded with massive and total nuclear retaliation to annihilate the warmonger. This is the only credible and effective deterrence.
If America is the best country and the freest nation and most democratic nation on earth, why amid the Pandemic, a Black man whatever crime he committed was publicly killed on TVthrough asphyxiation by a White police as the whole world was watching? Consequently, riots, protests, burning, smashing store windows and doors, lootings, and demonstrations took place in major American cities including Washington, D.C. some world cities with peaceful demonstrations?
If the White House is truly the People’s House, why high fences were erected, and 10,000 troops with fierce dogs and heavy weapons were stationed around the White House and the Capitol? What and Who the troops were protecting? This may be the first to disclose the secret the White House (apparently a 2-story building) is actually a stronghold with 5 more stories below ground level of well-fortified and well-equipped and luxuriously furnished facilities. What is the 7-story well-furnished White House for? To protect American leaders from nuclear war! The 7-story White House was built without knowledge of most Americans intended to survive the devastation of the coming nuclear war. If a man prepared for wedding, naturally he is going to have a wedding. If a house is preparing for a funeral, it is going to have a funeral. If a government is preparing for a nuclear war, the nuclear war is near at the door. China and Chinese people by word and deed prove they do not want war with America. Besides the warmongers, white militarists and supremacists, no one would believe that Russia wants a nuclear war with America. In your judgment who is going to start a coming nuclear war?
America and American people have been misled and going astray by blind and bad leaders and politicians. America should seek to be First in good and right things, not in bad and wrong things. America should use all its resources and efforts to lead the world in peace, progress, justice, prosperity, liberty, security, equality and civility. I am an American, do not all Americans want justice, and freedom from fear, poverty and discrimination? Stand up and be counted or there is no future for America!
When I was a graduate student, Soviet Union was an imperialist intended for world domination. China historically has never been an imperialist. Now both Russia and China want to live in peace and prosperity. American leaders and politicians should learn from President Richard Nixon who sought a just and lasting peace for the world, and they must subject to the will and wishes of American people in seeking only peace and prosperity and equality in the world!
April 29, 2020, THIS IS THE DAY OF INFAMY AND INIQUITY! My fellow Americans, may I reason with you in facts and truth. We cannot reason with lies and falsehoods and fake news. When China first discovered the first case of COVID-19 epidemic in December 2019, China with WHO immediately disseminated relevant scientific and medical information to all nations in the world. The response of the United States and Europe were apathetic, lethargic and overconfident. The white race is superior and stronger and bigger than the “sick and dirty Chinese”. The disease will not get us since we have superior medical system and facilities, greater number of medical specialists and personnel, most advanced medical equipment and ample supplies, as well as ideal living conditions. Besides we are rich and advanced. Little time passed, it caught the world by surprise when WHO declared COVID-19 PANDEMIC! According to the finding of autopsy, the first California CORONAVIRUS infection died in the early December of 2019. The deceased had never been to China, much less Wuhan. Have you ever thought why China the most populous nation on earth, with a population many times more than the population of America and Europe combined has many times less infections and deaths? Could it be CORONAVIRUS originated from America infected China, and then the Europeans infected America? Have you heard of the ancient proverb, The chicken comes home to roost. When the governor of New York called out on TV asking the 49 states to come and help, no one responded. He declared CORONAVIRUS in New York came from Europe, not China. The significant part was the fact the New York governor thanked China for bringing ventilators to New York. American nurses and paramedics were also demonstrated demanding the government to provide supply of masks, and other medical supplies. Is it not strange and abnormal the sole superpower that manufactured aircraft carriers, war planes, and the largest quantity of nuclear weapons do not meet the home demand of medical supplies in emergency? It is the “backward and poor country of China” that manufactures test kits, masks, surgical gowns, ventilators, etc. to supply the urgent need of America and the world?
California Gov. Newsom spoke on first U.S. Coronavirus transmission of unknown origin. The rotten racist American leaders and politicians of both parties and the nincompoop Australian prime minister go against evidence — all call CORONAVIRUS the Chinese virus, and blame China for the pandemic, and want to sue China for damages. You have never witnessed human beings so low, so degraded, so depraved, so perverted, so malicious, so vicious, so senselessly blind, so shameless, and morally wicked as these! The wonder of wonders these evildoers call themselves Christians. What I say does not matter. What Jesus Christ says is absolute and ultimate.
Jhn 8:44,“You are of yourfatherthedevil, and you want to do the desires of yourfather. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and thefather of lies.”
Note: “You” in this verse means the Jews. Jesus was speaking to the Jews directly who thought they were children of Abraham. Jesus said they were not children of Abraham, but children of the devil. This is the definition provided by Jesus Christ, no matter who they are, be it president, prime minter, pimp, or prostitute: if you lie and kill, and no truth in you, then you are a child of the devil. Do you know in the last 500 years white Europeans lied under the so-called “White Man’s Burden” to attack, kill, and rob many nations and peoples in Asia, Africa, and Latin America to conquer and colonize them and looted their resources to build up and modernize Europe? Do you know the United States from its inception robbed the land of the natives of America and almost killed off the Red Indian race? Since the end of World War II, American leaders and politicians started many wars of aggression and bloody military interventions that killed millions and millions of innocent peoples around the world and made even more millions of peoples refugees who live in abject poverty? Most recently, the greatest and blackest lie and atrocity was committed by falsely accusing Iraq for having weapons of mass destruction. America with its allies attacked, occupied, murdered the leader of Iraq and countless Iraqis and looted the country. The Axis of Evil led by America, Europe, Canada, Australia, Japan, etc. are still lying, killing, and robbing to this day. Yet these people shamelessly call themselves Christians. My fellow Americans, these leaders and politicians of both parties are leading America astray and to the path of destruction. America is committing suicide economically, financially, diplomatically, politically, socially, and morally. Not only they do evil and wrong, they deliberately blame others for their negligence, neglect of duty, mismanagement, and wickedness. Unless the good Americans rise up to save America, open your ears and eyes, see the handwriting is on the wall!Repent or Perish!
I fully agree with Jeffrey Sachs’ truthful conclusion as follows: “China is not the source of our economic problems — corporate greed is.
ByJeffrey Sachs
Updated 0457 GMT (1257 HKT) May 27, 2019
Unless some greater wisdom prevails, we could spin toward conflict with China, first economically, then geopolitically and militarily, with utter disaster for all. There will be no winners in such a conflict. Yet such is the profound shallowness and corruption of US politics today that we are on such a path.
A trade war with China won’t solve our economic problems. Instead we need homegrown solutions: affordable health care, better schools, modernized infrastructure, higher minimum wages and a crackdown on corporate greed. In the process, we would also learn that we have far more to gain through cooperation with China rather than reckless and unfair provocation.”
“Is the US Planning to Wage War on Russia and China?
Theme: US NATO War Agenda Listen to the interview with Prof. Michel Chossudovsky below.
This is Guns and Butter.
“The Rand Corporation, on contract with the US Army, which commissioned a report examining a war with China. Now, this is called “War With China: Thinking Through the Unthinkable.” The irony of this is that what they examined in this report is whether “we” could actually win a war on China.
Essentially, this is a simulation of a war between the United States and China and it comes up with the conclusion that we’re going to win it.That’s diabolical and it’s criminal. What has China done to the sovereignty of the United States?”
The study (published in 2015) entitled War with China: Thinking the Unthinkable was commissioned by the US Army.
I’m Bonnie Faulkner. Today on Guns and Butter, Michel Chossudovsky.
Today’s show: Is the US Planning to Wage War on Russia and China? Michael Chossudovsky is an economist and the Founder, Director and Editor of the Center for Research on Globalization, based in Montreal, Quebec. He is the author of 11 books including The Globalization of Poverty and the New World Order, War and Globalization: The Truth Behind September Eleventh, America’s War on Terrorism and The Globalization of War: America’s Long War Against Humanity. Today we concentrate on the global military agenda, on the evolving restructure of geopolitical alliances, the Nuclear Posture Review, the purpose of the Manhattan Project, and the dangers of nuclear war.”
Those warmongers who believe or think America could actually win a nuclear war on China are deadly mistaken, inspired by the Devil.
The U.S. is able to killone billion Chinese, but there will still be400 million Chinesearound the world. China is able to kill350 million Americans, there will be not one American left in the world!
The United States is on the Wrong Side of History by supporting and standing with the empire of Japan, making Taiwan its colony, and by expanding its aggression into Asia and Europe and many parts of the world, and having killed millions and millions of innocent peoples in hundreds of unjust wars and bloody military interventions conducted by America since the end of World War II.
WHAT IS DEADLY WRONG WITH THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA?
“The U.S., not China, is the real threat to international rule of law
JEFFREY D. SACHS
NEW YORK
CONTRIBUTED TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL
PUBLISHED 2 DAYS AGO UPDATED DECEMBER 12, 2018
Jeffrey D. Sachs is an American economist and the director of Columbia University’s Center for Sustainable Development.
UN Security Council Resolution 2231 calls on all countries to drop sanctions on Iran as part of the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement. Yet the United States. – and only the United States – now rejects the Security Council’s role in such matters. The Trump administration, not Huawei or China, is today’s greatest threat to the international rule of law, and therefore to global peace.”
“US warships pass through Taiwan Strait amid China tensions
1.· The United States sent two warships through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday in the first such operation this year, the Taiwanese government said.
2.· This risks further heightening tensions with China, which considers Taiwan its own.
3.· The move will likely be viewed in Taiwan as a sign of support from U.S. President Donald Trump’s government amid growing friction between Taipei and Beijing.
Published 9:59 PM ET Thu, 24 Jan 2019 Updated 10:31 PM ET Thu, 24 Jan 2019″
“World War 3 WARNING: China preparing for MASSIVE conflict warns top US official
CHINA could be “preparing for World War 3” over the South China Sea dispute according to Senator James Inhofe, chair of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee.
PUBLISHED: 03:45, Thu, Jan 31, 2019 | UPDATED: 08:15, Thu, Jan 31, 2019
The Republican Congressman made the comments during a Tuesday committee hearing on security threats to the US. China claims ownership of the oil-rich South China Sea. This claim is contested.
US naval patrols in theSouth China Sea have led to confrontations with Chinese forces.
Last autumn the USS Decatur and a Chinese warship nearly collided in the region, coming within 45 yards of each other.” Isn’t it strange, the claim that China is a security threat to the U.S. while China does not have one spy plane, one warship, or one soldier stationed near America? But the United States has aircraft careers, war ships, bombers, spy planes, destroyers invading the Chinese defense zones in the South China Sea, Yellow Sea and East China Sea. The U.S. forces run the risk to have confrontations with Chinese forces? Did Chinese forces confront American forces in North America? Last autumn the USS Decatur and a Chinese warship nearly collided in the region, coming within 45 yards of each other? Did a Chinese warship collide with an American warship in the Western or Eastern Sea of America? U.S. does not conduct naval patrol in American East coast or West coast, and USS Decatur warship is in the South China Sea — all this constitutes Chinese security threats to the U.S.? U.S. naval power is in the South China Sea, but it is considered a Chinese security threat to the U.S.? Only the Devil and the sons of the Devil would buy and call this a truth. The U.S. has a plan
(RAND PLAN) to wage a war against China is a well-known fact. Chinese forces are not in American west coast or east coast, but that is China preparing for World War 3? The South China Sea belongs to China long before the U.S., Japan, Australia, etc. have existed. Is it pretty sharp and smart to call evil good, lie truth? God would reward it soon. The truth is self-evident, who is really preparing for World War 3 to target China and Russia? Who is the greatest threat to Russia, China and the world? If you are not blind, you can see the handwriting is on the wall.
The following article is written by a great and patriotic American professor, multi-talented Peter Koenigwho is an economist and geopolitical analyst. He is also a water resources and environmental specialist. I salute him because he has character and courage to tell the truth plainly. I fully agree with his full views.
“Washington Is Waging a New Dimension War Against China – And Will Lose Out Bitterly
Once the all-encompassing chittering and chattering
about tariffs on Chinese imports by the western
corporate media subsided, Trump, egocentric
businessman rather than the President of the Empire,
“out of the blue”, one could almost say, under
the pretextof ‘unfair’ Chinese trading, launches a
new ferocious and as usual totally illegal campaign
of aggression against China’s fast-growing economy.
It’s an illicit campaign against Chinese competition,
against Chinese unstoppable growth. It’s a tacit recognition of China’s emerging supremacy which the United States can only confront with fraud, deceit and illegal activities. And this only as long as Washington controls the western monetary system. This won’t be for much longer.
It’s an aggression against leading Chinese businesses and against China’s embracing a policy of a multi-polar world – through connection of entire continents, countries, cultures, joint research, education and agricultural, as well as industrial development – through transport lines, equal trade, respect for each other and recognition of people’s and countries’ comparative advantages by technical knowhow and bestowed by nature. It’s based on fair and equal interchanges. It’s the multi-trillion-yuan Belt and RoadInitiative (BRI), also called the New Silk Road; an initiative launched in 2013 by President Xi Jinping during an official visit to Indonesia and Kazakhstan.
BRI consists by now of 6 land and sea routes, currently comprising some 152 countries and international organizations in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.
This new Chinese economic behemoth is tentatively projected through the 2040’s. The BRI is all-inclusive and, thus, so strong, it was recently incorporated in China’s Constitution. However, it was largelyignored by the west, and especially by the western prostitute media – with the western “Vogel Strauss” politics of halfwits, ignore it and it will go away. Now the west realizes, it won’t go away – and it is tough competition for the falsely propagated west’s trade and economic superiority. Too late my friends. As I often said, by endless greed and thirst for power with impunity, of short-term rent seeking, of relentlessly provoked wars and conflicts, killing layers and layers of human societies throughout the world to bring opponents of this small diabolical elite to their knees, the west is committing slowly but surely suicide. This is nature. Nature will not only survive, but overcome and subordinate this luciferian approach to world domination. The future is in the east. Most definitely. There is no way back.
Among the first steps of the US’s new generation of aggression against China is Washington’s ordering its northern vassal, Canada, to arrest Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Meng Wanzhou, in transit, at Vancouver airport on 1 December 2018.
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. is a Chinese multinational telecommunications equipment and consumer electronics manufacturer, headquartered in Shenzhen. Huawei is the world’s 7th largest telecommunication corporation and was founded by Ren Zhengfei, a former military engineer in the People’s Liberation Army, in 1987. Ms. Meng Wanzohou is the founder’s daughter and deputy CEO. Ms. Wanzhou is now accused of breaking the totally illegal sanctions against Iran by doing business with Iran. Washington, unabashedly puts one illegal action of their own – sanctions – over another one – taking hostage a lead person of a strong Chinese competitor, to coerce Huawei to abide by an illegally US-imposed rule – sanctions. It is an unbelievable catch-22 story. But even more unbelievable is that the dictate of the abusive Washington policies is still followed and even worse, that there are hardly any protests.
This is only possible without most of the western world saying “beep”, because they all still recognize – for now – the US as the self-imposed exceptional nation – the nation that makes and breaks laws as it goes along. – But how much longer?
Ms. Wanzhou, in Canadian custody, for absolutely no illegal infraction – only by acting against what the US made up as a law – sanctions – that everybody has to adhere to, or else, they will themselves be subject to sanction. Can you see how sick our western system has become?
It is now a war without bombs. It’s become a war of economics, recognizing that a war with bombs and missiles the US could not win any longer – not that they ever did! – since Russia and China have developed technically far superior military equipment. Hence, the United States’ last trump (no pun intended) – is working their fraudulent monetary system to the last ditch.
The big danger for the US-driven western criminal monetary and debt-driven pyramid system, is China, because China’s economy is based on hard economic output, construction, manufacturing, intellectual and scientific development, as compared to the US-driven western neoliberal profit-maximizing dogma with inflated services, one that outsources hard production to low-wage countries, foregoes long-term economic gains and institutional memory, for a GDP of hot air, McDonalds-type jobs, consumption of cheap and useless imports; and, of course, – a destructive war and killing industry.
That’s why Washington is hastily trying to elevate their lie and deceit campaign onto another level. Kidnapping Huawei’s Ms. Wanzhou, lambasting Europe to ban Huawei’s equipment form their markets, because it contains spyware, is just one example of a ruthless illicit approach to eliminating competition. On the other hand, Washington’s fading empire dares slandering President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative and, in a last desperate effort, blackmailing Europe, as well as African BRI-contenders, with more illegal sanctions – not to sign up to China’s New Silk Road. No matter that most of them have already done so. Italy clearly said they will soon sign an agreement with China to use Italian ports for BRI’s maritime routes. As to banning Huawei from Europe, Germany, for one, has already said they will not ban Huawei. Let’s hope others will follow Germany’s lead.
The Belt and Road Initiative is an unstoppable train – that left the station some five years ago and is on a projected route for the next 30-some years initiating peaceful socioeconomic development throughout the world. As a Chinese representative at the recent Cuban Conference for The Equilibrium of the World said – We are building bridges to connect people of all continents, while the west is building walls.“
According to a thought-provoking article below:
“Is World War Between the US and China Inevitable?
The major concern that world war could erupt between the two powerhouses stems from the fact that their relationship contains a historical dynamic which often leads to war: known as the Thucydides trap. This trap refers to the ancient Greek historian, Thucydides, who wrote that one of the main causes of the Peloponnesian war, which was fought between two alliances, one led by Athens and the other by Sparta, was that the “rise of Athens and fear that this installed in Sparta made war inevitable” (Allison 2018: xiv). The dangerous situation Thucydides outlined thousands of years ago has been used to refer to the explosive dynamic when a rising power threatens a ruling power (Allison 2018: xv). The Harvard Professor, Graham Allison, has used the Thucydides trap in the context of the Sino-US relationship, as a rising China is now challenging the position of the US in many respects.
The Thucydides’ Trap Project at Harvard has analyzed the last 500 years of history, and found sixteen cases when a rising power has challenged a ruling power, with war ensuing in 12 instances (Allison 2018: 41). Some notable examples of the cases that resulted in war include the rise of Napoleonic France that challenged ruling British power in the late 18th, early 19th century, and the rise of Germany in the run-up to WWI, which led to war with the ruling power Britain and its allies (Allison 2018: 42).
The answer, quite simply, is that America was deeply connected to the China’s rise. In fact, the US in many ways facilitated China’s rise on the world stage, as the US government under President Richard Nixon made the decision to bring China in from isolation, and help integrate it into an international order dominated by US power, with this power sitting within an overarching global system. Nixon made his stance on China clear even before he became US President in 1969. In a 1967article for Foreign Affairs, the publication of the CFR, Nixon argued that it should be the long-term strategy of the US to bring China out of isolation and incorporate it into the evolving international system (Nixon 1967: 121).”
I believe two key points must be highlighted to answer the critical question: “Is World War Between the US and China Inevitable?” First, the comparative analysis between the rise of America versus the old British empire is useless and irrelevantto the real situation between the peaceful rise of China and the imperial America which consistently and persistently demonstrates its will to maintain the status quo of world domination and dictatorship. In the first place, Britons and Americans claim to belong to the white superior race. The historical racial discrimination and slur against the Chinese by Western powers are an open book for all normal people to examine. China and Russia both express themselves not interested nor seeking to be hegemonic powers. The evidence amply proves that China’s intention matches its action. I also do not see any evidence of Putin seeking Russia to be an imperialist like America. The reason I am a supporter of President Richard Nixon is the fact that he sought a just and lasting peace for the world. Nixon did not seek absolute military superiority and imperial expansion as all his predecessors did and successors do to the present. Nixon assured Chairman Mao that he would not attack China. Secondly, only the blind cannot see that the United States of America since the end of World War II has consistently and persistently executed an aggressive and militant foreign policy of world domination and “containment of China” with a short period of changing course of direction under President Nixon. After Nixon to the present, the American imperial policy has not changed a bit, only expanding world-wide and even reaching the space. There is no prospect that America will give up the Empire to regain a respectable Republic. If America is continuously on a high-speed race to dominate the world at any cost, it is inevitable America and its allies may cause a nuclear war that will destroy the whole world. You can rest assured the nuclear war will not start by Russia or China. Since the infamous Opium Wars, America and Western powers have wronged China too many times. This time is different. America no longer can fight a proxy war, the nuclear war will be fought in mainland America. The end is mutual destruction and the destruction of the world. This is not The Thucydides Trap. It is The Unholy Ambition Trap. The time will tell.
To dominate the world America employs two-pronged approach: (1). American capitalismis bent on domination of world economy, for this reason American leaders use trade pacts to lock up trade and business to benefit its economy and intended to oppress and suppress China and Russia. The U.S. is conducting an immoral economic theory and practice of huge annual deficits and largest national debt of over $35 trillion and rising without end. American trade pacts intend to benefit America at the expense of its allies. America cannot compete with China in trade and manufacturing. Soon (2026) China will surpass America in becoming the number one economy in the world. American decline is not caused by China’s rise, it is self-inflicted. China’s trade pacts are always a win-win formula of mutual benefit. Thus for those nations that join American trade pacts are going to be losers. For those who join China’s trade pacts are going to be winners. The nature of American capitalism is always monopolistic, greedy, corrupt, exploitative and oppressive. (2). American imperialismis characterized by aggression and expansion in order to dominate the world through absolute military supremacy. The United States has more than 700 overseas military bases to encircle China and Russia. America has been the divider and destroyer of the world. China’s threat is the biggest and blackest lie manufactured by America and Japan, Australia, Canada and Europe. For that reason, Obama’s “ pivot to Asia ” policy was American code word for aggression and expansion into Asia Pacific and so into the South China Sea and the East China with more than 65% of all its massive military forces such as aircraft carriers, fleets, nuclear submarines, warplanes and unmanned warplanes, 4-largest radar networks installed in Japan, Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan, missiles and anti-missiles poised to launch first strikes at China’s nuclear facilities and destroy China’s strike back capabilities. The U.S. also incites Ukraine-Russia conflict and moves into the Black Sea conspiring with NATO. The American hostile military moves into Asia and Europe intended to oppress and suppress China and Russia will instigate a global nuclear war to destroy the world. American allies are proxies for American aggression and will perish first as front-liners for American empire. Furthermore, China never interferes with internal affairs of any nation even those nations that receive China’s aid. America always interferes with the internal matters of its allies and foes. The only deterrence for American capitalism and American imperialism is for nations of the world to realize their dangers and reject them in toto, and for China and Russia to join forces to deter the unholy American ambition of world domination. Another way for peace and prosperity is for American leaders to repent and change course of direction and action by giving up the empire and seeking harmony and coexistence with the community of nations. This is the win-win policy most American citizens want and American leaders must adopt or else death and destruction lies ahead. The Japanese regime has not done anything right since its unconditional surrender as a war crime nation. In fact, it has changed its peace constitution into war constitution, re-militarized Japan with most advanced and deadly weapons, revised history textbooks to whitewash its inglorious past, and never assumes its legal and moral responsibility to pay for war reparations and compensations. If the empire of Japan does not abide by its own unconditional surrendered agreement and denies all its war crimes, genocide, sex slavery and inhuman atrocities, what guarantee a consensus is going to be transformed into sincere and concrete action?
Japanese leaders are constantly playing dirty tricks and distortion of historical facts consistently and persistently. To trust the dishonest, deceptive and deceitful Japanese leaders would be tantamount to trusting the devil disguised as an angel of light. A mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests is not possible unless Japan does the following: (1). Accept all Japanese war crimes and legal responsibilities as Germany has done honorably and abide by its unconditional surrender agreement. (2). Denounce Japanese militarism and return to peace constitution. (3). Return Diaoyu Islands to China with compensation at once. (4). Do not seek hegemony in Asia or anywhere. (5). Do not be a part of American aggression. Chinese leaders and Chinese people must not be fooled by the dishonorable and deceitful leaders of Japan and its empire!!! Only actions can verify words. History is going to repeat because American leaders are leading Japan, Australia, Canada, Britain, New Zealand, EU, etc. to have a war of aggression against China and Russia order to eliminate competitors. The good peoples and leaders of the world, if you do nothing, the evil forces will destroy the world.
All American presidents, since the end of World War II, have sought world domination; except President Richard Nixon who sought a just and lasting peace for the world.
To seek world domination, American leaders engaged in two tasks, namely seeking absolute military supremacy and world conquest by inciting and engaging in unjust wars and bloody military interventions which had killed millions and millions of innocent peoples around the world. The empire of America is the number one corrupt and negative influence on the whole world. The American values of money, power and sex corrupt and infect the whole world. When I first went to China in 1985 hired by the Ministry of Education as a professor, China probably had the highest moral standard in the world and Chinese people were very honest and responsible. Today American greedy capitalism has infected China worse than Ebola infected Africa. Eager to get rich many Chinese have gone mad, frauds of infinite varieties multiply and mushroom in China. Corruption in government is so rampant that a corrupt government official was found stashing 200 million yuan in his house.
There is nothing that China should copy from the United States. I used to think China should copy American higher education (university), but now American universities are a big business enterprise that many college presidents earn $1 million or more a year while the cost of higher education and the high cost of living make higher education an impossible dream for the poor. How do I know?
Being a son of a poor missionary and preacher, I had to work my way through college in America. It was the most difficult life anyone could experience, but I made it in earning an advanced degree from one of the top American universities without owing anyone one penny. Today in view of American economic and living condition and the high cost of higher education, if I had to do it again, I could never succeed. Why? No one can earn minimum wage enough to pay for the high cost of education and living in America and study at the same time!…
The American propaganda has succeeded in fooling millions of Chinese in believing America has the best way of life with the best social benefits. Many obscurantists in government and university and millions of gullible Chinese think everything American is superior. These are the facts:
(1). American democracy is phony because it serves and enriches the 1 percent of the population at the expense of the 99 percent, and direct election does not serve democracy one bit.
(2). American system of government is corrupted and held hostage by special interests and vested interests and narrow interests, in particular the military – industrial – security complex.
(3). American economy is bankrupt with huge deficits and largest national debt over $35 trillion and practicing Quantitative Easingseveral times that looted the world trillions of dollars and the value of dollar has been dropping for decades.
(4). American legal system does not serve justice, it benefits, encourages and enriches crooks and criminals as well as lawyers and court officials. The Wall Street executives and bankers created the largest economic and financial crisis in 2008 that looted the world more than $50 trillion, not only the guilty ones were not sent to prison (except one Jewish crook), they received bonuses in billions annually.
(5). American healthcare system is the most costly, monopolistic, fraudulent and predatory in the world that corrupt doctors, hospital owners, labs, medical suppliers, drug and insurance companies regularly slaughter patients financially and bankrupt millions of families with impunity and without fear. No president or government officials are interested to stop the healthcare terrorism.
(6). America is a violent society and Americans live in fear (whether you are rich or poor).A former and dead corporate executive was so afraid that his daughter would be kidnapped, while many of being discriminated, defrauded, blackmailed, threatened, robbed, rapped, and even killed by crooks, criminals and terrorists.
(7). The United States is conspiring with its allies the empire of Japan, etc. to rob China’s territories and loot China’s resources – and to target China and Russia.
The list can go on indefinitely, but the facts are sufficient for those who want to know the truth about the real America. China needs to model after the greatest Chinese civilization under Tang Dynasty and improve its society to be fit for global competition and building a good society of its own.
American aggression and arrogance and provocation and distortion of facts and false charges and accusations and facetious lawsuits and litigation and threatening warnings and endless war games of aggressive, provocative and massive nature conducted at China’s doorsteps and spreading the big lie of China threat and Russian threat, coupled with negative attitudes manifested in words and deeds are increasing exponentially with the passage of time and event. These hostilities include all sorts of sanctions, smears and false accusations and labels and spying and surveillance activities of massive and malicious nature.
A member of American media (November 5, 2014) comments, “No one would call Vladimir Putin, the most powerful man in the world for the second year running, a good guy. In 2014 he strong-armed his way into possession of the Crimea and waged an ugly proxy war in neighboring Ukraine, during which an almost certainly Russian-supplied surface-to-air missile downed a civilian jetliner. ”
All American media are tools of American government to spread rumors and fake news, misrepresent and distort facts, and brazenly lie to serve the imperial interests of America. Like master, like slaves. Only God knows how many lies and falsehoods American presidents, officials and American media have told, probably larger than the number of American national debt of over $29 trillion.
Putin is the strong man who dares to stand up against the American imperialist. The world needs Putin to re-balance power in the world. Putin wins the highest approval of Russian people in history, while Obama more than 60 percent of Americans disapproved his regime. If America has true democracy, a general referendum would have dismissed Obama’s presidency. The double-talk and duplicity and hypocrisy of American presidents and propaganda would blush the devil. Crimea was a part of the Soviet Union, and overwhelming majority of the people of Crimea had voted to rejoin Russia. Overwhelming majority of the population of the eastern Ukraine had voted for self-determination and independence. These are true practices of democracy which American leaders call illegal. Putin has proven by word and deed that Russia does not seek hegemonic power and does not want to be an empire like America is.
The old dirty trick of America and Europe in “dividing and destroying” China has lost its credibility and some effectiveness. The U.S. in 1971 violated the international law and sovereignty of China by illegally giving administrative control of Diaoyu Islands to the unconditionally surrendered war crime of nation of Japan. At first Obama said the U.S. took no position on the sovereignty of Diaoyu Islands (which belongs to China long before America and Japan and Australia, etc. have existed); and in 2014 Obama reversed himself and declared to defend Japan against China all because his “pivot to Asia” policy (which was a code word for American aggression and expansion) needed the Japanese running dog to carry out its mission. America wants as in the past to fight a proxy war to let allies die for American pursuit of world domination. Whatever illegal and unlawful deeds America has done are deemed to be the rule of law. Perversion of justice and distortion of fact are the exemplary norm of the character and conduct of American and Western leaders. In 2019 America and European nations again shamelessly and unlawfully employ “divide and destroy” strategy under the pretext of democracy and independence in funding and supporting and paying the uneducated young Hong Kong hoodlums and terrorists to burn, kill and destroy Hong Kong infrastructure, terrorize the people and damage businesses. The Western powers want to capture Hong Kong in order to rob the most expensive real estates in the world and the greatest business center, destabilize and curve China’s peaceful rising and restoration of a great civilization. America and its European allies, Australia, Canada, etc. want to maintain status quo of world domination and dictatorship.
Since the end of World War II, American presidents and congressional leaders have killed millions and millions of innocent peoples in hundreds of unjust wars they have instigated and bloody military interventions they have conducted around the world and made hundreds of millions of war victims living in abject poverty and misery. The empire of Japan is the only nation in modern history that denies all its war crimes, genocide of 50 million peoples (35 million Chinese, 15 million Asians), sex slavery, slave labor and unprecedented atrocities. Japan has no honor or redeeming virtue. Jesus Christ defines liars and killers as children of the devil.Jhn 8:44.Let the Bible once more time warn liars and killers who will go to Hell.
Rev 21:8,“But for the cowardly and unbelieving
and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the Lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
The first death is the physical death because the wages of sin. The second death is the eternal death, and the Lake that burns with fire and brimstone is Hell. Here is a message to those so-called the world’s most powerful and wealthy people: Do you know when you are going to die? At the moment of death, can you lengthen your life for one minute by your power?
Job 25:6,“How much less man, that maggot, and the son of man, that worm!”
Don’t be so arrogant and proud; God calls man a maggot, a worm. Do you know that you are nothing but a maggot, a worm?
The American militaristsfrequently and provocatively violate air and sea defense zones of China under so many false pretexts and excuses and they are blinded by their arrogant aggression and expansion and oblivious to the clear and present danger of miscalculated war that may trigger global nuclear war. When Russian planes conduct routine surveillance in international European air space, however, the American leaders are alarmed and make much ado and all kinds of statement that the Cold War is back and may start World War III. It seems American leaders are mad and lose their sense of justice that they think they can oppress and suppress China without consequences. The United States has established the largest radar networks in Japan, Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan poised to launch first strikes against China’s nuclear facilities and destroy China’s strike back capabilities. America has placed more than 65 percent of its armed forces with aircraft carriers, fleets, warplanes and unmanned warplanes, nuclear submarines and more than 330,000 troops at China’s doorsteps in so many overseas military bases to encircle and target China and Russia. For that reason China needs to declare and implement “mutual destruction” policy that once China is attacked.
President Putin has wisely declared the Russian policy of nuclear response once Russia is being attacked. Only when China and Russia stand together as good neighbors can deter American, European and Japanese aggression and expansion and world domination. American leaders are playing with nuclear fire and not realizing its clear and present danger!!!American leaders (civilian and military) falsely believe and deceive themselves in thinking they have always fought wars from World War II to the present in foreign lands and that they can conduct proxy wars by letting allies, etc. to die for Americans.
Once China is being attacked by Americans and Japanese or Australians, China is able to deploy nuclear weapons to target America, Japan, etc. from land, sea, air and space without a hitch and no missiles or anti-missiles will be able to save America and Japan, for the stars of heaven are against the aggressors and warmongers. There will be no World War III, only global nuclear war to destroy the whole world in less than one hour.
When will American leaders and politicians come to their senses and save American people who oppose wars of aggression and spare the world from nuclear destruction and holocaust?
There is absolutely no evidence that China or Russia wants to destroy the United States of America. There is plenty of evidence that the United States wants to destroy China and Russia without cause. Worse, there are plenty of facts and proofs that America is committing suicide.Arnold Joseph Toynbee said, “Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder.“The land of Abraham Lincoln, who advocated a government of the people, by the people and for the people has been led astray in recent years at an alarming speed and turned into a government of special interests, by special interests and for special interests.
The Bible says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”
(Pro 14:34) I am an American; I do not want my country to be destroyed. However, the following are the solid reasons why I see America is committing suicide.
(1). The United States is not appointed, or elected or authorized by any nation or the United Nations to be the police of the world.
(2). The United States is self-appointed and self-anointed police of the world and executes sanctions and judgment and punishment unlawfully as it pleases by virtue of being the sole superpower.
(3). The United States is the no. 1 violator of international law in aggression and intervention and territorial expansion. Although the U.S. is located in North America, American armed forces and weapons of mass destruction have intruded and invaded all over the world, including the East China Sea, the South China Sea and the Black Sea poised to strike at China and Russia.
(4). Not one American president or politician or American media has the moral character and courage to tell the truth that the U.S. in 1971 violated international law and sovereignty of China by illegally giving administrative control of Diaoyu Islands to the unconditionally surrendered war crime nation of Japan.
(5). The U.S. violates international agreement in rearming and re-militarizing Japan, in supporting Japanese false claims to China’s territories, in accepting Japanese denial of genocide, war crimes, sex slavery, slave labor and most inhuman atrocities and distortion of historical facts, changing Japanese peace constitution to war constitution and refusal to pay war reparations and compensations.
(6). The American leaders have lied and killed millions and millions of innocent peoples around the world in hundreds of unjust wars and bloody military interventions since the end of World War II and made hundreds of millions of war victims live in abject poverty and misery.
(7). The Axis of Evil led by American leaders with Japan, India, Britain, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, etc. are the number one threat to the world today.
The world must know the truth about America:
If American democracy is so good, why the overwhelming majority of Americans do not trust their government? Why the vast majority of Americans do not approve American leaders, etc.? When 1% of the population controls and rules over the 99% of the population, do you call it democracy, human rights, and justice? Why 70% of Americans say and think America is going the wrong way?
YES, EBOLA IS A THREAT TO THE WORLD. AS OF OCTOBER 18, 2014 EBOLA HAS KILLED MORE THAN 4,500 PERSONS. IN FACT, THE AMERICAN IMPERIALISM IS THE GREATEST THREAT TO THE WORLD– GREATER THAN EBOLA!!!
(1). SINCE THE END OF WORLD WAR II, AMERICAN LEADERS HAD KILLED MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF INNOCENT PEOPLES AROUND THE WORLD IN HUNDREDS OF UNJUST WARS AND BLOODY MILITARY INTERVENTIONS AND MADE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF WAR VICTIMS LIVE IN ABJECT POVERTY AND MISERY!!!
(2). NOW AMERICAN AGGRESSORS AND MILITARISTS ARE MOVING INTO THE EAST CHINA SEA, THE SOUTH CHINA SEA AND THE BLACK SEA WITH MORE THAN 700 OVERSEAS MILITARY BASES POISED TO TARGET CHINA AND RUSSIA MAY TRIGGER A GLOBAL NUCLEAR WAR THAT WILL DESTROY AND END THE WORLD!!!
(3). FOR ALL THE DEEDS THE UNITED STATES HAS DONE, AMERICA BECOMES THE MOST HATED NATION ON EARTH!!!
(4). Since the end of World War II, the empire of America has been the divider and destroyer of the world in inciting and instigating hundreds of unjust wars and bloody military interventions which killed millions and millions of innocent peoples around the world to this day and creating hundreds of millions of victims of wars who live in abject poverty and misery. In 1949 the American leaders succeeded in dividing Taiwan from China to this day, and using American running dogs in Taiwan and arming them so that Chinese may kill Chinese. In 1959 the U.S. supported an armed rebellion of Tibet against China, Dalai Lama failed and fled and has been the highest paid foreign agent ever since to engage in dirty and unholy work of dividing and separating Tibet from China. All his efforts have failed and produced nothing but the bloody riots and killings and burnings and lootings in Tibet, but his days are numbered and his death is near and he will stink for a thousand years. Hong Kong is not Ukraine. Britain and America are doing shamelessly, covertly and openly to destabilize Hong Kong. The only effective deterrence is for China and Russia to stand together to deter naked Western and Japanese aggression. The only effective strategy against American and Japanese and other aggression is simply executing “mutual destruction” policy and destruction of the world.
(1). American leaders boldly declared they encircle China with hundreds of overseas military bases in making all preparations with the empire of Japan, Australia,Canada, etc.
(2). American leaders openly declared they will defend Japan against China although they violated international law and sovereignty of China in 1971by illegally giving administrative control of China’s Diaoyu Islands to the unconditionally surrendered war crime nation of Japan and has armed Japan with the most deadly and advanced weaponry to kill Chinese people.
(3). American leaders blatantly declared that the South China Sea and the East China Sea are American backyards although America is located in North America, 10,000 miles away from Asia Pacific and that they daily and routinely operate their nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers, fleets, war planes, radars, missiles and anti-missiles in China’s defense zones without fear, without qualm, without shame and with arrogance, provocation and naked aggression.
(4). Obama deceived Americans and the world by saying America in on the right side of history; above all he deceives himself; just as he deceived himself as a Christian and yet he supported legalization of same sex marriage and homosexuality; as well asthe resurgence of Japanese militarism and false claim to China’s territories called Diaoyu Islands, and American aggression and expansion into Asia Pacific and Europe and in seeking absolute military supremacy and world domination. The U.S. has been on the wrong side of history since the end of World War II; only a brief time President Richard Nixon was leading America on the right side of history in seeking a just and lasting peace for the world.
(5). There is absolutely no evidence that China or Russia wants to destroy the United States of America. There is plenty of evidence that the United States wants to destroy China and Russia without cause. Worse, there are plenty of facts and proofs that America is committing suicide.Arnold Joseph Toynbee said, “Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder.” The land of Abraham Lincoln, who advocated a government of the people, by the people and for the people has been led astray in recent years at an alarming speed and turned into a government of special interests, by special interests and for special interests. The Bible says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Pro 14:34) I am an American; I do not want my country to be destroyed. However, the solid reasons presented so far more than sufficient to make me see America is committing suicide.
(6). When I was a graduate student I understood then the Soviet Union was an evil empire as demonstrated by its deeds of aggression in Eastern Europe. I wrote a letter to President Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, appealing to him on the reason it was such as waste for the U.S. and the Soviet Union to compete in building up weapons of mass destruction which would lead to mutual destruction and destruction of the world; it would be far better and more productive for America and the Soviet Union to compete on building a Good Society of its own as stated in my Good Society Manifesto. Whichever nation has a better society wins the race. Although I did not get a reply from Mr. Brezhnev on my proposal, I did hear some echo about wasting senselessly of trillions in arms race and Cold War.
(7). The Soviet Union was a threat to the world then. To say Russia today is a threat to the world under President Putin is a lie, not based on fact. Crimea was a part of the Soviet Union, by overwhelming general referendum the people of Crimea have chosen to return to Russia. It was a case of self-determination. It was proper and legal. It was not Russian expansion. The leaders of Ukraine lack wisdom trying to join NATO which would become a direct threat to Russia. The problem is not Russian expansion; it is American and NATO aggression and expansion targeting the destruction of Russia. Russia does not have overseas military bases encircling America or NATO.
(8). The territorial conflict between China and India was originated by the evil empire of Britain that carved out a large chunk of Chinese ancient territories and marked up on a British map as a part of the British colony of India. The British government should have moral character and courage to come out and speak up and clarify the issue. Britain should apologize and confess all of its war crimes and wrong doings committed against China since the infamous Opium Wars and return all the looted, robbed and stolen priceless items of Chinese national treasures without further delay. Western powers including America and Japan, Europe, etc. have now in possession of China’s national priceless treasures in more than 23 million items that are worth more than US$100,000 trillionat market value, not counting the interest of so many years of illegal possession.
This is the truth!!!
There are three greatest threats to the world today:
NO. 1: American imperialism.
NO. 2: Japanese resurgent militarism.
NO. 3: Islamic terrorism.
No Western journalists have moral courage and character to ask the Japanese leaders who have sinned against humanity and historyto answer the following two questions:
(1). If Diaoyu Islands really belong to Japan, why Japanese regime had to pretentiously buy them?
(2). If Diaoyu Islands really belong to Japan, why Japanese regime had to nationalized them?
No legitimate government would ever buy or nationalize its own territories.
The wise Chinese would say: The thief has a guilty conscience.
American relentless pursuit of absolute military supremacy and world domination is the root cause of the American and world problems today. American illegal actions in Asia and Europe targeting China and Russia are CLEAR AND IMMINENT DANGER for all the world to see!
On the face of it, the United States has a democratic form of government. However, the freedom which American politicians and officials extol and are so proud of is NOT the freedom to choose to act as the basis of all distinctively moral action. Their freedom is in fact that most Americans (99 percent) are free to be exploited, unemployed, discriminated, defrauded, blackmailed, threatened, raped, robbed and even killed.Americans are “forced to be free” in the way and area they do not wish or want. The American legal system does not protect you; the American government does not protect 99 percent of the population. The American legal system protects the 1 percent as well as crooks and criminals with all sorts of rights. American democracy means the government has sovereignty over the people. The American government does not represent the interests of the people. The American government grants special rights and privileges based on race (such as black) and class (the rich and powerful) with Affirmative Action, monopoly, exemption, exclusion, and special treatment. Neither the law nor the government serves the general interest of the greatest number of Americans; for that reason American democracy is phony, hollow and fraudulent. American politicians and lawmakers are mechanisms programmed to a fixed pattern of behavior – forever serving the private, special and narrow interests of the 1 percent of population at the expense of the 99 percent. Every law or policy is fixed to enrich, expand, protect and serve the special interests. The United States of America is not united, it is distinctly divided by partisan and corporate and special interests. The U.S. government (the three branches) is paralyzed to do what is good and right for national interest or for the greatest good of the greatest number of Americans. Consequently, the U.S. will not be able to decrease its budget deficits and national debt, will not be able to pursue a foreign policy of peace and righteousness, will not be able to have universal gun control, will not be able to stop discrimination (Affirmative Action, reverse discrimination), will not be able to stop the most costly, fraudulent and predatory health care system in the world, favoritism, special rights and treatment, all sorts of subsidies, monopolies, etc.
The partisan competing power and interest will continuously rule America until the Kingdom comes. The inevitable conflict over scarce resources will pit individuals against each other, one group against another, one party against another, so that unhindered exercise of American freedom will result in violence, injustice and inequality and uncertainty. Under this kind of political and economic and legal system of government, most Americans (the 99 percent) live in daily of fear, fear of being discriminated, exploited, discharged from employment, falsely accused, manipulated, mistreated, threatened, raped, robbed and killed. The operation and management of the federal government and states, and the promulgation of laws are established and fixed by special interests and for special interests.
Most Americans and the whole world are fooled by the appearance of American democracy, two-party system, direct election of American president, one man one vote, rule of law, check and balance, etc. because they do not know the truth. My personal experience and experience of millions of American citizens will give you the true picture of a failed American democracy, a failed political system, a failed capitalistic system, a failed government, and a failed society. To understand America, you need to know the fundamentals and overall view of American political history. American political history provides you insight where America came from, where it was and how it became what it is today. To make a long story short, since the end of the World War II, led by American presidents, the republic turned into an evil empire in pursuit of absolute military supremacy and world domination. The Golden Era of America was when Richard Nixon was the president; both America and Nixon were highly respected by American enemies and friends. America was then the most desirable nation on earth, dollar was reliable and valuable, deficit and national debt was no problem, the leaders of two parties were acceptably respectable, crime rate was low, American people were generally honest and moral, the society was decent and not violent, and the future was promisingly bright, etc. Then I was working my way through college, living a hard but hopeful life. Not one of my female classmates got pregnant and sent away; they all earnestly pursued knowledge and skills. President Nixon wanted to terminate the Vietnam War, and then I was a graduate student at one of the top American university, as a Nixonian in politics I even asked the French President Pompidou to help Nixon to end the Vietnam War. Please see Precious Collection and the Nixon I Know. Unlike all American presidents who sought military supremacy and world domination, President Nixon had a vision and sought a just and lasting peace for the world. President Nixon took a journey of peace to China that changed the world. Too bad that promising leadership of a great and good man was dashed by the small stupidity of Watergate.
The White House, State Department, and Pentagon practice brinkmanship and massive propaganda of falsehoods and deceptions and fake news against China and Russia. Sadly and truly, there is no integrity in American leaders (civilian and military). Since the end of World War II, American presidents have proven to be liars and killers and robbers. Shockingly the American military leaders declared the U.S. encircles and targets China through American overseas military bases. American nuclear submarines, warplanes, radars, missiles and anti-missiles are deployed to destroy China’s nuclear capability. American military run to and fro and roam freely in the South China Sea and the East China Sea at will and without qualm because they are considered American backyards. American leaders are working with UK, Canada, Japanese, Australian, etc. leaders to launch a war of aggression against China.
To close the synopsis of American history with the definitive conclusion: American citizens are helpless and hopeless to change the U.S. government even the great majority do not trust the government and believe America in on the wrong track. American leaders and politicians do not want to stipulate in the US Constitution to vest the national sovereignty in the hands of American citizens. They are afraid to lose their power and monopoly. American citizens do not have the right of national referendum to decide the matters and issues of national importance. Unlike European governments the peoples have the right of general referendum to dismiss the government they do not trust. Now once an American president is elected, he can do whatever he wants and not afraid of impeachment. Impeachment is an expensive process and useless legal instrument to remove a disgraced president like Clinton because the Democratic Party would not vote for it. There you have a glimpse of the meaninglessness and uselessness of American democracy, two-party system, one man one vote, direct election of president, rule of law, and you name it. The American pie is sliced by so many special interest groups, and each group wants to keep its rights and privileges at the expense of national interest. There is no hope the American government can or will do the right thing. This paralyzed American government is on the fast track of self-destruction and the destruction of the world. This is a short story of how the American Republic turns into the Evil Empire. American democracy is a symptom of moral decline and the loss of virtue and devoid of truth. This is the underlying cause why I am pessimistic about America. Please read Pessimistic about America. It would require a Jeffersonian revolution to save America, and there is no leader like Lincoln or Jefferson to appear in the horizon; probably there will not be one until the end of the world.
Tragedy upon tragedies, iniquities upon iniquities, an unfortunate leader like Obama had the gall to say the United States was on the right side of history. The rest is history, you have the right to make your own judgment and I will not waste my time or energy to debate with anyone regarding the obvious and self-evident.
America practices monopoly in many areas. Monopoly is inevitably and inherently evil. The greater the monopolistic power, the greater its tendency to do evil. The reason that the United States of America has done most evil in the world since the end of World War II (by killing millions of peoples around the world) is because America is the sole superpower coupled with its leaders who have been proven liars and killers. A tiny nation such as Lichtenstein would have no affect on the world even if it has an evil leader. China was weak and emaciated after the infamous Opium Wars. The 8 evil nations of Austria – Hungary, France, Germany,
Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States jointly attacked China in a war of aggression on September 7, 1901. The Western powers attacked, killed, and robbed and looted China’s national treasures worth market value of more thanU.S. $100,000 trillion dollars not counting many years of interest.
The evil empire of Japan with its war criminals of the worst kind killed 50 million Chinese (Mainland and overseas), made millions of Chinese slave workers, hundreds of thousands of Chinese and Korean women sex slaves and other atrocities and inhumanities during the World War II. If you write down all the evil words and deeds committed by the United States, the evil empire of Japan and European imperial powers against China and Chinese people since the Opium Wars in books, the libraries of the world would not be able to contain all the historical records.
America has nothing to fear of China and Russia; all America has to do is to mind its own business, do not provoke or intimidate, do not interfere or intervene, do not attack or sanction or meddle; do not be aggressive, do not be self-righteous or self-conceited, do not make or seek enemies, do not try to dominate the world, stop violating the sovereignty of other nations, and do not bad mouth or insult Russia. For the same reason to defend Japan against China would certainly bring about assured mutual destruction and the destruction of the world. When will American leaders learn and change its foreign policy? The most terrifying thing is the fact American leaders and people do not seem to recognize millions and millions of innocent peoples around the world they have killed since the end of World War II in hundreds of unjust wars and bloody military interventions they have conducted and instigated, or realize American hegemony and seeking world domination is the path to Hell. In fact Americans live in fear daily is a result of American democracy, capitalism and imperialism and American way of life and it has nothing to do with Russia or China.
Monopoly is a great evil under the sun; America is the classical demonstration and convincing proof on internal and external evidence, not conjecture. America has monopoly almost in everything since the end of World War II.
American imperialism and capitalism are the embodiment of error and evil.Monopoly is inherently corrupt and corrupts everything it touches. Monopoly in power makes it abusive, aggressive and oppressive – there American imperialism was born. Monopoly in military power creates the most arrogant and ignorant and irreverent and irresponsible warmongers, dictators, liars and killers unprecedented in the history of mankind. American militarists boldly and blatantly conduct their endless military exercises and place 65 percent of their armed forces and weapons of mass destruction at China’s doorsteps. American warplanes, warships, fleet, aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, etc. roam and roar in China’s air defense zones and territorial waters so much so that American militarists arrogantly claim the South China Sea and the East China Sea to be American backyards. All covert military activities in the past have become overt and making them known to the world without qualms and without shame and without sense of justice. Their whole mind has been absorbed in making money and war, having an existence of exaggeration, excess and obsession –a violation of justice and goodness.
In tyranny American leaders (civilian and military) have killed millions and millions of innocent peoples and made hundreds of millions of war victims around the world living in abject poverty and misery since the end of World War II. In overt aggression American leaders line up Japan, Australia, Canada, Britain, EU, etc. in preparation to launch the coming war of aggression against China in order to suppress the peaceful rise of China and rob China’s territories and loot China’s resources. American naked aggression and raw power manifest themselves unprecedented in the history of evil empires. American imperialism demonstrates might make right. Example, it was only the sole superpower that could violate international law by illegally giving administrative control of China’s Diaoyu Islands in 1971 to the unconditionally surrendered war crime nation of Japan. It is only the immoral and wicked American president Obama who can declare the U.S. to defend Japan against China. It is only by force that American aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, fleets and warplanes, etc. can roam and spy in the South China Sea and the East China Sea as American backyards boldly and blatantly without shame.
Monopoly in business and industry makes greedy tycoons and self-important executives. American leaders use its political and military and economical and financial power to safeguard monopoly and maintain its dominant position in many key business and industry areas because they have become un-competitive in the real world. A case in point, after decades of using Windows and Word, they are still defective products because they are monopolies which make the owner the richest man in the world. Monopoly kills competition and innovation, and without competition there cannot be quality products. Patterns, copy rights, price fixing, and facetious litigation are used to stifle and stop competition. Many American businesses operate in deceptive and predatory way. Take free email providers. They provide you free email and then bombast you with all sorts of spasms to harass you and hold you hostage because you are afraid of losing your point of contact; if you want security then pay to upgrade. They send you viruses and threats to attack your computer so that you need to pay to buy spy protection software. They jam your computer with all sorts of files and ads intended to slow your computer so that you need to buy their software to speed up your computer. They make sure the downloaded files in PDF so that you need to buy their software (about $350) to convert them into Word or else you cannot use them and cannot print the document. It is like the mafia that offers you a deal that you cannot refuse. Being monopoly you can discriminate in hiring and promotion and keep employees as slaves.
Monopoly in law creates injustice in the form of legal terrorism by false claims, false accusations and endless facetious litigation. Lawmakers make laws, which are made by them for their own interests. American legal system produces that highest form of injustice in which the criminal is the happiest of men, and those who refuse to do injustice are the most miserable–that is to say tyranny, which by fraud and force takes away the property and money of others, not little by little but wholesale; — the 99 percent of population serves the interest of the 1 percent who are helpless to be abused and exploited and blackmailed because they cannot defend their interest. Legal service is a monopoly of high fees not ordinary citizens can afford. A big corporation that stole the pattern of an individual inventor or small business can declare boldly “come and sue us!”
Monopoly in healthcare produces the most costly, corrupt, deceitful and ineffective healthcare systems in the world with fraudulent and predatory doctors, dentists, hospitals, drugs and insurance companies, labs and medical supplies. American healthcare does not give health; it is a powerful blood-sucking sacred cow that enriches healthcare providers. Medicine has become the art of making rich because of the exorbitant fees doctors and hospital charge in healthcare whether the patient is getting worse or dead. If you are admitted to hospital, you are forced to sign a statement to sign your life and money away so that the doctors and hospital are free from any liability, fraudulent and predatory practices not withstanding. The doctors and hospitals are never required to sign a statement that they are morally and legally responsible for your care and treatment and well-being. They never inform you the cost in advance. So they are free to charge whatever they please even fraudulently and excessively with impunity. Even if they treat you without result and you are dead, you still owe them big money. In the strictest sense, the physician is not a healer of the sick; he is a maker of money first, the healing is a means to hold patients hostage in order to make big money, the bigger the better. Hospital is not the place where patients get cured; in the strictest sense hospital is where doctors and hospital owners slaughter patients greatly financially, healing is secondary or a means to an end. Unbelievable but it is true in America, doctors, dentists and hospitals can charge whatever they want without informing you in advance. That is why healthcare is one of the greatest threats to American people because healthcare providers can charge whatever they please and defraud you as much as possible without fear of prosecution and you do not have recourse. American healthcare operates like an organized crime. When you are admitted, several doctors are lined up and assigned to take care of you without your authorization, and in fact just to get pay without consulting your or getting your approval. Physicians visit you just saying hello to get pay. Radiologist is the chief culprit of exploitation because all X-rays must go through him to get a professional opinion. Not only hospital get hefty pay for taking your X-rays, the radiologist gets even higher fees by nominally writing the so-called professional opinion in a few words as if physicians cannot read X-ray. The breakdown of one service with many items to charge you is a dirty trick practiced by doctors and hospital. You pay for X-rays and you also have to pay for report. Physicians and hospital owners consider money-making their first and primary interest, they treat patients only in relation to what they can make money out of them. They are studying their own advantage day and night how to maximize charges and profits in creative and fraudulent billing. Do you know any evil greater than this under the sun? American healthcare is a terrorism that swallows up your life savings and bankrupts millions of American families and individuals. Healthcare monopoly is the worst form of monopoly that commits injustice both by fraud or force. A patient in pain or dying is not in a position to bargain with doctors and hospitals. By virtue of monopoly, they do not need you, you need them. Patients are like sheep to be butchered and slaughtered greatly financially by doctors and hospitals, drugs and insurance companies.
Monopoly in education (in America is higher education) creates high tuition and fees and high cost of living make higher education an impossible dream for the poor. I speak from personal experience because I worked my way through college then, which is impossible now. The American dream is dead and buried. The poor have no chance of upward mobility. Universities are no longer educational institutions dedicated to educate the youth and provide dispersion of knowledge for common good. Universities are big business in America; its business makes money of students from all over the world. The position of a college president in many cases is paid more than $1 million which is higher the nominal salary of the American president. This is not intended to defend American presidency which is the fastest route of becoming millionaire and whose income does not limit to salary. College textbooks are a monopoly of professors and publishers and they charge incredibly high price.
Monopoly in banking produces exploitative, oppressive and fraudulent financial system that enriches the rich and powerful at the expense of the 99 percent of the American population. Wall Street in 2008 created the biggest economic and financial crisis that looted the world more than $50 trillion. Thanks to American flawed legal system, not one crook or criminal went to jail. Oh, there was a man with a Jewish name who was sent to jail. Bankers are allowed to pay interest as little as possible or practically zero and freely charge interest on various loans at unfair interest rates and fees of all kinds. In brief, monopoly is to commit injustice either by fraud or force. Here is a real example how American banks exploit and defraud depositors without fear. Why the American banking system is so unfair and predatory that if you put your money of $15,000 at an American bank like Citibank, you may only earn more or less $0.13 (13 cents) a month, at an annual rate of 0.01%, which is about $1.80 a year. If you do not maintain a balance of $15,000, the bank will charge you $20 a month, which is $240 a year. The bank also charges you $5 for each private check issued. It is possible that your money in the bank may dwindle to zero and you still owe bank’s charges. If you borrow from the bank mortgage interest rate is 1 Year ARM 4.14%, Credit Card is 13.24% – 20.24% APR based on credit worthiness, and 48 month new car loan is 2.9%. Do you see how capitalism exploits and extorts and robs the people? Why do the banks make all the rules that enrich themselves and the government approves them? The rate on the 10-year Treasury is just 1.62 percent. How dreadful is monopolistic banking!
Monopoly in government produces abuses of power, corruption of infinite varieties, waste and misappropriate of public funds, waste of public resources for private gains, violation of justice is commonplace, and leaders resorting to lies and murders. Politicians act and talk and think they are endowed with divine power so that they are allowed to lie and kill as they please. Many delude themselves in believing they have authority to lie and they are allowed to lie for national security. Under the pretext of national security, only God knows how many lies and murders have been committed. They acted as if they are above the law and they are the law in whatever they say or do. Such mentality and attitude creates the worst kind of evil empire. The love of money, power and sex corrupts government, business and industry, trade and commerce, banking, law, healthcare, sports, foundations, charities, and entertainment. A festering mass of corruption chokes and burdens the political, economic, financial, military and diplomatic affairs and pollutes sights and sounds of every day life. Politicians, law makers, bureaucrats are the elites of the nation. The life of the unjust is more advantageous than that of the just. American perfect injustice is more gainful than perfect justice. Since you would call justice virtue and injustice vice; a nation which is full of vices and without virtue cannot last long.
The reformation of evils is not possible or practically non-existent in America because that would eliminate high profits and not in the interest of the elites or rulers.The more problems and evils America has, the more rich and powerful those who wield monopolistic power and violate justice are. It is no longer a secret, the fastest way to get rich is to be elected the president of the United States. All American presidents who were not millionaires before became multi-millionaires after being the president. Not only that, all high ranking officers of a past or present administration also become filthy rich by selling influence and access to power. This is the American democracy that has fooled American people and the world. Power makes money, money gets power – the vicious cycle is thriving and will never cease until the American empire vanishes.
The American empire is an unjust and unrighteous nation which has been and is attempting to unjustly enslave other states, so-called allies, etc. It was reported that American agents had paid more than $13 million to Hong Kong organized criminals to incite and instigate occupation of Hong Kong Central more than 10 days and each Hong Kong demonstrator got HK$1,000 a day for pay which had nothing to do with democracy. Only God knows how many evil deeds and violations of laws and lies and murders American leaders have committed since in the end of World War II in the name of democracy, freedom, rule of law, security, justice and peace. The bloody and dirty hands of American leaders are seen in every hot spot of trouble in the world including Hong Kong, Tibet, Xinjiang, Taiwan, Korea, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey, Libya, Ukraine, etc. The American imperialists have moved in the South China Sea, the East China Sea and the Black Sea in violation of China’s air and sea defense zones and violation of international agreement on the Black Sea. The evil intentions of American leaders to target and destroy China and Russia are exposed and revealed to those who have eyes to see and intelligence to comprehend. It is wise for Putin to deploy nuclear weapons in Crimea to deter American aggression and invasion of Eastern Europe. It would be wise for China and Russia to join nuclear forces in Asia and Europe to deter American aggression and clear and imminent danger of launching war in Europe and Asia.
American aggression and injustice create divisions and hatreds and conflicts and fighting all over the world, and only justice imparts harmony and friendship. The U.S. government is incapable of united action for justice and goodness by reason partisan interests and special interests. The unjust and unrighteous are the enemies of God, for that reason no American leaders can claim to be Christians since Jesus Christ defines liars and killers as children of the devil. The U.S. government is defective and has lost its proper excellence, but it is covered up by phony democracy, rule of law, freedom, security, etc. American leaders are skillful in falsehood and deception and hypocrisy.
Monopoly in a flawed legal system not only making many life-long litigants, passing all their days in the courts, either as plaintiffs or defendants, but they are actually led by their bad taste to pride themselves on their litigiousness and endless litigation to make and extort big money. Many lawyers whether defense or prosecution make themselves masters in dishonesty and deception, false accusations and false evidence with disgusting theatrics and verbosity; able to take every crooked turn, and wriggle into and out of every hole and loophole, bending like a withy and getting out of the way of justice: and all for what? –in order to gain small points not worth mentioning, not knowing that so to order their life as to be able to do without a napping judge is a far higher and nobler sort of thing. Is not that still more disgraceful to call black white and white black, to condemn the innocent and acquit the guilty? Justice is never achieved but perverted, only how much one group pays and how much the other group receives in money.
To America, injustice is more profitable than justice, aggression is more profitable than law and order, war is more profitable than peace and security. The highest reach of injustice is to be deemed just when you are not. The highest reach of injustice in American justice is to be deemed justice when it is not. The highest reach of falsehood in American democracy is to be deemed democracy when it is not. The highest reach of American evil is to be deemed good when it is not. The highest reach of falsehood in American security is to be deemed security when it is not. When American injustice is covered with seemingly justice, aggression is covered with seemingly with rule of law, war is covered with seemingly peace, intervention is covered with seemingly security, American worst is deemed to be the best, etc. The sins, lies, killings and iniquities of American leaders have mounted the highest reach of uttermost infamy reaching the Heavens.
The true ruler is not meant by nature to regard his own interest, but that of his subjects. When the rulers are worse than the common citizens in character and morality, good government is impossible and justice is impossible. Ambition and avarice are held to be, as indeed they are.
The life goal of American politicians, officials, executives, doctors, hospital owners, lawyers, bankers, etc. is the unlimited accumulation of wealth and power and pleasure. The evil trinity of Washington, Wall Street and Hollywood are masters in wickedness. American love of money and power and sex by its leaders naturally and logically leads to aggression, provocation, intervention and wars which will not only destroy America, they will destroy the world.
CONCLUSION
In summary, America and its allies cannot win a nuclear war against China, Russia, and allies.
Nuclear war means the end of the world, the end of everything.
The United States would be much better off by choosing peace, progress and prosperity.
Christians are not afraid of the coming nuclear war.
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 spotless and blameless by Him, at peace.”
You can inherit the Kingdom of Heaven by “repent of your sins and believe in Jesus Christ,” the Son of God as your Lord and Savior now.
*Our mission is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ absolutely free. We do not want donation. We only want you to know the truth.
Ukraine and Russia: What would Nixon do?
I KNOW what would President Nixon do with respect to foreign policy and domestic policy:
First of all, Ukraine and Russia crisis would and could not happen in the first place, because President Nixon would not sanction, interfere, and provoke Russia in the first place.
2. President Nixon would have dismissed NATO in the first place, for NATO does not have a reason to exist. NATO exists only to advance and expand American military operations and objectives. President Nixon in seeking a just and lasting peace for the world, has no use for a military-oriented NATO.
3. President Nixon would have terminated the American empire in the first place, abandoned world domination, and never again to intervene, threaten, provoke, and sanction any nation for any purpose.
4. President Nixon would welcome and treat China and Russia as strategic partners to build a better, more prosperous and safer world.
5. President Nixon would return Taiwan to China with an apology, and also apology to those nations America has mistreated and wronged since the end of World War II. Especially Iraq because Western leaders lied about the weapons of mass destruction.
6. A reduction of nuclear weapons would be based on a balance of terror.
7. Terrorists are considered public and national enemies, they are to be shot at the scene without due process of the law, and Islamic terrorists will be targeted for annihilation.
8. President Nixon would not politicize trade, human rights, religion, technology, sports, education, democracy, etc.
9. President Nixon will ask Congress to approve a reparation program for Red Indians first, and later for the wrong done to other nations.
10. President Nixon will return all national treasures, antiques, relics, robbed and looted and stolen from China since the Opium Wars to the present.
On domestic policy, President Nixon would rebuild the American Republic with true democracy and national interest for the greatest number of American citizens.
1. President Nixon would revise the U.S. Constitution to stipulate national sovereignty in the hands of American citizens. National Referendum will be used to decide and determine every national vital matter and important policy of the nation.
2. The Defense budget would be slashed in order to establish a national healthcare insurance scheme affordable to cover every American citizen. The current fraudulent, predatory, organized crime, and most costly healthcare in the world would cease to exist.
3. President Nixon would abolish Affirmative Action and all its related programs because they are illegal and unconstitutional. All American citizens will be equal under the law, no special treatment for any race or group. Racial discrimination would be a crime against humanity.
4. President Nixon would close the borders so that no illegal aliens may force themselves in. All illegal aliens in America would be deported without delay. Immigrants of high caliber nature including advanced education, special skills, and moral character would be welcome. Political asylum would be put on hold for 100 years.
5. President Nixon would abolish welfare and turn it into workfare. A woman who has many children without husbands will not receive any form of assistance. If such a woman wants to receive public assistance, she must be sterilized and her children for public adoption.
6. The military-industrial-security complex will be dismantled or downplayed so that it does not run the American foreign policy anymore.
7. All big corporations will have to pay a minimum tax, all so-called non-profit organizations shall be abolished, and the wealthy will pay a progressively higher tax rate than ordinary Americans.
8. The justice system will be overhauled so that police brutality will disappear, jury trial replaced by three independent judges, no class action suit allowed, and no percentage of award to lawyers, and no legal terrorism could exist.
9. President Nixon would reduce national debt and budget deficits, and use savings for repairs and rebuilding of infrastructure.
10. The US Constitution will be revised to outlaw manufacture, sale, and possession of all sorts of guns in the hands of civilians. The National Riffle Association will be a banned for good.
The historical position of President Richard Nixon as a great world leader in seeking a just and lasting peace for the world; the great American leader in leading America to the right direction, and a good man is secure; and the stature of President Nixon is growing and increasing with the passage of time.
—-There have been attempts to change the direction of Nixon Library from inside in order to betray the Grand Scheme and Vision the great President Richard Nixon in seeking a just and lasting peace for the world. All Nixon royalists must be alert and keep the original conviction firmly to the very end.
I notice two important happenings: (1). Even after that many years, the parasites and enemies of Nixon still feed on the reputation and fame of President Richard Nixon in order to make money out of many lies they presented to smear Nixon.
In my opinion, America would be better off today if Nixon were alive and leading the nation and the world. America is in crisis. You see the blind is leading the blind, the whole world is in a big and deep mess and in a critical crisis.
(2). There are so many secular media of unknown origins spreading like wild fire on the Internet, and many of these secular and boldfaced organizations and individuals brazenly are asking for donations in the name of being so-called “non-profit”. I want you to know as long as I live:
*Our mission is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ absolutely free. We do not want donation. We only want you to know the truth.
This is perilous time, LIES AND FALSEHOODS
AND IMMORALITY RULE THE WORLD! Even
children of the devil are quoting the Scriptures.
NOTE: I recently discovered enemies of truth attacked my website and deleted the paragraphs AND wordings of my articles they do not like. You know enemies of truth are afraid of the truth, because the truth will make people free. Lies and falsehoods enslave and blind people. May God delete their names from the Book of Life, and put their names in theBook of Death. You see the enemies of truth want to enjoy the Freedom of Expression only for themselves, they do not want others to enjoy Freedom of Expression to expose their lies, deceits, falsehoods and evil schemes. So do not be surprised, since the enemies of truth are frustrating and preventing me from editing and correcting my articles, you may see my articles distorted, altered, misspelled and misrepresented…
Willie Wong, 5/25/2021
Comparison is important and vital because it is a means or an act to find out the differences and similarities between two or more people or things, and in order to determine which one is better or of higher quality. This article is written not to justify the fault or flaw of Nixon’s Watergate problem. This article is written to put things in right historical perspective, in spite of Watergate, Nixon fares better and higher and nobler in comparison to all his successors and all his avowed enemies in particular American journalists and mass media that made big money by telling lies about Nixon. This incident reminds me of the truth even Homer nods; a man needs to be vigilant because even a small leak can sink a Titanic. In light of American current paralyzed politics kidnapped by special interests and pathetic leadership which may sink the American state ship, Nixon appears like an elephant, they all look like timid and timorous mice or rats.
Exo 18:21, “Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.”
Leaders must have the following requisites:
(1) . Able men
(2) . Who fear God
(3) . Men of truth
(4) . Who hate dishonest gain.
Alas all elections are exercises of futility; the world is devoid of the kind of leaders as God demands them. “The Nixon I know” is used deliberately in the present tense, although he died on Apr 22, 1994.In comparison to his enemies, the goodness and greatness of President Richard Nixon still lives. In history a good and great man may be misunderstood, a good and great man may make a fatal mistake. That is indicative of the flaw of human nature. Sometimes a mediocre man may be overestimated. Underestimating the ignorance of the masses, sometimes in history a bad leader was mistaken for greatness. This article is written without making money as all my articles do. There are people who claim to be Nixon’s friends who are trying to destroy the Nixon’s vision and strategy. The Nixon I know leads me deliberately to the conclusion that Nixon was not only a great president, he was a good man. This is my personal message to Tricia and Julie Nixon; I am gladly count myself as a friend of Nixon. I regret deeply for what it could have been. I have at least four pieces of supporting evidence to prove Nixon was a great president and a good man:
FIRST was the action taken by President Nixon during the black student riots at Los Angeles City College (LACC), although I was a nobody and a poor college student but Nixon cared. In response to my appeal President Nixon sent FBI agents to investigate and prevent the college shutdown by black students. To put thing in perspective, you have to make comparison with other U.S. presidents. Carter was such a poor and incompetent president, Dr. Harold Koontz and I concluded he must go. So I actively campaigned for Ronald Reagan, and wrote him a 7-point strategic plan on how to win the election. Reagan wrote back with these lines:
RONALD REAGAN
September 26, 1980
Dear Mr. Wong:
Thank you very much for your letter. I appreciate your thoughtfulness in writing to share your suggestions, and I will study them carefully.
Again, many thanks.
Sincerely,
Signed Ronald Reagan
The mass media all said it was too tough to beat the incumbent, not one of them projected a landslide victory of Ronald Reagan. America clearly and overwhelmingly rejected Jimmy Carter for second term. In comparison to Nixon, Reagan was a superficial man who read the script. Reaganites refused to admit the fact that Reagan had incurred the largest budget deficit and national debt than all previous presidents combined. I could not vote for Reagan the second term because he made the horrible and heartless statement that the homeless people were on the streets by choice. In spite of the Watergate, the Nixon era was the golden era of American history. America was safe and sound and number one almost in every good thing. America was full of hope and great promise. The America then was not the America now.
America was highly respected by friends and foes alike; it was a proud feeling to be an American then. Nixon was determined and sincere to end the Vietnam War, but the Vietcongs were not receptive knowing they could win the war. So I wrote a letter to President Georges Pompidou urging him to help Nixon onground Vietnam was a French colony and the Vietnamese speak French so they could communicate more effectively. I got a personal handwritten reply from President Pompidou with the stamp of the President, postmarked March 1, 1973 and hand signed. Later in Julie’s book I discovered that Pompidou did contribute behind the scene in helping President Nixon to end the Vietnam War.
SECOND, when I showed my professor and friend Dr. Harold Koontz two personally signed letters from President Nixon, he told me that he had written to Nixon twice but he had never received a reply. Dr. Koontz was the Chancellor of the International Academy of Management for 5 consecutive terms, the king of management, and a Nixon awarded professor. On March 13, 1981 Dr. Koontz wrote a letter of recommendation for me, “I have known Mr. Wong well for some eight years, having first come to know him when he was a student in my graduate class in Advanced Management Theory. I am glad to say that in this class of forty highly intelligent and motivated M.B.A. and Ph.D. students, Mr. Wong received the highest grade in this class.”
President Nixon knew Dr. Koontz, a man of means and importance. Why President Nixon did not respond to Dr. Koontz’s letters while he wrote him twice personally? When I lectured at Xian Jiaotong University, the department chairman, professors and doctoral students asked me the question, “How did you have the ability to get personal letters from Nixon to Bush, Jr?” I replied that I did not write to the presidents about important matters. That puzzled them, about unimportant matters? Certainly not, about the most important matters! Nixon judged the letters he received on their own merit, unlike other presidents who eagerly and willingly responded to the rich and powerful. Depending how much money you have to donate, you could have breakfast or coffee with the president, stay at Lincoln’s room, fly Air Force One, etc. Dr. Koontz told me that he wrote to Nixon to express his full support. Now hundred millions of Americans supported President Nixon, the President could not have time to write to hundred millions of his supporters. Nixon was not influenced by wealth and position and prestige of others as all politicians do today.
THIRD, there was a commissioner vacancy at the Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, D.C. It was my honor and privilege to come to know and work with Irving M Pollack, the director of division enforcement, for a summer. My project at the SEC was to evaluate management effectiveness at the SEC. Mr. Pollack did not look down on what I do as one other director did. Even under pressure of time and heavy workload, Mr. Pollack gave full support and asked his assistant Stanley Sporkin to provide answers to my Questionnaire. As the opportunity arose I wrote to President Nixon recommending Irving Pollack to be appointed an SEC Commissioner on ground of his expertise, ability and integrity. Now there were thousands of Republicans who could have qualified for the job and many more who had donated to Nixon presidential campaigns. Pollack was a Democrat and never gave a penny to Nixon. To my delight, Mr. Pollack was sworn in as Commissioner on February 13, 1974. The Nixon way, I received no reply in letter, but a response in action. I reached an understanding that President Nixon treated countless number of letters he received in different categories. Some letters were required to respond in action. I wrote to President Nixon several letters that he responded only in action, including one of Los Angeles City College black student riots, another requesting to clean up Washington, and this one suggesting Irving Pollack to be appointed an SEC commissioner. Nixon was not partisan as all Democrat presidents are. Nixon did what was good for the country, not what was good for himself or his party. It took a great president and a good man to do that. The SEC experience was an unforgettable chapter of my life, but the SEC then is not the SEC now. Probably under Pollack and his team, the corporate scandal and the economic and financial crisis created by Wall Street and big firms in 2008 could have been prevented.
Lining up with thousands and thousands of people on the streets in Yorba Linda at Nixon’s funeral to pay the last respect, it was raining, thundering and pouring down hail. There were tears in my eyes. I was interviewed by the Voice of America why I thought Nixon was a great president. One woman in her thirties made the remark, “Since President Nixon, all his successors look smaller and smaller in comparison.” Yes, smaller in stature, intelligence, character, achievement and ability. However, even today the biased liberal media continue to spread lies and hatred about Nixon, some journalists got rich by writing biased books against Nixon. Nixon was a millionaire before he became president; he became rich the old fashioned way. How many men became multi-millionaires because they became presidents, and how many former high ranking government officials also became multi-millionaires by virtue of government connection.
Finally in passing I want to say sadly I do not know whether Nixon was a Christian or not. One thing I know Nixon never used Christ or Christianity as other presidents have done. One president advertised himself as a born-again Christian and at the same time embraced the theory of evolution. I say to you, you can believe whatever you want to believe, but you cannot claim to be a Christian and an evolutionist at the same time. Jesus Christ confirmed the creation of God,
Mar 10:6 , “But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.” Jesus Christ validated that God made Adam and Eve by direct act, not a product of evolution. Since all American presidents have paid lip service to Jesus Christ, so I wrote a letter to Governor George W. Bush of Texas when he was running for the president and asked him not to use Christ for political reason and also made suggestions on how he could win the election. Bush replied as follows:
George W. Bush for President
January 17, 2000
Dear Willie,
Thank you for letting me know your views and suggestions, I welcome the information, and I value your perspective.
I appreciate your taking the time to write.
Sincerely,
Signed George W. Bush
When President Bush was campaigning for the second term, he even advertised on my website called Chinese for China (abandoned because of damage by evildoers), ads made by Google. So I wrote an open letter to President Bush, it was published by China Daily on November 4, 2004.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-11/04/content_388649.htm Some universities also carried the letter on their websites, including UC Berkeley, without asking for my permission and without payment. I do not believe Reagan was a Christian, I believe he was a nominal Christian who believed in the civil religion. According to his tax returns, Reagan never contributed anything significant to the cause of Christ. His wife consulted astrologers which no true Christians would do.
Billy Graham had been the favorite preacher of many U.S. presidents. However, there is no evidence of Mr. Graham’s influence on American and international leaders. The U. S. presidents like to have religion on their side to legitimize their power. Billy Graham needed the support of the presidents to popularize his work. Consequently they used each other. Billy Graham was no John the Baptist. As far as I know Billy Graham did not preach against the sins and crimes of American presidents, and no American preacher ever preaches against the sins of American president. The lesson from history is simply this: A nation driven mad by the values of money, power and sex is bound to lose. The society run and driven by the values of money, power and sex is doomed to failure. The values of money, power and sex are contrary to the Christian values of faith, hope, and love.
Even in 2021 there are still scandalous-facetious authors and journalists who try to make money by spreading falsehoods and smears about the great President Richard Nixon. The mistake of a great man is more profitable than the success of a mean man. The mistakes of Nixon are more valuable than the success of Clinton and Obama. Truth may offend people; after Nixon there has not been a president who could match the ability and caliber and capability of Nixon. They look smaller and smaller in everything. That is the major reason why America is in big trouble today.
Judgment is by nature the most awesome and amazing and consequential thing. Even Homer sometimes nods. Human nature is so defective not even the most vigilant and brilliant are immune from erring. Nixon was a man of high intelligence; one wrong judgment about Watergate incident ruined his presidency. Had Nixon made the right judgment and fired his people and apologized to the American people, the American people would and could have easily forgiven him and he would have gone on and become a great American president since Abraham Lincoln. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow had well said, “We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done.” Here was a man I enduringly harbor deepest empathy and sympathy with the passage of time. Was Nixon a tragic figure? No, he made a tragic mistake. Do not despise small things; for a small leak may sink a Titanic. Watergate was just a small matter from historical perspective.
FOURTH, Nixon was better than all his successors. Obscure and malicious journalists who made a good living by writing lies about Nixon, want to make more money again by writing (June 9, 2012) “40 years after Watergate, Nixon was far worse than we thought.” These parasites could not make money on a president who repeatedly committed perjury and disgraced himself in sexual immorality. These enemies of Nixon made good money on defaming Nixon. Nixon was so great that even worms want to feed on his reputation. They want to squeeze more money out of those uninformed and gullible people by feeding them more toxic garbage. The saying is true, A man is known by his enemies.It is the truth I never gave any American president one penny. The Nixon campaign organization did ask me for money, I told the President I had no money because then I was a poor struggling graduate student but I could get him hundreds of votes; and Nixon’s organization never solicited money from me again.
I have read and paid for the books of Nixon and would not pay a dime for the exploitative trash journalism of his enemies. The mistake of a great man is more honorable than the lies of mean men. If you make a comparison of what Nixon had said and done with all his successors, you will find Nixon was far better than all of them. Nixon was the only United States president since the end of World War II who sincerely sought a just and lasting peace for the world. The world and history will never forget President Nixon who sought a just and lasting peace. All other American presidents since the end of World War II have been seeking absolute military supremacy and world domination. Obama was the most dangerous of all because he was shamelessly encircling China and implementing two-pronged approach (military-trade pacts) with allies to contain, constrict and confront China and declared to defend Japan against China over Diaoyu Islands conflict which the U.S. violated China’s sovereignty in 1971 by illegally giving the administrative control to the unconditionally surrendered war crime nation of Japan. The current president is also dangerous and tragic.
The following is a personal letter from President Richard
Nixon dated February 4, 1972
In 1972 before President Nixon took the journey of peace to China, on February 4 President Nixon wrote me a letter shown above. Nixon arrived in China on February 21, 1972, 50 years ago. I was an original proponent to open up with China. Nixon’s trip to China changed the relationship between America and China, changed China, changed America, and changed the world for the better.
By Ben Fenton,
“John F Kennedy won the popular vote by a margin of just 0.17 of a percentage point but the electoral college went to him by 303-219 after the big blocs of Illinois and Texas fell to him at the last minute.
Fraud was suspected, particularly in Illinois, where Richard Daley, the controversial Democratic mayor of Chicago, was alleged to have stuffed ballot boxes with Kennedy votes. Yesterday, Mayor Daley’s son William, now chairman of the Gore campaign, was leading the challenge to the Florida vote.
Mr Nixon wrote in 1978: “There is no doubt that there was substantial vote fraud in the 1960 election. Texas and Illinois produced the most damaging as well as the most flagrant examples.”
But ignoring calls from Dwight D Eisenhower, the retiring president, who wanted him to seek an unprecedented presidential recount, Mr Nixon accepted the result and conceded the election to John F Kennedy at 12.45pm on the day after votes were cast.
He told a reporter at the time: “Our country cannot afford the agony of a constitutional crisis and I damn well will not be a party to creating one just to become president or anything else.”
In his book, Mr Nixon explained his thinking: “A presidential recount would require up to half a year, during which time the legitimacy of Kennedy’s election would be in question. The effect could be devastating to America’s foreign relations. I could not subject the country to such a situation.”
More than one of Mr Nixon’s biographers have suggested that his altruism did not entirely explain his motivation in not challenging the result, as he admitted himself in the book.
“And what if I demanded a recount and it turned out that despite the vote fraud Kennedy had still won? Charges of ‘sore loser’ would follow me through history and preclude any possibility of a further political career.” In the event, Mr Nixon did return to politics after eight years in the wilderness and became president in 1968.”
According to David Stebenne,
“In Illinois, the most recent and fair-minded study (Kallina’sKennedy v. Nixon) concludes that sufficient evidence does not exist to determine whether Chicago’s Democratic machine stole more votes there than Republicans did downstate. Texas presents a different kind of problem. A system of free and fair elections in the modern sense had not yet taken hold on the ground there in 1960. Voter fraud was fairly common, safeguards to prevent it were few, and 1960 was no different in those respects. Thus, the most dispassionate analysis of this issue from the perspective of fifty years later is that we will never know whether Kennedy really “won,” in the sense of what result an entirely honest and effective administration of the electoral process in Illinois and Texas would have produced on Election Day in 1960.”
“As a result, it is not known whether Kennedy actually won the 1960 election. Ben Bradlee of Washington Post fame was one of Kennedy’s closest friends and reported later in his own memoirs that Kennedy told him that late on election night he called Mayor Daley to ask how things looked. Daley responded, according to the president, that “with a little bit of luck and the help of a few close friends you’re going to carry Illinois.”
After President Kennedy’s death, even as dedicated a liberal as the late Tom Wicker of The New York Times was to write that “Nobody knows to this day, or ever will, who the American people really elected president in 1960 … John F. Kennedy was inaugurated, but it was not at all clear that this was really the will of the people or, if so, by what means and margin that will was expressed.”
“John F. Kennedy beat Richard Nixon in one of the closest election cycles in the history of the nation. Nixon was urged to seek a recount, but refused. “No matter what you may think about Nixon, he was a loyalist,” says Weber.
Kennedy won the popular vote by a very slim margin, but he overwhelmingly won the presidency in the Electoral College. Even President Eisenhower pressed Nixon to challenge the results, but as Nixon put it: “Our country cannot afford the agony of a constitutional crisis and I damn well will not be a party to creating one just to become president or anything else.”
According to a thought-provoking article below:
“Is World War Between the US and China Inevitable?
The major concern that world war could erupt between the two powerhouses stems from the fact that their relationship contains a historical dynamic which often leads to war: known as the Thucydides trap. This trap refers to the ancient Greek historian, Thucydides, who wrote that one of the main causes of the Peloponnesian war, which was fought between two alliances, one led by Athens and the other by Sparta, was that the “rise of Athens and fear that this installed in Sparta made war inevitable” (Allison 2018: xiv).
The dangerous situation Thucydides outlined thousands of years ago has been used to refer to the explosive dynamic when a rising power threatens a ruling power (Allison 2018: xv). The Harvard Professor, Graham Allison, has used the Thucydides trap in the context of the Sino-US relationship, as a rising China is now challenging the position of the US in many respects.
The Thucydides’ Trap Project at Harvard has analysed the last 500 years of history, and found sixteen cases when a rising power has challenged a ruling power, with war ensuing in 12 instances (Allison 2018: 41). Some notable examples of the cases that resulted in war include the rise of Napoleonic France that challenged ruling British power in the late 18th, early 19th century, and the rise of Germany in the run-up to WWI, which led to war with the ruling power Britain and its allies (Allison 2018: 42).
The answer, quite simply, is that America was deeply connected to the China’s rise. In fact, the US in many ways facilitated China’s rise on the world stage, as the US government under Richard Nixon made the decision to bring China in from isolation, and help integrate it into an international order dominated by US power, with this power sitting within an overarching global system. Nixon made his stance on China clear even before he became US President in 1969. In a 1967 article for Foreign Affairs, the publication of the CFR, Nixon argued that it should be the long-term strategy of the US to bring China out of isolation and incorporate it into the evolving international
system (Nixon 1967: 121).”
I believe two key points must be highlighted to answer the critical question: “Is World War Between the US and China Inevitable?”
First,the comparative analysis between the rise of America versus the old British empire is useless and irrelevant to the real situation between the peaceful rise of China and the imperial America which consistently and persistently demonstrates its will to maintain the status quo of world domination and dictatorship. In the first place, Britons and Americans claim to belong to the white superior race. The white supremacists even today act and talk as if God has given them the right to rule the world. They never show any regret or repentance for all the evil deeds and injustice they had done during the colonial rule in the last 500 years to this day. The attempts of these same groups of people on Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang, South China Sea, etc. and the CORONAVIRUS pandemic to accuse and blame China as the enemy of the world is apparent and evident, malicious, and vicious without measure. The historical racial discrimination and slur against the Chinese by Western powers are an open book for all normal people to examine. China and Russia both express themselves not interested nor seeking to be hegemonic or imperial powers. The evidence amply proves that China’s intention matches its action. I also do not see any evidence of Putin seeking Russia to be an imperialist like America. The reason I am a supporter of President Richard Nixon is the fact that he sought a just and lasting peace for the world. Nixon did not seek absolute military superiority and imperial expansion as all his predecessors did and successors do to the present day. Nixon assured Chairman Mao that he would not attack China. Having said that, if America, EU, NATO, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, etc. are determined to have world dictatorship and domination and thus to eliminate Russia and China standing in the way, the nuclear war can become inevitable. Please read the following article:
Secondly, only the blind cannot see that the United States of America since the end of World War II has consistently and persistently executed an aggressive and militant foreign policy of world domination and “containment of China” with a short period of changing course of direction under President Nixon. After Nixon to the present, the American imperial policy has not changed a bit, only expanding world-wide and even reaching the space. There is no prospect that America will give up the Empire to regain a respectable Republic. If America is continuously on a high-speed race to dominate the world at any cost, it is inevitable America and its allies may cause a nuclear war that will destroy the whole world. You can rest assured the nuclear war will not start by Russia or China. Since the infamous Opium Wars, America and Western powers and Japan have wronged China too many times historically. In the Opium Wars alone, America, Britain, some Western powers and Japan attacked, killed, burned, robbed and looted China’s national treasures at the market value of more than US$100,000 trillion dollars not counting years of interest; and not counting the burning down and destruction of Yuan Ming Garden (which was more beautiful and luxurious than Palace of Versailles). These stolen and looted China national treasures are displayed at American, European, Japanese public, royal and private museums. This time the war will be different. America no longer can fight a proxy war, the nuclear war will be fought in mainland America. The end is mutual destruction and the destruction of the world. This is not The Thucydides Trap. White imperialists and colonialists used to deploy “White Man’s Burden” as a pretext to have world conquest. The offspring of imperialists and colonialists today want to use The Thucydides Trap as an excuse to destroy China and Russia as their perceived enemies. The major differences are clear: America and Western powers want to maintain the status quo of world dictatorship and domination; while China, Russia and the rest of the world want to be free from American and Western domination for a long, long time. The non-whites want a new world order. The so-called American and Western democracy and freedom, human rights, justice are actually a big lie: The one percent of the population controls and rules over the ninety nine percent. It is The Unholy Ambition Trap. This is the deadly trap of Imperialism. This is the evil scheme of warmongers and supremacists and militarists. The time will tell. History is unfolding. But I am not optimistic about America and the West.
Even now America and its allies have military preparations and operations of aircraft carriers, destroyers, bombers, warships, spy planes, etc. in China’s air defense zones and territorial waters of the South China Sea, Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the Black Sea of Russia. If you constantly prepare for a war, you will have a war. Western leaders and politicians are insane and immoral, they think they can win a nuclear war against Russia and China. ONLY you can change and stop them.
If the U.S. starts a war of aggression with Britain, Australia, Canada, Japan, EU, NATO, and its allies against China or Russia, it may bring about a global nuclear war and holocaust beyond human imagination. The American media and their supporters did not want to change the old world order, so they slandered and smeared Nixon with their power of mass media. History will prove President Nixon right and will be remembered while his mean enemies will go down into oblivion. The good things I have written about Nixon are true and I do not get pay for doing it. Why? I am for truth and justice. The bad things evil men wrote about Nixon are untrue and they made big money for doing it. What is better, Jesus Christ is the Judge of the living and dead and coming to judge the world. One day, how could these deceivers and liars stand before the judgment of God? If American leaders and politicians are determined and desired to have a nuclear war (America has RAND PLAN) against China and Russia, likely they will be a nuclear war. So only American leaders and politicians can act to avoid and prevent the coming nuclear war.
Whoever thought that the Nixon Library would invite a pompous betrayer of the Nixon grand vision and global strategic policy to speak at the Nixon Library!!!
Out of the Ten Major Accomplishments of Richard Nixon, I only select 3 accomplishments for the readers to make an informed judgment:
“Nixon initiated an era of improved relations with China
In 1949, the communists took over mainland China and the nationalists fled to the island of Taiwan. The United States recognized Taiwan, or the Republic of China, as the sole government of China neglecting the People’s Republic of China (PRC). On becoming President, Richard Nixon sought to establish better ties with the PRC. After a series of diplomatic overtures, Nixon visited the People’s Republic of China in 1972 becoming the first president from the United States to do so. The week long visit, which lasted from February 21 to 28, is considered a vital diplomatic and strategic success. Nixon’s visit ended 25 years of no diplomatic ties or communication between the two countries. It was a massive event in terms of international politics, representing a key step in normalizing the relationship between China and the United States; and ushering in a new era of Sino-American relations. This visit also allowed the United States greater leverage with the Soviet Union, who now feared a Sino-American alliance against them.”
President Nixon shakes hands with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai upon arriving in Beijing, 1972
“He helped reduce tensions between U.S. and the Soviet Union
To ease rising tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, Nixon engaged in intense negotiations with Leonid Brezhnev, the General Secretary of the Communist Party. These negotiations resulted in increased trade between the two nations. Moreover, the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks Agreement (SALT I)and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABMT) were signed by the two countries. Signed on May 26, 1972, SALT I froze the number of strategic ballistic missile launchers at existing levels. New submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) launchers could only be added once the same number of older intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) had been dismantled. Signed on May 26, 1972, the ABMT limited the anti-ballistic missile (ABM) systems of the two nations. Each nation was limited to two ABM complexes, each of which was to be limited to 100 anti-ballistic missiles. All these measure helped to curtail the threat of nuclear war between the two superpowers of the world. Moreover, better American relations with China and the Soviet Union led to the two nations reducing their diplomatic support for North Vietnam and asking it to negotiate an end to the conflict.”
“President Nixon ended U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War
During the presidential elections, Nixon had promised that the “new leadership will end the war (Vietnam War) and win the peace in the Pacific”. When he assumed office, around 300 American soldiers were dying each week in Vietnam. Moreover, there were strong protests against the war in the United States. Nixon handled the situation by what became know as “Vietnamization”. It involved replacing American troops with Vietnamese troops. He then began withdrawing American troops from the nation. On May 8, 1972, President Nixon made a major concession to North Vietnam by announcing that the U.S. would accept a cease-fire in place as a precondition for withdrawing its troops from South Vietnam. This led to progress in talks in the following months. Finally, on January 27, 1973, theParis Peace Accordswere signed between North Vietnam, South Vietnam, the United States and Provisional Revolutionary Government (PRG), that represented indigenous South Vietnamese revolutionaries. The Paris Peace treaty led to the United States withdrawing all its troops from the Vietnam War. However, the provisions of the treaty were immediately broken without any response from the U.S. North Vietnam conquered South Vietnam in 1975. Thus the Vietnam War may be considered as a major failure for the United States.”
“Nixon’s most celebrated achievements as President—nuclear arms control agreements with the Soviet Union and the diplomatic opening to China—set the stage for the arms reduction pacts and careful diplomacy that brought about the end of the Cold War. Likewise, the Nixon Doctrine of furnishing aid to allies while expecting them to provide the soldiers to fight in their own defense paved the way for the Reagan Doctrine of supporting proxy armies and the Weinberger Doctrine of sending U.S. armed forces into combat only as a last resort when vital national interests are at stake and objectives clearly defined. “
10 fascinating facts about Richard Nixon
January 9, 2020 by NCC Staff
“1. Nixon and Franklin Roosevelt are the only two people to appear on a national presidential ticket five times. Nixon won election in four of the five races, as did FDR. Nixon was the winning vice-presidential candidate in 1952 and 1956, and he won the 1968 and 1972 presidential elections. Roosevelt won four presidential elections and lost as a vice presidential candidate in 1920.
2. Nixon had a chance to attend Harvard but had to decline. As a student, Richard Nixon was third in his class and was offered a tuition grant to Harvard, but he was needed at home by his family.
3. He was also an outstanding law student. After graduating from Whittier College in California, Nixon received a full scholarship to Duke Law and graduated third in his class.
4. Nixon was a lieutenant commander in the Navy during World War II. He served in a variety of administrative positions but didn’t see combat during his time in the Pacific.
5. Richard Nixon almost became an FBI agent in the 1930s. Nixon applied to the agency but never heard back about his application. He had been accepted but then budget cuts eliminated his position.
6. Nixon was only 39 years old when he ran for vice president in 1952. Presidential candidate Dwight Eisenhower didn’t have a preference for a running mate, and party leaders favored Nixon for his anti-Communist stance and his strength in California.
7. Nixon survived two potentially fatal political losses in 1960 and 1962. Defeats in the presidential campaign against John F. Kennedy and the 1962 Californian governor’s race led many political observers to predict Nixon’s career was over. Within six years, he was President after winning a hard-fought campaign in 1968.
8. Nixon used the comedy show “Laugh-In” to get elected. At least, that is what Nixon reportedly said after he did a cameo appearance on the show just weeks before the 1968 election. Hubert Humphrey refused to do a similar appearance on the show.
9. Nixon was the first President to visit a nation not recognized by our own government. Nixon’s trip to China in 1972 was unique since the United States recognized Taiwan as the legitimate government of mainland China.
10. The Checkers speech was partially intended as an inside joke about FDR. The national TV speech that saved Nixon’s career in 1952 was a masterful political move, but the reference to Checkers the dog was meant as a jab at FDR’s famous Fala speech that Republicans would get. Years later, Nixon was still upset that it was called the Checkers speech and people mostly remembered the reference to his pet dog.”
Richard Nixon’s Top Domestic and Foreign Policy Achievements
“1. In 1972, President Nixon participated in the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) with Soviet Secretary General Brezhnev as part of an effort to temper the Cold War through diplomatic dètente.
2. Nixon signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, helping to calm U.S.-Soviet tensions by curtailing the threat of nuclear weapons between the world’s two superpowers.
3. President Nixon was the first President to visit the People’s Republic of China, where he issued the Shanghai Communiquè, announcing a desire for open, normalized relations. The diplomatic tour de force brought more than a billion people out of isolation.
4. Nixon signed the Paris Peace Accords in 1973, ending U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
5. In 1969, Nixon announced a groundbreaking foreign policy doctrine that called for the United States to act within its national interest and keep all existing treaty commitments with its allies.
6. Nixon established a new relationship with the Middle East, eliminating Soviet dominance in the region.
7. In honor of the POWs returning home from Vietnam, Nixon hosted the largest reception in White House history.
8. In reaction to the oil embargo of 1973, Nixon initiated Project Independence, which set a timetable to end reliance on foreign oil by 1980.
9. In 1970, President Nixon avoided a second Cuban Missile Crisis involving the Soviet submarine base by adhering to his policy of hard-headed dètente, an active rather than passive form of diplomacy.
10. During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Nixon supported Israel with massive aid, which Prime Minister Golda Meir later said saved her country.”
A year before his election, Nixon had written in Foreign Affairs of the Chinese, that “There is no place on this small planet for a billion of its potentially most able people to live in angry isolation.” Relations between the two great communist powers, the Soviet Union and China, had been deteriorating since the 1950s and had erupted into open conflict with border clashes during Nixon’s first year in office. The President sensed opportunity and began to send out tentative diplomatic feelers to China. Reversing Cold War precedent, he publicly referred to the Communist nation by its official name, the People’s Republic of China. A breakthrough of sorts occurred in the spring of 1971, when Mao Zedong invited an American table tennis team to China for some exhibition matches. Before long, Nixon dispatched Kissinger to secret meetings with Chinese officials. As America’s foremost anti-Communist politician of the Cold War, Nixon was in a unique position to launch a diplomatic opening to China, leading to the birth of a new political maxim: “Only Nixon could go to China.” The announcement that the President would make an unprecedented trip to Beijing caused a sensation among the American people, who had seen little of the world’s most populous nation since the Communists had taken power. Nixon’s visit to China in February 1972 was widely televised and heavily viewed. It was only a first step, but a decisive one, in the budding rapprochement between the two states.”
The acts and accomplishments of President Richard Nixon speak well for him even though he is dead, he still speaks.
An open letter to President Bush
An open letter to Pres. Bush Willie Wong Updated: 2004-11-04 16:57
Dear President Bush:
Congratulations for winning your second term as president of the United States! 1. About four years ago before you were elected president I wrote you a letter that I wanted to talk to you about Christ and China. I asked you not to use Jesus Christ for political reasons as many U.S. presidents had done in the past. I also asked you not to treat China as an enemy, for China is no threat to the U.S. and U.S. had wronged China too many times. I had seen your two ads, George W. Bush, His Faith and George W. Bush, The Truth (presented by Google) on my website.
2. Being given a second chance, it is hoped you do something right to earn your rightful place in history. I presented to you the idea of “historical moment” whereby you can make history, but the moment will pass you soon, and that moment will never return. What you must do, you must do quickly.
3. America is practicing a false version of Christianity and paying a lip service to Christ. The American prevailing values of money, sex and power are contrary to the Christian values of faith, hope and love. Capitalism and Christianity do not go together because capitalism is driven mad by greed and love of money.
4. America needs to clean its house first before it can criticize other nations. America is facing huge debts and deficits because of fiscal irresponsibility. It is morally wrong to give tax breaks to the rich and powerful. American politics and system of government is corrupted by moneyed interests represented by lobbyists. Although America claims to be a democracy, but it is ruled and run by and for special interests. Thus democracy becomes hollow. The military-industrial-security complex has wasted taxpayers’ money trillions of dollars. The government agencies exhibit a defective culture of self-serving. It is an ostrich’s syndrome to think everything is rosy in America. America is no model for the world. America has a flawed legal system that enriches lawyers at the expense of justice and victims. American healthcare system is a blood-sucking machine that preys on captive customers and enriches doctors, dentists, hospital owners, drug and insurance companies exorbitantly.
5. There is something wrong with the foreign policy. Learn from Richard Nixon to seek a just and lasting peace, not world domination. The so-called National Missile Defense is an unrealistic, unreliable and unproductive system that could waste trillions of dollars and still does not protect American people.
6. America created the Taiwan problem back in 1949 by military intervention and prevented China’s reunification. To right the wrong you should cancel the U.S.-Taiwan Relations Act, stop selling weapons to Taiwan, halt any military and political posturing, and declare America would not defend Taiwan under any circumstances because America has no right to do so. It is unwise to become the enemy of 1.40 billion Chinese and do something that may lead to global nuclear holocaust!
7. The war against terrorists needs to be revamped in order to wipe them out from the face of the earth. You need to cooperate with China, Russia, and EU to do the job more effectively. Unilateralism spells utter disaster. No nation is strong enough to dominate the world.
8. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”
( Proverbs 14:34) “So then, each of us will be accountable to God.”
( Romans 14:12) Jesus Christ says, “If you keep My commandments,
you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” ( John 15:10) Sincerely, Willie Wong Chinese for China https://williewongthought.hpage.com November 4, 2004
Ironically this open letter to President George W. Bush was published by China Daily without editing and without remuneration (I did not get pay for my work). Why? I knew the New York Times, the Washington Post or the Wall Street Journal would not publish my letter because they have different value and viewpoint – they do not judge the intrinsic value of the article by its content. They would publish articles of any politicians or running dogs of the imperialists to promote their ideology. Many of them even now believe in lies. The important thing to me was to get the message out, money was not important. The difference between before the fact and after the fact is the difference between Heaven and earth. Funny part was once my letter was made known to the world, Inside/\Outside of UC Berkeley took liberty to publish my open letter and commented as follows:
November 7, 2004 Inside/\Outside of UC Berkeley published the headline
“A Chinese reader writes to George Bush”
“An open letter to President Bush” by Willie Wong is an interesting Chinese reaction to the US election. It has been published on China Daily, which is an English-language newspaper published in Beijing under the control of the Chinese government. Although this is probably a true letter from a true reader, nonetheless it has been “approved” for publishing. Therefore it can be a sample of Chinese feelings towards the US, both among citizens and leaders. It is interesting that Willie Wong uses against Bush the “true” principles of Christian religion…which does not enjoy unlimited freedom in China.”
People who were responsible for Inside/\Outside of UC Berkeleyimmediately assumed Willie Wong must be a Chinese, he could not be an American. They wanted a Chinese reaction, they would not want an American reaction. They would not want to know the truth that I am an American writing to the American president. Soon quite a few universities also published my letter. I did not mind anyway because I wanted the world to know the truth in Jesus Christ. Probably in a few days, I believe hundreds of thousands of university students in China, America and elsewhere had read the letter.
My fellow Americans and fellow Christians worldwide, I recently made an awesome and heavy discovery based on historical facts in the light of the Holy Scriptures; in fact, in the light of the words of Jesus Christ Himself. I am obligated to tell you the truth in the name of the Lord. I am sure the truth will offend many. Specifically referred to is
Jhn 8:4,“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
Note: This Scripture specifies the nature of the devil:
(A). The devil was the murderer from the beginning. Murderer in Greek isanthrōpoktonos which means a killer, manslayer, one who commits a homicide; – it occurs only 3 times in the New Testament. When a man kills another human being, he commits a murder and he is a homicide. Do you know which nation that killed 50 million peoples (35 million Chinese worldwide, 15 million Asians), committed genocide, sex slavery, slave labor, atrocities and brutalities and denied them, and refused to make formal apology, and refused to pay compensation and restitution?
The first murderer was not Cain, it was the devil.
(B). The devil does not stand in the truth.
Stand in Greek is stēkō which means to keep one’s standing, to persevere, to persist; – it occurs 8 times in the New Testament. Truth in Greek alētheia which means objectively what is true in any matter under consideration, in reality, in accordance with fact; what is true in things appertaining to God and the duties of man; the truth as taught in the Christian religion; – it occurs 110 times in the New Testament. It is ironic that in 2020 amid the CORONAVIRUS pandemic, American and European leaders and politicians openly and publicly tell big black lies about the China conspiracy and man-made CORONAVIRUS at Wuhan Lab without shame or conscience when the evidence points otherwise. What a man stands for can tell whether he belongs to the devil or not. Liars are children of their father the devil. Like Father, like sons.
(C). There is no truth in the devil.
There are very intelligent, crafty and greedy and devious people who think they do well because they can fool the world, but they lie shamelessly and they are children of darkness. Such are people who created the American economic and financial crisis in 2008 which looted the world US$50 trillion, such are imperialists and hegemonists and militarists and warmongers who want to dominate the world, such are terrorists who kill in the name of their religion, etc.
(D). The devil speaks lies.
The children of the devil are like their father and they also speak lies. It is impossible for a child of God to tell lies. For God is true. The great phenomenon in the world today is devoid of truth and integrity. The leaders of the world openly and publicly tell lies without shame. And you certainly cannot trust media (whether mainstream or fly-by-night), they spread fakes news, disinformation and misinformation without cause or reason.
(E). The devil is the father of lies.
The devil has many children and agents on earth. This Scripture sums up the whole nature and character of the devil – the opposite and enemy of God. Just as there is no truth in the devil, there is also no truth in the children of the devil. Like father, like children.
Jesus clearly defines who the children of the devil are:
(A). They lie.
To lie is to say what is yes “no”, and to say what is no “yes”; to turn fact into a fraud, and to turn fraud into a fact. Lie is the opposite of truth. I was young and now I am old. I have never heard and seen what I have heard and seen today on TV. World leaders totally corrupt, crooked and perverted to tell lies loudly without shame. I am appalled by the lies and fake news of Western media which I have studied all my life. I am dismayed by the lies stated by the children of the devil when they post their comments on the Internet – shameless and senseless. They excel in distortion, disinformation, misinformation, misrepresentation, and deception without conscience and without morals. I would not waste a second on arguing with them. How can you reason with people who do not stand in the truth? What is the point of reasoning with people who have no truth in them? You cannot discuss anything worthwhile with people who strongly believe they are appointed by God to rule the world. What do you do with arrogant people who think they are superior by birthright? You can fool some of the people some of the time. You can even fool most of the people most of the time. But you cannot fool all the people all the time. With instant news, Western media can no longer lie effectively. Lies and evil deeds are made known to the world speedily.
Rom 1:18, “For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.”
Note: God is angry against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Suppress in Greek iskatechō which means to hold back; to restrain; to hinder; to withhold; to put down; to keep from public knowledge; to cover up; – which occurs25 times in the New Testament. Do you know that your country is covering up many dark secrets so that you do not know? National and world leaders hold back and cover up so that the people do not know the truth.
(B). They murder.
The devil was the murderer from the beginning. And so the children of the devil also kill, kill, kill. They enjoy engaging in wars of aggression. They relish intervening and interfering in the internal matters of other nations. The children of the devil want to dominate and dictate the world. The 99 percent of all the problems in the world today are the workings of the children of the devil. Do you know how many peoples have been murdered by European and American, UK, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand supremacists, andJapanese militarists IN HISTORY? God knows all of them.
It was the iniquity of President Nixon to drop so many cluster bombs on Laos. Even today, the cluster bombs still kill, maim and injure the Laotians. If some nation would send trained personnel to clear and explode those cluster bombs, it would be a good deed.
(C). They rob.
In the last 500 years or more European powers had killed millions of innocent peoples around the world in Asia, Africa, Australia and Latin America to conquer and colonize many nations and peoples and robbed their resources to enrich themselves and build up their own infrastructure, industry, technology, transportation, trade, etc. In more recent years the United States had killed millions and millions of innocent peoples around the world since the end of World War II in countless unjust wars of aggression and bloody military interventions to this day and robbed the resources of many nations and people to maintain the status quo of being the sole superpower, absolute military superiority, world domination and dictatorship. Not to mention historically, the white Europeans robbed the land of America from its natives the Red Indians and almost terminated the whole Red Indian race. America and its allies caused even more millions of people around the world to become refugees and live in abject poverty and misery. Europe and America alone since the infamous Opium Wars had looted and robbed China’s national treasures worth more than market value of US$100,000 trillion dollars, not counting years of interest. The Chinese national treasures are now on display in British, French, and other European, Japanese and American public and private and royal museums.
As historical dust is settling down, you can see clear historical perspective with certainty. No cover up, no whitewashing, no distortion can change history.
“On the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the
secrets of men through Christ Jesus.”
God knows every matter and every deed of all peoples, men and women, white or black, no difference. God also knows the secrets of men, your secrets, my secrets, secrets of all peoples. There is no dream team to defend you, for God has all the evidence. God knows all the secrets of the White House. God knows all the secrets of American government from its inception. God knows all the evil deeds done by the Western powers in the last 500 years. God knows all the war crimes, atrocities, sex slavery, slave labor, genocide and brutalities committed by Japan and Japanese leaders and military.
trouble makers; dictators, oppressors, authoritarians, liars, killers and
robbers from Heaven.
The Judgment
Mat 25:31-46, “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothingto eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Note: The Son of Man refers to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The King refers to the King of kings, Jesus Christ. On the Day of Judgment, God will judge Richard Nixon, you and me, and everyone so that no one can escape the judgment of God. But because I have believed in Jesus Christ and was saved, there will no condemnation for me.
Before Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven, He commanded all disciples:
Mar 16:15-16, “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation. The one who has believed and has been baptized will be saved; but the one who has not believed will be condemned.”
Rom 8:1, “Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
You have learned the truth in Jesus Christ. Do you want to be Jesus’ sheep on His right and inherit the Kingdom of God? You can do it by believing in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior now.
*Our mission is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ absolutely free. We do not want donation. We only want you to know the truth.
This article is written to let you know: WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT.
He knows, she knows, you know, we know, they know — is never the same as I know. Above all, God knows, the Lord knows. What God knows and the Lord knows are the same. God knows everything, no limitations; God knows the secrets of individuals, institutions, and nations. Nothing can hide from God. The Almighty is Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient.
What I know and what you know may be different. In the final analysis, if the person singular and personal “I” does not exist, everything else won’t matter.
Here “I” represents many individuals, not just my own personal entity or identity. The most important thing God also speaks with the first person, you better listen when God says, “I know.” There are those who are pretending they know, actually they know nothing. This is the kind of individuals you have to beware of and avoid by all means.
The difference between what man knows and what God knows is infinite, and the human knowledge is practically nothing.
Rev 3:1, “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, and yet you are dead.”
God knows America and Europe are practicing a false version of Christianity. I know under the name of a country, the church which is against the truth in Christ, and yet it has a name of Christian church. Many churches in America are social clubs, making preachers very rich.
Zep 3:5, “The LORD is righteous within her; He will do no injustice. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He does not fail. But the criminal knows no shame.”
There are more criminals in the last days, political, financial and military. The Internet and emails and mass media are run amok by criminals. The criminal knows no shame.
Divine knowledge cannot be acquired by study, it is beyond science and philosophy. Heavenly wisdom cannot be acquired by just observation. Wisdom above comes from God.
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.”
God is Light. God has shone in the hearts of believers to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
Eph 1:17, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom
and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.”
You see the knowledge of God must be given through revelation with the Spirit of wisdom. You will never through science and philosophy receive revelation and the Spirit of wisdom.
Do you know, the children of God are given the right to ask God for the Spirit of Wisdom? It is so precious that money cannot buy and human efforts cannot acquire.
I KNOW
I DON’T THINK YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I HAVE STUDIED.
Although I have been poor most of my life, yet I have spent a large sum of money on books and a life-long pursuit of knowledge and the truth.
I have studied from Augustine to Martin Luther.
I have studied from Confucius to Mencius.
I have studied from Homer to Longfellow.
I have studied from Plato to Kant.
I have studied from Goethe to Kierkegaard.
WHO AM I?
I am a Christian by grace, a Chinese by race, and an American by nationality. In Politics I am Nixonian, in Management I am Koontzian, in English I am Ruskinian, in Philosophy I am Willie Wong Thought. I am neither a capitalist nor a communist. I am a Christian who stands for truth and justice and with the poor and oppressed peoples in the world. Above all, I am a disciple and servant of Jesus Christ. Willie Wong Thought is the system of thinking and world-view of Willie Wong.
Please also read the article People Who Have Been Great
I believe Confucius said something much earlier to that effect. Copernicus was born in 1473, while Confucius was born in 551 BC. The problem is the practice of Western academia and intelligentsia to play down the achievement of Chinese civilization.
What Mr. Ford said is generally true; but there is no real security in this world. I recalled once America was in very bad economic condition, a Ph.D. could not find a suitable job and became a taxi driver. If you have plenty of money, and you do not have to work for a living, then you might be free. But of course there are other things that may upset you, such as gun violence or a terminal cancer.
There are many in American government who have knowledge without integrity. They even advised the government America can win a nuclear war against China. They advise Taiwan how to use military force to separate from China. Those so-called leaders and politicians in Taiwan are actually nincompoops extraordinary who bought costly weapons of mass destruction at premium price from America. The end result is Taiwan will be destroyed. That is why it is dangerous and dreadful.
There are many in this world who have false knowledge but they think they had true knowledge. Of course they do not know that false knowledge is more dangerous than ignorance. American leaders and politicians make knowledgeable citizens desperate because they deem their ignorance as true knowledge.
Isn’t it strange that with all that knowledge and strategy that America and Europe possess, they boldly and deliberately pursue the policy of conflict with Russia and China? The problems are not Russia and China; the problems America and Europe (and pagan Japan) want to dominate the world!
In America most people learn medical, military, legal, financial and scientific knowledge to make as much money as they can for the love of money, power and pleasure. They do not love God, they love themselves, money and pleasure.
Where is the wisdom of leaders and politicians of a nation who are neglecting its pressing national problems while wasting trillions of dollars to attack, sanction and terrorize the whole world just because they want to dominate the world?
What is the reason of lying, killing, and robbing many nations just to dominate them? For centuries and centuries Europe practiced lying, killing, and robbing its colonies without regret, repentance, and recompense for its victims. America not only followed the old Europe, it is now the leader of the West who traumatizes and terrorizes the whole world in order to become the supreme dictator of the world. They use wars and proxy wars to strengthen their position.
There are few individuals in America who are so arrogant and self-righteous think America should have wars and destroy Russia and China. Their most flimsy reason is that America is democratic, while Russia and China are not. Well, these ignorant nincompoops do not really know what democracy is. One percent of America population rules over 99 percent of American population, and owns most of the power and wealth in America– that is the model of American democracy. Less than 10 individuals in America determine the destiny and future of America. These 10 individuals decide to have war or not, to attack other nations or not.
Facts or information that a person acquires through experience or through education, and thanks to whose understanding he is able to refer to a particular matter of reality.
The intellectual content that a person can accumulate with respect to an area of knowledge, a specific subject or the entire universe.
All kinds of cognitive certainty to answer the questions what? how? when? and where?
The very definition of what knowledge is, is already part of knowledge and therefore of the disciplines that study it.
Certain forms of knowledge have been more valued than others in each epoch of history, such as the religious one in medieval Europe, or as the scientific one is in post-industrial today. However, the underlying philosophical question as to what knowledge is continues to challenge us and give us much to think about.”
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.”
Knowledge in Hebrew isdaʿaṯwhich means perception; skill; discernment; understanding; knowing; the fact of being aware of something; – which occurs 93 times in the Old Testament.
Luk 1:77, “To give His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins.”
Knowledge in Greek isgnōsiswhich means knowledge signifies in general intelligence; understand; moral wisdom; the general knowledge of Christian religion; apprehension of truths; – which occurs 29 times in the New Testament.
The knowledge of salvation is a divine knowledge by revelation, you cannot obtain it from science or philosophy. Human knowledge must be verified, divine knowledge is revealed. The knowledge of God is beyond science and philosophy — beyond mankind.
The problem is that billions of peoples in this world do not know they have false knowledge, including Ph.D.s, scientists and philosophers. People want to believe what they want to believe, no matter true or false. For example, Western leaders and politicians do not know they are causing great troubles and tragedies in the world, they thought they are doing good in promoting democracy, freedom, equality and security. In truth, they are the greatest threats to the world today. It would be better-off if NATO, EU, GANG-7, QUAD, Japan and Western political and military alliances do not exist at all. Another example, many leaders of many nations believe and think they inherit great national treasures in their culture or civilization, if I point out each nation what they considered cultural treasures are nothing but trash, won’t I be hated by all nations?
According to
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
“nō , nol´ej (in Hebrew chiefly ידע , yādha‛ , noun דּעת , da‛ath ; in Greek γινώσκω , ginṓskō , οῖδα , oı́da ; “to know fully,” ἐπιγινώσκω , epiginṓskō , noun γνώσις , gnṓsis ἐπίγνωσις , epignōsis ): Knowledge strictly is the apprehension by the mind of some fact or truth in accordance with its real nature; in a personal relation the intellectual act is necessarily conjoined with the element of affection and will (choice, love, favor, or, conversely, repugnance, dislike, etc.). Knowledge is distinguished from “opinion” by its greater certainty. The mind is constituted with the capacity for knowledge, and the desire to possess and increase it. The character of knowledge varies with its object. The senses give knowledge of outward appearances; the intellect connects and reasons about these appearances, and arrives at general laws or truths; moral truth is apprehended through the power inherently possessed by men of distinguishing right and wrong in the light of moral principles; spiritual qualities require for their apprehension spiritual sympathy (“They are spiritually judged,” 1 Corinthians 2:14 ). The highest knowledge possible to man is the knowledge of God, and while there is that in God’s infinity which transcends man’s power of comprehension (Job 11:7 , Job 11:9 ), God is knowable in the measure in which He has revealed Himself in creation (Romans 1:19 , Romans 1:20 , “that which is known of God,” etc.), and supremely in Jesus Christ, who alone perfectly knows the Father, and reveals Him to man (Matthew 11:27 ). This knowledge of God in Jesus Christ is “life eternal” (John 17:3 ). Knowledge is affirmed of both God and man, but with the wide contrast that God’s knowledge is absolute, unerring, complete, intuitive, embracing all things, past, present, and future, and searching the inmost thoughts of the heart (Psalm 139:1 , Psalm 139:23 ); whereas man’s is partial, imperfect, relative, gradually acquired, and largely mixed with error (“Now we see in a mirror darkly … in part,” 1 Corinthians 13:12 ). All these points about knowledge are amply brought out in the Scripture usage of the terms. A large part of the usage necessarily relates to natural knowledge (sometimes with a carnal connotation, as Genesis 4:1 , Genesis 4:17 ), but the greatest stress also is laid on the possession of moral and spiritual knowledge (e.g. Psalm 119:66; Proverbs 1:4 , Proverbs 1:7 , Proverbs 1:22 , Proverbs 1:29; Proverbs 8:10 , etc.; Luke 1:77; Romans 15:14; 2 Peter 1:5 , 2 Peter 1:6 ). The highest knowledge, as said, is the knowledge of God and Christ, and of God’s will (Hosea 6:6; Romans 11:33; Ephesians 1:17; Ephesians 4:13; Philippians 1:9; Philippians 3:8; Colossians 1:9 , Colossians 1:10 , etc.). The moral conditions of spiritual knowledge are continually insisted on (“If any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God,” John 7:17 ). On the. other hand, the pride of intellectual knowledge is condemned; it must be joined with love (“Knowledge puffeth up, 1 Corinthians 8:1 ). The stronger term epignōsis is used to denote the full and more perfect knowledge which is possessed in Christ, the conditions of which are humility and love. Of knowledge as connoting favor, choice, on the part of God, there are many examples (Psalm 1:6 , Yahweh knoweth the way of the righteous”; Galatians 4:9 , “know God, or rather to be known by God”; compare Romans 8:29 , “whom he fore-knew”). See FOREKNOWLEDGE.”
Like it or not, knowledge makes who you are and what you are. I hold undergraduate and graduate degrees from a top American university, one year away from Ph.D. 95% of my knowledge is derived from the English language, the other 5% includes Chinese, German, Hebrew, and Greek. I have a lifetime pursuit of Bible study, and advanced study in theology and philosophy. The person who knows only one language cannot help to be narrow-minded. This is objective, not prejudicial. Can you imagine an Englishman always uses capital “I” in saying anything, not knowing in almost all other languages the pronoun “I” is in small letter? According to
Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology
Know, Knowledge
“The Old Testament . The Hebrew root yada [], translated “know”/”knowledge, ” appears almost 950 times in the Hebrew Bible. It has a wider sweep than our English word “know, ” including perceiving, learning, understanding, willing, performing, and experiencing. To know is not to be intellectually informed about some abstract principle, but to apprehend and experience reality. Knowledge is not the possession of information, but rather its exercise or actualization.
Thus, biblically to know God is not to know about him in an abstract and impersonal manner, but rather to enter into his saving actions (Micah 6:5 ). To know God is not to struggle philosophically with his eternal essence, but rather to recognize and accept his claims. It is not some mystical contemplation, but dutiful obedience.
In the doing of justice and righteousness, Josiah is said to have known God (Jeremiah 22:15-16 ). True knowledge of God involves obeying the stipulations of his covenant. It is expressed in living conformity to his will. The opposite of knowledge is not ignorance, but rebellion (Jeremiah 22:11-14 ).
The word “know” is used as a euphemism for sex and intercourse: Adam knew his wife Eve and she became pregnant (Genesis 4:1 ). Women who have “known” a man are no longer virgins (Numbers 31:17,35 ). In his declining days David had an attractive attendant who served him but did not have sexual relationships with him (1 Kings 1:4 ). Even sexual perversions such as sodomy (Genesis 19:5; Judges 19:22 ) and rape (Judges 19:25 ) are designated by the word “know.”
The word “know” is used also to express acquaintance with a person. Jacob questioned the shepherds of Haran, “Do you know Laban?” (Genesis 29:5 ). The pual participle of the Hebrew word indicates a close friend (Job 19:14; Psalm 55:13 ), a neighbor (Psalm 31:11 ), a companion (Psalm 88:8,18 ), and a relative (Ruth 2:1 ).
Divine-human relationships are also expressed by this term. The Lord knew Moses very well—”by name” (Exodus 33:11,12,17 ). Moses sought a reciprocal acquaintance with God (Exodus 33:13 ). The psalmist is amazed at God’s intimate knowledge (Psalm 139:6 ) of his personal life, his daily activities (139:1-2), even his unuttered and unformed thoughts (139:4).
The fact that God knows often indicates divine choice. He knew Jeremiah before his birth, singling him out to be a prophet (Jeremiah 1:5 ). He chose Abraham to be the father of a great nation (Genesis 18:19 ). The statement of Amos 3:2 , “You (Israel) only have I chosen of all the families of the earth, ” indicates divine selection. It is the way of the righteous that the Lord knows, endorses, and cherishes (Psalm 1:6 ).
The New Testament . The Greek words commonly translated know are oida [] and ginosko []. These words have the various nuances of meaning of the English word “know.” They have been influenced by the Hebrew word yada [], such influence having been mediated through the Septuagint, but they also reflect an adaptation demanded by a pagan world ignorant of God’s existence.
The New Testament emphasizes that knowing God is not simply an intellectual apprehension, but a response of faith and an acceptance of Christ. It is he who has made God known (John 1:18 ). To know Christ is to know God (John 14:7 ). Eternal life is to know the true God and Jesus Christ (John 17:3 ). Paul desires to know Christ in his death and resurrection (Philippians 3:10 ). Failure to know Jesus as Lord and Messiah (Acts 2:36 ) resulted in his rejection and crucifixion (1 Corinthians 2:8 ).
To know Christ is to know truth (John 8:32 ). While this is personal, it is also propositional. Knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Timothy 2:25; 3:7; Titus 1:1 ) is both enlightenment and acceptance of the cognitive aspects of faith.
Paul uses the rhetorical question, “Don’t you know?” several times in 1Corinthians (3:16; 5:6; 6:2,3, 9,15; 9:13,24). This may be an appeal to common knowledge, or a reference to a corpus of teaching that the apostle had communicated.
Affirmations about God’s knowledge are more limited in the New Testament than in the Old Testament. He knows the human heart (Luke 16:15 ). He knows his children’s needs such as clothing and food (Matthew 6:32 ). He even anticipates our petitions (Matthew 6:8 ). In fact, he knows everything (1 John 3:20 ).
Jesus uniquely knows God (John 8:55 — here knowledge and obedience are equated ). He knows the hidden designs of his questioners ( Luke 11:17 ). He is also perceptive of humankind. Nowhere is his penetrating knowledge noted more than it is in the Fourth Gospel (2:25; 5:42; 6:64; 10:14; 13:1,11; 18:4; 19:28).
The limits of human knowledge are recognized in the New Testament. It is not through wisdom that the world knows God, but rather through the divine initiative (Galatians 4:8-9 ). It is through the kerygma that humans can know God (1 Corinthians 1:20-25 ). Spiritual discernment is not the result of profane reasoning (1 Timothy 6:20 ). God’s revelation in Christ has made knowledge of him possible. But at best, this knowledge is partial. Perfection in the area of knowledge is reserved for the age to come (1 Corinthians 13:12 ).”
Based on the references cited, we should know what we are talking about knowledge.
I give you an illustration how false knowledge is more dangerous than ignorance. You ask someone about the street, the person gave you a wrong direction, so you waste your time going the wrong way. This is only involves time and walking. Some false knowledge can lead you into big trouble and ruin and destruction.
2Pe 1:8, “For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they do not make you useless nor
unproductive in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
A person who has the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ cannot be useless nor unproductive. I may offend people if I say most of the peoples I had met in this world are useless and unproductive.
II. SPECIAL AND ARTISTIC KNOWLEDGE The Skilled Craftsmen
Exo 31:1-11, “Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
“See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
And I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to create artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze,
and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, so that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship. And behold, I Myself have
appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, so that they may make everything that I have commanded you:
the tent of meeting, the ark of testimony, the atoning cover that is on it, and all the furniture of the tent, the table and its utensils, the pure gold
lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin and its stand, the woven garments as well: the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, with which to carry out their priesthood; the anointing oil also, and the fragrant
incense for the Holy Place, they are to make them
according to everything that I have commanded
you.”
Probably Bezalel and Oholiab were the progenitors of all craftsmen.
The skill craftsmen must not only be skillful in crafts, they must be able to make everything according to what God had commanded.
2Ch 2:14, “the son of a Danite woman and a Tyrian father, who knows how to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and in purple, violet, linen, and crimson fabrics, and who knows how to make all kinds of engravings and to execute any
design which is assigned to him, to work with your skilled workers and with those of my lord, your father David.”
The Chinese craftsmen in Ming and Qing Dynasties were able to create the most beautiful and precious and priceless China’s antiques — China’s treasures.
“When many people think of crafts, they only consider a few like knitting or scrapbooking. But there are more than 100 different types of crafts that fall into ten core categories. We’ll explain each of those ten types to help you learn more about the world of crafting. You’re sure to find your favorites, but we hope you’ll also learn about new types of crafts that you’ve never heard of!
“Stained glass is the most common glasswork to combine with ceramic. In this art, the multitude of colors enhances the beauty of the ceramic piece. This is a cool way to give the appearance of precious stones. You might think you need a glass kiln to achieve this type of design, but that’s not true. Ceramic kilns are fine for ceramics that incorporate glassworks. The main concern is the volume of space inside the ceramic kiln as glass tends to expand when heated.”
You know Chinese porcelain antiques of Ming and Qing Dynasties are priceless treasures. I saw many items of Chinese national treasures in Europe and America, robbed and looted from China during the infamous Opium Wars and the burning of the Yuan Ming Garden. They are worth the market value of US$100,000 trillions not counting the interest of many years. They should be returned to China as soon as possible. Except the pagan Japan, Europe and America claim to be Christians nations. Jesus Christ says, Mar 12:17, “And Jesus said to them, “Pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at Him.”
Chinese national treasures should be returned.
According to cn.bing.com/search?q=the+highest+price+of+chinese+porcelain
“Perfect bodies, wide variation of colors, and skillful decoration techniques characterized the period. An
elaborately decorated 18th century Qing Dynasty
porcelain vase was sold for $84 million to a rich
Chineseindustrialist, making it the highest price
ever paid fora porcelain item and a piece of Chinese
Fiber and textile crafts involve the creation of an item by using fabric or textile.
They’re more often created in mass-production factories.
Textile and fiber crafts include an array of crafting processes. Common examples include papermaking, basketry, needlework, weaving and more. Sometimes crafters must prepare the fiber or textile beforehand. Preparations include methods like spinning, bleaching, and finishing. The treated product is then combined with other processes to gain the desired look. This can include methods like screen printing or painting. Sometimes artists may treat the material with chemicals to make it last longer.
Fiber and textile arts have sustained their popularity across the ages. Clothing is a necessity for all and also a valuable means of self-expression. These days, we hold grand events like New York Fashion Week to celebrate our textile designs. Textiles are also used in our homes as bedding, rugs, and other decorative accents.
Flower crafting includes a variety of arts and crafts that incorporate flowers. This includes bouquet making, pressed flowers, ikebana, and more.
The art of flower crafting dates back to ancient Egypt. Flowers held spiritual importance as a symbol of rebirth. Ancient Egyptians used floral arrangements to decorate and perfume their homes. They also used flowers to create perfumed ointments. The oldest known book for flower-crafting was found in Japan and dates back to 1445.
Several types of beautiful flower crafting arts are still popular today. We still value the fragrance, importance, and beauty of flowers. Many use these creations during sacred events like weddings, funerals, and celebrations. They may also offer congratulations, well wishes, and to express love...
Leatherworking is an ancient process of creating items out of animal skins. During ancient times, hunters used the skins of the animals they hunted for clothing. The clothing would, unfortunately, stiffen and rot over time. To solve this problem, they created primitive techniques for crafting leather.
The most common animal skin used for leatherworking cow. First, the leatherworker must clean the skin. Then they remove the hair or fur. Next begins a process called tanning. This process helps to preserve the material. Finally, leatherworking may include decorative elements. Leather carving, stamping, boiling, painting, and dying are the most common techniques. Most leather is black or brown, but you can also dye it any color of the rainbow.
Mixed media involves the act of incorporating a variety of media to form a work of art. The two most common types of mixed media are assemblages and collages. Artists may use a variety of different materials in a mixed-media design. Elements that are most often incorporated are paper, cloth, plastic items, and wood.
An artist can achieve many impressive effects with mixed media. One popular technique is a three-dimensional effect. When a painter is creating a mixed media artwork, they must allow each design to dry. This prevents paint mixing between combined layers or pieces in the design. Today we have digital mixed media too. This involves creating graphic designs with computer software. Digital, mixed media collages are common on social networks. Apps have made it even easier to create these designs.
Needlework is any type of art form involving a needle to construct an item. Since this is such a broad category, there are a vast variety of techniques included. Some of the most popular methods are sewing, knitting, crocheting, quilting, and tatting.
Needleworking is also an ancient art form. Experts have dated a Peruvian cross-stitch sampler back to 200-500 AD. The materials used to create early needlework were most likely stems and grasses. Twisting short fibers to create yarns and string did not evolve as a technique until around 10,000 BC. Historians have discovered early examples. Some of these included half cross stitches and satin stitches into intricate designs.
Paper crafts are designs formed using paper. Some familiar paper crafting techniques are origami, paper marbling, decoupage, embossing, scrapbooking, quilting and more.
The word “paper” comes from the term “papyrus,” which is the material used by Egyptians for paperwork. This creation dates back to the third millennium BC. Paper as we know it today was invented in China around 105 AD. This advancement opened up a world of possibilities for creating with paper. The types of paper available and techniques for crafting have evolved over time.
Paper is one of the most common materials used for artistic expression. It is easy to find, easy to maneuver, and inexpensive. As children, most of us used paper as our material of choice for creative work. We cut snowflakes out of paper, colored it, glued it and more. As adults, there are almost endless options for papercrafting. If you’re into paper crafts, you may like our Cricut coupons.
Works created primarily out of wood are wood crafts. Wood is actually one of the oldest materials man has used creatively. Archaeologists have found ancient woodworking tools dated back to the era of the Neanderthals. This art form is so enduring because we use wooden items for so many everyday, practical uses.
The most common wood crafts include furniture making, wood burning, cabinet making, carving, and carpentry. To become a master woodworker, you’ll need a great deal of expertise. This is because of the large variety in types of wood. Each kind of tree has its own set of unique properties, resulting in different strengths and uses.
Creative works made out of stone are stone crafts. The profession of stone crafting is stonemasonry. Masons create everyday items like monuments, buildings, bridges and so much more. You’re probably familiar with many of the most famous works constructed from stone. The Taj Mahal, the Moai Heads of Easter Island, Stonehenge, and the Egyptian Pyramids are excellent examples.
There are many types of stone used for masonry construction and stone sculpting. These include various sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks. In masonry, the most common varieties used include limestone and sandstone. Sculptors of stone are more likely to work with alabaster or marble. Common tools used to shape stone include mallets, chisels, and metal straightedges. In modern times, power-tools may make the stone crafting process much easier.
Metal crafters construct objects out of materials derived from the ores of the earth. You may also hear these crafts referred to as metal arts or metallurgy. Popular types of metal crafting include smithing, casting, welding, and enameling.
Out of the 118 elements on the periodic table, 90 are metals. That’s a massive variety for metalworkers to choose from! Some of the most common metals used for crafting include silver, gold, bronze, steel, iron, and lead.
Some forms of metal crafting can trace their routes back to ancient times. We’ve found crafted copper artifacts in Northern Iraq dated to 8,700 BC. Around 4,500 BC, tin was first added to copper to create bronze. Archaeologists have found iron artifacts in Turkey from 2,500 BC. Sometime around 1,400 BC, steel working began in East Africa.
Metal crafts remain a high priority in our society today. We still recognize both the precious beauty and the usefulness of various metals. Crafters use metal in large, sturdy constructions like cars, buildings, and bridges. We also use it in small, delicate items such as jewelry, electronics, fasteners, and tools. In the modern world, metal crafts are all around us!
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading up on different kinds of crafts. Keep an eye on Crafts Glossary for more articles and ideas for crafts.”
Although crafts are not like physics or philosophy, I consider all crafts are special knowledge and skill to make things beautiful and useful. My mother was not only a Master’s Chef and she was also gifted in FLOWER CRAFTS.I recall she was teaching a beautiful girl to make flowers in paper and cloth at our home. The girl was older than me. I was sad to learn years later that she died of child birth in a hospital. I thought the modern medicine should be able to make giving birth to a child a safe procedure so that women need not die.
IV. GOVERNMENT SECRETS
The following are some of the US government secrets which are available on the Internet, which I knew nothing about it. As American citizens, do you know anything about the secrets of American government? God knows all the secrets of all nations, HIDDEN AND UNDISCLOSED.
20 U.S. Government Secrets They Don’t Want You to Know
THERE ARE SECRET BUNKERS LITERALLY EVERYWHERE.
“Fact: there’s definitely a lot our government isn’t telling us. We’re not talking about conspiracy theories, like who really shot JFK or that Area 51 is really populated by little green men. We mean the government secrets hiding in plain sight, some of which we’ve found out about, and some of which are still mysterious. Speaking of Area 51—whatever is going on there the government is still weirdly secretive about. As that old saying goes, if you’re not a little bit paranoid, you’re not paying attention. Here are the government secrets the U.S. has tried to keep from its citizens, and what we do (and don’t) know about them so far.
1
CIA Mind-Control Experiments
Could drugs and hypnosis be used to control people’s minds and turn them into unwitting assassins for the CIA? That’s what the agency attempted to discover in the 50s, with a top-secret research program called Project MK-ULTRA. Turns out, LSD just makes people want to listen to 45 minute guitar solos.
2
The U.S. Government Had a Plot to Kill Castro (with a Seashell)
Shutterstock
There were a lot of crazy attempts to assassinate Cuban dictator Fidel Castro during the 70s, from booby-trapped cigars to poison milkshakes, but none quite so nutty as the exploding seashell. The CIA knew that Castro was a big fan of scuba-diving, so they plotted to plant a brightly colored conch shell in one of his favorite dive spots, triggered to explode when he touched it. They never followed through on it, although the CIA director did purchase two books on Caribbean mollusks. And for more great trivia, check out the 28 most enduring myths in American history.
3
Track 61: The President’s Secret Underground Train
President Franklin D. Roosevelt didn’t want the public to see him using a wheelchair, so to keep that secret during his visits to New York, his train didn’t stop directly at Grand Central Station, but rather a secret station called Track 61 that was never listed on any train map. Although it’s now abandoned, the station was used by wealthy travelers and high-profile politicians who wanted to come and go to New York without being noticed. And for more historical facts, here are 30 things you never knew about royal weddings.
4
The U.S. Government Once Tried to Train Spy Kitties
No, this isn’t a joke. The CIA seriously spent millions in the late 60s investigating whether domesticated cats could be trained to spy on the Soviet Union. The project was named Acoustic Kitty, because of course it was. It didn’t work out, much to the surprise of nobody, but we still have this memorandum, published by the National Security Archive, to prove that spy kitties was almost a real thing. Oh, and speaking of cats: Here are 15 Amazing Benefits of Adopting a Pet.
5
Project Sunshine: Stealing Corpses
Listen, if you need to test what happens to human bodies during radioactive fallout and you need around 900 human cadavers to do so, you can’t be expected to “ask” all the deceased’s families for their permission. Or at least that’s what researchers for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission thought during the 50s. Decades later, in the mid-90s, President Bill Clinton formed an advisory committee to investigate and learned the whole staggering truth.
6
Nukes on the Moon
Wikimedia Commons/US Department of Energy
Long before we landed on the moon in 1969, the U.S. Air Force had other plans for the lunar surface. They proposed a “Lunar Based Earth Bombardment System” in 1959, which apparently involved blowing up a nuclear weapon on the moon. Why? According to physicist Leonard Reiffel, who was involved in the project, the whole point was to “impress the world with the prowess of the United States.” Personally, we’re glad they went with the “one small step for man” plan instead.
7
Operation Paperclip: Let’s Hire Some Nazi Scientists
Alamy
No one could have accused the U.S. government of having discriminatory hiring practices in 1945. Well, at least not if you were a Nazi. Post-World War II, President Harry Truman approved the hiring of thousands of German scientists and engineers, including Walter Schreiber, a medical military officer for the Nazis who found a second job at the Air Force School of Medicine in Texas.
8
Blame Cuba
Public Domain
It sounds like a conspiracy theory, but the CIA actually did propose committing acts of terrorism against American citizens and then blaming it on Cuba. A memo from March 13, 1962, delivered to the president by the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and dubbed Operation Northwoods, suggested ways to justify a military conflict with the Castro’s communist regime, including “Sink (a) ship near harbor entrance. Conduct funerals for mock-victims” and “…blow up a US ship in Guantanamo Bay and blame Cuba.” President Kennedy rejected the proposal.
9
Government Controlled Flying Saucers
Project 1794, a program created by the U.S. Air Force in the 50s, attempted to do what every science fiction-loving kid dreamed about: Create a flying saucer. Their saucer-shaped aircraft, which they never got around to completing, would have been capable of shooting down enemy bombers and flying at ridiculously fast speeds. If you feel up to the task of making your own saucer, check out the declassified blueprints.
10
The My Lai Massacre
Public Domain
Hundreds of unarmed civilians—anywhere from 347 to 504, including women and children—in the South Vietnamese hamlet of My Lai, were murdered by a platoon of American soldiers during March of 1968. High-ranking army officers tried to cover up the massacre for years before it was revealed by U.S. reporters, but even then only one commanding officer was found guilty and served just a few years under house arrest.
11
The Missing Hydrogen Bomb
Wikimedia Commons/Croquet
When a U.S. B-52 bomber carrying four hydrogen bombs crashed in Greenland in 1968, the government acted fast to make sure all the radioactive material was recovered. They got everything, or so they claimed. But in 2008, a BBC investigation revealed that one of the nukes was maaaaaaaybe still in Greenland somewhere.
12
The Mystery of the USS Jimmy Carter
This U.S. Navy attack submarine—the third and last last Seawolf-class submarine in existence, whose primary mission is finding and destroying enemy vessels—has been up to something recently, but nobody is entirely sure what. In September of this year, it was spotted flying the Jolly Roger, the skull and crossbones pirate flag normally displayed after a successful mission. But what exactly was that mission? The Navy isn’t telling.
You’d never guess by looking at the Greenbriar Hotel in West Virginia that there’s a 112,544-square-foot bunker hidden underneath the resort, with enough bedrooms to accommodate over a thousand Congressmen. The shelter was built in the 60s specifically for members of Congress, just in case Russia bombed us and a nuclear winter made the country uninhabitable.
14
The CIA Torture Files
They called it “enhanced interrogation techniques,” but according to a Senate Report released in 2014, the CIA has possibly been engaged in wrongful torture of suspected criminals for years.
You probably know Julia Child as a famous American chef and TV host. But according to files released by the U.S. National Archives in 2008, she was also one of our secret weapons during World War II, when she worked for the Office of Strategic Services (which would become the CIA) and personally developed shark repellent to protect Navy men in shark-infested waters. That’s right, her first recipe was shark repellent.
16
Spying on reporters
Think journalists have it hard today? They had nothing on reporters in 1963, some of whom were spied on by CIA agents as part of Operation Mockingbird. In documents declassified in 2007, there were reports of several journalists having their home and office telephones wiretapped, solely because they had contacts with “senators, members of Congress, and other well-placed individuals.”
17
The Secret Basement Under Grand Central
Shutterstock
You won’t find it on any city map, but 13 stories below Grand Central Terminal in New York is a secret basement known only as M42, which housed the rotary power converters that kept the railroads running during the second World War. Adolf Hitler wanted to sabotage the converters, which apparently would be as easy as pouring sand into them. Armed guards protected the room, with orders to shoot anyone who tried to enter carrying a bag or bucket of sand. At least one attempt was made, by four saboteurs working for Hitler, but they were stopped before they ever found the secret basement.
18
The X-37B
Shutterstock
Here’s what we know about the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B space plane. It’s been in orbit around the Earth (off and on) since 2010, it’s only 29 feet long, and nobody has any idea what it’s doing up there. Well, the Air Force does, obviously, but they’re not telling. Some have speculated that it’s a battle ship of some kind, capable of shooting down or capturing enemy satellites.
19
Area 51
Probably the most famous secret military base in the country, Area 51 is located in the middle of the Nevada desert, 83 miles outside Las Vegas, and is used for… something. There have been wild rumors of extraterrestrials and crashed alien spacecraft being stored somewhere in the facility. The CIA didn’t even acknowledge that Area 51 existed until 2013, and all they’ll admit to is that the base has been used to test spy planes.
20
Bohemian Grove
Wikimedia Commons/Aarkwilde
Every July, the rich and powerful and politically connected gather together at a 2,700 acre campground in northern California for their own version of Burning Man. What really goes on there is anybody’s guess, but the guest list has included U.S. presidents and oil barons, and activities have included everything from druid worship to planning for the Manhattan Project. This isn’t some conspiracy theory, this is where guys like Rumsfeld, Kissinger, and Rockefeller go to vacation and do things they don’t want the rest of us to see.”
When it comes to discussions of government secrecy, much of the conversation tends to revolve around the Department of Defense (DOD) or the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). After all, the U.S. military develops many of the United States’ most sensitive weapon systems used to defend America and project its power globally, and the IC gathers and analyzes sensitive information on foreign threats and external national security matters. Each year, the budget requests from the U.S. military are packed with classified and Special Access Programs, or SAPs, sporting vague code names, many of which never see the light of day. When we talk of the “black world,” most often that conversation centers around these programs and technologies suspected to be housed deep within the classified ends of the Pentagon and its various service branches.
Often left out of this conversation is the fact that there is a wholly separate cabinet-level department of the U.S. government that is arguably even more opaque in terms of secrecy and oversight than the Department of Defense. Over the last few years, allegations of secret, exotic technologies have reinvigorated claims that the DOD may be concealing scientific breakthroughs from the American public. However, if the U.S. government, or some faction within it, hypothetically came across a groundbreaking development in energy production or applied physics, a very strong case could be made that such a revolution would likely be housed deep within the Department of Energy (DOE) rather than DOD.
The DOE is tasked with maintaining America’s nuclear weapons stockpile, among many other things. , DOE
Laying The Atomic Groundwork
The Department of Energy was officially formed in 1977, although its roots were planted in the Atomic Energy Act of 1946. The Atomic Energy Act established the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), an agency designed to manage and control the United States’ nuclear technology under a civilian regime, rather than one overseen directly by the military itself. This is a gray area of sorts, however, as there are and have always been numerous positions at both the DOE and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) filled by uniformed military officers. For example, NNSA’s Deputy Administrator for Naval Reactors, who also heads up the joint Navy-DOE Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, is and has always been an admiral.
Ultimately, one of the main points of the AEC was to bring all of the United States’ nuclear technologies firmly together under one roof. From the beginning, the AEC focused almost exclusively on designing and manufacturing nuclear weapons and nuclear reactors for naval use. With the passage of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, the AEC also began exclusively regulating the growing commercial nuclear power industry.”Like the DOE of today, AEC was focused on much more than simply the weaponization of nuclear technologies. Many atomic scientists intended nuclear explosives to be used for much more than simply weapons. As early as the 1950s, scientists at what are today Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories held classified discussions “to discuss the possibilities of using energy unleashed by nuclear explosions to produce power, dig excavations, and produce isotopes.” The AEC continued looking into these industrial uses of atomic technologies throughout the 1960s and early 1970s as part of its Plowshare Program.
President Harry Truman signing the Atomic Energy Act of 1946., Wikimedia Commons
Motivated in large part by the oil crisis of the early 1970s, the United States government under President Jimmy Carter passed The Department of Energy Organization Act of 1977. With that, the DOE as we know it today was formed by bringing together many different energy and science programs and administrations under one roof. This new department would oversee “long-term, high-risk research and development of energy technology, federal power marketing, energy conservation, the nuclear weapons program, energy regulatory programs, and a central energy data collection and analysis program.”
One of the main tasks of DOE today is to develop, test, and maintain the United States’ nuclear weapons stockpile. While the DOD develops, operates, and maintains the systems that deliver those nuclear weapons, the DOE is the department actually tasked with the development and acquisition of nuclear warhead technologies. DOE handles all functions not related to warhead delivery: storing and securing nuclear warheads that are not deployed onboard DOD systems, securing the materials that are used in nuclear weapons, and dismantling older nuclear weapons which have been removed from the national stockpile. To facilitate cooperation between the two, the Nuclear Weapons Councilwas established in 1986. This council consists of senior level officials from both the DOE and the DOD who coordinate on interagency activities related to the maintenance of the U.S. nuclear stockpile.
An organizational chart from the 2018 DOD manual “DOD Procedures for Joint DOD-Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) Nuclear Weapon Life-Cycle Activities.”, DOD OIG
In addition to controlling and producing America’s nuclear power and weapons technologies, today’s DOE fosters research and innovation into clean energy solutions, energy efficiency, climate change mitigation, and alternative fuel technologies for the transportation sector. As its name implies, DOE has a hand in all of America’s short- and long-term energy needs. That’s far from all that the DOE oversees, however, as it also conducts a significant amount of secret and classified research and manufacturing.
Secrecy And Classification In The Department Of Energy
In many cases, DOE has its own classification systems and policies, some of which are even classified themselves. The highest level of these DOE security clearances is the Q clearance, equivalent to a Top Secret clearance in the DOD. That doesn’t mean that anyone with a Q clearance can access all classified information overseen by DOE. According to its Personnel Security FAQs page, “for access to some classified information, such as Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) or Special Access Programs (SAPS), additional requirements or special conditions may be imposed by the information owner even if the person is otherwise eligible to be granted a security clearance or access authorization.”
“DOE Security Clearance Chart listing various clearances for different levels of information: Confidential (C), Secret (S), Top Secret (TS),Restricted Data (RD), Formerly Restricted Data (FRD), and National Security Information (NSI), special nuclear material (SNM), Critical Nuclear Weapon Design Information (CNWDI)., DOE
Groups, such as the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), through its Project on Government Secrecy, are actively pursuing further declassification of DOE records and have managed to get the DOE to declassify many records related to American nuclear technology. Despite these efforts, the DOE still remains one of the most secretive institutions of the U.S. government.
Steven Aftergood, director of FAS’s Project on Government Secrecy, told The War Zone that these extreme levels of secrecy were baked right into the DOE from the beginning, explaining:
One of the unique features of government secrecy at the Department of Energy is that it is shaped in part by law – the Atomic Energy Act – and not just by executive order. So it can be even slower and more difficult to change or to update than at some other agencies.
Not only that, DOE secrecy policy on nuclear weapons is intertwined to a great extent with the policy of the Department of Defense. When the two agencies differ on whether to declassify and disclose information, either one can veto the decision.
We’ve seen this happen repeatedly. So, for example, the size of the US nuclear arsenal was declassified most recently in 2017. We asked for the number of weapons to be updated in 2018 and 2019, and DOE was willing to do so, but the Department of Defense blocked the disclosure.
Protecting this highly sensitive information is obviously a top priority for the DOE, and for that reason, the agency operates its own independent intelligence and counterintelligence arms, which are part of its relatively extensive and uniquely equipped apparatus of security forces. The DOE’s Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence (OICI) was founded along with the Department in 1977, and aims to “identify and mitigate threats to U.S. national security and the DOE Enterprise and inform national security decision making through scientific and technical expertise.”
Members of NNSA’s Special Response Force train to protect a Safeguards Transporter (SGT) tractor-trailer used to transport nuclear weapons and related cargoes. This picture offers a rare look at the inside of the armored doors on the cab., GAO
The OICI answers to the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of Energy. A declassified and highly redacted copy of the DOE’s 2001 Classification Guide for Intelligence Information outlines the scope of the Office of Intelligence, specifically, within OICI. The document states that as a member of the Intelligence Community (IC), the DOE shall:
Participate with the Department of State in overtly collecting information with respect to foreign energy matters;
Produce and disseminate foreign intelligence necessary for the [Department of Energy] Secretary to fulfill his/her responsibilities;
Participate in formulating intelligence collection and analysis requirements where the special expert capability of the Department can contribute; and
Provide expert technical, analytical, and research capabilities to other agencies within the IC.
In 1999, Congress created another semi-autonomous DOE outfit known as the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to oversee military applications of nuclear sciences. NNSA’s duties include maintaining and protecting the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, attempting to counter nuclear proliferation, and responding to nuclear emergencies. NNSA is part of DOE, but operates with significant autonomy given its role and the sensitive nature of its work. There had even been an initial proposal to establish it as a completely independent entity. In yet another example of the many gray areas in terms of civilian vs. military control of the DOE, the first person to head up NNSA was John Alexander Gordon, a uniformed Air Force officer (who was also CIA Deputy Director at the time).
According to the FY 2021 Department of Energy budget request, NNSA requested over $26 billion in 2021 for defense activities, while $1 billion was requested for undisclosed “Other Defense Activities.” In 2017, the Congressional Research Service reported that roughly 3% of National Defense funding went to the Department of Energy and other federal agencies for “Atomic Energy Defense Activities,” which is one of NNSA’s primary tasks.
One of the other main objectives of NNSA is overseeing and operating some of the most secure facilities in the United States, including several national laboratories, the Nevada National Security Site, the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, which produces nuclear weapons, and the Y-12 National Security Complexnear Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which produces all of the United States’ enriched uranium. Y-12 is also home to the production facility for the mysterious Fogbank, a material so sensitive to U.S. nuclear weapon technology that its manufacturing process, composition, use, and even the material itself remain classified. In fact, Fogbank is wrapped in so much secrecy that the DOE once “forgot” how to manufacture it due to a lack of actual records about how to make it and dwindling institutional knowledge as a result of read-in employees aging out of the workforce.
The Y-12 facility near Oak Ridge, Tennessee., Wikimedia Commons
Among the other facilities the NNSA oversees is theNevada National Security Site (NNSS), formerly known as the Nevada Test Site. The site, which boasts extreme security measures including its own security forces, stretches across some 1,400 square miles of desert and includes a nuclear weapons assembly plant, an experimental flight test facility, and explosive testing sites. The Air Force’s Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR), which includes the notorious Area 51, surrounds the NNSS on three sides.
Public Domain
The Nevada National Security Site contains many DOE facilities for nuclear research including subcritical experiments and special nuclear material staging. The NNSS is also home to underground test facilities, and is among the United States’ most highly classified, restricted access areas. The NNSS offers limited tours, but these are conducted under the utmost security at pre-arranged times. During the Cold War, the Nevada Test Site, now NNSS, was home to hundreds of above-ground nuclear weapons tests which spread radioactive fallout across large swaths of the American West and Midwest. The DOE also maintains many “tombs” throughout the desert, where it stores the radioactive remains of nuclear experiments, spent nuclear fuel or enrichment products, and other remnants of America’s nuclear activities that are too dangerous to be disposed of anywhere else.
In another example of highly compartmentalized knowledge being lost due to workforce losses, a dismantling program had to be specially designed for the B53 nuclear bomb due to the fact that the scientists who knew its inner workings were either retired or dead. That program concluded in 2013 when the last one of these 10,000-pound bombs was successfully dismantled.
As we reported in June 2019, there are about 100 different nuclear weapon components that contain explosive materials, some of which are highly specialized and limited in supply. For example, only a single container of one specialized material remains. DOE officials and contractor representatives said that the agency is working to replenish the supply of such materials, but the agency faces challenges because some specialized explosive materials were created decades ago, and the knowledge base to successfully produce them is now gone. Moreover, even if DOE can replicate the “lost recipes” for specialized explosive materials, it faces the challenge of finding suppliers willing and able to provide small quantities of specialized raw materials that meet the exacting standards required for use in nuclear weapons.
Clearly, the extent to which knowledge and operations within DOE are protected can make it difficult to understand or even be aware of the full scope of its activities. To help us contextualize the high levels of secrecy and classification at the Department of Energy, The War Zone spoke with nuclear historian Dr. Alex Wellerstein, Director of Science and Technology Studies at the Stevens Institute in New Jersey. Wellerstein’s latest book, Restricted Data: The History of Nuclear Secrecy in the United States, “traces the complex evolution of the US nuclear secrecy regime from the first whisper of the atomic bomb through the mounting tensions of the Cold War and into the early twenty-first century.”
Wellerstein told The War Zone that the levels of secrecy at the DOE are not common knowledge, saying:
I think most people are surprised to learn that there are basically two classification systems in the United States. There’s national defense information which is all the secrets and top secrets, everything to do with the military and the state department and all of that stuff, then there’s nuclear stuff. It has a different statutory basis, the Atomic Energy Act, it’s handled differently and conceived of differently by the Restricted Data clause, it has its own clearances, and is meant to be a parallel classification system. The fact that only nuclear weapons have this, that no other weapons technology has its own category – not even biological weapons or chemical weapons, they’re national defense information – is highly reflective of its origins in the Cold War.
When the first nuclear technologies were developed and the AEC was formed, the U.S. government saw a need for higher levels of secrecy in order to protect these terrifying new weapons. That’s not to say that those higher levels of secrecy were approved of by the entire government or even the AEC. “It’s been a point of contention since the very beginning whether this particular technology is so dangerous or so apt to carry secrets that it needs its own separate classification systems,” Wellerstein says. “The secrecy was created out of fear, out of a belief that nuclear technology could be easily communicated as information. Whether that’s true has been debated since the 1940s.”
Many experts have questioned whether these levels of extreme secrecy are beneficial or even needed. Many of the scientists working on the Manhattan Project or in science administration during World War II felt that secrecy would not be an effective way to control nuclear weapons, and that international agreements would ultimately be the only way. “Any competent nation with any sort of technical or industrial base would, if they devoted resources to it, would be able to reinvent them – even if the secrecy was total, which it wasn’t,” Wellerstein says. “I don’t think that secrecy is what keeps new nations from developing nuclear weapons and I don’t think it’s what’s keeping terrorists from getting nuclear weapons. I think its impact is not that large on preventing those kinds of things. Its impact on policy and public knowledge is very high by contrast.” Still, Wellerstein adds, “I’ve talked with government officials who emphasize that nuclear weapons are so disproportionately powerful that maybe it’s worth being disproportionately cautious about the unknown.”
Image of “The Gadget” being prepared for detonation at the Trinity test site. It was used for the first atomic weapon explosion on July 16th, 1945. , Public Domain
Again, it’s natural that the DOE would not disclose specific parts of its most sensitive and dangerous weapons and associated technologies due to the ramifications of these potentially falling into the wrong hands. Still, by concealing many of its activities under the blanket of national security, NNSA and DOE leave plenty of room for activities or research programs that are never disclosed to the public.
The Question Of Oversight
Even with the high level of compartmentalization and autonomy surrounding the DOE, as well as America’s nuclear weapons stockpile, the department has its own oversight bureaucracies, as well. After all, if you allow only the DOE to control and produce your nuclear weapons and related research, you also need your own separate oversight systems in place to watch over how that control and production is managed. To that end, the DOE has its own Office of Inspector General (DOE OIG), whose mission is to “help the Department and the American taxpayer” by identifying management shortfalls, assessing vulnerabilities, auditing the agency’s financial activities, and investigating crimes against the Department. The DOE OIG advises and makes key recommendations to the Secretary of Energy.
A slide from a presentation given by the DOE OIG at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Regulatory Information Conference in March 2019., DOE OIG
There are a variety of mechanisms through which the U.S. government exercises oversight of the DOE and NNSA. The U.S. Congress, for one, has two subcommittees devoted to energy-related issues including nuclear weapons and facilities. The Energy Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Subcommittee on Energy of the Senate Committee on Energy and National Resources oversee the creation of legislation regarding a wide range of energy issues beyond nuclear matters alone. The House’s Energy Subcommittee oversees nuclear energy, nuclear facilities, the Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, while also legislating on national energy policy, fossil fuels, and other government activities affecting energy matters. While the Senate’s Subcommittee on Energy has oversight jurisdiction over nuclear fuels research and development, nuclear commercialization projects, nuclear fuel cycle policy, and the DOE National Laboratories, it also oversees energy-related issues such as fossil fuel management, pipeline development, strategic fuel reserves, and sustainable energy research.
Steven Aftergood told The War Zone that, while there are Congressional structures in place to provide oversight of the DOE, “the quality of oversight depends on many factors, including Members’ level of interest, the expertise of committee staff, the cooperation of the agency, and the attention of the press and public interest organizations… With respect to secrecy and classification at DOE, my impression is that congressional oversight is nearly non-existent. But that is true regarding classification policy across the board.”
It is certainly true that these committees have a huge portfolio and it isn’t clear how they would effectively oversee a huge swathe of deeply classified programs the DOE is executing at any given time, some of which have many sub-programs and unique facets beyond their topline justification.
To bolster DOE oversight, Congress established the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) in 1988 as an independent organization that would provide oversight of the DOE’s nuclear production and testing facilities. Through this board, Congress is theoretically granted oversight of the DOE’s and NNSA’s operations and management, and Congress is responsible for the authorization and appropriation of funds for America’s Nuclear Security Enterprise. The DNFSB was set up as an independent oversight organization, which would offer recommendations to the Secretary of Energy that concerned public health and safety at the DOE’s nuclear weapons complex. Members of the board are appointed by the U.S. Senate. A full record of correspondence between the DOE and the DNFSB can be found on the DOE’s website, including all recommendations the board made between 2012 and today.
That doesn’t mean the DNFSB has always had full cooperation from the DOE. As recently as 2018, there were complaints that the DOE was stonewalling the DNFSB and preventing it from carrying out its oversight duties. According to one Senate staffer who helped draft the original DNFSB legislation, the DOE was trying to “isolate and fence off” the board, as part of a “constant effort to chip away at the ability of the board to do oversight.” There have even been calls from within the board to abolish itself entirely, and the NNSA has frequently tried to limit the board’s access to information.
A DOE special investigative panel concluded in 1999 that the department is “a dysfunctional bureaucracy that has proven it is incapable of reforming itself” and that “accountability at DOE has been spread so thinly and erratically that it is now almost impossible to find.” The panel added that, “Never before has the panel found an agency with the bureaucratic insolence to dispute, delay, and resist implementation of a Presidential directive on security,” and that “Never have the members of the Special Investigative Panel witnessed a bureaucratic culture so thoroughly saturated with cynicism and disregard for authority.”
One reason for this dysfunction could be that on the legislative side, the DOE does not get the public or official scrutiny the DOD or the IC gets. “What’s interesting to me about the AEC and the DOE is that unlike a lot of federal agencies, they don’t have natural allies in the political ecosystem,” Dr. Alex Wellerstein told The War Zone. “They don’t have a constituency in the same way that, say, the Dept. of Agriculture does, or how the DOD has the military, for example.”
Bruce Hamilton, who at the time was chair of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, said DOE officials routinely flout new regulations which were to limit the amount of information that the DNFSB could obtain directly from nuclear facilities and instead restrict the board from obtaining the same information directly from DOE administration. “We have repeatedly heard from DOE representatives that they really don’t mean what they wrote (in the rule) or at least that they really don’t intend to follow what they wrote,” said Hamilton, adding that this is a “particularly bizarre argument coming out of the nuclear culture that has set the standard for following the written rules to the letter.” Those new measures, outlined in DOE Order 140.1 A, also excluded many of the DOE’s weapons complex facilities from DNFSB’s formal safety recommendations, and changed the definition of “public health and safety” under DNFSB oversight to exclude the safety of workers at nuclear facilities
In 2020, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Jim Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican, even went so far as to accuse DOE officials of being “rogue actors” who to “undermine” the security of America’s nuclear activities. The Department of Energy Organization and Management Improvement Act, introduced in the House in September 2020 by then-Representative Greg Walden, an Oregon Republican, would, if made law, give the DOE even more control over the NNSA. This means it could operate with even less government oversight than it already has now.
Holding The Keys To America’s Most Sensitive Research
Aside from developing and maintaining the United States nuclear weapons stockpile, there is a great deal of advanced research being performed at Department of Energy laboratories, including pioneering work on some of the most cutting-edge topics science has to offer. Nearly $5.9 billion was allocated to the DOE’s Office of Science (SC) in 2021 to “deliver scientific discoveries and major scientific tools to transform our understanding of nature and advance the energy, economic and national security of the United States.”
DOE
A large part of this research is conducted at the 17 United States Department of Energy National Laboratories and Technology Centers, which are spread across the country. Much of the research and technology development conducted at these labs goes straight to the DOD: LANL has conducted space-based directed energy weapon experiments for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA); the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has developed advanced munitions for the Air Force; Sandia has had a hand in producing some of America’s first hypersonic weapon prototypes.
A slide from 2021 highlighting the unique capabilities Los Alamos National Laboratory offers the DOD, including technology demonstration., LANL
One of the reasons why the DOE-controlled laboratories develop advanced weapons technologies designed for transfer to the DOD is that they, as well as various other facilities today under NNSA, have the capacity for specialized research and development and unique manufacturing work that just cannot be done in many places. If you need to do novel manufacturing on a large scale, and are looking to do so within a system that already has significant security measures in place, the DOE laboratories are the place to go, and it’s been that way for decades.
For instance, when the Air Force decided to try using massive floating bombs during the Vietnam War to blow up the Thanh Hoa bridge, there was simply no one else within the national security apparatus besides Y-12 at Oak Ridge that could build large metal structures to the kind of exacting specifications the service needed. Some details of that top-secret mission, known as Operation Carolina Moon, are still classified.
Hand-drawn Air Force art depicting the design and basic concept of operation of a floating bomb, built in part at Oak Ridge, which was developed as part of Operation Carolina Moon, which was obtained by Joseph Trevithick via the Freedom of Information Act., USAF via FOIA
More recently, the DOE signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Defense to confirm and enhance the “the longstanding partnership between DOE and DOD on space-related research and technology development in support of U.S. national space policy goals.” In a press release that accompanied the MOU, then-Deputy Secretary of Energy Mark Menezes called the agreement “historic,” and claimed it “lays out the framework for DOE to harness the world’s greatest science and technology researchers at DOE’s National Labs, and program offices, to augment DOD’s critical national security space mission and will play a crucial role for future space developments across the two departments.”
More specifically, the MOU establishes joint working groups and promotes scientific exchange between the two departments in emerging and disruptive research fields such as advanced power and propulsion, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, next-generation communications, and autonomous or remotely piloted vehicles. That MOU came on the heels of one of President Donald Trump’s final Executive Orders that called for the DOE to work together with NASA and the Department of Defense to research and develop miniaturized nuclear reactor technologies for space exploration and powering military bases.
An NNSA slide highlighting the multi-agency efforts the MOU will support., NNSA
The DOE also currently operates a Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) program, an Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) program, and a Nuclear Sciences program, the latter of which seeks to put together “a roadmap of matter that will help unlock the secrets of how the universe is put together.” To that end, in April 2020, the DOE put together a 10-year plan to invest in plasma physics research encompassing both “discovery” plasma sciences, which involves understanding the properties of plasma and non-energy applications of plasmas; and fusion science and technology, which is related to fusion energy generation. “Research in high energy physics not only advances our understanding of the universe, but is also critical to maintaining American leadership in science,” former Under Secretary of Energy for Science Paul Dabbar said in a 2019 DOE press release. “These research efforts, at dozens of universities across the nation, will not only yield fresh insights into such problems as dark matter and dark energy, but also help build and sustain the nation’s science and technology workforce.”
A nuclear reactor at Palo Verde in Arizona. , Energy.gov
DOE also funds research initiatives in sustainable and alternative energies, AI and machine learning, quantum computing, and even genomics, one of the more controversial areas of its scientific endeavors. According to the “Genomics” section on Energy.gov, the Human Genome Project was initially launched by DOE to better understand the genetic effects of radiation exposure, “but there was clear awareness that success in the project would have much broader consequences for both science and society.”
DOE has quite a checkered past when it comes to its biological experimentation. In 1994, then-President Bill Clinton formed an advisory committee to look into DOE’s human radiation experiments, releasing nearly two million pages of formerly classified documents that detailed unwitting human test subjects such as orphans, hospital patients, or mentally disabled children being fed or injected radioactive materials.
In the Executive Summary released by the Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments, it was reported that close to 4,000 human radiation experiments were carried out by the U.S. government between 1944 and 1974. The Committee’s report was conveniently, or coincidentally, released by the White House on Tuesday, October 3, 1995, the same day that the O.J. Simpson murder trial verdict was announced.
That report did not stop DOE’s interest in human subject research (HSR). As recently as 2018, it was still actively conducting classified research on human subjects, arguing that “research using human subjects provides important medical and scientific benefits to individuals and to society.” Because many of these projects use code names such as “Moose Drool” and “Little Workers,” it’s unknown what exactly they are studying with these human subjects.
DOE via FOIA
When it comes to whether there is a chance that advanced energy research or other groundbreaking scientific breakthroughs could possibly be locked away deep behind DOE secrecy, Wellerstein told The War Zone it’s certainly possible, although it’s more likely funding, rather than secrecy, is what keeps these programs in the dark. “It’s possible, although a lot of the peaceful aspects have been declassified over the years starting in the 1950s. Whether that’s all been beneficial or not is a topic for debate since a lot of those things are dual-use, like reactors. But it’s always possible. The most important thing for the development of reactor technology or say, nuclear fusion, is less the classification, but funding.”
Wellerstein told The War Zone that there are plenty of avenues by which the DOE might use its budget for classified or non-disclosed activities. According to the FY 2021 DOE budget request, for example, the NNSA was allocated $15.6 billion for “Weapons Activities to maintain the safety, security, and effectiveness of the nuclear stockpile, continue the nuclear modernization program, and modernize and recapitalize NNSA’s nuclear security infrastructure portfolio.” In the volume of the budget request dedicated to descriptions of the NNSA’s spending, there is little clarification as to the specific technologies and capabilities the NNSA is developing:
The Weapon Technology and Manufacturing Maturation program is responsible for developing agile, affordable, assured, and responsive technologies and capabilities for nuclear stockpile sustainment and modernization to enable Defense Programs’ mission success and the future success of the NSE [Nuclear Security Enterprise] and will continue these activities in FY 2021. The core areas of work include agile, assured, and affordable technologies; partnership with stakeholders to meet stockpile and customer requirements; qualification and certification; and skilled technical workforce and enhanced capabilities.
A W80 nuclear warhead undergoing handling., Public Domain
Keepers of America’s Secrets
With both the extreme levels of secrecy surrounding much of the Department of Energy’s research and even the scope of DOE’s research, it’s possible, if not probable, that there are more radical and more exotic developments than these hidden behind the doors of DOE laboratories. It would be hard to argue that breakthroughs in advanced physics, nuclear aerospace propulsion, or energy production would live somewhere other than the Department of Energy. While that much may ultimately be impossible to verify, it certainly seems possible that the DOE could conceal such a breakthrough given how compartmentalized and classified much of its work remains and how specialized and advanced its facilities are. And once again, while maintaining a very close relationship with the U.S. military, as the two institutions are tied together strategically very tightly, the DOE really doesn’t get the attention the DOD does and that may be true in terms of oversight, as well.
Still, it makes complete sense that DOE would be one of the most secretive departments of the United States government. Nuclear technologies are among the most dangerous and sensitive in the world, and the risk of nuclear weaponry falling into the wrong hands remains near the top of the most pressing threats faced by the modern world. But more so, the nuclear secrets that underpin America’s nuclear deterrent, as well as those that could define it in the future, would be considered among the country’s ‘crown jewels’ when it comes to sensitive technologies.
All this seems to provide a uniquely fertile and undisturbed environment in which bringing new, highly powerful, and potentially very destructive technologies from concept to reality could flourish. In fact, one could argue that is historically bred right into the DNA of the agency. Unfortunately, all this is hard to quantify, but then again, that seems to be the point.
Above Photo: George H. W. Bush, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images.
U.S. Presidents And Their NATO Counterparts Have Committed War Crimes All Over The World.
But they exempt themselves from prosecution, and use corporate media to act as their personal advocates. Only the little people end up at the Hague.
The US State-Department-sponsored media apparatus is declaring that there were war crimes committed by Russian troops as they left the town of Bucha, just west of Kyiv. Soon After the Ukrainian army retook the town, there were published reports of bodies with bound hands and feet and of mass graves of civilians in international media, all with accompanying pictures and presumed satellite imagery of those bodies.
I am not going to say that Russian troops committed no atrocities. I do find the accusations dubious and opportunistic since the very same media outlets demanding war crimes charges and tribunals for Bucha have completely ignored the war crimes committed by Ukrainian forces in the 8-year civil war in the country. In 2016, for example, a report by the United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) pointed to “summary executions and arbitrary killings” and observed “an apparent lack of motivation to investigate in some cases…especially when it concerns acts allegedly committed by Ukrainian forces.” The report does indicate that the pro-Russian “separatist forces” in the eastern Ukraine regions fighting against the pro-Western Kyiv government may also have committed atrocities against members of the Kyiv army – the army that started the civil war against the largely ethnic Russian Donbas, and Crimean regions – and pointed out that the use of rocket systems in urban areas could be “recognized” as war crimes.
But there were no demands from the US government or NATO or any of its allies for investigating any of these incidents in the past 8 years, especially not against the Kyiv army and the neo-Nazis in that army, when they aimed those rockets against ethnic Russians in eastern Ukraine. And there never will be because, then the western media would have to acknowledge that there has been a civil war in Ukraine and the reasons for that war, which would force the recognition that the US/NATO instigated a coup in Ukraine in 2014.
And the fact that the State-Department sponsored media outlets are posting pictures of the gruesomeness of war to document these allegations of war crimes against Russia is interesting because they never published pictures of the Highway of Death in Iraq. You know about the Highway of Death, right? After Iraqi forces invaded and annexed Kuwait (and its oil reserves) in 1990, the UN Security Council, at the urging of the Western countries angry that they no longer had access to Kuwait’s oil, urged all necessary means to compel Iraqi forces to withdraw from Kuwait. Operation Desert Storm was launched on January 17, 1991 in response, which decimated the Iraqi forces. The Iraqis realized they had no choice but to retreat from Kuwait and were reported to have committed atrocities against Kuwaiti resistance fighters themselves. But during their retreat from Kuwait, beginning on the night of February 26, 1991, the US and its allies (France, England, and Canada) launched a combined ground, air, and sea assault on Highway 80 – the main artery out of Kuwait – targeting Iraqi vehicles as they left Kuwait along that highway. The Iraqi army was retreating. US coalition forces targeted those retreating vehicles and bombed the highway incessantly for 10 hours.
Hundreds of vehicles were destroyed and left burning on the road, creating a huge and deadly traffic jam. Thousands of Iraqi soldiers were trapped in the carnage and burned to death.
The international community was outraged, but not one war crime charge or tribunal convened against the perpetrators – the US and its coalition. But whenever the Highway of Hell is brought up, we’re reminded of Iraqi army atrocities with the quickness.
It’s probably easy to recount that Trump pardoned war criminals who were tried and convicted in military court for their crimes: Seven former platoon members have accused one of the men, Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher, of routinely targeting women and children as a sniper in Iraq, as well as murdering a teenage captive in cold blood. Nicholas Slatten is a mercenary who is, so far, the only man convicted of any war crimes in Iraq, found guilty of committing a massacre of 14 Iraqi civilians in 2007.
But let’s not act as if the war crimes committed by the US government and its NATO allies are limited to those two men and their actions. The whole reason Julian Assange is still in prison in England, and why Chelsea Manning was imprisoned by the US government, was because they released information exposing all the civilians the US military were killing in Afghanistan, including the horrific “Collateral Murder” video of two US helicopter gunships killing a dozen people, among them many civilians and two Reuters journalists in a 2007 strike.
Or how about the war crimes committed by the US/NATO allies in Libya. The “Report of the Independent Civil Society Fact-Finding Mission to Libya ” was published by The Independent Civil Society Mission to Libya, which was established by the Arab Organization for Human Rights (AOHR) in cooperation with the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR). The report calls for the investigation of evidence that NATO targeted civilian sites, causing many deaths and injuries. Civilian facilities targeted by NATO bombs and missiles included schools, government buildings, at least one food warehouse, and private homes. The report presents evidence of systematic murder, torture, expulsion, and abuse of suspected Gaddafi loyalists by the NATO-backed “rebel” forces of the National Transitional Council (NTC). The NTC is the opposition group that seemed to declare itself the legitimate opposition to Quadaffi in Libya, saying that they spoke for all Libyans, even though the organic protests in opposition to Gaddafi which emerged in February 2011 were unorganized locally-based groups without any discernible connective structure. The NTC quickly became the darlings of Western forces, receiving training from NATO forces – those nebulous advisors that always seem to be present. The report describes the forced expulsion of the mostly Black inhabitants of Tawergha and the ongoing persecution of Black African migrant workers by forces allied to the NTC and its transitional government. Those are the slave markets, folks, that the NATO-Trained NTC perpetrated.
And let’s not forget that the US military is the largest polluter on the planet. That, as far as I am concerned, is also a war crime since the pollution the US military produces negatively affects the lives of millions of people around the world.
All of these are war crimes. All of these have been documented to have been committed by the US/NATO and their European allies. Should it be found that Russian troops have committed these heinous acts they were accused of in Bucha, they should absolutely be made accountable for them.
But who will prosecute or sanction or even hold accountable the US/EU/NATO in any of their war crimes? Already the UN has voted to remove Russia from the Human Rights Council in an unprecedented move, doing so without a shred of evidence that Russian forces have committed the alleged atrocities in Bucha. This was done at the demand of the US and its puppet Volodymyr Zelensky, who threatened that the UN should dissolve itself if it did not deal with Russia .
When the alleged human rights court of the world operates at the whim of the United States and its puppets and proxies, who will ever hold the United States accountable for its enumerable war crimes?
No one. And that in itself is a crime against humanity.”
Who will ever hold the United States, EU/NATO, and Japan accountable for their enumerable war crimes?
Apparently, no nation or international institution is powerful enough to hold them accountable for their too many war crimes. History will. There is ONE who most people do not know.
Rom 2:16, “on the day when, according to my Gospel, God will judge the secrets of mankind through
Christ Jesus.”
On that day, what day? The Day Jesus Christ returns to earth to be the King of kings and Lord of lords. Not only Jesus Christ will judge the known war crimes of the US/EU/NATO/Japan, God will judge the secrets of mankind. No one will escape the judgement of God. The day is coming.
Mal 4:1, “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of armies, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branches.”
Joe 2:1, “Blow a trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of the LORD is coming; Indeed, it is near.”
Mal 3:2,“But who can endure the Day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire, and like launderer’s soap.”
Mat 24:42, “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which Day your Lord is coming.”
Therefore and Hereby I warn the leaders and politicians of the US/EU/NATO/Japan to repent of their sins now before it is TOO LATE! American citizens, even with full knowledge of American secrets, they have no right, no authority, now power to do anything about it. This is the beauty of so-called American democracy.
V. KNOWLEDGE OF GOD
Gen 22:12, “He said, “Do not reach out your hand against the boy, and do not do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”
God said He knew Abraham feared God, and did not withheld anything from God.
God also knows whether you fear God or not. I do not know any Western leader or politician who fears God. GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING.
God is good to His children, so Christians may tell of all God’s works.
Exo 3:19, “But I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion.”
From the beginning God knew that the Pharaoh of Egypt would not let the people of Israel go. God is the only ONE who knows the end of all things from the beginning. The Sovereign God sometimes has to use compulsion to force people to do what is right.
against Moses, and He said, “Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks
fluently. And moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be overjoyed.”
To be able to speak fluently is a gift. I met some funny Chinese at airports who spoke very rapidly to pretend they could speak English fluently who made themselves incomprehensible. Very few foreigners have learned how to speak English correctly.
For ten thousands who could speak, one can write. For a million who can write, only one who can think.
Deu 31:21, “Then it will come about, when many evils and troubles find them, that this song will testify before them as a witness (for it shall not be forgotten from the mouth of their descendants); for I know their inclination which they are developing today, before I bring them into the land which I swore.”
Inclination in Hebrew is yēṣerwhich means imagination; mind; framework; purpose; conception; thought; – which occurs 10 times in the Old Testament. God knew the inclination of the children of Israel before it developed. God knows your inclination before things happen. God knows the inclination of US, EU, NATO, GANG-7, UK, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, and Japan as they are developing and why they are causing evils and troubles in the world.
Jos 22:22, “The Mighty One, God, the LORD, the Mighty One, God, the LORD! He knows, and may Israel itself know. If it was in rebellion, or if in an unfaithful act against the LORD, do not save us this day!”
The Lord knows the rebellion and unfaithful act of the West against the Lord.
You can observe all your life and still be a fool. For wisdom comes from above, from God.
2Ki 19:27, “But I know your sitting down, your going out, your coming in, and your raging against Me.”
Raging in Hebrew isrāḡazwhich means trembling; shaking; quaking; enraging; agitating; disturbing; – which occurs 41 times in the Old Testament.
God knows your sitting down, your going out, your coming in, and your agitating against Him. God knows everything about His enemies. God knows the West is raging in the world.
righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”
The US, EU, NATO, UK, GANG-7, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZELAND, Japan have gone the way of the wicked, the Lord knows, the way of the wicked will perish.
Psa 44:21, “Would God not find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.”
American citizens could never find out the top secrets that American leaders and politicians’ plan and plot. I estimate there are less than 10 individuals in America who decide war, nuclear weapons, money, destiny and direction of America. God could and would find out all the secrets of nations, business and industry, doctors and hospitals, drug and insurance companies, the Washington-WallStreet-Hollywood, the military-industrial-security-complex. For God knows the secrets of the heart –my heart, your heart, everybody’s heart. God knows the US and Europe have extended their hands to a strange god -the evil trinity of money, power, and pleasure.
Psa 94:11, “The LORD knows human thoughts, That they are mere breath.”
Human thoughts are as lighter than breath, and they do not matter.
Psa 138:6, “For the LORD is exalted, Yet He looks after the lowly, But He knows the haughty from afar.”
The Lord knows the haughty from afar.
I can know the haughty just by looking.
Jer 29:11, “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
God’s plan for His children is for prosperity and not for disaster, to give them a future and a hope. The future belongs to Christians.
Jer 29:23, “because they acted foolishly in Israel, and committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and falsely spoke words in My name which I did not command them. I am He who knows, and a witness,” declares the LORD.’”
To commit adultery with your neighbors’ wives is to act foolishly. God is He who knows everything.
Nah 1:7, “The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble, And He knows those who take refuge in Him.”
Lord, you are my refuge from my childhood, do not forget me, my Stronghold.
Amo 5:12, “For I know your offenses are many and your sins are great, you who are hostile to the righteous and accept bribes, and turn away the poor
from justice at the gate.”
The offenses of world leaders are many and the sins of politicians are great. They practice injustice.
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.”
Jesus said to the Pharisees, God knows your hearts; because that which is highly esteemed among people is detestable in the sight of God. Aren’t world leaders and politicians highly esteemed among people? Jesus says, they are detestable in the sight of God.
Jhn 5:42, “but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves.”
Jesus said to the Jews, “I know you, that you do have the love of God in yourselves.”
Do you think the White Christians have the love of God in themselves? God knows you.
Act 15:8,“And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us.”
Them refers to the Gentiles believers. God who knows the heart, testified to the Gentiles believers by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to Jewish believers. To God there is no distinction between Jewish believers and Gentile believers. God gave them both the the Holy Spirit.
The thoughts of Western leaders and politicians are deemed wise, but they are useless.
2Ti 2:19, “Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His;” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to keep away from wickedness.”
1Jo 3:20, “that if our heart condemns us, that God is greater than our heart, and He knows all things.”
Scientists and philosophers only know a little in their fields, God knows all things.
Rev 3:15-16, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”
God knows many who are called Christians are neither cold nor hot; because they are lukewarm.
Rev 3:1, “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, and yet you are dead.”
God also knows there are several churches under the names of their countries, they have the name of Christian churches, and yet they are dead, not only dead the are contrary to the Christian Faith.
“Knowledge of God The key biblical terms for knowledge assume a personal familiarity, even an intimate involvement, with the known object. Similarly, knowing God entails acknowledging him as Lord in obedience and praise. As a result, human knowledge of God is decisively shaped by the fall and God’s salvation.
Adam and Eve knew God. They acknowledged him as their Lord and obediently carried out their responsibilities as his stewards in creation. However, eating from the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil decisively shaped humanity’s future ( Genesis 2:9Genesis 2:17 ). The knowledge derived from eating this fruit is called godlike ( Genesis 3:5Genesis 3:22 ),denoting a rebellious attempt to decide good and evil independently of the Creator.
The fall, however, did not destroy the availability of God’s knowledge. General revelation, God’s universal revelation, still exists. However, Scripture treats general revelation as ineffective in guiding humanity to God. Just as “the ox knows his master” ( Isa 1:3 ),humanity ought to recognize the Creator, but does not. Sin is the obstacle. Nothing in general revelation hints that God is gracious to the sinner. The sinner distorts the realities of general revelation, fabricating a suitable idea of God ( Rom 8:7-8 ; Php 3:19 ). This failure to know God issues in all other sin. Consequently, Scripture indicts humans who do not know the one and only God as morally perverse ( Isa 1:2-4 ; Hosea 4:1-2 ),rebellious sinners ( 1Sam 2:12 ; Jer 2:8 ),apostates ( Jer9:1-6 ; Hosea 4:6 ),idolaters ( Psalm 79:6 ; Hosea 2:13 ), and deceivers engrossed in an delusion ( John 1:5John 1:10 ; 1 Col 1:18-2:16).After explicating these dynamics in Romans 1:18-2:1, Paul concludes that after the fall, general revelation only renders sinners inexcusable before God.
After the fall, saving knowledge of God is grounded solely in God’s decision to reveal himself to sinners ( Gen 18:18-19 ; Exod 33:17 ; Ps. 139 Jer 1:5 ; Eph 3:35 ). In these Acts of special revelation, God chooses a people for his purposes and guides them back to himself ( Amos 3:2 ).For sinners can come into fellowship with God only through God’s prior act, which objectively makes known his mercy, and subjectively makes us rightly related to Him.
Seeking God is dependent on the proper perspective. God has revealed himself through his prior Acts, and this revelation forms the proper historical context for understanding God in the present ( Deut 4:29-39 ; 1 Chron 16:11-12 ).Consequently, knowledge of God frequently depends on the witness of others to whom God has revealed himself ( Psalm44:1-4 ; Isa51:1-2 ). Only those who know God may seek him. In the New Testament, for example, the first step toward knowledge consists of receiving Jesus’ message ( John 7:16-17 ; 12:37-46 ; 20:30-31 ). Only those willing to believe that Jesus is doing the will of the Father receive the light enabling them to discern that he is the Son of God. On this path, followers are led to the full truth. Sinners, on the other hand, come to a knowledge of God through judgment and repentance. In repentance one recognizes the holy God who demands righteousness: the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom ( Psalm 25:14 ; 111:10 ; Prov 1:7 ; 2:5 ; 9:10 ).
Unlike other types of knowing, God engages and draws us to himself ( John 6:44 ). When we surrender to him and acknowledge him as Lord, God “shows us the way we should go” ( Psalm143:8 ; John 14:6 ).The biblical terms associated with knowing God, like trusting, acknowledging, and believing in God as Lord ( 1 Chron 28:9 ; Psalm 36:10 ; 79:6 ; Isa 43:10 ; Hosea 6:3 ), have a covenantal context. As a result, knowledge of God involves not simply propositions about God, but encountering and embracing God as Lord ( Psalms 25:4Psalms 25:12 ; 119:104 ), so that God becomes the center of our desires, affections, and knowledge.
Paul reinforces these connections by linking the love, knowledge, and glory of Jesus Christ: Christians know this love, are established in love ( Eph 3:16-19 ),and perceive the glory of God in his face ( 2 Cor 4:6 ). Knowing Christ is a living relationship ( John 7:29 ; 10:14 ; 11:25 ) in which he abides in and transforms the believer into his life ( John 14:17 ; 17:3 ; 1 John 3:2 ).
If knowledge of God is the “path of our life, ” this must manifest itself in godly relationships to others ( Matt 7:17-20 ; John 10:27 ; 1 Cor 12:31-13:2 ; Php 4:9 ; Col 1:23 ). “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands” ( 1 John 2:3 ). Those who know God willingly practice his will and thus manifest his character by defending the cause of the poor ( Jer22:16 ; Hosea 6:6 ).In addition, the one following God’s path becomes a co-worker for God’s kingdom ( Isa 43:10-12 ).
Reflecting the messianic promise of knowledge ( Jer 24:7 ; 31:33-34 ),there is a finality to the Christian’s knowledge of God ( Matt 11:27 ; Rom 16:25-27 ; Eph 1:9-10 ; Col 1:26-28 ). In Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” ( Col 2:3 ). Moreover, in contrast to ordinary historical knowledge, this knowledge of God is self-authenticating. God himself personally confronts each individual in the Word ( 2 Cor 4:6 ; 1 John 2:27 ),foreshadowing the future when teaching is no longer necessary ( Jer 31:34 ).
On the other hand, the believer’s knowledge of God in Jesus Christ is only provisional. It is sufficient for recognizing and trusting the object of faith ( John 17:3 ; Rom 10:9 ): “I know my sheep and my sheep know me… My sheep listen to my voice” ( John 10:14John 10:27 ).Without answering all our questions, it provides an adequate light for the journeyer in this darkened world ( 2Peter 1:19 ). But this knowledge is only a foretaste of knowing God “face to face” in the hereafter ( 1 Cor 13:12 ), when”the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts” ( 2 Peter 1:19 ).
The knowledge of science cannot enlighten the darkness of soul.
VI. WHAT I KNOW
There are things you and I should know above all. No one can replace you or substitute you. You should know whether you are saved or not, things pertaining your relationship with Jesus Christ, for time and eternity, and “pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”
The knowledge you have may not be true knowledge. Scientists and philosophy have much knowledge which may not be true knowledge.
It is sad that many do not have true knowledge. As an illustration, the moon is 238,855 miles away from the earth. However, the knowledge is irrelevant unless you are on a travel to the moon. Some years ago I needed to go to the Hospital the opposite of the Shanghai Library but I forgot the name of the street. I got on the wrong taxi because the driver did not know where the Shanghai Library is although there is only one Shanghai Library. How can one be a Shanghai taxi driver and not knowing the whereabouts of the Shanghai Library. You see that taxi drive did not have the true knowledge of how to get to the Shanghai Library, he questioned people repeatedly as he drove. It took a long time and wasted many unnecessary miles and money. If you want to go to Heaven and you did not know Jesus Christ is the Way, you do not have true knowledge of God. You can know the following only through the revelation of God.
The following are true knowledge which not I, not anybody can find out on his/her own. These knowledge are better than all the knowledge scientists and philosophers might have. Because they are not human knowledge, you can obtain it by revelation. What I know based on the Word of God surpassed all worldly knowledge, science and philosophy. This knowledge is more precious to me than anything else I know.
1. I know how to be justified by faith in Jesus Christ.
Job 9:2, “In truth I know that this is so; but how can a person be in the right with God?”
Every person is wrong and has done wrong. Therefore it is impossible for any person to be in the right with God. How to get right with God?
Rom 9:31, “But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded.”
The people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded. Why? No one can keep all the laws to get right with God.
Rom 9:32, “Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path.”
Rom 3:20, “because by the works of the Law none of mankind will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes knowledge of sin.”
The Law only gives you knowledge of sin. By the works of the Law none of mankind will be justified in the sight of God. The Law condemns sinners. The Law does not provide salvation.
Jesus Christ came to save sinners, and through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, sinners can be justified as a gift of God’s grace. Salvation is a gift of God, no one deserves it. Since it is a gift, it must be grace which mankind is unmerited.
Rom 3:28, “For we maintain that a person is justified
by faith apart from works of the Law.”
Rom 4:2, “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about; but not before God.”
Rom 5:1, “Therefore, having been justified by faith,
justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”
Rom 8:30, “and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”
1Co 6:11, “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”
Gal 2:16, “nevertheless, knowing that a person is not justified by works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law; since by works of the Law no flesh will be justified.”
2. I know that the Lord is great.
Psa 135:5, “For I know that the LORD is great And that our Lord is above all gods.”
For that reason, all religions are false and useless. There is only one true God, our Heavenly Father; and one true Lord, Jesus Christ our Savior.
Our Lord is above all gods. All religions are useless because they cannot save. There is no one under Heaven except Jesus Christ who can save sinners from their sins, save those who believe, who is able to save your souls. I know that the Lord is great from childhood to old age, and that our Lord is above all gods. I do not want other religion, and I do not want other gods.
Job 19:25, “Yet as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last, He will take His stand on the earth.”
My Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who died for me on the cross and rose again from death by the power of God. I know my Redeemer lives for ever, and so I will live too.
To know that your Redeemer lives truly and essentially raises you above another.
4. I know that God is for me.
Psa 56:9, “Then my enemies will turn back on the day when I call; this I know, that God is for me.”
For childhood to old age, I can testify that God is for me. It is wonderful to know that your Heavenly Father is watching over you. I have travelled to three continents safely.
Psa 119:75, “I know, LORD, that Your judgments are righteous, and that You have afflicted me in faithfulness.”
The judgments of the Lord are righteous, even when He afflicted me in faithfulness. The good Lord has to discipline His children with affliction. It is good for Christians to be afflicted.
Aeschylus said, “Wisdom comes alone through suffering.”
Psa 119:67, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your Word.”
Psa 119:71, “It is good for me that I was afflicted, So that I may learn Your statutes.”
Someone was so stupid to challenge the judgment of God for killing the peoples of Jerichoand Ai.
6.Rejoice and do good.
Ecc 3:12, “I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime.”
No matter under what circumstances, Christians are to rejoice with the truth, rejoice in the Lord always;
and though we have not seen Him, we love Him, and though we do not see Him now, but believe in Him, we greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of
glory. And o the degree that we share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that at the revelation of His glory we may also rejoice and be overjoyed. At the same time, mend our ways, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and do good.
7. Everything God does will remain forever.
Ecc 3:14, “I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it. And God has so worked, that people will fear Him.”
God does not see as man sees, since man looks
at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.“We know that God does not listen to sinners; but if someone is God-fearing and does His will, He listens to him.
“The one who believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
“Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does what is good is of God; the one who does what is evil has not seen God.”
“Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work.”
“Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work
of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”
“And weknow that God causes all things to work
together for good to those who love God, to those
who are called according to His purpose.”
“Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus.”
“for it is God who is at work in you, both to desire
and to work for His good pleasure.”
“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people.”
“To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will consider you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power.”
“Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be an implement for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”
“If you address as Father the One who impartially
judges according to each one’s work,conduct
yourselvesin fear during the time of your stay on earth.”
8. It will go well for those who fear God.
Ecc 8:12, “Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may lengthen his life, still I know that it will go well for those who fear God, who fear Him openly.”
“The conclusion, when everything has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.”
“Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.”
“and he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the Heaven and the earth, and sea and springs of waters.”
9. The Lord God helps me.
Isa 50:7, “For the Lord GOD helps Me, Therefore, I am not disgraced; Therefore, I have made My face like flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed.”
“Then my enemies will turn back on the day when I call; this I know, that God is for me.”
“The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?”
“For as long as life is in me, And the breath of God is in my nostrils,
My lips certainly will not speak unjustly, Nor will my tongue mutter deceit.”
“My strength, I will sing praises to You; For God is my refuge, the God who shows me favor.”
“But as for me, my prayer is to You, LORD, at an acceptable time; God, in the greatness of Your mercy, answer me with Your saving truth.”
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer
I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
10. Good does not dwell in me.
Rom 7:18, “For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.”
Good does not dwell in mankind. There is nothing good in me that can justify me before God.
“Let us choose for ourselves what is right; Let us understand among ourselves what is good.”
“I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have nothing good besides You.”
“Taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”
“Answer me, LORD, for Your mercy is good; According to the greatness of Your compassion, turn to me.”
“For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.”
11. I know how to live in prosperity or poverty.
Phl 4:12,”I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.”
Christians do not seek the good life in this world. There is no good life in this world. Even the richest and most powerful people in this world have troubles and tragedies. Paul lived for Christ, and did not seek his own benefit. One of the things that bothers me most are those who seek riches in preaching the gospel. If you have abilities and you see riches I do not blame you. I cannot stand the hypocrites who want to get rich in merchandising the Gospel. Preachers by nature are poor. Christians seek glory,honor, and immortality in the world to come. Apostle Paul said, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with
the glory that is to be revealed to us.” These are the people who have learned how to live. Christ lives in me, prosperity or poverty does not matter.
12. I know WHOM I have believed.
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.”
The most wonderful knowledge is the knowledge of the Lord. The knowledge of the world, its usefulness is temporary and confined only to this world. Your Wall Street knowledge is useless in the Kingdom of Heaven. Your medical and surgical knowledge is useless in the Kingdom of Heaven. Your proud expertise and skill have no relevancy in the Kingdom of Heaven. The knowledge of God is good for eternity. If I know nothing but the Lord Jesus Christ my God and Savior, that will be enough. If I know the world and own the world and do not know Jesus Christ, I will be lost forever. So there is nothing which can compare with the surpassing value of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord.
13. I fear no evil.
Psa 101:4, “A perverse heart shall leave me; I will know no evil.”
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”
“The fear of the LORD leads to life, So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.”
My life is hidden with Christ in God, so I am untouched by evil.
NOTE: The precious and wonderful knowledge cited above not even scientist, surgeon, and philosophy may knowledge because they are revealed knowledge of God, not human knowledge.
Do you have true knowledge cited above? It is not possible for me, for anyone, to acquire the knowledge cited above. Because you can obtain the true knowledge only by revelation.
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.”
For example, the article 12 cited above, I know WHOM I have believed.
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.”
Only those who have been saved can suffer for Jesus.
You may know every word of of this verse and vaguely understand its meanings, but if you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, regenerated and enlightened by the Spirit of the Lord, you really know nothing. If you do not know Jesus Christ personally, it is useless to say I know whom I have believed. Salvation is an intimate encounter and involvement between a sinner and the Savior. Sinner realizes the heavy burden of his sin and cannot save himself, and therefore comes to Jesus Christ with repentance and faith so that he might obtain the forgiveness of sins and the new life to participate in the nature of God. The sinner hates his sins and himself, unconditionally accepts the gift of God by grace to justify himself and the Holy Spirit to sanctify himself by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
Rom 5:9, “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”
Rom 10:9. “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Tit 3:5, “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.”
To repeat like a parrot has no meaning. The parrot learns to say, “I love you!” You would take it seriously. Salvation is not just words, it is an act accomplished by Jesus Christ as a grace of God and through faith in Jesus Christ. If you are not saved, you fool yourself and others by saying you are saved.
IN CONCLUSION
In summary I know the following:
1. I know the Holy Bible is the Word of God.
Rom 1:2-5, “which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh,who was declared the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles in behalf of His name.”
2. I know Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who loved me and died for me, rose again from the dead, ascended to the highest Heaven, and He is coming again to be the King of kings, and the Lord of lords.
Gal 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
3. I know my Redeemer lives.
Job 19:25, “Yet as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last, He will take His stand on the earth.”
My Redeemer who is Jesus Christ, once dead, lives forever; He will come again to be King of kings, and Lord of lords. He will rule in the Kingdom of Heaven for ever and ever.
4. I know whom I have believed, Lord Jesus Christ.
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.”
5. I know the Lord is coming again and take me.
Jhn 14:3, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be.”
Phl 3:20-21, “For our citizenship is in Heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our lowly condition into conformity with His glorious body, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”
If you really want to be saved, you may.
Jhn 7:17, “If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know about the teaching, whether it is of God, or I am speaking from Myself.”
Jhn 7:37, “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.”
Jhn 8:51, “Truly, truly I say to you, if anyone follows My Word, he will never see death.”
“If anyone loves Me, he will follow My Word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him.”
Jhn 15:6,“If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”
Rom 8:9, “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”
1Co 8:3, “but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.”
1Co 16:22, “If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha!”
Maranatha in Greek is maranathawhich means our Lord comes or will come.
2Co 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
Rev 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”
Behold, Jesus Christ is standing at the door of your heart and knock. If you hear His voice and accept the Lord into your heart, you will be saved.
“If anyone” means all are welcome, no one is rejected. You can be anyone. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is for all, for anyone.
*Our mission is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ absolutely free. We do not want donation. We only want you to know the truth.
This article is written to let you know a wrong doctrine may have eternity consequences. John Calvin is wrong in his theology. People may be forever lost if believe in his false teaching.
This article is written to prove from the Bible that Calvinism is WRONG. No matter what theologians may say, they do not matter. If you repent of your sins and believe in Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior, you also can be saved.
It is necessary to state from the beginning that JESUS CHRIST is the FOUNDER of CHRISTIANITY and the HEAD of the CHRISTIAN CHURCH. NO individual or institution is worthy to link to Christianity. One day I strayed into a so-called Christian website, the owner of the site ludicrously claimed that Jesus Christ was a follower of John Calvin. Now we all know that the world is counted in the year of the Lord, for example, this year is 2021. The Lord Jesus Christ appeared in the world more than 2,000 years ago. That is why the calendar of the world is counted B.C. and A.D. B.C. stands for before Christ. A.D. is meaning of the Latin anno Domini (in the year of Our Lord). How was it possible that Jesus Christ was a follower of John Calvin who lived in the 1500s?
Secondly, Christianity is based on the Holy Bible. Although all the historical records, Words and deeds, doctrines and teachings of Jesus Christ are written in the New Testament, Christianity also embraces the Old Testament as the Word of God. Like Luther, I believe in Sola Scriptura (the belief that the Scripture alone is the final and only infallible source and authority for matters of Christian faith and practice). Those who deny the Word of God cannot and should not call himself/herself a Christian.
Thirdly, the truth of Christ is the Revelation of God surpasses human reason and tradition. I could not have any personal reason (no hatred, no ill will, no malice) against John Calvin who lived and died long long ago before I was born. I do not know John Calvin. However, I am against the heresy of John Calvin which has led many astray from the truth of the Christian Faith.
I. WHAT I BELIEVE.
To avoid misunderstanding and confusion, it is fair to make clear to you what I believe. I believe there are many things pertaining to God are spoken plainly and they must be taken literally true:
1. God created the universe and mankind literally.
2. God destroyed the people in the days of Noah with the flood literally and truly.
3. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire from Heaven literally.
4. God led the children of Israel walking in the dry land of the Red Sea literally.
5. All the miracles in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament are literally true.
6. Jesus was born of the virgin Mary literally but conceived of the Holy Spirit.
7. Jesus was God manifested in Jesus Christ bodily and literally, the perfect Man and the true God.
8. Jesus died on the cross for sinners literally and rose again from the death bodily, and went to Heaven with the resurrected glorious and immortal and spiritual body literally.
9. Jesus is our “Great God and Savior”. Jesus is coming again literally just as He went up to Heaven literally as it is written.
10. Jesus is to judge the living and the dead literally and He is going to rule on earth 1,000 years with the saints literally.
11. Hell is the literal place of eternal punishment and torture and agony reserved for the devil and his agents and all the wicked and unbelievers.
12. Heaven is the Paradise of God literally, not a state of mind, the Holy City and the New Jerusalem in the Kingdom of Heaven, and the children of God shall reign with the Lord forever and ever literally true.
Note: If you do not believe what is written above completely deduced from the Holy Bible, it would be fair you cannot falsely claim you are a Christian. You have religious freedom to believe whatever you like. It is none of my business. However, when someone teaches a false doctrine or heresy, as a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ, I have duty to defend the Christian Faith and utter the truth.
II. THEOLOGY.
It is important to know that theology is not the Word of God. All theologies are made by men. Some men want to have fame and fortune and so devised some strain or sectarian of theology in their own names or other names. It is wrong to call Pauline Theology, Johannine Theology, or Petrine Theology because all these apostles wrote as they were inspired by the Holy Spirit, they did not make any brand of their own theology.
God and everything pertaining to God is written in the Holy Scriptures. Outside the Holy Bible, there is no truth in the devil, no truth in man, no truth in religion, no truth in institution, and no truth in theology.
Theology is basically the study of God. Since God is not a subject which is beyond the realm of science and human wisdom. Science cannot study the Spirit, the supernatural, invisible, ultimate, and eternal. To be accurate, theology can be viewed as the study of the Word of God pertaining to God and things relating to God.
We reject all man-made theologies, including Speculative theology, Anglican theology, Catholic theology, Presbyterian theology, liberal theology, natural theology, Pentecostal theology, existential theology, liberation theology, feminist theology, comparative theology, ecumenical theology, etc. We only accept Biblical theology, even that is not like the Word of God. Any man-made system of theology can be faulty and flawed and fallible.
Theology is not based on what man or individual believes or not believes. The Christian theology is only based on the Holy Bible, the Word of God, not on any other books or apocrypha or pseudo holy writings of any religion. It is wrong to label a theology based on the teachings of a certain individual; for example, Calvinism according to John Calvin. There is no Christian theology according to Calvin, Arminian, Augustine, etc. There are four Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Not one, not anyone individual, can claim theology of his own.
There is no conservative or liberal theology. There is only Biblical theology which is the Christian theology handed down by Jesus Christ and the holy Apostles. The Holy Bible is ONE, composed of the Old Testament and the New Testament. There are 39 books in the Old Testament, and 27 books in the New Testament, a total of 66 books, all inspired by God. Christianity accepts no other bible or holy scriptures. Christianity does not recognize the theology or theologies of any other religion or religions. Christianity cannot be mixed with other religions or faiths. I am conscious there is an evil religion trying to associate with Christianity. The Christian theological views do not depend on the acceptance or rejection of the masses. No people, government or groups of people determine what is true Theology. Theology can only be true if it is according to the Word of God.
III. HERESY AND FALSE TEACHING.
2Pe 2:1, “But false prophets also appeared among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among
you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.”
Note: Destructive in Greek isapōleiawhich means damnable; destroying; pernicious; perishing; ruining; condemnable; detestable; accursed; – which occurs 20 times in the New Testament. Heresy in Greek is hairesiswhich meanssect; cult; disunion; religious opinion which is contrary to the dogma; tenet; an opinion varying from the true exposition of the Christian faith; dissension; a doctrine or practice contrary to the truth; doctrinal faction; – which occurs 9 times in the New Testament.
2Pe 2:3, “and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”
Over the years I have studied many theologians, the more I study them the more I dislike and despise them because they used empty words to exploit and delude the people and led the away from the truth of Christ. False words are empty words, they do not matter.
1Ti 6:3, “If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness.”
To teach a different doctrine in Greek is heterodidaskaleōwhich means to teach other doctrine; to deviate from the truth; – which occurs 2 times in the New Testament.
To have a different doctrine is to have a different gospel, a different gospel is a false gospel.
Eph 4:14, “As a result, 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.”
Doctrine in Greek is didaskaliawhich means teaching; principle; instruction; – which occurs 21 times in the New Testament. The Christian doctrines which have accepted by all Christians of all generations include the doctrine of Creation, the doctrine of Trinity, the doctrine of Incarnation, the doctrine of Virgin Birth, the doctrine of Inspiration, the doctrine of the Divinity of Christ, the doctrine of Atonement, the doctrine of Resurrection, the doctrine of Ascension, the doctrine of Justification, and the doctrine of the Second Coming of Christ, the doctrine of the Kingdom of Heaven, etc. False teachers or theologians made waves and winds of false doctrines, by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful scheming.
1Ti 4:6, “In pointing out these things to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the Words of the Faith and of the good doctrine which you have been following.”
In my website, I do strive to present the Words of the Faith and the good and sound doctrine of Christianity.
1Ti 6:3, “If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine confirming to godliness.”
Calvinism advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words of Jesus Christ, so I must oppose him.
Tit 2:1, “But as for you, proclaim the things which are fitting for sound doctrine.”
To proclaim the things which are fitting for sound doctrine inevitably leads one to oppose different and unsound doctrine. For that reason, I cannot even endorse Augustine because he was a product of the Roman Catholic Church which is full of heresy and false doctrines.
Tit 2:7, “in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified.”
The Lord Jesus demands every servant to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified. The Christian Faith cannot compromise, but must be upheld with purity in doctrine and knowledge.
Tit 2:10, “not stealing, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.”
In my opinion, those who merchandise the Gospel to get rich are stealing, not showing all good faith. We try our best to adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.
Calvin believed that salvation is only possible through the grace of God. Even before creation, God chose some people to be saved. This is the bone most people choke on: predestination. Curiously, it isn’t particularly a Calvinist idea. Augustine taught it centuries earlier, and Luther believed it, as did most of the other Reformers. Yet Calvin stated it so forcefully that the teaching is forever identified with him. Calvin said it was clearly taught in the Bible.”
“What are the Five Points of Calvinism? (TULIP)
· 1. Total Depravity – asserts that as a consequence of the fall of man into sin, every person is enslaved to sin. People are not by nature inclined to love God, but rather to serve their own interests and to reject the rule of God.
· 2. Unconditional Election – asserts that God has chosen from eternity those whom he will bring to himself not based on foreseen virtue, merit, or faith in those people; rather, his choice is unconditionally grounded in his mercy alone. God has chosen from eternity to extend mercy to those he has chosen and to withhold mercy from those not chosen.
· 3. Limited Atonement – asserts that Jesus’s substitutionary atonement was definite and certain in its purpose and in what it accomplished. This implies that only the sins of the elect were atoned for by Jesus’s death.
· 4. Irresistible Grace – asserts that the saving grace of God is effectually applied to those whom he has determined to save (that is, the elect) and overcomes their resistance to obeying the call of the gospel, bringing them to saving faith. This means that when God sovereignly purposes to save someone, that individual certainly will be saved.
· 5. Perseverance of the Saints – asserts that since God is sovereign and his will cannot be frustrated by humans or anything else, those whom God has called into communion with himself will continue in faith until the end.”
“The five points of Calvinism can be summarized by the acronym TULIP. T stands for total depravity, U for unconditional election, L for limited atonement, I for irresistible grace, and P for perseverance of the saints. Here are the definitions and Scripture references Calvinists use to defend their beliefs.”
Note: John Calvin was very wrong about Limited Atonement and God withholding mercy. The Bible clearly teaches Unlimited Atonement. That simply means anyone and everyone who repents of his sins and believes in the Son of God, the Savior of the world, can be saved. Salvation is open for all, although not all will receive it. The love of God does not exclude anyone, for God so loves the world. Psa 84:11, “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” Calvin was in the wrong to say that God withholds His grace. Christ did not die for the elect alone. Christ died for the whole mankind.
V. THE BIBLE PROVES JOHN CALVINWRONG.
Luk 2:10-11, “And so the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you the Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” The salvation of God is for all the people. It does not matter what other says. What the Word of God says matters. The message of God through the angel can never be altered.
Rom 5:6, “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” Christ dies for all the ungodly, not just a portion or group of the ungodly.
Rom 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Us means sinners, no one is excluded.
1Co 15:3, “For I handed down to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.”Christ died for sins of all sinners, no one is excluded.
2Co 5:15, “and He died for all, so that those who live would no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose on their behalf.” Christ died for all, all sinners of all races.
Eph 3:9-10, “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.” The Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached to all the people, to enlighten all people, no race or group is excluded.
Tit 2:11, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people.” Salvation is the grace of God, it is brought to all people.
Heb 7:27, “who has no daily need, like those highpriests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because He did this once for all time when He offered up Himself.” Jesus Christ offered up Himself for sinners, for the sins of the people once for all time.
1Jo 2:2, “and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”Sin cannot be burned away. Sin requires sacrifice. Jesus Christ died on the cross is the propitiation for our sins. Propitiation is Greek is hilasmos which means atonement; appeasing; expiation; sacrifice; – which occurs 2 times in the New Testament. Jesus Christ did not die for our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world. I am sure John Calvin knew what this Scripture means, only his view is crooked.
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.”
How could a theologian do not know the Greek word paswhich means all in an absolute sense; all men; whosoever; everyone; every man; every person; everybody; each and every; collectively all; any; as many as; of every kind; the whole; altogether; all taken together; – which occurs 1,243 times in the New Testament. It is contradictory to say that God so loved the world, only predetermined a certain group of people to be saved. It is according to the Word of God, that God so loved the world and that everyone or anyone who believes in Jesus Christ will not perish, but have eternal life. I do not know the motive of the theologian, but whatever a theologian said does not matter. What God says matters.
A false preacher is one who intentionally violates the World of God.
It is clear the salvation of God is for all, although not all have faith. The Word of God clearly says that Christ died for sinners, for all sinners, for the sins of the world. Who is John Calvin who dared to contradict God by saying Christ died for the sins of the elect only? Henceforth, I ditch and discard John Calvin and his teachings for good. I do not want to waste my time and efforts on a false teacher. I am not preaching Calvinism, I am preaching the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Once by chance I happened to encounter a website, the website was so outrageous that it lists Jesus Christ as a follower of John Calvin! Who was John Calvin but a false teacher who taught the false doctrine of predestination. No true Christian can be a Calvinist because a Calvinist is a follower of the wrong teachings of John Calvin. A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ and a believer in the teachings of Jesus Christ. For the same reason, a Christian cannot be an Arminian, Augustinian, Wesleyan, Lutheran, etc.
Once I asked a nursing student of a Lutheran Hospital whether she is a Christian or a Lutheran. Her answer was: Lutheran. If Martin Luther were alive and heard the answer, he would be furious. For Martin Luther did not build a new church or denomination. His efforts were to bring the Roman Catholic Church back to the Bible.
We don’t care what a Calvinist, Arminian, Wesleyan, Lutheran or Augustinian wants to believe or not to believe. We only care what the Bible says.
God is not responsible for a sinner’s action or inaction but instead the sinner should take full responsibility of his own actions without issuing excuses. These requirement insists that God is not the ultimate author of all human actions.Gen 2:16-17, “The LORD GOD commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may freely eat; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for on the day that you eat from it you will certainly die.”
When Eve listened to the devil, saw that the tree was good for food, and it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate; and Eve also gave some to Adam and he ate. Do you know that God did not stop them? If you reject Jesus Christ and die in your sins, God would not stop you too.
Jhn 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” A theologian who did not recognize the word “whoever” is without redeeming value. Whoever in Greek ispaswhich meansall men; everyone; every man; anyone; each; whatsoever; whatever person; no matter who; – which occurs 1,243 times in the New Testament. John Calvin also contradicted the Word of Jesus, Jhn 6:37, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” The Lord Jesus will not kick out anyone who comes to Him. THEOLOGY which is not based on spiritual truth is fabrication, falsehood and fantasy.
Again the Scripture says, 2Pe 3:9, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.” The Lord is not willing for any to perish, but for ALL to come to repentance.
A famous person said, “Sincere Christians can disagree about the details of Scripture and theology – absolutely.” The Scripture is the Word of God, the absolute truth in Christ. Your sincerity or insincerity has nothing to do with the objectivity of the Scripture. The authority of the Scripture does not depend on your sincerity or insincerity. Theology is made by men, there is room for agreement or disagreement relatively speaking. The Scripture is always true and yes.
Jos 1:8, “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”
Neh 8:13, “On the second day the heads of fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe in order to study the Words of the Law.”
Ezr 7:10, “For Ezra had firmly resolved to study the Law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.”
Psa 119:15, “I will study Your commandmentsand reflect on Your ways.”
Mat 11:5, “those who are BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT and those who limp walk, those with leprosy are cleansed and those who are deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM.”
Mat 24:14,“This Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
IN CONCLUSION
The Glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ is for all the people in the world.
The Salvation of God is available to everyone, including you.
Mat 16:25, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”
Mar 8:38,“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
Jhn 4:14, “but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.”
Rom 10:11, “For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME.”
1Jo 2:23, “Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.”
1Jo 4:15, “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God.”
So, the Bible clearly and repeatedly proves John Calvin is wrong. You must seize the opportunity to confess that Jesus is the Son of God so that you are in God and has the eternal life.
Jesus says, Jhn 6:37, “Everything that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I certainly will not cast out.”
Knowing that the doctrine of John Calvin or Calvinism is wrong, those who promote John Calvin or Calvinism participate also in his sins.
Now, get hold of the Words of Jesus. If you come to Him, He certainly will not kick you out. The Person who has the final say whether you get to Heaven or not is not Peter, not Mary, not angel, not any theologian, but Jesus Christ HIMSELF.
*Our mission is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ absolutely free. We do not want donation. We only want you to know the truth.
This article is written for you to know if you fear God, you have nothing to fear although the world is full of fears.
Gen 15:1, “After these things the Word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying,
“Do not fear, Abram,
I AM a shield to you;
Your reward shall be very great.”
God changed the name of Abram to Abraham.
Even Abraham had many fears, but Abraham believed in God; and the Word of the Lord came to Abraham in a vision. Nowadays Christians are fortunate to have access to the Holy Scriptures, they do not need to have a vision.
Gen 26:24, “And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said,
“I am the God of your father Abraham;
Do not fear, for I am with you.
I will bless you and multiply your descendants,
For the sake of My servant Abraham.”
Gen 32:11,“Save me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, that he will come and attack me and the mothers with the children.”
difficulties in her labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for you have another son!”
In an unpleasant world, there are many fears.
1.) Fear of evil.
Evil generally speaking is something abstract, something undesirable or unpleasant; something very bad. When it happens, everyone knows what it is! The Lord teaches Christians to pray; “Deliver us from evil.”
Mat 6:13, “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Lead us not into temptation.—The Greek word includes the two thoughts which are represented in English by “trials,” i.e., sufferings which test or try, and “temptations,” allurements on the side of pleasure which tend to lead us into evil. Of these the former is the dominant meaning in the language of the New Testament, and is that of which we must think here. (Comp. Matthew 26:41.) We are taught not to think of the temptation in which lust meets opportunity as that into which God leads us (James 1:13-14); there is therefore something that shocks us in the thought of asking Him not to lead us into it. But trials of another kind, persecution, spiritual conflicts, agony of body or of spirit, these may come to us as a test or as a discipline. Should we shrink from these? An ideal stoicism, a perfected faith, would say, “No, let us accept them, and leave the issue in our Father’s hands.” But those who are conscious of their weakness cannot shake off the thought that they might fail in the conflict, and the cry of that conscious weakness is therefore, “Lead us not into such trials,” even as our Lord prayed, “If it be possible, let this cup pass away from me” (Matthew 26:39). And the answer to the prayer may come either directly in actual exemption from the trial, or in “the way to escape” (1Corinthians 10:13), or in strength to bear it. It is hardly possible to read the prayer without thinking of the recent experience of “temptation” through which our Lord had passed. The memory of that trial in all its terrible aspects was still present with Him, and in His tender love for His disciples He bade them pray that they might not be led into anything so awful.
Deliver us from evil.—The Greek may grammatically be either neuter or masculine, “evil” in the abstract, or the “evil one” as equivalent to the “devil.” The whole weight of the usage of New Testament language is in favour of the latter meaning. In our Lord’s own teaching we have the “evil one” in Matthew 13:19; Matthew 13:38; John 17:15 (probably); in St. Paul’s (Ephesians 6:16; 2Thessalonians 3:3), in St. John’s (1John 2:13-14; 1John 3:12; 1John 5:18-19) this is obviously the only possible interpretation. Romans 12:9, and possibly John 17:15, are the only instances of the other. Added to this, there is the thought just adverted to, which leads us to connect our Lord’s words with His own experience. The prayer against temptation would not have been complete without reference to the Tempter whose presence was felt in it. We may lawfully pray to be spared the trial. If it comes, there is yet room for the prayer, “Deliver us from the power of him who is our enemy and Thine.”
For thine is the kingdom. . . .—The whole clause is wanting in the best MSS. and in the earlier versions, and is left unnoticed by the early Fathers, who comment on the rest of the Prayer. Most recent editors have accordingly omitted it, as probably an addition made at first (after the pattern of most Jewish prayers) for the liturgical use of the Prayer, and then interpolated by transcribers to make the text of the discourse harmonise with the liturgies.”
“Evil is a term used to describe something that brings about harmful, painful, and unpleasant effects. It is understood to be of three kinds: Moral evil, natural evil, and metaphysical evil. Moral evil is evil human beings volitionally and intentionally originate, and its examples are their cruel, vicious, and unjust thoughts and actions, such as murder. Natural evil is evil which occurs independently of human thoughts and actions, but which still causes pain and suffering, and it refers to earthquakes, volcanos, storms, droughts, disease-causing bacilli, and so on. “Metaphysical evil,” a term coined by Gottfried Leibniz (1646-1716), refers to the finite and limited condition of the created spatio-temporal world, thus being usually understood not to be evil in and of itself.”
Only God knows in 14 years of Japanese aggression against China how much evil Japanese had done to the Chinese. We know the Nanjing Massacre was evil. We know thousands and thousands of young women were made Comfort Women by Japanese troops were evil. We KNOW millions and millions of Chinese were made slave workers. We know the sudden attack of Pearl Harbor was evil. We also know in the last 500 years the peoples of White race are sill doing evil. It is not surprising that gun culture produces many incidents of violence. Terrible and traumatic events will continue to happen in a violent America. But Christians have nothing to fear.
2.) Fear of unemployment.
In America, fear of unemployment is big and real. Because the cost of living is high, when you are unemployed what can you do. When you have no employment, you have no income. When you have no income, you have no money. How can you live in America with the highest cost of living when you have no money?
Unemployment imposes costs on a society that are more than just financial.
Unemployed individuals not only lose income but also face challenges to their physical and mental health.
There are societal costs of high unemployment.
Governmental costs go beyond the payment of benefits and include the loss of the production of workers which reduces the gross domestic product (GDP).
Unemployment affects not only the individual but also spouses, partners, and children.
Costs to the Individual
There’s often an immediate impact on an individual’s standard of living when they lose their job. The average savings rate in the U.S. had been drifting down toward zero and sometimes below before the Great Recession. There are anecdotal reports that the average person is only a few weeks away from serious financial trouble without a paying job.3”
There are people who are called house slaves. They are young people who have bought a house through borrowing from the bank. They must pay monthly mortgage. If they lose employment, they cannot afford to pay mortgage. If they cannot afford to pay mortgage, they will lose their house. That is why the couple must both work, to insure against unemployment. Maybe a single wage can keep them going for some months. For that reason they are called house slaves in relation to almost all corporations have psychopathic supervisors. These psychopathic supervisors acted like they were the owners of the corporation, they treated their subordinates harshly and humiliated them. The house slaves are very afraid to lose their jobs, because losing their jobs are tantamount to losing their homes. For that reason the house slaves are willing to bear any burden, endure any hardship and humiliation in order to keep their jobs. The cost of unemployment is very high in America, only the rich is free from it. Do you want to see the homeless people in Los Angeles? Just take a walk in Downtown at your own risk. You may be surprised Christians are citizens of Heaven, we are pilgrims on earth.
Phl 3:20, “For our citizenship is in Heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Php 3:20-21. For our conversation is in heaven — We that are true Christians are of a very different spirit, and act in a quite different manner. The original expression, πολιτευμα, rendered conversation, is a word of a very extensive meaning, implying our citizenship, our thoughts, our affections, are already in heaven; or we think, speak, and act, converse with our fellow-creatures, and conduct ourselves in all our intercourse with them, as citizens of the New Jerusalem, and as being only strangers and pilgrims upon earth. We therefore endeavour to promote the interests of that glorious society to which we belong, to learn its manners, secure a title to its privileges, and behave in a way suitable to, and worthy of our relation to it; from whence also we look for the Saviour — To come and carry us thither according to his promise, (John 14:3,) namely, our spirits, at the dissolution of this earthly tabernacle; yea, and afterward to transform our vile body, το σωμα της ταπεινωσεως, the body of our humiliation; which, in consequence of the fall of our first parents, sinks us so low, is subject to, and encompassed with, so many infirmities, is such a clog to our souls, and so greatly hinders our progress in the work of faith and labour of love: this body we expect he will transform into the most perfect state and the most beauteous form, when it will be purer than the unspotted firmament, brighter than the lustre of the stars, and, which exceeds all parallel, which comprehends all perfection, like unto his glorious body — Of which an image was given in his transfiguration, yea like that wonderfully glorious body which he wears in his heavenly kingdom, and on his triumphant throne. So that here, as Romans 8:23, the redemption of the body from corruption, by a glorious resurrection, is represented as the especial privilege of the righteous. According to that mighty working — That energy of power; whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself — To show himself to the whole intelligent creation of God completely victorious over all his enemies, even over death and the grave, the last of them.”
3.) FEAR OF OLD AGE.
The fear of old age includes the fear of getting old.
The people who are most afraid of old age are the beautiful Hollywood actresses. Obviously, old age will take beauty away. What is an actress without beauty? It seems yesterday I was young: I studied ten thousand books and walked 10,000 miles. Today I am old. I am restricted by activities used to be easy and simple. I pray without ceasing: Heavenly Father, have mercy on me! Heavenly Father, have pity on me! Heavenly Father, have compassion on me! God save me, your old servant! An old servant is engaged in the ministry of life. Old age brings many problems: diseases and disabilities. There are a thousand and one things to kill you. To die is easy; to live is hard. The most
common disability is unable to walk. I cannot thank God enough for giving me a good wife. Without my wife I would have been dead long ago.
“The biggest challenge to older adults can often be their health. To monitor these old-age problems, it’s best to get regular checkups and monitor your body for changes. Depending on the health concern, possible solutions to these problems can include a healthy diet, exercise, and/or medications. Some of these health concerns include:
Heart disease
Diabetes
Hearing loss
Cataracts
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Heart attack and/or stroke
Extra susceptibility to sexually transmitted diseases
Muscle weakness
Fatigue
Loss of balance, which can result in falls
Malnutrition
Oral health issues, such as dry mouth and gum disease
And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age,…. Being now one hundred and forty years of age, for as he was an hundred years old when Isaac was born, and Isaac was forty years of age when he married Rebekah, which was at this time, Abraham must be of the age mentioned, see Genesis 21:5,
and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things; with all kind of blessings, with temporal and spiritual blessings; the former seems chiefly designed here, because of what follows; God had blessed him, as Aben Ezra observes, with long life, and riches, and honour, and children, things desirable by men.”
4.) FEAR OF LOSS.
There are many kinds of loss. Loss of spouse is unbearable. Business owners are afraid of loss and bankruptcy. Most people are afraid of fire, fire may burn down their homes and possessions. My mother told me when they had a fire, my grand father was paralyzed that he could do nothing to rescue.
Types of loss are various and many. How can a mother acquit herself of guilt because of her phone call caused her daughter to have a driving accident and died? Some Chinese adults told me personally they lost the prime time of their lives not studying at universities due to Cultural Revolution. Some loss not only has monetary measurement, it has a psychological dimension. Sense of loss is a strange phenomenon because it is personally and individually defined. Probably the greatest loss is the loss of a spouse. Some women deplore of not being able to sleep alone. Loss of home or business is very serious and unbearable. Bankruptcy is a personal shame to many. Moral failure is not only a loss of reputation. The Chinese has a saying, Once a slip becomes a regret for a thousand years.
Mat 16:26, “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”
For what is a man profited … – To gain the whole world means to possess it as our own – all its riches, its honors, and its pleasures.
“To lose his own soul” means to be cast away, to be shut out from heaven, to be sent to hell. Two things are implied by Christ in these questions:
That they who are striving to gain the world, and are unwilling to give it up for the sake of religion, will lose their souls; and,
2. That if the soul is lost, nothing can be given in exchange for it, or that it can never afterward be saved. There is no redemption in hell.”
Many still do not know, if you gain the whole world, but you end up in Hell, that is the greatest loss, the greatest failure. As John Chrysostom said, “The pains of hell are not the greatest part of hell; the loss of Heaven is the weightiest woe of hell.”
Why? Hell is eternal.
5.) FEAR OF GUN VIOLENCE.
Americans have good reason to be afraid of gun violence. There is no safe place in America. How many innocent people including children were gunned down. For that reason, opening door becomes a very sensitive matter. Almost every home has a peephole, to peep through who is knocking at the door. An English man told me he had 3 locks. A white old lady who lived in the richest city of Orange County told me she had 9 doors! Imagine to get familiar with 9 keys, or if there is a fire you may be burned to death! Thanks to the two useless parties and the Congress and Administration and the Supreme Court who are held hostage by gun lobby, America does not have gun control. What is proper is to ban all weapons and guns of death, ban National Riffle Association, ban manufacturing and selling of all sorts of guns. This would not happen until you have correct leaders and correct government.
In an average year, gun violence in America kills 40,000 people, wounds twice as many, and has an economic consequence to our nation of $557 billion.
Without a doubt, the human cost of gun violence—the people who are taken from us and the survivors whose lives are forever altered—is the most devastating. In addition to this human impact, examining the serious economic consequences of gun violence offers a wider lens for understanding just how extensive and expensive this crisis is.
This staggering $557 billion figure is five times the nation’s budget for the Department of Education, which funds preschool through college for millions of Americans.1 If shooting tragedies were prevented from occurring in the first place, the vast funds spent in the aftermath of gun violence could be directed toward beneficial and productive investments such as educating the next generation.
This $557 billion problem represents the lifetime costs associated with gun violence, including three types of costs: immediate costs starting at the scene of a shooting, such as police investigations and medical treatment; subsequent costs, such as treatment, long-term physical and mental health care, earnings lost to disability or death, and criminal justice costs; and cost estimates of quality of life lost over a victim’s life span for pain and suffering of victims and their families.
As survivors, families, communities, employers, and taxpayers, we all pay for the enormous costs associated with this violence, whether we own a gun or not. The daily toll is staggering:
Taxpayers, survivors, families, and employers pay an average of $7.79 million daily in health care costs, including immediate and long-term medical and mental health care, plus patient transportation/ambulance costs related to gun violence, and lose an estimated $147.32 million per day related to work missed due to injury or death.
American taxpayers pay $30.16 million every day in police and criminal justice costs for investigation, prosecution, and incarceration.
Employers lose an average of $1.47 million on a daily basis in productivity, revenue, and costs required to recruit and train replacements for victims of gun violence.
Society loses $1.34 billion daily in quality-of-life costs from the suffering and lost well-being of gun violence victims and their families.
The large variation in rates of gun deaths and injuries in the 50 states and Washington, DC, translates into substantial differences in the economic burden from this violence.
Compiling this information is vital so that policymakers and constituents can understand how resources are currently being spent and to provide direction for a different tomorrow. The average annual cost for overall gun violence in the United States is $1,698 for every resident in the country. However, in states with stronger gun laws, the economic toll of gun violence is less than half this amount, whereas in states where gun laws are weaker and gun injuries and fatalities are higher, gun violence costs residents double or more this amount per person.”
When it comes to individual cases, the dollar costs will be totally skewed. Say to a parent who lost his child, would he/she exchange their child for $10 billions? I say they would prefer to have their child back than $10 billions. A Korean family lost their son during the Los Angeles Riot. They moved from Seoul to Los Angeles thinking it was for a better future.
Recent school shooting in Wisconsin is an example why people fear gun violence. There is no safe place anywhere in America. I sympathize with the Governor Tony Evers who said he was praying for the families and loved ones whose lives were “so senselessly taken” and called the shooting a “gut-wrenching tragedy.”“As a father, a grandfather, and as governor, it is unthinkable that a kid or an educator might wake up and go to school one morning and never come home. This should never happen, and I will never accept this as a foregone reality or stop working to change it.” I sympathize but sorry to say the Governor is wrong. Can state laws be higher than federal laws? American Gun violence is a national problem, a cultural problem and a political problem. The two parties, the Congress, the Administration, and the Supreme Court are held hostage by the powerful gun lobby. America should have a New Constitution which bans all weapons and guns of death, outlaw National Riffle Association, prohibit manufacture and sale of guns by civilians. As a nation, America must nullify and crucify gun culture. When will that happen? Until the Kingdom comes!
6.) FEAR OF NUCLEAR WAR.
I used to fear the nuclear war. I am no more because the Scriptures say:
2Pe 3:7, “But by His Word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly people.”
2Pe 3:12, “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!”
Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God,…. The same with the day of the Lord, 2 Peter 3:10, and so the Vulgate Latin and Arabic versions here read; and it intends the day of Christ’s second coming to judgment, and so is a proof of the deity of Christ; and is called “the day of God”, in distinction from man’s day, or human judgment, 1 Corinthians 4:3, which is often fallacious; whereas the judgment of God is according to truth; and because in that day Christ will appear most clearly to be truly and properly God, by the manifest display of his omniscience, omnipotence, and other glorious perfections of his; and because it will be, as the day of God is, a thousand years; and also the day in which God will finish all his works, as on the seventh day the works of creation, on this the works of Providence; when all his purposes, promises, and threatenings, relating to the final state of all persons and things, will be fulfilled, and every work be brought to light, and into judgment, and everything will stand in a clear light; for the day will declare it, either respecting God, or men; and there will be a display, as of his grace and mercy, to his church and people; for it will be the day of his open espousals to them, and of the gladness of his heart; so of his wrath and anger towards the wicked: for this great and dreadful day of the Lord shall burn like an oven, and destroy the wicked, root and branch: and it will be the day of Christ’s glorious appearing, and of his kingdom, in which he will reign, before his ancients, gloriously; and when it is ended, God, Father, Son and Spirit, will be all in all: now “the coming” of this day saints should be “looking for” by faith; believing that it certainly will come, since the patriarchs, prophets, Christ himself, the angels of heaven, and the apostles of the Lamb, have all declared and asserted the coming of this day; and they should look for it, and love it, as with the strongest affection for it, and most vehement desire of it, since they will then appear with Christ in glory; and they should look out, and keep looking out for it, as what will be quickly; and though it is not as soon as they desire and expect, yet should still look wistly for it, and with patience and cheerfulness wait for it: yea, they should be “hasting unto” it, or “hastening” it; for though the day is fixed for the coming of Christ, nor can it be altered, as his coming will not be longer, it cannot be sooner, yet it becomes the saints to pray earnestly for it, that it may be quickly, and for the accomplishment of all things that go before it, prepare for it, and lead unto it; such as the conversion of the Jews, and the bringing in of the fulness of the Gentiles; and by putting him in mind of, and pleading with him, his promises concerning these things, and giving him no rest till they are accomplished; there seems to be some reference to the prayers of the Jews for the Messiah’s coming, which they desire may be “in haste”; which will show that they are in haste for the coming of this day; and all which things God will hasten, though it will be in his own time: and moreover, saints should be hasting to it by their readiness for it, having their loins girt, and their lights burning, and their lamps trimmed, and they waiting for their Lord’s coming, and going forth in acts of faith and love, and in the duties of religion, to meet him, and not slumber and sleep:
wherein; in which day, as in 2 Peter 3:10; or by which; by which coming of Christ, or of the day of God,
the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; at whose coming and presence, and from whose face the heavens and earth shall flee away, just as the earth shook, and the heavens dropped, and Sinai itself moved, when God appeared upon it; see Revelation 20:11. This is a repetition of what is said in 2 Peter 3:10, exciting attention to the exhortation given.”
According to https://www.amazon.ca/Nuclear-War-Scenario-Annie-Jacobsen/dp/1911709593
“Nuclear war begins with a blip on a radar screen. This is a minute-by-minute account of what comes next. It has to be read to be believed. There is only one scenario other than an asteroid strike that could end the world as we know it in a matter of hours: nuclear war. Until now, no one outside official circles has known exactly what would happen if a rogue state launched a nuclear missile at the Pentagon. Second by second and minute by minute, these are the real-life protocols that choreograph the end of civilization as we know it. Decisions that affect hundreds of millions of lives need to be made within six minutes, based on partial information, in the knowledge that once launched, nothing is capable of holding the destruction. Based on dozens of new interviews with military and civilian experts who have built the weapons, been privy to the response plans, and taken responsibility for crucial decisions, this is the only account of what a nuclear exchange would look like. Nuclear War is at once a compulsive non-fiction thriller and a powerful argument that we must rid ourselves of these world-ending weapons for ever.”
Yes, nuclear war is coming; there are less than 12 persons who will determine the fate of the world. True Christians have no fear, if you die, today you will be in the Paradise of God. Jesus told the converted robber,
Luk 23:43, “And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
7.) Fear of poverty.
There are many factors or reasons which may cause poverty. One thing is clear: nobody wants poverty.
Most people fear of poverty because the cost of living is high in America. Do you want to see the most undesirable homeless people in America? You can pay a visit to Downtown Los Angeles at your own risk.
Poverty not only deprives you the necessities of life, it gives you something you do not want — the degradation.
“Why is there so much more poverty in the United States than in its Western counterparts? Several differences between the United States and the other nations stand out (Brady, 2009; Russell, 2011). First, other Western nations have higher minimum wages and stronger labor unions than the United States has, and these lead to incomes that help push people above poverty. Second, these other nations spend a much greater proportion of their gross domestic product on social expenditures (income support and social services such as child-care subsidies and housing allowances) than does the United States. As sociologist John Iceland (Iceland, 2006) notes, “Such countries often invest heavily in both universal benefits, such as maternity leave, child care, and medical care, and in promoting work among [poor] families…The United States, in comparison with other advanced nations, lacks national health insurance, provides less publicly supported housing, and spends less on job training and job creation.” Block and colleagues agree: “These other countries all take a more comprehensive government approach to combating poverty, and they assume that it is caused by economic and structural factors rather than bad behavior” (Block et, al., 2006).
The experience of the United Kingdom provides a striking contrast between the effectiveness of the expansive approach used in other wealthy democracies and the inadequacy of the American approach. In 1994, about 30 percent of British children lived in poverty; by 2009, that figure had fallen by more than half to 12 percent. Meanwhile, the US 2009 child poverty rate, was almost 21 percent.
Britain used three strategies to reduce its child poverty rate and to help poor children and their families in other ways. First, it induced more poor parents to work through a series of new measures, including a national minimum wage higher than its US counterpart and various tax savings for low-income workers. Because of these measures, the percentage of single parents who worked rose from 45 percent in 1997 to 57 percent in 2008. Second, Britain increased child welfare benefits regardless of whether a parent worked. Third, it increased paid maternity leave from four months to nine months, implemented two weeks of paid paternity leave, established universal preschool (which both helps children’s cognitive abilities and makes it easier for parents to afford to work), increased child-care aid, and made it possible for parents of young children to adjust their working hours to their parental responsibilities (Waldfogel, 2010). While the British child poverty rate fell dramatically because of these strategies, the US child poverty rate stagnated.
In short, the United States has so much more poverty than other democracies in part because it spends so much less than they do on helping the poor. The United States certainly has the wealth to follow their example, but it has chosen not to do so, and a high poverty rate is the unfortunate result. As the Nobel laureate economist Paul Krugman (2006, p. A25) summarizes this lesson, “Government truly can be a force for good. Decades of propaganda have conditioned many Americans to assume that government is always incompetent…But the [British experience has] shown that a government that seriously tries to reduce poverty can achieve a lot.”
Pro 10:15, “The rich person’s wealth is his fortress,
The rich man’s wealth is his strong city,…. What a fortified city is to persons in time of war, that is a rich man’s wealth to him; by it he can defend himself from the injuries of others, and support himself and family in times of public calamity; for money is a defence, and answers all things, Ecclesiastes 7:12. Or his wealth is so in his own apprehension and conceit; he puts his trust and confidence in it, and thinks himself safe and secure by it; when he is trusting to uncertain riches, which will fail him; these may fly away from him in life, and leave him exposed to distress and danger; and, however, will not secure him at death from the wrath of God and everlasting destruction. Or he is lifted up with his riches, is in high spirits, and despises others; thinking himself safe, as in a strong castle, and fears nothing, distresses, diseases, or death;
the destruction of the poor is their poverty: or their poverty is their consternation, as the word (h) signifies, it frightens them; they, knowing their circumstances, are afraid of everybody and of every thing; not being able to defend themselves against their enemies, or support themselves in times of public calamity, as war, famine, or pestilence.”
Poverty ruins the poor. The poor have no choice.
I had been poor, so I knew what poverty is. Try to work your way through college in America, earning the minimum wage of $1.25 and you were responsible to pay for everything and did everything yourself and at the same time went to college.
8.) Fear of catastrophic disease.
The fear of cancer is also called Carcinophobia. The single factor that most Americans are so afraid of catastrophic diseases is the cost.
“Nothing kills more Americans than heart disease and stroke. More than 944,800 Americans die of heart disease or stroke every year—that’s more than 1 in 3 deaths.3 These diseases take an economic toll, as well, costing our health care system $254 billion per year and causing $168 billion in lost productivity on the job.4 Costs from cardiovascular diseases are projected to hit roughly $2 trillion by 2050.5”
When I was very poor working my way in college, I could not afford even one doctor when I was sick. I worked at a hospital and discovered a great injustice. A young black woman was having an abortion, and all paid by Medicaid. The American healthcare worked like an organized crime. Three doctors were assigned to take care of her. A doctor got pay by doing nothing or said hello to her. When one doctor changed the dressing, another doctor did the same. The system made sure three doctors were paid.
Recently, a health insurance executive was gunned down in New York. Strange thing happened that many donated money for the defense of the killer. Why? Many Americans know the current healthcare system is a terrorism. The doctors, hospitals, drug and insurance companies make so much, and many Americans went bankrupt because the highest healthcare cost in the world! The two parties, the Congress, the Administration, the Supreme Court are held hostage by rich and powerful healthcare lobby. We need a national healthcare insurance scheme that everybody can afford, but that is not going to happen until the Kingdom comes!
9.) Fear of betrayal.
Jesus Christ knew before the fact who would betray him. I was stupid that I did not know before the fact that three persons in my life would betray me. It is written, Psa 41:9, “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.”
The terrible thing about treason, your enemies could not betray you, only your close friends can.
Isa 21:2, “I see a terrifying vision: I see the betrayer betraying, the destroyer destroying. Go ahead, you Elamites and Medes, attack and lay siege. I will make an end to all the groaning Babylon caused.”
Isa 24:16, “From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One. But I say, “I waste away, I waste away. Woe is me! For the traitors have betrayed, with betrayal the traitors have betrayed.”
Jhn 2:24-25, “But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, because He knew
all people, and because He did not need anyone to testify about mankind, for He Himself knew what was in mankind.”
For our parts, we do not know all people, and we do not know what is in mankind. We do not know who will betray us.
Jhn 13:18,“I am not speaking about all of you. I know the ones whom I have chosen; but this is happening so that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘HE WHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME.”
Mat 26:49, “Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, “Greetings (rejoice), Rabbi!” And he kissed Him [in a deliberate act of betrayal].”
Hail, Master – The word translated “hail,” here, means to “rejoice,” to have joy, and also to have “cause” of joy.
It thus expresses the “joy” which one friend has when he meets another, especially after an absence. It was used by the Jews and Greeks as a mode of salutation among friends. It would here seem to express the “joy” of Judas at finding his Master and again being “with him.”
Master – In the original, “Rabbi.” See the notes at Matthew 23:7.
Kissed him – Gave him the common salutation of friends when meeting after absence. This mode of salutation was more common among Eastern nations than with us.”
“Are you lonely? Loneliness is steadily rising in the United States, which has created a loneliness epidemic. Two thousand eighteen loneliness statistics show that 30% of older adults reported loneliness.Survey data from 2019 shows that 58% of Americans often felt like no one in their life knew them well. In 2020, young women in the US were most likely to report losing touch with friends. Most Americans are seeking more friendships and connectedness than ever.”
“THURSDAY, Feb. 1, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Americans are terribly lonely, a new poll reveals.
Among U.S. adults, about one in three said they feel lonely at least once a week. Worse, one in 10 Americans say they feel lonely every day, results show.
Younger people are more likely to experience loneliness, which is defined as a lack of meaningful or close relationships or sense of belonging, according to the American Psychiatric Association’s latest Healthy Minds Monthly Poll.
About 30% of respondents ages 18 to 34 said they feel lonely every day or several times a week.
The poll “confirms loneliness is widespread, especially in young people,” said APA President Dr. Petros Levounis.
“Doctors and other clinicians can make a major difference in their patients’ well-being and physical health when they ask about loneliness and how to mitigate its effects,” Levounis added in an APA news release. “Helping people feel less lonely is straightforward and deeply gratifying.”
The poll, which was conducted online from Jan. 10 to Jan. 12 among 2,200 adults, also found that:
Single adults are nearly twice as likely as married adults to feel lonely on a weekly basis, 39% versus 22%
About 50% of respondents ease their loneliness with distractions like TV, podcasts or social media
Another 41% said they go for a walk to feel less lonely, while 38% said they reach out to family or friends
Overall, 13% said they use drugs or alcohol to east their loneliness, with adults 18 to 34 more likely to use substances than those 45 to 64 (21% versus 8%).
Respondents’ highest sense of community and belonging comes from being among family (65%), friends (53%) or neighbors (20%).
The least helpful places to feel less lonely were online communities and discussion forums (3%), sports and recreational teams (4%), and gym or fitness classes (5%).”
“The number of unmarried men and women increased during the same time. In 2022, 37% of men and 31% of women had never been married. In 1990, 30% of men and 23% of women had never been married.
The shift is larger among Black and Hispanic people. In 1990, 43% of Black men had never been married. In 2022, it was 52%. During that period, the percent of Black women who were never married increased from 37% to 49%. For Hispanic women, it increased from 27% to 39%; the percent of Hispanic men who were never married increased from 37% to 46%.
In 1980, white men and women made up 80% of the US population and were the most likely demographic to be married.
According to heharrispoll.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Singles-in-America-Survey-January-2023-.pdf
“Top Highlights SINGLES IN AMERICA SURVEY • 117.6 million Americans or 46% of those aged 18 and over are single, according to the U.S. Census Bureau statistics • A quarter of Americans, including 35% of Gen Z, say “I am not looking for a relationship” • Eight in 10 Americans say that “you don’t need to get married to have a happy and fulfilling life,” with half of singles explicitly saying that they prefer to be alone, and that “singlehood is the most meaningful, authentic, and fulfilling way of life” • Almost seven in 10 (68%) believe that in our society, the stigma of being single is gradually diminishing, as half say “I’m noticing that more and more people in my circle are deliberately choosing to be single” • Single Americans enjoy having more time to focus on their passions, growth, and career, with 86% saying they love “having more time to pursue my interests and passions.” Many like the freedom to design a fulfilling lifestyle and financial autonomy, with 82% stating that they enjoy “not worrying about a partner’s debt or financial obligations” • Being single appears to help Americans navigate their finances, as seven in 10 say that “being single taught me how to work with my money really well” and a similar percentage say “I feel financially empowered and more in control by being single” • Three-quarters of Americans say that it can be more affordable to be in a relationship (e.g., splitting rent, bills, etc.), with eight in 10 singles saying they’d like to see the government offer more tax brakes for single people • Eight in 10 Americans believe that finding the right partner is harder than finding the right job •Six in 10 singles say that “dating is becoming an unaffordable luxury” • Inflation is impacting dating choices, as seven in 10 are choosing an activity, such as hiking, instead of going out to eat or drink, 55% are open to hosting a first date at home, and 44% are open to going on a virtual date • 41% of men say they wouldn’t be open to splitting the check due to rising inflation.”
Fear of failure is also called Atychiphobia. If you ask students who take college entrance exams, if you ask students who take final exams, if you ask applicants who go for an interview, if you ask applicants who take a professional licensing exams, all have something in common, they worry about failing.
At a top American university, I said it was lucky we had final exams for two weeks. If we had final exams for three weeks, we all would have died of anxiety.
In addition to emotional and behavioral symptoms, people with a fear of failure may also experience physical symptoms including rapid heart rate, chest tightness, trembling, dizziness, lightheadedness, sweating, and digestive problems.”
Psa 78:33, “So he ended their lives in failure, their years in terror.”
Do you want not to end your life in failure?
Jesus says, Jhn 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.”
The thief cometh not, but for to steal.—Comp. Notes on John 10:1; John 10:8. The description of the thief is opposed to that of the shepherd, who constantly goes in and out and finds pasture. His visits are but rare, and when he comes it is but for his own selfish purposes, and for the ruin of the flock. Each detail of his cruel work is dwelt upon, to bring out in all the baseness of its extent the corresponding spiritual truth.
I am come that they might have life.—More exactly, I came that they might have life. The pronoun should be emphasised. I came, as opposed to the thief. He does not further dwell upon the shepherd, but passes on to the thought of Himself, and thereby prepares the way for the thought of Himself as the Good Shepherd in the following verse. The object of His coming is the direct opposite of that of the thief, who comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. He came once for all, that in Him the sheep may have life. (Comp. John 6:50-51.) The Sinaitic MS. inserts the word “eternal” here—“that they might have life eternal.” The word is probably not part of the original text, and the thought is rather of the present spiritual life which every believer now hath, and which will issue in eternal life. But comp. Note on John 10:28.
And that they might have it more abundantly.—Better, and that they might have it abundantly. The word “more” is an insertion of the English version without any authority, and it weakens the sense. It is not that a greater is compared with a less abundance, but that the abundance of life which results through Christ’s coming is contrasted with the spiritual wants and death which He came to remove. This life is through Him given to men abundantly, overflowingly. We are reminded of the Shepherd-King’s Psalm singing of the “green pastures,” and “waters of rest,” and “prepared table,” and “overflowing cup”; and carrying all this into the region of the spiritual life we come again to the opening words of this Gospel, “And of His fulness did we all receive, and grace for grace” . . . “grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:16-17).”
12.) Fear of the unknown.
Fear of the unknown is also called Xenophobia.
No one is able to know about his/her future. Tomorrow is unknown. Even the richest and most powerful man cannot be sure of his future. Whoever thought Assad of Syria would flee to Russia? The wisest scientist does not what would happen tomorrow.
“Perhaps the earliest direct written reference to FOTU as the fundamental fear came from Lovecraft in 1927: “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown” (as cited in Joshi & Schultz, 2001; p. 255). The quote remains relevant, with colloquialisms referencing not knowing as the worst part of distressing situations. FOTU tautologically does not require a priori learning; indeed, the first thing that could be feared would be “the perceived absence of information at any level of consciousness” (Carleton, 2016; p. 31). All other fears appear to require learning involving the perceived presence of perceived or recalled information (Bandura, 1965, Bandura, 1971, Mowrer, 1947, Muris et al., 2002, Pinker, 1997; Powell et al., 2012, Skinner, 1953).”
Why all mankind fear death? Because death is the greatest unknown.
13.) Fear of darkness.
Fear of darkness is also called Nyctophobia. Children are more afraid of the dark or the night than adults.
Gen 1:4, “God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.”
Darkness is by nature not good.
Exo 10:21, “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Reach out with your hand toward the sky, so that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt.”
The worst kind of darkness is the kind which may be felt. I never had such experience.
Spiritual darkness is worse than physical darkness.
Verses 29-31. – “For thou, Jehovah, art my Lamp; And Jehovah will make my darkness light. For by thee do I run upon a troop; In my God I leap over a wall. God – his way is perfect; The word of Jehovah is purified. He is a Shield to all that trust in him.”Lamp. The lamp burning in the house is the proof of life and activity present there; and thus the extinguishing of the lamp means ruin and desolation (Job 21:17). So David is called “the lamp of Israel” (2 Samuel 21:17), because the active life of the nation centred in him. In a still higher sense the life and being of his people centres in God, and without him the soul is waste and void, like the universe before God said, “Let there be light.” I run. To the warrior in old time speed was as important as strength, and thus Homer constantly calls Achilles “fleet of foot.” It was his fleetness which gave Asahel a high place among the mighties (2 Samuel 2:18), and to this quality David now refers. The troop signifies a light armed band of marauders, whom with God’s aid David could overtake, and stop in their course of rapine. The wall means fortifications like those of Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5:7). Sieges were tedious affairs in old time, but David had captured that city with a rapidity so great that the metaphor in the text is most appropriate. Purified; or, refined. This does not mean that it is proved by experience and found true, but that it is absolutely good and perfect like refined gold (see Psalm 12:6). 2 Samuel 22:29.”
For thou dost light my lamp, Jehovah my God maketh my darkness bright. The burning lamp is a natural metaphor for the continuance of life and prosperity, derived, it is said, from the Oriental practice of keeping a light constantly burning in the tent or house, which symbolised the maintenance of the life and prosperity of the family. Cp. Job 18:6; Proverbs 13:9. The second line of the verse indicates that the figure here refers to the preservation of David’s own life, rather than to the permanence of his dynasty, as in Psalm 132:17; 1 Kings 11:36; 1 Kings 15:4. The text of 2 Sam. has “For thou art my lamp, O Lord.” Cp. Psalm 27:1. 28–30. These general principles of God’s dealing with men are confirmed by David’s own experience.”
At least there are three kinds of darkness, physical darkness, mental darkness, and spiritual darkness. Physical darkness is easy to solve. Mental darkness is harder referring to people who do not have wisdom. Spiritual darkness is the worst, all who do have the knowledge of God, all who do not know Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Light of the world.
14.) Fear of fire.
The fear of fire is also called Pyrophobia.
My mother when her house was on fire, her father was debilitating and paralyzed that he did not do anything.
The first vision of Moses had something to do with fire.
Exo 3:2, “Then the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not being consumed.”
This was how God led the people 22Israel through the wilderness.
Exo 13:21-22, “And the LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from the presence of the people.”
Exo 24:17, “And to the eyes of the sons of Israel, the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountain top.”
But the Lord God is not a fire God, to worship fire as God is wrong.
2Pe 3:6-7, “through which the world at that time was destroyed by being flooded with water. But by His Word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly people.”
When I told this Scriptures to a 12-year old girl, she was terrified that she cried. I had preached this Biblical truth many times, not one adult ever cried.
2Pe 3:12-13, “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.”
(12) Hasting unto.—There is no “unto” in the Greek. The margin is probably right, hasting the coming—i.e., hastening Christ’s coming by holy lives, by helping to make the Gospel known to all nations (Matthew 24:14), so as to “accomplish the number of the elect,” and by praying “Thy kingdom come.” (Comp. 2Timothy 4:8; Revelation 22:20.) The thought is singularly parallel to St. Peter’s speech in Solomon’s Porch (Acts 3:19-21, where see Notes); and as the thought is striking and unusual—perhaps nowhere else in the New Testament distinctly—this coincidence may fairly be admitted as a note of genuineness.”
Nevertheless we, according to his promise.—“Nevertheless” is too strong, and the emphasis is on “new,” not on “we.” But new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness, we look for, according to His promise. (Comp. Revelation 21:1.) On the repetition of “look for,” three times in three verses, see above on 2Peter 2:7. The promise of the new heavens and new earth is given in Isaiah 65:17; Isaiah 66:22. There are two words for “new” in Greek; one looks forward, “young” as opposed to “aged;” the other looks back, “fresh” as opposed to “worn out.” It is the latter word that is used. here and in Revelation 21:1-2. Both are used in Matthew 9:17, but the distinction is not marked in our version—“They put new wine into fresh wine-skins.”
Wherein dwelleth righteousness.—Comp. Isaiah 65:25; Revelation 21:27. Righteousness has its home there; is not a wanderer and changeful guest, as on earth, therefore by righteousness must ye make yourselves worthy of entering therein.
With this whole verse compare 1 Peter 1, where (2Peter 3:4) a similar thought is expressed with equal beauty, and where (2Peter 3:13) a similar conclusion is drawn from it. (See next verse.)
The coming of the day of God.—A phrase which occurs here only. It is doubly remarkable: (1) “coming,” in the special sense indicated by the particular word used in the Greek, is elsewhere used of Christ Himself, not of the day; (2) “the day of God” is a very unusual expression.
Wherein.—Rather, by reason of which, either “the day” or “the coming” being meant.
Shall melt.—“Melt” is here correct, being quite a different word from that rendered “melt” in 2Peter 3:10, which is the same as that here translated “be dissolved.” In the so-called Second Epistle of Clement (chap. 16) we have a somewhat similar passage—“The day of judgment cometh even now as a burning oven (Malachi 4:1), and [the powers] of the heavens shall melt, and all the earth as lead melting on the fire.”
15.) Fear of crime.
Fear of crime is also called Scelerophobia. Most Americans are afraid of criminals who have guns to commit robbery, rape, or crime in general. Almost every crime in America is a violent crime.
Act 18:14, “But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of some crime or vicious, unscrupulous act, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you.”
Fear of crimes entails fear of gun violence. Fear of gun violence involves fear of criminals. Fear of crime is actually fear of criminals. Laws that do not deter criminals are useless. Justice that does not deter criminals is useless. There is a fierce and false religion that practices beheading Christians.
Fear of ghosts may be called Phasmophobia or Spectrophobia.
You may think it is nothing. Even the disciples were afraid of ghosts. Mat 14:26, “When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear.”
Ghost in Greek is phantasmawhich means
an apparition, spectre (Strong’s Concordance); demon; spirit; — which occurs 2 times in the New Testament.
And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea,…. It being now morning, and perhaps might have moon light; and besides, there is always more light upon the water than land; they were able to discern something like a man, walking upon the surface of the sea, but had not light enough to distinguish what, or who it was; and, moreover, had no thought of Christ, or expectation of seeing him; and the appearance of a man walking upon the waters being so unusual, and astonishing,
they were troubled, saying it is a spirit: a nocturnal apparition, a demon in human form. The Jews, especially the sect of the Pharisees, had a notion, from whom the disciples might have their’s, of spirits, apparitions, and demons, being to be seen in the night; hence that rule (u),
“it is forbidden a man to salute his friend in the night, for we are careful, lest , “it should be a demon”.”
They say a great many things of one “Lilith”, that has its name from “the night”, a she demon, that used to appear in the night, with an human face, and carry off young children, and kill them. Some such frightful notions had possessed the minds of the disciples:
and they cried out for fear, as persons in the utmost consternation, in the greatest danger, and in want of help: the fear of spirits arises from the uncommonness of their appearance; from their superiority to men in power and strength; from the enmity there is between men and evil spirits; and from a general notion of their doing hurt and mischief: hence, demons are, by the Jews, called “hurtful”, or “hurting”, all their study being to do hurt to men; and the same word is here used in Munster’s Hebrew Gospel: add to all this, that the fear of the disciples might be increased, through a vulgar notion among seafaring men, that such sights are ominous, and portend evil to sailors; and they might the more easily be induced to give credit to this, and fear, since they were already in such imminent danger.”
Gen 25:8, “Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.”
Give up the ghost in Hebrew is gāvaʿwhich means to expire and die; to breathe out one’s life; — which occurs 24 times in the Old Testament.
Verses 8-10. – Then Abraham gave up the ghost (literally, breathed out, a the breath of life), and died in a good old age, – literally, in a flood hoary age, i.e. “with a crown of righteousness upon his hoary head” (Hughes) – an old man, and full of years. Literally, and satiated, i.e. satisfied not merely with life and all its blessings, but with living. The three clauses give an elevated conception of the patriarch s life as that of one who had tasted all the sweets and realized all the ends of a mundane existence, and who accordingly was ripe and ready for transition to a higher sphere. And was gathered to his people. An expression similar to “going to his fathers” (Genesis 15:15, q.v.), and to “being gathered to one’s fathers” (Judges 2:10). “The phrase is constantly distinguished from departing this life and being buried, denotes the reunion in Sheol with friends who have gone before, and therefore presupposes faith in the personal continuance of a man after death” (Keil). Abraham died in the hope of a better country, even an heavenly (Hebrews 11:13-16). And his sons Isaac and Ishmael – Isaac as the heir takes precedence; but Ishmael, rather than the sons of Keturah, is associated with him at his father’s funeral; probably because he was not so distant as they from Hebron (Lunge), or because he was the subject of a special blessing, which they were not (Keil, Murphy); or perhaps simply Ishmael and Isaac united as the eldest sons to perform the last rites to a parent they revered (Kalisch). “Funerals of parents are reconciliations of children (Genesis 35:29), and differences of contending religionists are often softened at the side of a grave” (Wordsworth) – buried him (vide on Genesis 23:19) in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre (vide on Genesis 23:3-20); the field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth (a repetition which augments the importance of the statement that Abraham did not sleep in a borrowed tomb): there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife. Genesis 25:8.”
The more superstitious a person is, the more he/she is afraid of ghosts. Many Chinese believe that a person who dies turns into a ghost or demon.
17.) Fear of pain.
Fear of pain is also called Agliophobia. Even children know what pain is because they experience toothache and colic. Kidney stone pain makes you feeling you are going to die. Once I had kidney stone pain attack, the doctor gave me a shot with mild dosage. It was so painful that I told the doctor if he did not give me another shot, I shall fall down and die. I asked a young mother who experienced both kidney stone pain and labor pain, which was worse. She said kidney stone pain.
“You should call, even if you are not sure that it is a heart attack.The most common symptoms in men and women are:
Chest discomfort. It is often in center or left side of the chest. It usually lasts more than a few minutes. It may go away and come back. It can feel like pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain. It also can feel like heartburn or indigestion.
Shortness of breath. Sometimes this is your only symptom. You may get it before or during the chest discomfort. It can happen when you are resting or doing a little bit of physical activity.
Discomfort in the upper body. You may feel pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, shoulders, neck, jaw, or upper part of the stomach.
You may also have other symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and lightheadedness. You may break out in a cold sweat. Sometimes women will have different symptoms then men. For example, they are more likely to feel tired for no reason.
The most common cause of heart attacks is coronary artery disease (CAD). With CAD, there is a buildup of cholesterol and other material, called plaque, on their inner walls or the arteries. This is atherosclerosis. It can build up for years. Eventually an area of plaque can rupture (break open). A blood clot can form around the plaque and block the artery.
A less common cause of heart attack is a severe spasm (tightening) of a coronary artery. The spasm cuts off blood flow through the artery.”
According to https://www4.bing.com/search?q=Clinical+description+of+a+stroke
“Symptoms of stroke include:
Trouble speaking and understanding what others are saying. A person having a stroke may be confused, slur words or may not be able to understand speech.
Numbness, weakness or paralysis in the face, arm or leg. This often affects just one side of the body. …
Problems seeing in one or both eyes. …
Headache. …
Trouble walking. …”
Pro 14:13, “Even in laughter the heart may be in pain,
And the end of joy may be grief.”
In this world, your sinful body is your liability. In America you are the victims of the terrorism committed by doctors, hospitals, drug and insurance companies. Even saints must suffer until the Kingdom of Heaven comes when there will be no pain, no itch, no suffering, no death.
Rev 21:4, “and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”
Revelation 21:4-5. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes — Though here their tears have flowed plentifully, not one shall ever be found on the face of any of them; and there shall be no more death — This is a full proof that this whole description belongs to eternity and not to time. Neither shall sorrow, or crying, or pain be any more — Under the former heavens, and upon the former earth, there were death and sorrow, crying and pain; all which occasioned many tears. But now pain and sorrow are fled away, and the saints have everlasting life and joy; for the former things — All the mournful scenes, which were on earth so familiar to their eyes; are passed away — To return no more for ever. And he that sat upon the throne said — Not to St. John only; Behold, I make all things new — From the first mention of him that sat upon the throne, (Revelation 5:1) this is the first speech which is expressly ascribed to him. He is the author of this second, as he was of the first creation; and he commands these things to be written for the edification, support, and consolation of his people, with a full assurance of their certainty and importance. And he — The same person; saith to me, Write — Namely, as follows: These words are true and faithful — This includes all that went before. The apostle seems again to have ceased writing, being overcome with ecstasy and the voice of him that spake.”
If you want to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, you must repent of your sins and believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as your Lord and Savior.
18.) Fear of future.
Fear of future is also called Chronophobia. In particular to those who have no hope, the fear of what is to come is persistent. Unbelievers have no hope, and no future.
Luk 21:26, “people fainting from fear and the expectation of the things that are coming upon
the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”
Men’s hearts failing them – This is an expression denoting the highest terror. The word rendered “failing” commonly denotes to “die,” and here it means that the terror would be so great that people would faint and be ready to die in view of the approaching calamities. And if this was true in respect to the judgments about to come upon Judea, how much more so will it be in the day of judgment, when the wicked will be arraigned before the Son of God, and when they shall have before them the prospect of the awful sufferings of hell – the pains and woes which shall continue forever! It will be no wonder, then, if they call on the rocks and mountains to hide them from the face of God, and if their hearts sink within them at the prospect of eternal suffering.”
19.) Fear of worms.
Fear of worms is also called Scoleciphobia. By nature more girls are afraid of worms than boys. People who are afraid of worms may be due to their unhygienic conditions. There are people who are afraid of worms simply because of their appearance and motion.
Act 12:23, “And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.”
“With over one million species, the bilateral symmetry of their elongated bodies makes them easy to identify. They can live on land and in the sea, moving along any surface with a slimy substance that comes from their skin. Worms are hermaphrodites, but they need a partner to reproduce.
Though the worm may seem harmless, many species have ways to hurt their predators with stinging or the release of poison.
There are too many species to list, but here is just a small sample of the different types of worms:
Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. This is repeated again, not only to assure the truth of the thing, but to raise the attention of the mind unto it, and fix an awful impression upon it: the Persic version renders it, “from whence thou shall never find redemption”: there is no redemption from hell, as Origen and others have thought.”
20.) Fear of thunders and lightnings.
Fear of thunder and lightning is also called Brontophobia, Tonitrophobia, Ceraunophobia.
“Have you ever been caught in a severe storm? It can make one feel alone and helpless. It can bring home the reality of mortality. Martin Luther experienced this when he was caught in a thunderstorm as he journeyed back to Erfurt after visiting his family in Mansfeld, a short distance away. The lightning struck so close to Luther that it may have knocked him down and injured his leg. To whom did he turn for help in this imminent danger? “Help me, St. Anne, I will become a monk.” Luther uttered these words on Wednesday, July 2, 1505. They were to change his life forever.”
Even Martin Luther was afraid of thunders and lightnings. Once there was a great thunder and lightning in my balcony, I was so afraid that I might be electrocuted.
Pharaoh was also afraid of thunder and hail that he said,Exo 9:28, “Plead with the LORD, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail; and I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”
Exo 19:16, “So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud over the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.”
I do not know anybody who would not tremble of thunder and lightning flashes.
Psa 77:18, “The voice of thy thunder was in the Heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook.”
20.) Fear of blood.
The fear of blood is also called Homophobia. That is why I cannot be a doctor. When I see blood gushing, I do not faint but I do not feel good and cannot function normally. I cannot use a surgical knife on a patient because I would feel pain first. There is only One Blood which is precious, and there is nothing to fear. Soap cannot cleanse you from all sin. Detergent cannot cleanse you from your sins. Nothing can cleanse you from your sins.
Rev 1:5, “and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the Firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood—”
1Jo 1:7, “but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
But if we walk in the light,…. Are persons enlightened by the Spirit of God, so as to have a true sight and sense of sin, to know Christ, and the way of salvation by him; and are children of the light, and are going on and increasing in spiritual light and knowledge; walk on in Christ, the light, by faith, and in the light and truth of the Gospel, and as becomes it, and as children of light; and as such who are called out of darkness into marvellous light:
as he is in the light; according to the light which he has given, who is light itself, is in it, and dwells in it. This “as” denotes not equality, but likeness: when this is the case, then it is a clear point, that
we have fellowship one with another; not with the saints, with the apostles, and other Christians, but with God: “we have mutual communion”, as the Arabic version renders it; God with us, and we with him. Some copies read, “with him”, as in 1 John 1:6; and such a reading the sense requires; and agreeably to this the Ethiopic version renders it, “and we are partakers among ourselves with him”; that is, we all jointly and mutually appear to be like him, and partake of his nature, and have communion with him; and not only so, but with his Son Jesus Christ, as appears from our having a share in the cleansing efficacy of his blood:
and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all sin: there is a pollution on human nature, which is original, natural, universal, and internal, and is such that nothing can remove but the blood of Christ; not ceremonial ablutions and sacrifices, nor moral duties, nor evangelical performances, or submission to Gospel ordinances, and particularly baptism, which is not the putting away the faith of the flesh; nor even the graces of the Spirit, no, not faith, no otherwise than as it has to do with this blood; for this cleansing is not to be understood of sanctification, for that more properly belongs to the Spirit of God, and besides, does not cleanse from all sin; for notwithstanding this, sin is in the saints: but either of the atonement of sin, by the sacrifice of Christ, and so of a complete justification from it by his blood, which is put for both his active and passive obedience, the one being finished in the other; or rather of the pardon of sin, procured by the blood of Christ, and the application of that blood to the conscience, which purges it from dead works, and which has a continued virtue in it for that purpose. Christ’s blood, being applied by the Spirit of God, has been always cleansing from sin; it had this virtue in it, and was of this use, even before it was actually shed, to the Old Testament saints; whence Christ is said to be the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world; and it has the same efficacy now as when first shed, and will have to the end of the world; and being sprinkled upon the conscience, by the Spirit of God, it takes away the sins of believers, and cleanses from them, as fast as the corruption of nature rises, or sins appear; and removes them out of their sight, and speaks peace to their souls; and which is owing, as to the dignity of Christ’s person and the value of his sacrifice, so to his continual intercession, advocacy, and mediation; and which reaches to all sin, original and actual, secret and open sins; sins of heart, thought, lip, and life; sins of omission and commission, greater or lesser sins, committed against light and knowledge, grace and mercy, law and Gospel, all but the sin against the Holy Ghost; and in this Christ was the antitype of the scape goat, of which the Jews say (g), that
“it atoned for all the transgressions of the law, whether small or great, sins of presumption, or of ignorance, known, or not known, which were against an affirmative or negative command, which deserved cutting off (by the hand of God), or death by the sanhedrim.”
the Arabic and Ethiopic versions render it, “from all our sins”; and this must be ascribed to the greatness of his person, as the Son of God; wherefore the emphasis lies on these words, “his Son”: the Son of God, who is equal with God, and is truly and properly God: as it must be the blood of man that must, according to the law, be shed, to atone for and expiate sin, and cleanse from it, and that of an innocent man, who is holy, harmless, and without sin; so it must not be the blood of a mere man, though ever so holy, but the blood of one that is God as well as man; see Acts 20:28. The divine nature of the Son of God, being in union with the human nature, put virtue into his blood to produce such an effect, which still continues, and will, as long as there is any occlusion for it.”
21.) Fear of death.
Fear of death is also called Thanatophobia. Fear of s death is the fear of all fears. Chinese people are superstitious, it is neither auspicious nor propitious to talk about death. When I was a professor at a Chinese university, I noticed the custom of the local people. A poor man who died had little music. A more important and richer person died had big and loud music. In Israel, the days of weeping and mourning depend on the importance of an individual.Deu 34:8, “So the sons of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days; then the days of weeping and mourning
for Moses came to an end.”
I do not know any culture that explains the reason why people die. All cultures assume man is mortal.
Rom 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Only Christianity explains the wages of sin is death.
Rom 7:5, “For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were brought to light by the Law, were at work in the parts of our body to bear fruit for death.”
Heb 2:14-15, “Therefore, since the children share in
flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, so that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
and free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”
Hebrews 2:14-15. Forasmuch then as the children — Believers, who are Christ’s spiritual seed; are partakers of flesh and blood — Of human nature with all its infirmities; he also took part of the same — See on Php 2:8; that through his own death, he might destroy the tyranny of him that had — By God’s permission; the power of death — The power of bringing death on all mankind by tempting our first parents to sin. Hence he is called a murderer from the beginning, and a liar, and the father of it, John 8:41. It is observable that the power of death, ascribed to the devil, is called κρατος, and not εξουσια, because he had no right to it. It was a power usurped by guile. And all the baneful effects of this power Christ at the resurrection will remove, as far as they relate to the righteous. The word καταργηση, rendered that he might destroy, properly signifies, that he might render ineffectual. “Since the Son of God is said to have partaken of the flesh and blood of the children in the same manner that they themselves partake of these, namely, by being born of a woman; and since he was born into the world in that manner, to render him capable of dying, that through his death in the flesh he might frustrate the malicious contrivance of the devil, who first introduced death into the world; we are thereby taught that he is the seed of the woman, which at the fall was promised to bruise the head of the serpent; and that the serpent who deceived Eve was not a natural serpent, but the devil, who, because he assumed the form of a serpent on that occasion, is called (Revelation 20:2) the great dragon, or serpent; and that old serpent, the devil. See on 2 Corinthians 11:3. The intention of the devil, in seducing our first parents, was to destroy them, and thereby put an end to the human species. This malicious design the Son of God rendered ineffectual, by assuming our nature, and in that nature dying as a sacrifice for sin.” — Macknight. And — By his death making atonement for their sins, and procuring for them pardon and holiness; that is, both justification and sanctification, both a title to heaven and a meetness for it, and also an earnest of it by the Holy Spirit in their hearts, he delivers them — Even all who are made God’s children by faith in him; who — Before they received this deliverance; were all their life-time, through tormenting fear of death, subject to bondage — In a slavish uncomfortable state of mind. And every man fears death, more or less, who is not savingly acquainted with, and united to Christ; who is not justified through faith in his blood, and regenerated by the influence of his Spirit, and therefore is not begotten again to a lively hope of a heavenly inheritance. Death is unwelcome to him if he knows what death is. But he delivers all true believers from this bondage.”
Fear of death is probably the fear of all fears.
Many people are so afraid of death that they through
fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.
Fear of death can subject a person to slavery all his life. Jesus Christ who is life and resurrection can deliver believers from this bondage.
1Co 15:26, “The last enemy that will be abolished is death.”
Rev 1:17-18, “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I AM the first and the last,
and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I AM alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
Job 19:25. For I know, &c. — Job proceeds now to assign the reason of his confidence in the goodness of his cause, and of his willingness to have the matter depending between him and his friends published and submitted to any trial. I know that my Redeemer liveth — I have no knowledge, nor confidence, nor hope of being restored to the prosperities of this life; yet this one thing I know, which is much more comfortable and considerable, and therein I rejoice, though I be now a dying man, and in a desperate condition for this life; I know that I have a living and powerful Redeemer to plead my cause, and vindicate my person from all severe and unjust censures, and to give sentence for me: a Redeemer, whom I call mine, because I have a particular interest in him, and he hath a particular care of me. Hebrew, ידעתי גאלי חי, jadangti goali chai, I know my living Redeemer; that is, My Redeemer is living, is now living, and I know him: I am acquainted, truly, experimentally, and savingly acquainted with him, because he hath revealed himself to me, and hath given me an understanding to know him. Remember, reader, this knowledge of him, this acquaintance with him, is absolutely necessary to thy salvation. But what Redeemer, and what deliverance, does Job speak of in this and the two following verses? Answer: Some late interpreters understand this passage metaphorically, of God’s delivering Job out of his afflictions and troubles, and restoring him to his former splendour and happiness in this world; it being, they say, a usual thing in Scripture, to call eminent dangers and calamities death, and great and glorious deliverances a quickening or resurrection. But most interpreters, both ancient and modern, understand it of Christ, and of his resurrection, and of Job’s resurrection to life by his power and goodness. And this seems most probable, for many reasons: 1st, Because a proper and literal interpretation of any passage of Scripture is always to be preferred before the metaphorical, where it suits with the text and with other passages. 2d, Because the Hebrew word, גאל, goel, here used, although sometimes used of God, absolutely or essentially considered, yet most properly agrees to Jesus Christ: for this word is primarily spoken of the next kinsman, whose office it was to redeem, by a price paid, the sold or mortgaged estate of his deceased kinsman, Leviticus 25:25; and to revenge his death, Numbers 35:12, and to maintain his name and honour by raising up a seed to him, Deuteronomy 25:5. All which most fitly agrees to Christ, who is our nearest kinsman and brother, as having taken our nature upon him, Hebrews 2:11; who hath redeemed that everlasting inheritance which our first parents had utterly lost, by the price of his own blood; and hath revenged the death of mankind upon the contriver of it, the devil, by destroying him and his kingdom; and hath taken a course to preserve our name, and honour, and persons, to eternity. 3d, Because Job was so far from having a firm confidence, such as is here expressed, that he had not the least degree of hope of any such temporal restoration as that which his friends promised him, as we have often observed in his former discourses, as Job 16:22; Job 17:12-13. And, therefore, that hope which every righteous man hath in his death, and which Job often professes that he had, must necessarily have been fixed on his happiness in a future life. 4th, Because this is a more lofty and spiritual strain than any in Job’s former discourses; which generally savour of dejection and diffidence, and either declare or increase his grief; whereas, this puts him into another and much better temper. And, therefore, it is well observed, that after he uttered these expressions we meet not with any such impatient or despairing passages as we had before, which shows that he was now inspired with new life and comfort. 5th, Because this well agrees with several other passages in this book; wherein Job declares that, although he had no hope as to this life, and the comforts thereof, yet he had a hope beyond death, which made him profess, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him, Job 13:15. Trust in him for what? Surely, for comfort and happiness. Where? Not in this life, for that he supposes to be lost; therefore it must have been in the next life. And this was one reason why he so vehemently desired death, because he knew it would bring him unto God, and unto true felicity. And this his hope and confidence in God, and in his favour to him, Job opposes to those foul and false aspersions which his friends had cast upon him, as if he had forsaken God, and cast off all fear of him, and hope in him. But it is objected, How is it credible, that Job, in those ancient times, and in that dark state of the church, should know these great mysteries of Christ’s incarnation, and of the resurrection and life to come? Answer, 1st, The mystery of the Messiah’s incarnation was revealed to Adam by that first and noted promise, that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head, Genesis 3:15; which, being the only foundation of his hopes, for the recovery and salvation of himself and of all his posterity, he would doubtless carefully and diligently explain, as need required, to those that descended from him. 2d, That the ancient patriarchs and prophets were generally acquainted with these doctrines is undeniably evident, from Hebrews 11. and 1 Peter 1:9-12. 3d, Particularly Abraham, from whom Job is supposed to have descended, had the promise made to him, that Christ should come out of his loins, Genesis 12:3; and is said to have seen Christ’s day, and to have rejoiced to see it, John 8:56; and had his hopes and desires fixed upon a divine and heavenly city and country, Hebrews 11:10; Hebrews 11:16. And as Abraham knew and believed these things himself, so it is manifest that he taught them to his children and servants, Genesis 18:19, and to his kindred and others, as he had occasion; and, therefore, it cannot seem strange that Job professes his faith and hope in these things. That my Redeemer liveth — I am a dying man, and my hopes as to this life are dying, but he liveth, and that for ever; and, therefore, though I die, yet he both can and will make me to live again in due time, though not in this world, yet in the other, which is much better. And, though I am now highly censured and condemned by my friends as a great dissembler and secret sinner, whom God’s hand hath found out; yet there is a day coming wherein my cause shall be pleaded, and my name and honour vindicated from all these reproaches, and my integrity brought to light. And that he shall stand in the latter day — In the days of the Messiah, or of the gospel, which are often called the latter or last days, or times, as Isaiah 2:2; Hosea 3:5; Joel 2:28; compared with Acts 2:17; 1 Timothy 4:1; and 2 Timothy 3:1; Hebrews 1:1. Or at the day of the general resurrection and judgment, which, as those holy patriarchs well knew, and firmly believed, was to be at the end of the world; for this was the time when Job’s resurrection, of which he here speaks, was to take place. So that, in these words, Job may either be considered as professing his faith in the incarnation of the Messiah; that, as certainly as he then lived, as God was in existence, and had been from eternity, he should, in due time, be made man, and stand in human nature upon the earth: or, that he should rise out of the dust, and stand up the first-fruits of them that sleep, by his resurrection. Or he may refer to the day of general resurrection and final judgment, which, as those holy patriarchs well knew and firmly believed, was to be at the end of the world; and which is often termed the last day: see John 6:39-54; John 11:24; John 12:48; 1 Peter 1:5. Then shall Christ appear and stand upon the earth, or dust, as עפר, gnaphar, properly means; namely, the dust in which his saints and members lie or sleep, whom he will raise up out of it. And therefore he is fitly said to stand upon the dust, or the grave, or death; because then he will subdue and put that, among other enemies, under his feet, as it is expressed 1 Corinthians 15:25 : or, as the Hebrew, ואחרון על עפר יקום, vaacharon gnal gnaphar jakum, may properly be rendered, The last, or he, the last, shall arise, or stand up against the dust, and fight with it, and rescue the bodies of the saints, which are held in it as prisoners, from its dominion and territories.”
The days are coming when Jesus Christ shall return in glory and power.
Rom 6:9, “knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.”
1Jo 2:17, “The world is passing away and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God continues to live forever.”
No one can intend to live forever.
The saints will live forever in the Kingdom of Heaven.
You can have eternal life and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven if you repent of your sins and believe in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
In summary, if you fear and know God, you have nothing to fear. Psa 56:9, “Then my enemies will turn back on the day when I call; this I know,
In God have I put my trust,…. See Gill on Psalm 56:4;I will not be afraid what man can do unto me; the same with flesh in Psalm 56:4, and is opposed to God, in whom he trusted; and it suggests that he was not, and would not, be afraid of the greatest of men, as well as of the meanest; See Gill on Psalm 56:4; Arama distinguishes between “flesh” and “man”; the former, he says, means the Philistines, and the latter Saul and his army.”
Verse 18. – The Lord for and the Lord, A.V. and T.R.; will for shall, A.V.; save for preserve, A.V.; the glory for glory, A.V. Deliver me… save me (see preceding note). The language here is also very like that of the Lord’s Prayer: Ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ σοῦ γὰρ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία… καὶ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας Ἀμήν (Matthew 6:13). Every evil work. Alford goes altogether astray in his remarks on this passage. Interpreted by the Lord’s Prayer, and by its own internal evidence, the meaning clearly is, “The Lord, who stood by me at my trial, will continue to be my Saviour. He will deliver me from every evil design of mine enemies, and from all the wiles and assaults of the devil, in short, from the whole power of evil, and will bring me safe into his own kingdom of light and righteousness.” There is a strong contrast, as Bengel pithily observes, between “the evil work” and “his heavenly kingdom.” A triumphant martyrdom is as true a deliverance as escape from death. Compare our Lord’s promise, “There shall not an hair of your head perish” (Luke 21:18 compared with ver. 16). St. Paul’s confidence simply is that the Lord would, in his own good time and way, transfer him from this present evil world, and from the powers of darkness, into his eternal kingdom of light and righteousness. 2 Timothy 4:18”
A person’s goodness or badness, cleverness or stupidity, has direct relationship with his/her thought or thinking. To all oppressors, masochists and murderers, I want them to remind the Word of Jesus, Mar 9:48, “where
THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT EXTINGUISHED.”
No matter what you had done or what you had achieved, if you ended up in Hell, that is the greatest failure. This is written to let you know, repent of your sins and believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you may have your sins forgiven, and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
To receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is to receive the eternal life.
*Our mission is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ absolutely free. We do not want donation. We only want you to know the truth.
This article is written to let you know, thinking has consequences. Most people know only that action has consequences.
The greatest blunder and flaw of most American thinking is their belief America is an exceptional nation appointed by God to rule the world, this facetious and false thinking created the evil empire attempting to conquer the competitors and oppress many nations and peoples and makes America the most hated nation on earth and the inherent peril of practicing unilateralism and America First idiosyncrasy which is tantamount to America committing suicide.
The enemies of the truth deleted what I updated. May God delete their names from the Book of Life.
For years things have gone wrong with the United States because the US government spends more than it takes in through revenues,a debt default is not a game of chicken with the global economy; and the U.S. is heading for cliff again and again over the need for Congress to lift the ceiling on how much the US government can borrow. The time has come to stop all borrowing: the measures are painful but needful. Radical problems require radical solutions. It is high time for America to drain the swamp. THE DARKEST SIDE OF AMERICA IS THE FALSE AND WRONG ASSUMPTION AND PRESUMPTION THAT AMERICA IS ON THE SIDE OF GOD, ON THE SIDE OF TRUTH, ON THE SIDE OF LIGHT. THE FACT IS AMERICA IS ON THESIDE OF THE DEVIL, ITS LEADERS AND POLITICIANS ARE DOING THE DESTRUCTIVE WORK OF THE EVIL ONE WHILE MOST AMERICANS ARE BLIND AND DREAMING THEY ARE RIGHT AND SPIRITUAL.
The fake claim and biggest blacklie is black Jews. Abraham was not a Negro, the twelve tribes of Israel were not Negroes. David was not a Negro. Jesus was born a Jew, not a Negro. There are no black Jews. Merriam Webster defines Negro as aperson of Black African ancestry. The Biblical Jews are neither black nor African.
The two-state proposal is not the two-state solution. For God gave the Promised Land to Abraham and his descendants some 4,000 years ago. The Chosen People rebelled against God and they were scattered all over the world. During the British colonial rule, the Holy Land was known as Palestine, illegal Arabs moved in to occupy the Holy Land without payment. The illegal Arabs were latter known as Palestinians. Palestinians, Arabs and Hamas have no claim to the Holy Land and no resettlement right in the Holy Land. The leaders of the United Kingdom could tell them so. Palestinians could never establish a Palestinian state in the Holy Land. The United Nations or any agency has no authority to give the Jewish land to Palestinians, Arabs and Hamas. Jerusalem is forever the capital of the great King David. It is high time for Palestinians, Arabs and Hamas to get out of the Holy Land in peace; or they will be evicted by force. God will fight for Jerusalem, for God is the Protector of Israel. Palestine only existed in British colonial rule, so Palestinians are not free in Israel; they must be expelled from Jerusalem and the Jewish land, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. They are free to go to Arab nations. Palestinians and Hamas must withdraw from the Jewish land that God gave to Abraham and his descendants without delay. Any strategy to bargain away the Jewish land is wrong.
—-The greatest wrong thinking in the world today is the fallacy and folly of so-called Palestinians who claim to have the right of resettlement in the land of the Jews. There was Israel and Jewish people, there was no Palestine or Palestinian. God, the Ruler of the universe, some 4,000 years ago gave the Promised Land to Abraham and his descendants. The Jews rebelled against God and was scattered all over the world. The leaders of the United Kingdom failed to inform the Palestinians that Palestine was an illegal legacy created by the British empire. During the colonial rule, illegal Arabs moved in to occupy the Jewish land without payment. Since the Jews reestablished the State of Israel, all illegal Palestinians should be evicted long time ago. Palestinians are the illegal Arabs who occupied the Jewish land. Palestinians have no right to claim any portion or part of the Jewish land. No United Nations, or agency, or any country has authority to give the Land of the Jews to illegal Palestinians or any people. The two-states theory is the greatest error and injustice. Palestinians have no claim or right to establish the so-called state of Palestine in the Promised Land. Palestinians are Arabs who have a right to settle in Arab countries. The sooner they give up the false claim and wake up to the truth the better for world peace.
Another terrible wrong thinking is the fallacy and folly of white and black supremacists who fancy they can continue to dictate and dominate the world. Europe and America have ruled the world for hundreds of years and committed the most genocide, war crimes and sins in the world. They claim and pretend to be Christians. There is no Christendom. There is no Christian nation on earth. There is no Christian nationalism. The sooner European and American leaders and politicians repent, reform, and recompense their victims the better, or the judgment of God they will not escape. They never practice democracy, freedom, human rights, justice and equality they pretend to have. They sooner they give up world dictatorship and domination, the better for world peace.
Thinking is of great importance because thinking influences your perception, your perception influences your action. For example, a warmonger thinks his status in the world by domination is not safe and secure, and he sees some other nations as rivals or competitors, real or imaginary, and so he acts out in attacking and sanctioning other states without cause or reason. This is a classic example how thinking influences the perception of a warmonger, and how he irrationally justifies his action of aggression. Most people know that action has consequences. This article is written to let you know that thinking (thought) has dire consequences also. As a man thinks, so is he.What is thinking? Basically thinking is the action of using one’s mind to produce thoughts. What is thought? Thought is an individual act or result of thinking. What is the mind? The Bible uses heart as the mind of man. Sometimes the Bible uses hearts and minds interchangeably or relatively or synonymously. The Bible does not provide precise terms which are meant to describe mental operations because the Bible is not a scientific textbook. The central message of the Bible is Jesus Christ, not the mind or any other subject. Jesus Christ came to reveal God and the way of salvation. So the knowledge of Godand of Jesus our Lord is of the highest and greatest importance to mankind.
In the Scriptures, the words “soul”, “mind”, “heart”, “spirit”, “understanding”, “reflection”, etc. are often rendered as related in meanings and employed in functional relationship which we are not wise enough to know the depth of them. They are not axiomatic. For example, I believe the most profound three words expressed by Jesus Christ in the Word of God is: God is Spirit. No secularists, theologians, scientists or philosophers can explain fully this three words. Given the fact that God is the greatest mystery in the universe, we fail miserably to know what is visible, how can we expect to expound the invisible. This is the failure and limitation of the human mind. By faith our duty is to hear, believe, receive, honor, preach, and observe the Word of God. If anyone thinks he is so intelligent, smart and wise; think again. For all human knowledge will pass away; but the Word of God will not pass away.
Jer 17:10,“I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.”
Psa 26:2, “Examine me, O LORD, and try me;Test my mind and my heart.” Note: Heart in Hebrew is leb which means understanding; mind; inner man; will; inner part; soul; thinking; reflection; meditation; inclination; determination; resolution; conscience; seat of emotions and passions; the intellect; – which occurs 591 times in the Old Testament. Heart is used in the Scripture does not refer to the physical organ that maintains circulation of the blood. What is the mind? Mind in Hebrew is kilyah which means the seat of emotion and passion; the seat of the desires and affections; the instrument of reasoning; the seat of mental activity; – which occurs 34 times in the Old Testament. The Lord searches the heart and tests the mind of man. The Lord knows the ways and deeds of man. Examine in Hebrew is bachan which means to try; to prove; to scrutinize; to test; to investigate; to search out; to look out; to watch; – which occurs 28 times in the Old Testament. Man examines himself is not the same way God examines him. The Lord can examine man better than a doctor can examine a patient. Try in Hebrew is nacah which means to prove; to tempt; to assay; to put to the proof; to put to the test; – which occurs 40 times in the Old Testament. Test in Hebrew is tsaraph which means to smelt; to refine; to purge; to examine; – which occurs 33 times in the Old Testament. God tests man’s heart and mind.
1Sa 15:29, “Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.”
Note: Change mind in Hebrew is nacham which means to repent; to be sorry; to regret; to sigh; to breathe strongly; to groan; to lament; to grieve; – which occurs 128 times. God is not a man that He should change His mind. The reason a man changes his mind is because he is not sure of himself, not sure of his knowledge, understanding, not sure of outcome, and not sure of everything. A man does not know the end from the beginning. God knows everything and is able to do anything, so God does not have to change His mind. God is perfect, perfect in knowledge, perfect in power, perfect in righteousness, and perfect in everything and so God does not change His mind. Man, on the contrary, is imperfect in everything; therefore if he is wise he would make changes to correct himself.
Rom 8:27, “and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
Note: Mind in Greek is phronēma which means the thoughts and purposes; the instrument of reasoning; the seat of mental activity; – which occurs 7 times in the New Testament. I believe the mind is used as a comprehensive and systematic body of thoughts such as the mind of Christ. Intercede in Greek is entygchanō which means to make intercession; to pray; to entreat; to confer with; to deal with; to supplicate; – which occurs 6 times in the New Testament. The Holy Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. The Holy Spirit knows the will of God. Carnal mind does not know the will of God.
1Co 2:16, “For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.”
Note: Mind in Greek is nous which means the faculties of perceiving and understanding and those of feeling, judging, determining; the intellectual faculty; the power of considering and judging soberly, calmly and impartially; the intellect; reason; – which occurs 24 times in the New Testament. The mind of the Lord is the same the mind of Christ. Christians because of indwelling Holy Spirit have the mind of Christ. Human standards of justice or goodness arenot capable of knowing the mind of the Lord.
Mat 9:4, “And Jesus knowing their thoughtssaid, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?”
Note: Thought in Greek is enthymēsis which means thinking; consideration; deliberation; a result of thinking; – which occurs 4 times in the New Testament. Thinking in Greek is enthymeomai which means to bring to mind; to ponder; to meditate; to deliberate; to revolve in mind; to exercise the mind; to weigh in the mind; to form something in the mind; to reflect on; – which occurs 2 times in the New Testament. Jesus knows the thoughts of men. The awful truth is the fact that man can think evil in his heart. Why are you thinking evil in your hearts, Western leaders and warmongers, imperialists and capitalists, supremacists and militarists and terrorists? People who are thinking evil in their hearts can also do evil. People who think evil in their hearts will usually do evil.
Psa 92:5, “How great are Your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep.”
Note: Work in Hebrew is ma`aseh which means acts; doing; deed; undertaking; enterprise; activity; work of Jehovah; – which occurs 231 times in the Old Testament. God’s works are great. Jesus says, Jhn 5:17, “But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.” We know what God had done in creation and redemption as it is written in the Bible and displayed before our eyes. No one knows what God is working now.
Psa 19:1, “For the director of music. A psalm of David. The Heavensdeclare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.”
Psa 97:6, “The Heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples have seen His glory.”
Note: The Heavens declare the glory of God. Declare in Hebrew is caphar which means to tell with praise; to proclaim; to speak; to show forth; to talk; to communicate; to relate; to enumerate; to celebrate; to narrate; – which occurs 161 times in the Old Testament. Proclaim in Hebrew is nagad which means to declare; to tell; to show forth; to expound; to report; to make known; to publish; to acknowledge; to announce; to manifest; to explain; to praise; to bring to light; – which occurs 377 times in the Old Testament.
The Heavens declare the glory and righteousness of God and the skies proclaim the work of God’s hands.
Isa 55:7-9, “Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.“ForMy thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.“For as the Heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.”
What God is working now, we do not know. What God is working now is beyond human knowledge and understanding. No one knows how the Omnipotent and Omniscient and Omnipresent God is working. God is not working behind the scene. God is ruling and controlling the whole universe although humans may be unaware. Since God is working, we Christians do not need to worry. The works of God are great. Great in Hebrew isgadal which means magnified; rich and powerful; mighty; advanced; excellent; huge; tremendous; lifted up; towering; greatly and highly valued; celebrated with praise; – which occurs 144 times in the Old Testament. Thought in Hebrew is machashabah which means purpose; intention; device; plan; invention; counsel; project; meditation; – which occurs 56 times in the Old Testament. No one knows how God thinks and what God is thinking. We can only know God through His Word enlightened by the Holy Spirit.
According to the Word of God, at least one thing we know God is thinking: Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts. God does not approve the way of the wicked nor the thoughts of the unrighteous. It is clear that a man’s way is related to his thoughts. God wants the wicked and the unrighteous to repent and return to the Lord. God clears the difference between His thoughts and man’s thoughts. One thing is clear: the thoughts of God are not the thoughts of man. The ways of God are not the ways of man. The thoughts of God are higher than human thoughts as the Heavens are higher than the earth. The thoughts of God are not only so high that man cannot reach, the thoughts of God are very deep that man cannot fathom. Deep in Hebrew is`amaqwhich means profound; deep literally and figuratively; unsearchable; – which occurs 13 times in the Old Testament. This Scriptures cited above are a parallelism; works are compared with thoughts, great is compared with deep; thoughts are also compared to ways.
Man’s thoughts are limited, restricted, shortsighted and powerless. Man may think of Heaven but he cannot reach it. Man may think of something great, but he cannot do it. Man may think of the sufferings of other human beings, but he is powerless to help. Man may think of stone, but he cannot turn it into bread. Even so, thought has consequences for man.
Divine thoughts are very deep, for God is infinite. Man who was created in the image of God is awarded with the faculty of thinking. We do not know whether animals can think, whether they can reason or reflect. That is besides the subject of this article.
Psa 40:5, “Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done, And Your thoughts toward us; There is none to compare with You. If I would declare and speak of them, They would be too numerous to count.”
Note: Wonder in Hebrew ispala’which means wondrous things; extraordinary things; marvelous things; things too high; distinguished things; great things; things done wonderfully; miracles; – which occurs 102 times in the Old Testament. Compare in Hebrew is `arak which means to set in array; to arrange; to estimate; to put in order; to value; to place together for comparison; to view in relation to; – which occurs 96 times in the Old Testament. There is none to compare with God, for God is singularly incomparable. God is beyond the grasp of human thought or human reason. Declare in Hebrew is nagadwhich means to tell; to show forth; to expound; to make known; to inform of; to publish; to proclaim; to acknowledge; to confess; to report; to announce; to expose; to explain; to profess; – which occurs 377 times in the Old Testament. The wonders of God are too numerous to count. The thoughts of God toward His children are too precious to consider.
Pro 20:5, “A plan in the heart of a man is like deep water, But a man of understanding draws it out.”
Note: It is wonderful that a man can think. It is not clear whether animal and plant can think or not. It is clear animal and plant cannot think as a man thinks. A plan in the heart of a man is like deep water. Plan in Hebrew is `etsah which means counsel; purpose; prudence; the faculty of forming plans; a program of action; design; – which occurs 88 times in the Old Testament. Heart in Hebrew is lebwhich means mind; understanding; inner man; will; thinking; soul; reflection; memory; conscience; seat of emotions and passions; the intellect; – which occurs 591 times in the Old Testament. The heart used in this article does not mean the physical organ for maintaining the circulation of the blood. A man makes plan in his heart. A plan in the heart of a man is like deep water, but a man of understanding draws it out. Understanding in Hebrew is tabuwn which means discretion; reasons; intelligence; skillfulness; insight; the object of knowledge; prudence; – which occurs 42 times in the Old Testament. Without understanding a man cannot make a plan and cannot draw his plan out. Words draw out what is in the heart. However, words can be deceptive and misleading. Some people express his words to disclose his thought. Some people use words to cover up his thought. Some people use words to deceive people like Western leaders and media habitually do. Ordinary people use words to speak about his intention or purpose.
I. WHAT IS THINKING.
1. Thinking in the “HEART” or the “BRAIN”.
Why people think in his heart and not in his brain?
You may not know, the word “brain” does not exist in the Bible. In ancient times, people did not know anything about the brain. If suddenly the Bible mentions about the brain, that will be astonishing and shocking. Ancient people used a variation of wordsinstead to describe the inside of the head or inside within.The matter will be dealt with later in more details.
It is reported that there are as many neurons in the brain as there are stars in the Milky Way galaxy. The statement cannot be correct. In the first place, stars are innumerable and cannot be counted. No one knows exactly how many stars out there in the space. Only God knows how many stars because He names everyone of them.Psa 147:4-5, “He counts the number of the stars;He gives names to all of them.Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;His understanding is infinite.” Only the infinite God can count the number of the stars and gives names to all of them. Now who is counting the neurons in the brain?
Jer 17:9, “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?”
Note: The heart is more deceitful that all else and desperately sick. This is an exact description of Western leaders who want to dictate and dominate the world. They are more deceitful than all else and desperately sick. This is very real, just watch your TV and see a Western leader when he speaks, how deceitful and how desperately sick he is! Deceitful in Hebrew is`aqobwhich means crooked; polluted; deceptive; sly; insidious; swelling up in the brain; fraudulent; full of bloody footprints; – which occurs 4 times in the Old Testament. Western leaders are most deceitful and full of bloody footprints all over the world. Desperately sick in Hebrew is‘anashwhich means incurable; desperately wicked; woeful; very ill; – which occurs 10 times in the Old Testament. Do you see Western warmongers, Japanese resurgent militarists, and Islamic terrorists are more deceitful than all else and desperately sick and incurable?
It is clear thinking is related to words, symbolized by the lips and the mouth of man. Words strongly reflect the heart. The heart is the seat of thinking, feeling, and deciding.
Pro 10:32, “The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable, But the mouth of the wicked what is perverted.”
The verse cited above reminds me of Western leaders and politicians whose mouths are so perverted that make even the devil, the father of lies, to blush. How true it is, in an age of lies, falsehoods, deceits, disinformation, misinformation, fake news, fake reports, fake analysis, fake views by leaders and politicians, and Western mainstream media.
Note: Acceptable in Hebrew isratsown which means desirable; favorable; satisfactory; delightful; approved; worthy of being accepted; – which occurs 58 times in the Old Testament. Perverted in Hebrew is tahpukahwhich means froward; adverse; fraudulent; deceitful; corrupt; – which occurs 14 times in the Old Testament. The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable because his heart is right. The mouth of the wicked brings out what is perverted because his heart is deceitful.
Pro 19:28, “A rascally witness makes a mockery of justice, And the mouth of the wicked spreads iniquity.”
Note: Rascally in Hebrew isbĕliya`al which means wicked; ungodly; evil; naughty; worthless; good for nothing; base; unprofitable; destructive; useless; vile; – which occurs 28 times in the Old Testament. Mockery in Hebrew is luwts which means scorn; mock; derision; scoff; – which occurs 30 times in the Old Testament. Iniquity in Hebrew is ‘aven which means wickedness; vanity; trouble; nothingness; mischief; sorrow; emptiness; falsehood; fraud; calamity; – which occurs 77 times in the Old Testament. Western media are rascals that intentionally manufacture lies, fake news and fake reports and biased views that make a mockery of justice. Western leaders are workers of iniquity and the mouth of Western leaders spread iniquity. Western leaders lie, lie, and lie; kill, kill and kill; rob, rob, and rob; destroy, destroy, and destroy without shame to spread death, miseries and injustice in the world.
Pro 22:14, “The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; He who is cursed of the LORD will fall into it.”
Note: The mouth of adulteress and prostitutes is a deep pit to seduce the foolish and undisciplined men fall into it.
Pro 23:27, “For a harlot is a deep pit And an adulterous woman is a narrow well.”
A harlot or a prostitute is a deep pit because all your money cannot fill it. Sex cannot satisfy you, the more you have the more you want like a drug addiction. And once you fall into the pit, it is hard to climb out of it. You will sink deeper and deeper. An adulterous woman is a narrow well because once her husband discovers the affair, you may narrowly and hardly escape. In addition, you may not escape VD or AIDS.
Pro 10:6, “Blessings are on the head of the righteous, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.”
Note: The verse cited above reminds me whenever I watch Western supremacists open their mouths. The sons of Belial would hypocritically and high-mindedly say you have to be careful about China … When and where and what country and people that China attacks, occupies, kills, lies, and robs? It sounds like China is the dictator and dominator of the world today! You are no fool, so you know who is the dictator of the world, what countries and peoples are the troubles and problems of the world.
The mouth of the wicked conceals violence. Western leaders employ vast and powerful machine of propaganda to cover up their aggression, expansion, oppression, sanction, exploitation, domination and destruction under the slogans of democracy, freedom, civil rights, human rights, humanity, justice, etc. to fool the simple-minded.
Jhn 4:11, “She said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water?”
Note: The thinking well is like Jacob Well which is deep. Simple-minded people do simple thinking because they have nothing to draw with, or they do not have the thinking tools. To think deep you need tools. For example, the tool of cost and benefit analysis aids you to see two sides of the problem, cost and benefits, and helps you make a good decision.
2. JESUS teaches mankind a great lesson: COUNTING THE COST.
Luk 14:28-33, “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”
Note: Count in Greek is psēphizō which means to calculate; to compute; to reckon; to enumerate; to tally; to add; to total; – which occurs 2 times in the New Testament. Cost in Greek is dapanē which means expense; price; expenditure; – which occurs only 1 time in the New Testament.
The costs of American empire are too much and too heavy. No to mention the evil of an empire. Jesus is primarily speaking with the purpose of highlighting the cost of discipleship. Whoever of you does not forsake all that you have cannot be Jesus’ disciple. A laughing matter is the preachers and followers of prosperity gospel, by becoming Christians they want to get rich in this world.
No matter what you do, there is a cost. Usually, we think in terms of financial cost or monetary cost, there is also other costs. The cost of building is simpler. In modern time you can borrow from the bank. Most of the tycoons in Hong Kong made their wealth on real estates. Many rich men in China also made their riches in real estate business.
The cost of wars is quite different, not only in money, but also in lives, in destruction, misery, hardship and poverty. Unfortunately, the United States has bad and wrong and irresponsible presidents and Congressional leaders who do not know how to count the cost of wars. Since the end of World War II American leaders have instigated and engaged in a great number of unjust wars of aggression and bloody military interventions and interference of other nations. Significantly I cannot find on the Internet how much the total costs of American wars after the end of World War II. The cost of World War II however bad was justified because the world was fighting a just war against the evil aggressors of Germany and Japan. In comparison, at the end of World War II all the rest of wars were unjust and unholy, they have been wars of aggression and intervention and expansion and sanction mostly done by America and its allies. We do not know how many trillions of dollars were wasted in all unjust wars and bloody military operations conducted by America since the end of World War II. Apparently no one or organization is interested to provide the truth. Warmongers would never give an account of their evil deeds anyway. However, we all knowthe American national debt alone has exceeded$28 trillionsand increasingly every second.
WHAT IS THE NATIONAL DEBT TODAY?
$35 trillion
can constructively build a good society in America and a better world, how wonderful and profitable the results would be. American democracy is useless. fraudulent and harmful and dangerous to itself and to the world. The American system or model is a total failure and disaster for Americans and the world. All American presidents since the end of World War II have sought absolute military supremacy, economic and financial monopoly, and political dictatorship to this day. ExceptPresident Richard Nixonwho sought a just and lasting peace in his short administration. “America First” policy is a deep concern and injurious implication to both Americans and the world. America today is like a run away high speed train marching toward doom and destruction. Thinking influences action, so thinking has consequences.
II. THOUGHT IS THE THINKING PROCESS.
What is thinking? What is a thought? This monosyllabic word is deep.
Neh 6:9, “For all of them were trying to frighten us, thinking, “They will become discouraged with the work and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands.”
Note: Thinking in Hebrew is ‘amarwhich means to say in one’s heart; to speak; to intend; to commune; to declare; to consider; to suppose; to bear in mind; to say in oneself; “to speak in the belly” as some natives would say for “to think”; – which occurs 5,196 times in the Old Testament. Sanballat, Geshem the Arab and other enemies of the Jews sent words to frighten Nehemiah who was rebuilding the Jerusalem wall. They were thinking by threatening Nehemiah will become discouraged so that the work will not be done. The Hebrew language uses thinking to mean saying in one’s heart is a fantastic and descriptive definition. To think is to say in your heart. To say in your heart is to think. Although I have said a million times in and to my heart, this is the first time I realize to think is to say in my heart. To say in my heart is to think. Of course God strengthened the hands of Nehemiah and the work was done.
2Sa 5:6-7, “Now the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, and they said to David, “You shall not come in here, but the blind and lame will turn you away”; thinking, “David cannot enter here.”Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion, that is the city of David.”
Note: The word thinking used in this Scripture, the original Hebrew word is the same as the word used in Neh 6:9. The enemies of David thinking David cannot enter Jerusalem and saying so confidently that even the blind and lame would turn David away. Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion which became the city of David. A successful man is not frightened or influenced by the thinking of his opponents.
Mat 9:4, “And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?”
Note: Jesus not only can read the mind of men, Jesus knows their very thoughts. Thinking here in Greek is enthymeomaiwhich means to bring to mind; to ponder; to deliberate; to revolve in mind; to weigh in mind; to consider; – which occurs 2 times in the New Testament. Jesus not only knows the thoughts of men; He knows specifically they are thinking evil in their hearts. God knows your thoughts and hearts. To think evil in your heart is to err in the heart.
Luk 6:8, “But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And he got up and came forward.”
Note: Thinking here in Greek isdialogismos which means inward reasoning; doubting; disputing; deliberating; questioning what is true; discussion; debate; consideration; imagination; the thinking of a man deliberating with himself; – which occurs 16 times in the New Testament. The unbelieving Jews were thinking and watching Jesus closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him.
Luk 9:47, “But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking in their heart, took a child and stood him by His side.”
Note: The Greek word thinking used in the Scripture is the same as in Luk 6:8. An argument started among the disciples as to which of them might be the greatest. Jesus used a child to teach them the lesson of humility.
1Co 14:20, “Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.”
Note: The Greek word thinking in this Scripture isphrēnwhich means understanding; the mind; the faculty of perceiving and judging; – which occurs 2 times in the New Testament. Our thinking should not be like children; in evil we should be like infants means unproductively and ineffectively. But in the faculty of perceiving and judging we should be mature. Think like a mature man. Mature in Greek is teleioswhich means perfect; of full age; complete; consummate; full grown; adult; fully developed; – which occurs 20 times in the New Testament. A man maybe 60 years old but still has infantile thinking. Is your thinking infantile or mature?
Most people not only do not think maturely, they do not think clearly. Many confuse connotation and denotation, confuse object with subject, confuse tactic with strategy, confuse expediency with principle, confuse appearance with reality. The most pathetic and primitive is to confuse idols as gods like the Japanese who confuse executed war criminals as national heroes and living gods. There is no confusion with God.
2Co 12:19, “All this time you have been thinking that we are defending ourselves to you. Actually, it is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ; and all for your upbuilding, beloved.”
Note: In this Scripture the Greek word for thinking is dokeōwhich means to suppose; to seem; to be of opinion; to judge; to determine; – which occurs 70 times in the New Testament. Others may be thinking Paul was defending themselves, actually they were all for upbuilding of the Corinthian brothers. Do not let the thinking of others influence your true motive.
Phl 1:17, “the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.”
Note: Thinking in this verse in Greek is oiomai which means to suppose; to imagine; – which occurs 3 times in the New Testament. There are people who preach the Gospel in order to get rich, thinking they may cause distress to true servants of Christ. There are secularists and unbelieving theologians who distort the Gospel to deceive and mislead the people. In America there are not a few preachers who become millionaires. An American preacher has been reported to have assets of more than $700 million dollars.
Heb 11:15, “And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return.”
Note: The Greek word for thinking in this verse is mnēmoneuō which means to remember; to be mindful of; to keep in mind; to hold in memory; to make mention of; to exercise memory; to recollect; to remember about; – which occurs 23 times in the New Testament. Those who came out of Egypt if they had been thinking of Egypt, they would have had opportunity to return to Egypt. True believers if they would they could return to the old way of life and the lust of the world. True Christians are marching toward the Holy City, the New Jerusalem. 2Ti 4:10, “for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.” Desert in Greek is egkataleipō which means to forsake; to abandon; to leave; to withdraw; – which occurs 10 times in the New Testament. Demas having loved this present world deserted Paul in their evangelistic journey. Some church members having loved this present world have abandoned the faith in Christ.
The thinking process of human mind is more complicated than a computer. The human mind makes computer, but computer cannot make human minds for many reasons.
1. THINKING without words.
Can a man think without words? Yes, poorly, primitively badly, and limitedly. Otherwise the illiterate population would not be able to live or function in this world. Although the illiterate do not know or recognize words, they hear words expressed by other people, though with some vague understanding. An illiterate person of course can not think like a scholar. A child cannot think like an adult.
I recall an interesting anecdote to illustrate the possibility of thinking without words. When my nephew was a little boy, we visited a friend’s. Their children had toys, so they played together with the friend’s toys. When it was time to go, my nephew wanted to take the toys home. His parents were not able to handle the situation. My nephew was born a communist who held the idea what belongs to others are also his. My friend’s children were born capitalists who had the opinion what belonged to them are theirs. An idea struck me to resolve the problem. I said to Isaac, you can have this toy but it will cost you $50, that toy $100, that toy $150, and the other toy $200 which I exaggerated. Isaac listened and counted the cost in his mind. They were too expensive and he didn’t have the money. So he smiled and said, Let us go home. Although Isaac did not know the word “value”, but he had concept of it. It is the same true with illiterate people who do not have the word, but they have the concept of it. People who have concepts can think without words even poorly.
2. Thinking in the heart or in the brain.
You may not know the word “brain” does not exist in the Bible. In ancient times, people did not know anything about the brain. If suddenly the Bible mentions about the brain, that will be astonishing and shocking. Ancient people used a variation of wordsinstead to describe the inside of the head or what is within a man.Some confusion or misunderstanding may take place also because of linguistic gap.
It is reported that there are as many neurons in the brain as there are stars in the Milky Way galaxy. I do not believe the statement is correct. Because stars are innumerable and cannot be counted. No one knows exactly how many stars out there in the space. Psa 147:4, “He counts the number of the stars;He gives names to all of them.” God counts the number of the stars and He gives names to all of them. Only God knows how many stars because He names everyone of them. Now who is counting the neurons in the brain?
Zec 12:1, “The burden of the Word of the LORD concerning Israel. Thus declares the LORD who stretches out the Heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him.”
Note: Although in ancient times God disclosed the fact of the expanding universe, it was only recently that scientists discovered the fact. Men only looked up into the sky and wondered, whether there are three Heavens and the universe was expanding did not affect them directly. Science is nothing but human’s best but tentative knowledge at a given time and place. Scientists are not able to explore the invisible and the supernatural. Scientists can only explore and experiment what is physical, material and visible. Even that there are too many mysteries that men cannot fathom or understand. The finite can never reach the infinite. God forms the spirit of man within him. We only know the spirit of man is within him, we do not know where the spirit of man is located.
Even with the knowledge of the brain, science cannot and does not explain how human thinks, and how thoughts are formed. Oh, secularists and unbelieving theologians, scientists and philosophers think they know everything, or pretend to know everything. Is it the human mind or is it the human brain? Where is the mind located? Is the mind located in the brain? However, if you open up the brain, you cannot find the mind. Even withfunctional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), no one knows exactly what activities of the brain will generate good or evil thoughts.
Ecc 3:11, “He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.”
Note: The Bible is not a scientific textbook. God revealed truths that men of all generations can grasp. God has also set eternity in the human heart. The Bible uses the word “heart” to cover the all intellectual and cognitive and emotive faculties of man, definitely must include the brain, although the word “brain” was not used in ancient times. If a surgeon opens up the heart of a man, he cannot find eternity in it. However, it is still true to say man’s problem is not his head, but his heart.
I do not think it is accurate to say that God has emotions like man. God by nature has certain attributes that manifest Himself. For example, God is angry with the wicked because God is holy and righteous. It is certainly wrong to say God is emotional. God who is unchangeable cannot be emotional. God is Holy therefore He hates filth, sin, and immorality. Man, fallen man’s emotions do not reflect God. Only righteousness, holiness and truth reflect God the Almighty. Christians must conform to the image of Christ.
Job 12:3,“But I have intelligence as well as you; I am not inferior to you. And who does not know such things as these?”
Note: Intelligence in Hebrew islebab which means heart; mind; understanding; inner man; will; soul; thinking; reflection; memory; inclination; resolution; determination; conscience; seat of emotions and passions; the seat of senses; mode of thinking and acting; seat of will and purpose; intellect; the faculty of thinking; the ability to reason; – which occurs 250 times in the Old Testament. Every man has intelligence, more or less, inferior or superior. Once I was an intern with a Ph.D. certified Psychologist. I administered the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) to a black woman. One of the questions was what is the shape of a ball. She quickly replied, Square. The answer shocked me because it was the first time I realized there are people in the world who think the shape of a ball is square. Intelligence is a born gift from God. The Spirit of Wisdom gives man intelligence. The difference between a human and an animal is the fact that man is a tripartite, body, soul and spirit. Animals do not have the spirit.
Gen 2:7, “Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
Note: We believe “the breath of life” from God is the spirit man received from creation. Only God knows where the spirit of man is located, it is said within. You cannot find it in the heart organ, or brain, or intestines, etc. The spirit of man appreciates eternity, the brain cannot understand time without end. Everything ends in the universe.
Jhn 3:6,“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
Note: Flesh in Greek issarx which means the body of a man; natural or physical origin; the sensuous nature of man; the animal nature; the earthly nature of man; the symbol of what is external; carnality; man’s external appearance and condition; – which occurs 149 times in the New Testament. Spirit in Greek is pneuma which means a depersonalized force; the vital principle; the rational principle; the power by which the human being feels, thinks, decides; the rational soul; the disposition or influence which fills and governs the soul; mental disposition; the breath of life; – which occurs 380 times in the New Testament. This is one of Jesus’ most profound statements: That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Psa 121:4, “Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep.”
Note: Although Israel is surrounded by enemies, don’t worry, the Almighty God who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
Jhn 4:23-24,“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Note: Of all the statements made by Jesus Christ, I believe this is the most profound, only three words: God is Spirit. Jesus says God is Spirit, so Spirit does not need anything, will neither slumber nor sleep. The true worshipers are those who worship the Father in spirit and truth.
Dan 12:2, “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace andeverlasting contempt.”
Note: Daniel long time ago received the revelation, there will be two resurrections: The resurrection of the righteous to everlasting life; the resurrection of the wicked to disgrace and everlasting contempt.
2Co 12:1, “Boasting is necessary, though it is not profitable; but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.”
Note: Vision in Greek is optasia which means a sight; an appearance presented to one; an apparition; something seen in a dream, trance, or ecstasy; – which occurs 4 times in the New Testament. Revelation in Greek isapokalypsiswhich means enlightenment; disclosure of things unknown before; laying bare; making naked; disclosure of truth; manifestation; an uncovering; – which occurs 18 times in the New Testament. Boasting is not meaningful, but visions and revelation are very important.
2Co 12:2-4, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third Heaven.And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows—was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.”
Note: How a man is possible to be alive in the body or apart from the body is beyond the knowledge of scientists. We are not told how the spirit functions separately or independently without human body. All the human knowledge is within the body. There is knowledge apart from the body is vision or revelation. How does one think apart from the body? This knowledge is not revealed in the Bible. So the dead in Christ apart from body can think and know. This knowledge is not revealed much.
Ecc 12:7, “then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.”
Note: Man is a miserable creature, a sinner harnessed with the yoke of guilt. Many rich and powerful people are arrogant, not realizing they are but dust. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.It is obvious that the dust returns to the earth as it was. Who knows how the spirit returns to God who gave it? It is a mystery even to the living saints.
2Co 5:1, “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens.”
2Co 5:4, “For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.”
Note: Tent in Greek is skēnos which means tabernacle; metaphorically of the human body, in which the soul dwells as in a tent, and which is taken down at death (Strong’s Concordance); a temporary residence; the earthly house; – which occurs 2 times in the New Testament. Groan in Greek is stenazō which means to sigh with grief; to moan; to murmur; to grudge; to wail; to lament; – which occurs 7 times in the New Testament. The human body is like a tent. The condition of mortal human life is described as: we groan, being burdened. Christians look forward to spiritual and glorious and immortal bodies when mortality is swallowed up by life. Our earthly and mortal bodies affect and influence our thinking.
3. Law of cause and effect.
There is a law of cause and effect which no man can escape. When two events occur consecutively in a way that one event is the result of another, they have a cause-and-effect relationship. Water congeals into ice at 0° Centigrade. Boiling water will evaporate. If you drink and drive, almost certainly you will cause accident even kill people. According to Newton’s third Law of Motion, “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”
Psa 101:5, “Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; No one who has a haughty look and an arrogant heart will I endure.”
Note: Here is an example of cause and effect. An arrogant heart produces a haughty look. A humble heart will not produce a haughty look.
Eze 28:5, “By your great wisdom, by your trade You have increased your riches And your heart is lifted up because of your riches—”
Note: Riches make a man’s heart lifted up. Riches do not make a humble man. Have you ever met a rich humble man?
Exo 19:16, “So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.”
Exo 20:18, “All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance.”
Note: The people trembled because they perceived the thunder and the lighting flashes. So thunder and lighting flashes cause them to tremble. They have a cause-and-effect relationship.
Jer 31:29-30, “In those days they will not say again, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children’s teeth are set on edge.’“But everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge.”
Note: Modern dentistry finds sourness (acidity), sweetness and coldness are not good for the teeth. High acid fruits damage your teeth. In my father’s missionary church, there was a member who was a merchant of oranges. Once he asked me how come all his children teeth are so bad. Oranges have their pH value between 3.69 – 4.34. The lower the pH, the more acid it is. For example, lemon juice is with a pH of 2.00 – 2.60. This is an example of the law of cause and effect. Acidity causes tooth decay. Each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge.
Jer 31:30,“But everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge.”
Eze 18:4,“Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die.”
Note: God says the soul who sins will die. Sin is the cause, death is the effect. No one can escape. All have sinned, and so all will die.
Jhn 8:24,“Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
Note: This is the Word of Jesus. Unless you believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, you will die in your sins. All will die in his sins. No one has escaped. No one can escape. Secular academics, unbelieving theologians, scientists and philosophers will die in their sins because they do not believe in Christ. Warmongers and terrorists will die in their sins for their evil deeds.
Rom 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Note: Wage in Greek is opsōnion which means pay; hire or pay of sin; payment; reward; recompense; earning; – which occurs 4 times in the New Testament. Gift in Greek is charisma which means a favor with which one receives without any merit of his own (Strong’s Concordance); deliverance; endowment; – which occurs 21 times in the New Testament. If you have not sinned, you will not die. This is as certain as the dawn; the reward of sin is death. The free gift of God in Christ Jesus our Lord is eternal life.
Num 32:23,“But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out.”
Note: Find out in Hebrew is matsa’which means to get; to encounter; to detect; to meet; to fall in with; to hit; to discover; to find and acquire; to catch; to come on; to get hold; to arrive at; to meet with; to fall upon; to catch in; – which occurs 454 times in the Old Testament. Man is an egregious failure because man is a sinner. The sins and crimes of Washington, Wall Street and Hollywood will find them out sooner or later. As sure as death and taxes, the sins and crimes committed by doctors and hospitals to defraud and overcharge patients will be found out, and God will judge them. The sins of warmongers, militarists and terrorists will find them out. Be sure as the Lord lives, the sins and crimes of Washington, Wall Street and Hollywood covered up as top secrets will be found out, and God will judge them. As sure as the Lord lives, the sins and crimes committed by Western powers in the last 500 years, and the sins and crimes committed by Japanese militarists in World War II, and the sins and crimes committed by Islamic terrorists will find them out, and God will judge them. There is no escape. No one can escape God’s judgment and punishment.
Pro 25:16, “Have you found honey? Eat only what you need, That you not have it in excess and vomit it.”
Note: Honey is good. But eat only what you need. Too much of honey will make you vomit. Often too much of a good thing turns bad. Moderation is advised.
Pro 10:26, “Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, So is the lazy one to those who send him.”
Note: Vinegar to the teeth is bad. The teeth cannot take acidity. Smoke to the eyes is bad, eye is a precious organ to be protected. If you depend on a lazy person is like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes. It is not easy to find a dependable and diligent person. Do not expect a lazy one to accomplish the task.
Gal 6:7-8, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”
Note: Deceive in Greek is planaō which means to err; to go astray; to seduce; to wander; to be out of the way; to lead astray; to lead aside from the right way; to lead away from the truth; to lead into error; to sin; to ensnare; to trick or fool; – which occurs 46 times in the New Testament. You can be deceived by others, or you can deceive yourself. It is bad enough to be deceived, it is so pathetic to deceive yourself. Mock in Greek ismyktērizō which means to deride; to sneer at; to ridicule; to defy; to treat with contempt; to scoff; to laugh at; – which occurs only 1 time in the New Testament. God cannot be mocked or laughed at. Sow in Greek is speirō which means to scatter seed; to plant seed; – which occurs 52 times in the New Testament. Reap in Greek is therizō which means to harvest; to gather; to obtain; to receive something as a result of your own actions; – which occurs 22 times in the New Testament. This is serious. You will reap what you sow.
The law of sowing and reaping is the same as the law of cause and effect. It is inevitable and no one can escape its consequences. You cannot have your cake and eat it too. You sow tares you will not reap wheat.
No one can escape from the law of cause and effect or the law of sowing and reaping. Wise is he who knows what is the cause and what will be the effect, what is the sowing and what will be the reaping. You cannot expect poor nutrition to produce a healthy body. You cannot be lazy and have good grades. You cannot be a spendthrift and not to go bankrupt. You cannot think warmongering and aggression and oppression will have peace in the world. You cannot consider capitalism not to be greedy, but generous and kind and humanitarian. You cannot believe leniency in court will have strong law enforcement. You cannot suppose forest burning will not have heavy smoke and smog in the air. You cannot treat people badly and hope people will treat you well. You cannot suppose the nation which has the largest deficits and highest national debt will not go bankrupt. You cannot expect a bad tree to bear good fruits.
Mat 5:36,“Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.”
Note: Man has many limitations. You cannot do the impossible. You cannot make one hair white or black, but a deceitful man can dye his white hair black or blond.
Mat 6:24,“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
Note: This is an eternal truth. No one can serve two masters. In the West, many people want to serve God and mammon. In Taiwan some Taiwanese leaders want to be Christians and worship idols.
1Co 10:21, “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.”
You cannot deny Jesus Christ and think you will go to Heaven.
Pro 29:2, “When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, But when a wicked man rules, people groan.”
Note: Everywhere there is no joy because the wicked increase. All over the world the people groan and suffer under the corrupt governments of the wicked. Groan in Hebrew is‘anach which means to sigh; to moan; to mourn; to grieve; which occurs 12 times in the Old Testament. Where in what nation the righteous increase?
Pro 29:12, “If a ruler pays attention to falsehood, All his ministers become wicked.”
Note: Falsehood in Hebrew is sheqer which means lie; lying; deceit; vanity; deception; fraud; falsity; untruth; sham; – which occurs 115 times in the Old Testament.When the ruler of a nation pays attention to falsehood, all his ministers and assistants become wicked. When the ruler is a warmonger, all his ministers and assistants prepare for wars. When a ruler is corrupt, all his ministers and assistants become crooked. If the higher beam is not straight, the lower beam is crooked. The truth is self-evident.
Ecc 10:12-13, “Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, while the lips of a fool consume him;the beginning of his talking is folly and the end of it is wicked madness.”
Note: Consume in Hebrew is bala`which means to swallow up; to swallow down; to destroy; to devour; to engulf; to eat up; to cover; to spend up; to extirpate; to perish; – which occurs 50 times in the Old Testament. It is agonizing to watch a Western leader to use his lips to boast, to brag, to bully, to bungle, to botch, to threaten, to eat up himself. Folly in Hebrew is cikluwth which means foolishness, lack of good sense; stupidity; – which occurs 6 times in the Old Testament. The leader whose talking is folly and the end of it is wicked madness. Madness in Hebrew is howleluwth which means extreme folly; foolish or dangerous behavior or thinking; – which occurs only 1 time in the Old Testament. There are so many mad dog leaders today, particularly in the West. They think they rule the world and dictate the world. Madness can be used to describe the condition of many nations and governments.
Isa 57:20, “But the wicked are like the tossing sea, For it cannot be quiet, And its waters toss up refuse and mud.”
Note: Toss in Hebrew is garash which means to drive out; to cast out; to thrust out; to drive away; to put away; to drive forth; to cast up; to be carried of; to be agitated; – which occurs 50 times in the Old Testament. The wicked are like the troubled sea which cannot rest. There is no peace and quiet in the world because wicked Western leaders, resurgent Japanese militarists and Islamic terrorists are like the tossing sea and toss up dead bodies and political refuse, military mud, and financial filth and economic hardship and bankruptcy.
Eze 18:20, “The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.”
Note: This is not just the law of cause and effect that no one can escape. This verse is the Word of God. As sure as God lives, the person who sins will die. The wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself. As an American citizen, I am worried for all the wickedness American leaders have done since the end of World War II will be upon America sooner or later. God will judge America, Europe, Japan, Islamic State, and the world. The wickedness of the wicked will be upon the wicked sooner or later.
Dan 12:10, “Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand.”
Note: Understand in Hebrew is biynwhich means to perceive; to consider; to discern; to regard; to know with the mind; to observe; to mark; to give heed; to have discernment; to have insight; to distinguish; to turn the mind to; to have the power of comprehension; – which occurs 206 times in the Old Testament. The wicked will act wickedly, and none of the wicked will understand. This is the problem of Western powers, their wicked leaders will act wickedly and do all the wicked things they have done, unjustly accusing China and Russia with wicked words;and will not understand why they have done evil to the world in the last 500 years. This is the same problem with Islamic terrorists who act wickedly, and none of them will understand. They continue to bomb, to kill, to destroy senselessly, shamelessly and sensually; brutally, brutely, and brutishly; inhumanly, insolently, and iniquitously. Have insight in Hebrew issakalwhich means to understand; to consider; to be prudent; to be circumspect; to have comprehension; to look at or upon; to give attention to; to turn the mind to; to apprehend; – which occurs 84 times in the Old Testament. The wicked do not have insight, and so they will not understand.
Psa 139:23, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts.”
Note: Anxious thoughts come from a troubled heart.
Psa 141:4, “Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice deeds of wickedness With men who do iniquity; And do not let me eat of their delicacies.”
Note: I do not know why so many Western leaders and Western media incline their hearts to do evil things, to lie, kill, and rob and still think they are Christians.
1Sa 1:13, “As for Hannah, she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk.”
Note: Hannah was pouring out her heart in prayer to God, but Eli thought she was drunk. A misperception is caused by a misconception.
Here is a clear case of cause and effect relationship:
Rth 3:7, “When Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came secretly, and uncovered his feet and lay down.”
Note: Eating and drinking would make the heart of most people merry. However, I never drink from childhood to old age. A good meal with water would still make my heart merry.
Ecc 8:5, “He who keeps a royal command experiences no trouble, for a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure.”
Note: Wise is the man who knows the proper time and procedure. Timing is very important in most undertaking. You must not sow in winter.
Isa 1:5, “Where will you be stricken again, As you continue in your rebellion? The whole head is sick And the whole heart is faint.”
Note: Rebellion would make the whole head sick, and the whole heart is faint. We witness the sick head of Hong Kong youth incited and paid by Western powers to be terrorists and traitors who destroy Hong Kong.
4. Syllogism.
Syllogism is a kind of deductive reasoning.
A primitive man once morning went out hunting. He fell into the ditch as he saw a wild rabbit hoping out of the woods. So he reasoned, rabbit is a bad omen. Seeing a rabbit hopping is sure to make a man falling into a ditch. This is how the primitive man in his faulty reasoning that leads to the false conclusion:
The major premise: rabbit is a bad omen.
The minor premise: I see rabbit hopping.
Conclusion: Seeing rabbit hopping causes falling into ditch.
The above is an example of wrong association of cause and effect.
The primitive man is wrong because he is making a false association: his falling into a ditch has nothing to do with seeing a rabbit hopping. The primitive man is wrong because his premises are wrong. Rabbit is not a bad omen. Seeing rabbit hopping does not cause one falling into a ditch. His falling into a ditch could be caused by his carelessness, not watching where he is going. His conclusion is faulty because it is based on wrong premises. Such is an example of false syllogism:
All chickens have two legs,
Man has two legs,
Therefore man is a chicken.
In the first place, not only chickens have two legs, birds and others have two legs too. All who have two legs do not necessarily fall into the category of chicken. This is a false analysis based on false major premise and irrelevant minor premise. Not all who have two legs are chickens. So the premises are false and lead to a wrong conclusion. Man is not associated with chickens just because they have two legs.
On the other hand, the following reasoning seems irrefutable:
All men are liars,
French are men,
Therefore, French men are liars.
The major premise is right, the minor premise is also right with qualification. Not only the French, the American, the Chinese, the Japanese, etc. are also men; they are liars too. The reasoning is slanted and biased against the French.
All men are sinners,
The wages of sin is death,
Therefore, all men will die.
The above reasoning is based on truth, without bias, and so the conclusion is right not restricted by time and space.
The crux of cause and effect is to make sure cause is cause and effect is effect, no making false association.
Another example, War Brings Poverty. This major premise is generally true if you live in a war zone and become a victim of the circumstances. When your home is bombed, your business is destroyed, you lost everything you had and compounded there is food shortage, inflation, and spread of diseases, etc. you suddenly become very poor and miserable. But it is not so to other group of people who are warmongers, the military-industrial-security-complex who are greatly benefited financially by wars and all sorts of wars. You see a coin has two sides. Sometimes complicated problems have many sides which are difficult to sort out what is the cause and what is the effect.
Syllogistic reasoning is a form of thinking, concerned with using syllogisms to draw conclusions from premises. We knowingly and unknowingly apply logical connection between unrelated points. Truth is not always assumed by logic. The truth of Christ is disclosed by revelation which is beyond human understanding or scientific inquiry. For example, Jesus says, God is Spirit. This is the most profound truth in Christ. God is Spirit is the greatest mystery beyond syllogistic or logical reasoning.
III. VARIOUSMODES OF THOUGHT
Luk 9:47, “But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking in their heart, took a child and stood him by His side.”
Mat 9:4, “And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?”
Note: What makes man think? Jesus says men think evil in their hearts. In pre-science era, people did not know much about the brain. Even today scientists do not know much about the brain. Suffice it to say, heart is the center or seat of thinking, feeling, and deciding.
Psa 64:6, “They devise injustices, saying, “We are ready with a well-conceived plot”; For the inward thought and the heart of a man are deep.”
Note: The inward thought of man comes from the heart. It is impossible to have thought without the heart. The heart does not mean the organ which circulates blood.
Ecc 5:2, “Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.”
Greek is a marvelous, rich and most precise language. There are several original Greek words in the Bible that relate to each other which may mean thinking or thought. By knowing and studying these Greek words may help us to understand thinking or thought better. For example, most English readers would not consider to think is to learn. Would you not think differently if you know this?
(1). dokeo
Mat 3:9, “and do not think that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.”
Mat 6:7, “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.”
Note: Words rendered “think” in Mat 3:9, and “suppose” in Mat 6:7 are the same original Greek worddokeō which means to think; to seem; to be of opinion; to trow; to judge; to determine; to hold as an opinion; to believe; to conceive; to suppose; – which occurs 70 times in the New Testament. To “suppose” is the same to “think.” Jesus corrects two examples of wrong thinking of the Jews. (a). The Jews were so proud to think themselves as indispensable because they had Abraham for their father. Jesus says God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. (b). Do not suppose that you use meaningless repetition in your prayer as the Gentiles do God will hear you because of your many words. To think or suppose is a mode of thought process.
(2).hegeomai
Act 26:2, “In regard to all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that I am about to make my defense before you today.”
2Co 9:5, “So I thought it necessary to urge the brethren that they would go on ahead to you and arrange beforehand your previously promised bountiful gift, so that the same would be ready as a bountiful gift and not affected by covetousness.”
Phl 2:6, “who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped.”
2Pe 1:13, “I count it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder.”
Note: Words rendered “consider” in Act 26:2, “thought” (think) in2Co 9:5, “regard” in Phl 2:6, and “count” in 2Pe 1:13 are the same original word in Greekhēgeomai which means to count; to think; to deem; to account; to regard; to suppose; to consider; – which occurs 29 times in the New Testament. A man can consider, think, regard and count as a mode of thought process.
(3).noeo
Eph 3:20, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.”
Note: Think in Greek is noeō which means to understand; to perceive; to consider; to heed; to ponder; to exercise the mind; to observe; to comprehend; to understand; – which occurs 14 times in the New Testament. The power that works within believers can be beyond all that we think.
(4).legō
Act 13:25,“And while John was completing his course, he kept saying, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not He. But behold, one is coming after me the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’
Note: Suppose in Greek is legō which means to say; to speak; to call; to tell; to maintain; to point out; to mean; to name; to speak of; to mention; to describe; to affirm; – which occurs 2,305 times in the New Testament. To suppose may be a mode of thinking.
(5).logizomai
Rom 2:3, “But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?”
1Co 13:5, “does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered.”
1Co 13:11, “When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.”
2Co 3:5, “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.”
Phl 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
Note: Words rendered “suppose”, “take into account”, “reason”, “consider”, and “dwell on” cited in the Scriptures above are of one original word in Greeklogizomaiwhich means toimpute;to reckon; to count; to think; to suppose; to take into account; to reason; to deliberate; to deem; to judge; to determine; to decide; to conclude; – which occurs 44 times in the New Testament. One may suppose, take into account, consider, and dwell on as a mode of thinking.
(6).phroneō
1Co 13:11, “When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.”
Phl 1:7, “For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me.”
Note: Think or feel in Greek is phroneō which means to regard; to mind; to feel; to judge; to have understanding; to think; to exercise the mind; – which occurs 36 times of the New Testament. Thinking and feeling may be one mode of thought process.
(7).nomizō
Mat 5:17, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”
Note: Think in Greek nomizō is to suppose; to think; to deem; to hold; to regard; – which occurs 15 times in the New Testament. Do not regard can be a mode of thinking process.
(8).hyperphroneō
Rom 12:3, “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to thinkmore highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”
Note: Think in Greek ishyperphroneō which means to think more highly of oneself than is proper; to be vain or arrogant; to esteem oneself overmuch; – which occurs 3 times in the New Testament. Do not think more highly of yourself is mode of thought process.
(9).manthanō
1Co 4:6, “Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us you may learn not to exceed what is written, so that no one of you will become arrogant in behalf of one against the other.”
Note: Learn in Greek is manthanō which means to learn; to understand; to increase one’s knowledge; to be informed; – which occurs 26 times in the New Testament. To learn is a mode of thinking process.
(10).laleō
1Co 3:1, “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ.”
Note: Speak in Greek is laleō which means to say; to tell; to talk; to declare one’s mind and disclose one’s thought; to utter words; to articulate; – which occurs 302 times in the New Testament. To speak can be a mode of thought process.
(11).krinō
1Co 4:5, “Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.”
Note: Pass judgment in Greek is krinō which means to determine; to judge; to condemn; to call in question; to think; to be of opinion; to censure; to dispute; to conclude; – which occurs 123 times in the New Testament. Passing judgment may be a mode of thinking process.
(12).oiomai
Jhn 21:25, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself *would not contain the books that would be written.”
Phl 1:17, “the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.”
Jas 1:7, “For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord.”
Note: Suppose or think or expect in Greek is oiomai which means to think; to suppose; to imagine; – which occurs 3 times in the New Testament. To suppose, think and expect may be a mode of thought process.
(13).oida
Phl 1:16, “the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the Gospel.”
Note: Knowing in Greek is oida which means to know; to perceive; to understand; – which occurs 335 times in the New Testament. To know can be a mode of thinking process.
(14).phainō
Mar 14:64,“You have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?” And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.”
Note: Seem in Greek is to appear; to seem; to think; to become evident; to come to view; to be seen; to show; to shed light; to become clear; to manifest; – which occurs 32 times in the New Testament. What does it seem to you can be a mode of thought process.
(15). eudokeō
1Th 3:1, “Therefore when we could endure it no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone.”
Note: Think in Greek is eudokeō which means to be well pleased; to have pleasure; to take pleasure in; to think good; to think it good; to choose; to determine; to decide; to prefer; to choose rather; to think well of; to be favorably inclined toward one; – which occurs 36 times in the New Testament. To think what is best may be a mode of thinking process. Are you surprised that the Greek can use 15 different words to think?
A. Thinking is related to words.
Pro 29:20, “Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”
Ecc 5:2, “Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in Heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.”
Note: It is possible for a man to be hasty in words or impulsive in thought. A man who is hasty in his words and impulsive in his thought is worse than a fool.
Mar 5:28, “For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.”
Note: The sick woman was right to believe by touching the garments of Jesus she would get well.
Luk 24:37, “But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit.”
Note: Man’s behavior is influenced by tradition and belief. If you think you are seeing a spirit, you would be startled and frightened.
Jhn 11:13, “Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep.”
Note: Disciples misunderstood because they thought Jesus was speaking of literal sleep not as symbolic of death.
Act 12:9, “And he went out and continued to follow, and he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.”
Note: Peter thought he was seeing a vision and did not realize he was really rescued by the angel from the jail.
B. Thinking is related to the heart.
Pro 21:4, “Haughty eyes and a proud heart, The lamp of the wicked, is sin.”
Note: The wicked have haughty eyes because they have a proud heart. A proud heart produces haughty eyes. The lamp of the wicked is sin.
Pro 15:28, “The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.”
Note: To ponder in the heart is to think. The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer. But the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things. Western media consistently and persistently pour out lies, fake reports, fake news to smear people and nations they don’ t like.
Pro 10:20, “The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver, The heart of the wicked is worth little.”
Note: History is full of proofs that the heart of the wicked is worth little. Just look at what Western powers have done in the last 500 years to the world and you would not know the value of their wicked deeds.
1Sa 24:13,“As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness’; but my hand shall not be against you.”
Note: This is a great truth: Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness. When I was living in Los Angeles , there were many black and Latino gangs that did most brutal crimes and wicked deeds. Many people wondered why. The Bible provides the answer: Out of the wicked come forth wickedness. This can be used to explain many wars of aggression conducted by Western powers, genocide and sex slavery committed by Japanese soldiers, and atrocities committed by Islamic terrorists and malicious and vicious deeds committed by crooks and criminals.
Gen 6:5, “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
Note: Evil originated from every intent of the thoughts of the heart.
Gen 6:6, “The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.”
Note: God is Spirit, unlike man to have flesh and blood. What does it mean that God was grieved in His heart? Does God have a heart? Not a physical heart as the blood circulating organ of the body. God has a heart, definitely. This is an anthropomorphicexpression. There is no way to compare God with man. So human language is used as a method or tool of communication. It is impossible for man to learn or know the language of God. Besides, God knows all the languages of man. The Bible speaks about the language of angels, never the language of God. A language consists of the use of words. This is a fine gift of God differentiating men from all animals. Jesus Christ is the Word of God and He reveals God to mankind. We are ignorant what will be the language of Heaven, definitely not English or Chinese. In the first place the language of angels is most pure and wonderful already, although I do not speak the language of angels. However, when God sends His angels to communicate with human beings, the angels always use the language of the recipient so that the recipient can understand. Imagine, angels who are servants of God already know all languages in the world. How can anyone compare angels to the Omnipotent and Omniscient God?
Mar 7:21-23,“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries,deeds of covetingandwickedness, as well asdeceit, sensuality, envy,slander, prideandfoolishness.All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”
Note: Out of the heart of men comes out evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness; deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. The heart here does not mean the organ that circulates blood. It means “within,” not knowing exactly where it is because it is abstract.
Gen 17:17, “Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”
Note: Abraham said in his heart, “Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” Abraham laughed because can a child be born to a man one hundred years old? He was reasoning, Will a ninety years old woman bear a child? Abraham was thinking in his heart. These are sober and reasonable thoughts. But there is nothing impossible with God.
Gen 24:45, “Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder, and went down to the spring and drew, and I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’”
Note: I think the Hebrew’s expression of thinking as speaking in the heart is poetic and positivistic.
Exo 14:5, “When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?”
Note: A change of heart brings about a change of thinking. A change of thinking brings about a change of behavior.
2Ki 12:4, “Then Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the sacred things which is brought into the house of the LORD, in current money, both the money of each man’s assessment and all the money which any man’s heart prompts him to bring into the house of the LORD.”
Note: Any donation for the house of the Lord must be voluntary or what a man’s heart prompts him to bring. Prompt means to stir up; to incite. Your love of the Lord must be prompted or incited from your heart. Any good deed must be prompted from your heart, not for ulterior motive.
Pro 12:25, “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, But a good word makes it glad.”
Note: Anxiety in a man’s heart is like a heavy rock that weighs it down. What you worry in your heart makes you weary. For Jesus says, Jhn 14:1, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.Jhn 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” Christians need not to worry.
Pro 19:21, “Many plans are in a man’s heart, But the counsel of the LORD will stand.”
Note: A man may make many plans in his heart, only the counsel of the Lord will stand. Man proposes, God disposes. Christians make plans and say God willing.
Ecc 10:2, “A wise man’s heart directs himtoward the right, but the foolish man’s heart directs him toward the left.”
Note: A wise man’s heart is right with the Lord. The foolish man’s heart directs him toward the path of destruction. Mat 25:33, “and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.” How important to be Jesus’ sheep on His right. All warmongers, unbelievers, terrorists and the wicked are the goats on the left of Jesus.
Jas 1:26, “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.”
Note: Western leaders and media think themselves to be Christians, and yet they lie, lie, and lie; kill, kill, and kill; rob, rob, and rob. Their religion is not only worthless, they deceive their own hearts, they deceive themselves. There are many worthless religions.
It is still correct to say, The problem of man is not his head, but his heart.
Psa 64:6, “They devise iniquities: We have perfected a shrew scheme. Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.”
Note: Thought in Hebrew qerebwhich means inward par; inner most being;, seat of thought and emotion; faculty of thought and emotion; the seat of thought and desire; – which occurs 227 times in the Old Testament. Heart in Hebrew islebwhich means inner man, mind, will, understanding; inner part, soul, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory; – it occurs about 593 times in the Old Testament.
Thought and heart are abstract constructs, not physical objects. Deep in Hebrew is `amoq which means mysterious, unsearchable, profound; – it occurs about 16 times in the Old Testament. If you want to know how deep the inward thought and the heart are, ponder the following questions:
(a). When you are consciously thinking about something, it could be originated by yourself, other, thing, or even devil (as in the case of Judah the traitor whom the devil put the thought of betrayal into his heart); are you sue who or what is directing your thought process?
(b). When you are deliberating something, all of a sudden some other thought strikes you and redirects your thinking; do you know where does such invasion or redirection come from? How does it happen?
(c). When you are looking at something, some scene, somebody, etc. and it suddenly reminds you of something else; but when you are not doing the looking, how does some thought penetrate you anyway?
(d). Are you capable of being forced by someone to think about something you rejected to think in the first place, if so, who gives the permission?
(e). Who or what is telling you (when there is no known human being) not to think about something that makes you thinking?
(f). Are you capable of stopping to think about something, who or what is making you to do so? Can you refuse evil thoughts and how?
(g). When you are thinking about something and then interrupted by something else, you lose track of it, who and what puts you back in the thought process and picks up that thought again?
(h). When you are occupied or busy doing something, some thought suddenly knocks at the door of your heart; do you know where the guest comes from? Are you capable of refusing or ignoring the guest thinker? If so, how? If not, why not?
(i). When everything looks fine, suddenly a thought disturbs or worries you heavily; where does that thought come from?
(j). When there is no apparent reason to be depressed, why depression strikes at your thought process, can you refuse or reject it? If yes, how? If not, why?
(k). Is your thought process continuing consciously, subconsciously or unconsciously; or starts and stops at will, and how and why?
(l). When you are thinking, can you differentiate between the superficial and the profound, the important and unimportant, the right and wrong, the good and evil? What makes you able to do so?
(m). Through the thought process can you see the invisible? Who or what is helping you? Do you use any instrument or tool?
(n). Can you be sure you are thinking what you are thinking, not suggested directly or indirectly, consciously or subconsciously by something or someone else?
(o). Have you ever thought that you could be wrong in your thinking? Who initiates such review or reevaluation process? How does it happen?
(p). Do you know human thoughts are darkened and futile, what makes you think so? If not, why not?
The Scripture is right: Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.
There are three important things to remember:
(a). Pro 23:7,“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. ‘Eat and drink!’ he says to you, but his heart is not with you.”
As you think in your heart, so are you. What you think makes what you are.
(b). Mar 7:21-23, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”
The whole world is corrupted by the evil things come out of the heart of men cited above and especially represented by Wall Street, Washington, and Hollywood. Executives of Wall Street are so greedy, day and night they devise shrewd schemes on how to get rich quick and defraud the world. Wall Street created the financial and economic crisis in 2008 that defrauded the whole world more than $50 trillion dollars.
(c). 2Cr 10:5, “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”
This is what an unbeliever does not know or experience. Many thoughts of unbelieving philosophers are lofty, speculative, vain and self-conceited. Christians are empowered to destroy speculative thoughts against the knowledge of God, and take captive of every thought to the obedience of Christ. The power to destroy any thought against God is the Sword of the Spirit. Our thought and our heart must subject to the obedience of Christ. This is the mind of Christ in the believers. A carnal mind does not have the power from above, and cannot understand spiritual things.
Some self-appointed scholars like to specialize on speculations. Is it possible to think without words and without human body? Is it possible to communicate without language? I focus on true knowledge. I leave the impossible to God, for nothing is impossible with God. There are infinity what human beings cannot do and cannot know.
C. Thinking is related to intelligence.
Psa 14:1, “For the choir director. A Psalm of David. The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good.”
Note: The fool thinks foolishly. It is a fool who thinks and says in his heart there is no God. No matter he is a secularist, unbelieving theologian, scientist or philosopher — if he thinks in his heart there is no God, he is a fool.
Pro 22:15, “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.”
Note: It is my theory that every child is born foolish, except the Child Jesus the Son of God. When I was a child I was so foolish that I was almost drown had it not for the mercy of God. For that reason, parents take good care of your children and train them. Every day on Chinese TV reported how foolish children got themselves into big troubles, putting their heads into something they could not get out, sticking their fingers into something they could not pull out, hanging themselves outside the windows that they may drop dead, walking on the street to be run over by cars, etc. The fact that a child is born foolish indicates the need of education. I told my students that is why they need to go to university to train them how to think.
Luk 12:16-21, “And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’“Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Note: The rich fool thinks his soul has many goods laid up for many years to come; take ease, eat, drink and be merry. But God requires his soul this very night, and now who will own what he has prepared?
Mat 7:24-27,“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”
Note: A wise man built his house on the rock. Jesus defines everyone who hears His words and does not act on them is a fool. A foolish man built his house on the sand. A man who has low intelligence does not think that rain, floods, winds can slam against a house and may cause it fall. To have a marriage is like to building a house. If you do not build the house of marriage on the rock. Your marriage will be rocked by winds and waves of events and time; it will collapse. The $130 billion cannot save it.
Job 12:3, “But I have intelligence as well as you; I am not inferior to you. And who does not know such things as these?”
Note: There are superior intelligence and inferior intelligence. People who have superior intelligence know more and better things than people who have inferior intelligence. Years ago I was an intern with a Ph.D. psychologist (who was also a friend) Dr. Harold Ronning and I administered a Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) to a black woman. One of the questions was what is the shape of a ball. To my shock and surprise the black woman quickly answered, square. For the first time in my life I learned that there are people in the world who think the shape of a ball is square.
Dan 1:4, “youths in whom was no defect, who were good-looking, showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had ability for serving in the king’s court; and he ordered him to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.”
Dan 1:17, “As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams.”
Note: God gave Daniel and his friends knowledge and intelligence, wisdom and understanding. Even at old age, I still pray for wisdom.
Act 13:7, “who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the Word of God.”
Note: A man of intelligence should seek to hear and to know the Word of God.
D. Thinking is related to value.
Luk 12:16-21, “And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive.“ And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Note: The rich fool values goods above his soul.
Lev 27:12, “The priest shall value it as either good or bad; as you, the priest, value it, so it shall be.”
Job 28:12-20, “But where can wisdom be found?And where is the place of understanding?Man does not know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living.The deep says, ‘It is not in me’; and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it, nor can silver be weighed as its price.It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx, or sapphire.Gold or glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold.Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned; and the acquisition of wisdom is above that of pearls.The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold. Where then does wisdom come from?And where is the place of understanding?”
Mat 13:46, “and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
Note: Things of lower value may be sold in order to obtain thing of greater or higher value. The Christian faith is the pearl of great value, not to be sold or exchanged for anything.
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 but rubbish so that I may gain Christ.”
Note: Paul views the knowledge of Christ surpassing value and so he counts all things to be loss and count all things but rubbish so that he may gain Christ.
Col 2:23, “These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.”
Note: Self-abasement and severe treatment of the body appear wise in self-made religion are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
1Pe 2:4-8, “And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God,you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.For this is contained in Scripture: “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, “THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone,”and, “A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the Word, and to this doom they were also appointed.”
Note: The cross of Christ is of precious value to all believers, but to those who disbelieve it is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.
Luk 1:46-49, “And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord,And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.“For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name.”
Note: Mary counts herself blessed to be the bondslave of God to bear the Son of God; for the Mighty One has done great things for her.
Jas 5:11, “We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.”
2Pe 2:13, “suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you.”
Note: Sinners count it a pleasure to sin. The wicked count it a pleasure to do wicked things. Liars and corn men and swindlers count it a pleasure to defraud people.
Heb 11:24-26, “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.”
Note: Moses illustrates how his thinking and action are influenced by his value. Moses identified with the children of Israel and refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. Moses chose rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. Moses considered the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. If you tell me what you value, I will tell you who you are. Prosperity gospel is a false gospel because it chooses the riches of the world. A man’s choice, not only revealing his thinking, discloses his value. Once I asked my female students, would they prefer to marry a wise poor man or a rich fool. Decision is making choice. I would rather be hungry now so that I will have food tomorrow. Why does a girl would choose to be a prostitute rather than a princess? Many would choose to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond? Would rather have a $1 million mansion than $800,000 cash? I would rather choose to serve the Almighty God even poor than to serve Mammon and be a billionaire.
The following story tells how hard to make a choice among the evil.
1Ch 21:9-13, “The LORD spoke to Gad, David’s seer, saying,“Go and speak to David, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD, “I offer you three things; choose for yourself one of them, which I will do to you.”So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, Take for yourselfeither three years of famine, or three months to be swept away before your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of the LORD, even pestilence in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ Now, therefore, consider what answer I shall return to Him who sent me.”David said to Gad, “I am in great distress; please let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are very great. But do not let me fall into the hand of man.”
Note: David trusted in the mercies of the Lord. David would not trust man. In my life experiences encountering millions of people; the problem is not that people do not know how to choose between greater and lesser evil, or between the greater good and lesser good; the thing that most upsets me is that people in the face of good and evil, many choose evil. Why do Western leaders, professing to be Christians, lie, lie, and lie; kill, kill, and kill; rob, rob, and rob other nations? Why do Western media on purpose make fake news, fake reports, distort facts, and spread lies?
Job 15:5, “For your guilt teaches your mouth, And you choose the language of the crafty.”
Note: Western leaders are so proud and they misuse the so-called “democratic values”. The American model of democracy is a farce and a failure. To cut the long story short, the world witnessed the last American presidential election with so much uncertainty and trickery; the Capitol Riots; the divisiveness of the two parties, the Congress, and the Federal government and state governments; the fear and unrest of the American people; the demonstrations and protests all over the country for government injustice and incompetency, etc. Both America and Europe are failed democracies; not counting the counterfeit of Japan, Australia, Canada, etc. American democracy does not work for American people, and it cannot work anywhere. When one percent of the population rules over the 99 percent, and when 1 per cent of the population owns most of the power and wealth of America, how do you call it democracy? When American empire, EU, and its allies want to continue to dictate and dominate the world and therefore target and sanction Russia and China, do you call “democratic values”?
When Western leaders want to do evil, they always choose the language of the crafty by saying they are promoting democracy, freedom, justice, equal right, human right, civil right, religious freedom, freedom of navigation, and giving humanitarian aid, etc.? They are well trained in wars, in distortion, misinformation, disinformation, exploitation, sanction, oppression and destruction. The worse thing is that they call themselves Christians. Pro 1:29, “Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD.” The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Those who do evil do not fear the Lord.
Psa 12:8, “The wicked strut about on every side When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.”
Job 34:4,“Let us choose for ourselves what is right; Let us know among ourselves what is good.”
Note: To think correct is to choose what is right and know what is good. Refuse evil and choose good.
Exo 23:2,“You shall not follow the masses in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice.”
Note: There are people who value the opinions of the masses. They shall follow the masses even in doing evil. They turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice. These people follow fads and fashions whatever the masses or multitudes do, eat, drink, hear, play and wear. The young are the most vulnerable in following the masses. This is how the noisy music called Rock and Roll became fashionable and famous. This is how cigarette smoking seduce the young and simple-minded. This is also the problem of democracy when the majority of people choose evil.
Psa 37:16, “Better is the little of the righteous Than the abundance of many wicked.”
Psa 58:3, “The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth.”
Pro 6:12, “A worthless person, a wicked man, Is the one who walks with a perverse mouth.”
The former American leader was so perverse that he called COVID-19 China virus.
Note: The wicked are estranged from the womb. A wicked man is a worthless person, and he walks with a perverse mouth.
Pro 6:18, “A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil.”
Note: He who devises wicked plans in his heart, his feet run rapidly to evil.
E. Thinking is related to personality.
Job 32:6, “So Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite spoke out and said, “I am young in years and you are old; Therefore I was shy and afraid to tell you what I think.”
Note: A shy personality does not think like a brave personality. A shy person may be afraid to tell you what she thinks.
1Co 13:11, “When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.”
Note: A child does not think like a man. A man who thinks like a child is still a child. A man did away with childish things.
1Sa 30:22, “Then all the wicked and worthless men among those who went with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away and depart.”
Note: The opinion of the wicked and worthless men is usually loud and noisy. The substance of their opinion is usually selfish and divisive. The wicked and worthless men usually have low value and unpleasant personality.
F. Thinking is related to reasoning.
Luk 12:16-21, “And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.” “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Note: A fool thinks like a fool. A fool reasons like a fool.
G. Thinking is related to consciousness.
What is consciousness? Consciousness is awareness of internal and external existence.
Job 21:6, “Even when I remember, I am disturbed, And horror takes hold of my flesh.”
Note: When you remember, you are disturbed and horror takes hold of your flesh — this is your self-consciousness.
Heb 10:2, “Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins?”
Note: Admit it or not, all men have consciousness of sins. Secular academics, unbelieving theologians, scientists and philosophers probably deny they have consciousness of sins.
1Co 8:7, “However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.”
Note: Not everyone has the knowledge that the idol is nothing. One conscience can be defiled by eating a thing offered to an idol. The most outrageous thing is the fact some Taiwanese leaders claim to be Christians and yet they publicly burn incense and worship idols without conscious of their sins. Even more outrageous is the fact that Taiwanese self-claimed preachers do not preach against the sin of idolatry.
1Pe 2:19, “For it brings favor if, because of a consciousness of God, someone endures grief from suffering unjustly.”
Job 10:15, “‘If I am wicked, woe to me! And if I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head. I am sated with disgrace and conscious of my misery.”
Note: Many wicked men are not conscious their sins and disgrace.
Jhn 6:61, “But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble?”
Note: If a man grumbles at the truth, he may stumble.
1Co 4:4, “For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord.”
Note: The Christian conscience knows he is not acquitted even he is conscious of nothing against himself. When the Lord examines, who can say he is not guilty?
Rom 3:20, “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.”
Psa 51:3, “For I am aware of my rebellious acts; I am forever conscious of my sin.”
Tit 3:11, “You know that such a person is twisted by sin and is conscious of it himself.”
Psa 51:3, “For I am conscious of my rebellion,and my sin is always before me.”
Ecc 6:5, “Though a stillborn child does not see the sun and is not conscious, it has more rest than he.”
Note: We all should be conscious of our sins and rebellion.
1Ki 2:44, “The king also said to Shimei, “You know all the evil which you acknowledge in your heart, which you did to my father David; therefore the LORD shall return your evil on your own head.”
Note: The evil in your heart shall return your evil on your own head.
Act 23:5, “And Paul said, “I was not aware, brethren, that he was high priest; for it is written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT SPEAK EVIL OF A RULER OF YOUR PEOPLE.’”
Note: If you are aware, you should not speak evil of the ruler.
How deep is the human thought? It cannot been seen or touched, therefore it cannot be measured. But one thing is closely related with thought is the word.
Pro 18:4, “The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.”
Note the words of a man come from his heart. When a man’s heart is full, his words come out. By the words of a man’s mouth you can appraise his heart.
Job 21:6,“Even when I remember, I am disturbed, And horror takes hold of my flesh.”
Note: Remembering or memory is a form of consciousness. A person can be disturbed by his remembrance or memory. I believe all animals can have a short and simple memory. For example, a dog can recognize you who hit it with a stick. Elephant is believed to have longer memory. But no animals have time consciousness so that they can recall or reminisce that two years ago they enjoyed themselves in the beautiful forest of Maine in the Fall.
Psa 77:3, “When I remember God, then I am disturbed; When I sigh, then my spirit grows faint. Selah.”
Job 10:15, “If I am wicked, woe to me! And if I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head. I am sated with disgrace and conscious of my misery.”
Note: Thinking makes a man conscious, conscious of his misery.
H. Heart and mind are closely associated.
1Ch 28:9, “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.”
Mind may be viewed as the intellectual part of man, it is within a man, although no one knows where it is exactly located.
Psa 26:2, “Examine me, O LORD, and try me; Test my mind and my heart.”
Jer 17:10,“I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.”
Jer 20:12, “Yet, O LORD of hosts, You who test the righteous, Who see the mind and the heart; Let me see Your vengeance on them; For to You I have set forth my cause.”
Dan 2:30, “But as for me, this mystery has not been revealed to me for any wisdom residing in me more than in any other living man, but for the purpose of making the interpretation known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.”
Note: Even an intelligent person may not understand the thoughts of his mind without divine help. God sees our mind and heart.
I. Heart and soul are related.
2Ch 15:12, “They entered into the covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and soul.”
Note: We need to seek the Lord with our heart and soul.
Pro 2:10, “For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.”
Note: Are heart and soul synonymous or individual entity?
Deu 30:2, “and you return to the LORD your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons.”
Deu 30:10, “if you obey the LORD your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul.”
Note: We are told to obey God with all our heart and soul. So we must, although I am too stupid to know which is my heart and which is my soul.
Act 4:32, “And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them.”
Note: I believe in this Scripture “one heart and soul” means one mind, one accord, one agreement, one opinion, one desire, one intentionality.
Mar 12:30, “AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’
Note: The easiest to understand is strength, soul and mind are difficult. Heart is generally understood. Such as you tell a person I love you with all my heart. Could it be heart, soul and mind are a figure of speech?
J. Heart is related to spirit.
Psa 77:6, “I will remember my song in the night; I will meditate with my heart, And my spirit ponders.”
Note: Asaph is very smart, he ponders with his spirit. I understand to meditate with my heart (not the organ that circulates blood), I do not know how to ponder with my spirit. Do you?
Psa 78:8, “And not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not prepare its heart And whose spirit was not faithful to God.”
Note: I know for sure my spirit is faithful to God. Are yours?
Eze 18:31,“Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel?”
Note: What humans need is not reform, not even research. What we need is a new heart and a new spirit. A new heart is to be born again. A new spirit is to have the Spirit of the Lord dwelling in you.
Eze 36:26, “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”
Dan 5:20,“But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit became so proud that he behaved arrogantly, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken away from him.”
Note: The spirit of sinful man can be so proud, that is deadly.
Mat 9:4, “And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?”
1Co 14:20, “Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.”
Note: Thinking evil leads to doing evil. In evil be infants, in thinking be mature. This is the best advice about thinking.
K. Heart is related to mind.
Psa 7:9, “O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous;For the righteous God tries the hearts and minds.”
Note: The hearts and minds represent the depth and totality of a person.
L. How heart, soul, and mind are related?
Mat 22:37, “And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’
Note: Could your heart, soul and mind are a euphemism for all you have got inside you? Could they mean the totality of you? We must love the Lord with all we have got, and nothing left.
M. How a pure heart and a good conscience relate to each other?
1Ti 1:5, “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”
Note: The goal of Christian education is love from a pure heart with a good conscience and a sincere faith. Love from a pure heart is without ulterior motive or simulation or pretension. A good conscience is the way of life. A sincere faith takes hold of the truth in Christ without reservation. The wicked and the unrighteous do not have a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. I am greatly troubled by Western leaders, unbelieving theologians and secular academics who pretend to be Christians without a sincere faith.
How deep is the human thought? It cannot been seen or touched, therefore it cannot be measured. But one thing is closely related with thought is the word.
Pro 18:4, “The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.”
The words of a man come from his heart. When a man’s heart is full, his words come out. By the words of a man’s mouth you can appraise his heart.
IV. IVP INFLUENCES THINKING
1Th 5:23, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may yourspirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Note: Here in this Scripture which clearly separates spirit, soul, and body as tripartite of man. I want to make it clear from the beginning. There should be no confusion or cumbrousness between the theological tripartite of Body, Soul, and Spirit and my philosophical tripartite of Intelligence, Value and Personality (IVP). God says man is composed of Body, Soul, and Spirit — this truth will not pass away for it is eternal. All children of God in the Kingdom of Heaven will have Body, Soul and Spirit. The big difference is the fact Christian resurrected body will be glorious, spiritual and immortal. My philosophical tripartite of man is only useful in this world. All human knowledge will pass away anyway.
Mat 10:28,“Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell.”
Note:In this Scripture the Lord Jesus specifically stresses those who suffer in Hell both soul and body will be destroyed. Don’t get the wrong idea, if you think body and soul are destroyed, all is ended. No. The torture in Hell is everlasting. How could that be? The dead body of the wicked will rise for judgment. The risen body will feel pain and suffer but will not die. The wicked in Hell will experience pain of the worm and the unquenchable fire like dying all the time but not dead at all and finished.
Theologically speaking, Man is made of body, soul and spirit. This is the eternal truth viewed from the sight of God. It is easy and simple to differentiate between body and soul. The body is physical and mortal. It is most profound to distinguish between soul and spirit. I can only mention some key points in passing because that is not the subject of this article. Spirit is the consciousness of God. Soul is the consciousness of self. Body is the consciousness of material or physical thing.
Luk 24:39, “See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, fora spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”
Note: Do not confuse the Holy Spirit with the individual spirit of man. Jesus says definitively that a spirit does not have flesh and bones. Man as a tripartite has body, soul, and spirit. Mat 26:41, “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” In some situations the spirit of man may be willing, but the flesh is weak. Mar 8:12, “Sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, “Why does this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” Jesus was sighing deeply in His Spirit. I think the Spirit of Jesus is the Holy Spirit, unlike the spirit of man. If you do not have the Spirit of the Lord, you do not belong to the Lord. What we do not know often confuses us. Mat 27:50, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.” Jesus did not yield up His soul. There are too much we do not know the differences or differentiation between soul and spirit.Luk1:46-47, “And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” Apparently, Mary knows the difference between her soul and her spirit. The soul of Mary exalts the Lord, and her spirit has rejoiced in God her Savior. I exalt the Lord and rejoice in God my Savior. But I do not know which is which, my soul or my spirit. I am ignorant and do not know much about soul and spirit matters. I have not read anyone in the world who can explain soul and spirit satisfactorily. However, I believe in the Word of God, the tripartite of man as body, soul, and spirit. There are many things in the Bible which I do not understand, yet I believe and trust my Lord and Savior with all my heart, soul and mind. Heaven and earth will pass away, but the Word of God will not pass away.
1. IVP THEORY
Observations of millions of peoples in the world, and all kinds of peoples in the world for a lifelong experiences laid the theoretical groundwork of establishing IVP. IVP should not be viewed as separate three words. IVP should be viewed as one term. IVP is a theory based on the concept man is a tripartite, namely, INTELLIGENCE, VALUE AND PERSONALITY. Intelligence is mental ability, activity, capacity and quality; Value is moral character and worth; and Personality is the substance and summary of individual character and quality. Intelligence, Value and Personality interact with each other and influence each other. In any specific challenge or situation, one element may emerge as the Predominating or Predominant Factor, while the other two may become Recessive Factors.
Viewed from the sight of man, philosophically speaking, Man is made of Intelligence, Value and Personality. I hold the theory that man’s thinking is influenced by his intelligence, value, and personality. A man’s behavior is influenced by his IVP.
Years ago I invented the theory of IVP. “I” stands for Intelligence, “V” stands for Value, and “P” stands for Personality. A man is a tripartite of Intelligence, Value and Personality. I also design IVP Scale. It is not self applause. You will find IVP Theory and Scale interesting and useful. IVP can be used to assess an individual or even appraise a nation, and predict the behavior of man. If I know exactly the IVP of a person, I can predict what he/she would do on a certain condition. However, IVP interacts with each other, the predominating factor decides and determines the behavior. For example, why all men would love Marilyn Monroe. When a man looks at Marilyn Monroe, his Personality emerges as the predominant factor to decide his action, his Intelligence and Value become recessive factors and submit to the inclination or intentionality of his Personality.
Job 12:3,“But I have intelligence as well as you; I am not inferior to you. And who does not know such things as these?”
INTELLIGECNE
Note: Intelligence in Hebrew is lebab which means mind; heart; understanding; knowledge; thinking; conscience; soul; the seat of senses; mode of thinking and acting; the seat of will and purpose; intellect and wisdom; the faculty of thinking; – which occurs 250 times in the Old Testament. Needless to say, man’s intelligence is limited. However, there are arrogant groups of people such as secular academics, unbelieving theologians, scientists and philosophers, militarists, etc. who are so vainly puffed up by their fleshly mind that they speak and act as if they have unlimited intelligence. A true intelligent person knows his own limitations. However, generally speaking there are inferior and superior intelligence, high and low intelligence, positive and negative intelligence. When a criminal or crook uses his intelligence to do evil, that is called negative intelligence. When a person uses his intelligence to do good, that is called positive intelligence.
Job 12:24,“He deprives of intelligence the chiefs of the earth’s people And makes them wander in a pathless waste.”
Note: Here Intelligence in Hebrew isleb which means heart; mind; understanding; inner man; knowledge; thinking; inclination; determination; conscience; seat of emotions and passions; the will; the intellect; wisdom; – which occurs 591 times in the Old Testament. Anyone deprived of intelligence will wander in a pathless waste. How many mistakes a man makes and wastes of his life because of wandering. A man wandering means he is lost and not knowing what he is doing and where he is going. A man who is lost and not knowing what he is doing or going is a failure.
Dan 1:17, “As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams.”
Note: In the Scripture cited above Intelligence here in Hebrew is sakalwhich means understanding; skill; prudence; insight; comprehension; wit; wisdom; turn of the mind; – which occurs 84 times in the Old Testament. God gives knowledge and intelligence to anyone He pleases.
It appears knowledge and intelligence are related, but each has its identity. You can say people who have intelligence have knowledge. Wisdom and understanding are also separate entities although they are related. People who have wisdom understand things.
Act 13:7, “who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the Word of God.”
Note: Intelligence cited above is the only occurrence in the New Testament. Intelligence in Greek is synetos which means wisdom; learning; understanding; sagacity; prudence; mental putting together; – which occurs 4 times in the New Testament. Intelligence is no small matter, not easy to define or determine; the Old Testament has 3 words for intelligence, while the New Testament has one. Once I ask my female students this question, Would you rather marry a rich fool or a wise poor man? On the surface this appears to be a question of intelligence; in fact, value is the predominant factor. This is not to despise the profession of a carpenter, however, it requires a higher intelligence to be a surgeon. You fail in life if you could be a surgeon but settle down for a carpenter. It is nothing wrong to be a farmer, but Robert Frost chose to be poet. It would be an inferior intelligence if you choose to be a painter, for even Vincent van Gogh could not make a living on his paintings that he killed himself. It is not wise to exchange the temporal for the eternal, the uncertain for the certain. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. It is not wise to give up the bird in the hand to look for two birds in the bush.
Pro 13:7, “There is one who pretends to be rich, but has nothing; Another pretends to be poor, but has great wealth.”
To pretend is to act falsely to deceive people. A person who pretends to be poor but has great wealth is better than the one who pretends to be rich but has nothing. A person who pretends to be what he is not is a fool. There are many American leaders who pretend to be Christians but they are children of the Devil as defined by Jesus Christ. Jhn 8:44.
The number one fool is:
Psa 14:1, “For the choir director. A Psalm of David. The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good.”
Psa 53:1, “For the choir director; according to Mahalath. A Maskil of David. The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God,” They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice; There is no one who does good.”
Note: Fool in Hebrew is nabal which means foolish man; vile person; senseless person; stupid person; impious; ungodly; the wicked; – which occurs 20 times in the Old Testament. Secular academics, unbelieving theologians, scientists and philosophers may think themselves wise, but God says, they are fools who say in their heart, There is no God. After studying their works, I agree with the Word of God.
A good example of a fool of inferior intelligence is given by Jesus.
Luk 12:15-21, “Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive.And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Note: There are many forms of greed. The love of money is the root of all evil. Jesus Christ proclaims the greatest philosophy of life and teaches man how to live. A man who has wrong value does not know how to live. A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. What you are is more important than what you have. I think the most miserable people in the world are those executives of Washington, Wall Street, and Hollywood who live in luxury of this world without God and without hope. A man’s life composes of Body, Soul, and Spirit but does not consist of money, power and sex. The people of Washington, Wall Street, and Hollywood live and work for money, power and sex.
Productive in Greek is euphoreō which means to be fertile; to bring forth plentifully; to bear well; to produce abundantly; yielding great results; – which occurs 2 times in the New Testament. There is nothing wrong for being productive. In fact, to be productive is the way to live. There are many dying and collapsing nations all because they are not productive. They spend more than they earn, and so they get into big debts and even unable to pay for the interest of their big loans. There is one outstanding fact that Western leaders and Western media deliberately ignore and do not want to acknowledge: China used to suffer hunger and famine. Today China is able to produce enough food to feed its 1.4 billion population and still gives aid to many nations without political strings attached. Western leaders and Western media are so rotten that every good thing that China does is counted as bad and a vice, and every bad thing that Western powers do is extolled as good and a virtue. Building larger barns to store crops, grain and goods is a worthwhile free enterprise. To bomb, kill and rob other nation’s wealth and resources are destructive evil enterprise. If the warmongering nations stop aggression and stop building nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction, and convert all the resources to build a good society and a better world, it will be most productive and beneficial. Trillions and trillions of dollars have been wasted in wars and development of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction which cannot feed one person, cannot house one person, cannot educate one person, cannot do anyone good. I do not have respect or sympathy for those fake refugees who do not produce anything but seek to move to affluent nations hoping to have a better life supported by the productivity of other people. That is the root cause of many millions of illegal aliens residing in America today, they came to America to live on welfare and breed many children like rabbits, and for years the government did nothing to stop them. Actually the Democratic Party encouraged the illegal aliens to vote for them so that they may gain power to rule America. Do you know why the overwhelming majority of the descendants of illegal aliens and people on welfare are members of the Democratic Party? Both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party do not serve the American people, they do not serve the national interest. They serve the partisan interest, their self interest, and the special interest. So American democracy is serving the interest of one percent of the population at the expense of the ninety-nine percent. Western democracy has fooled the world for a long time since its inception. Worse of all, Western leaders force their failed model of democracy on other nations without shame.
The problem of the rich man is not his barns too small, his crops, grain and goods too much and he was very productive. The rich man is fool because he says to his soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.” Soul does not take ease, eat, drink and be merry on his goods. Material goods may satisfy the body, but not the soul. Soul does not enjoy lobster, roast pig, Caviar, giant crab, sword fish, bluefin tuna, bird’s nest, brown-lipped abalone, shark fin, turtle soup, fried giant fish egg, even ice cream. It is reported that the most expensive meal is US$14,500. I believe a minister who eats a $1,000 meal has sinned against God and does not deserve support of Christians or church members. The luxury and material comfort cannot apply to the soul. So the rich man is a fool. The rich man laid up goods for his soul for many years to come. He unknowingly makes a wrong calculation. God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Most of the rich and powerful in the world are not rich toward God.
Soul in Greek is psychē which means life; heart; mind; the breath of life; the vital force; the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions; the soul as an essence which differs from the body and is not dissolved by death; – which occurs 101 times in the New Testament. Death is the separation of soul from the body. When soul departs from the body, the man is dead. Gen 35:18, “It came about as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin.” This very night the rich man dies; he does not know who will own what he has prepared. The people of Washington, Wall Street and Hollywood own much of the wealth and powerin the world, but tonight anyone of them can die. They are not rich toward God. In the sight of God, they are the poorest people in the world, poorer than Lazarus. Mat 16:26, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Can Washington, Wall Street, and Hollywood answer the question of Jesus?
Mat 4:4, “But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’”
Note: The tripartite man does not live on bread alone, but on every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. The rich fool and all fools do not know the truth of God.
Souls have troubles that the body of man cannot imagine. The bitter of soul cannot be measured. The soul can be grieved. The anguish of the soul no medicine can soothe. Soul can be crushed. Despair of soul no psychiatrist can help. Your eyes can bring pain to your soul.
Pro 21:10, “The soul of the wicked desires evil; His neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.”
Note: Evil upsets me. Then I learn the soul of the wicked desires evil just like a pig enjoys filth. It is the nature of the wicked to desire evil. Desire in Hebrew is ‘avahwhich means to lust after; to long for; to covet; to wish; to want; to be greedy; to wish for; to wait longingly; to crave; – which occurs 31 times in the Old Testament. Why do the wicked do wicked? This is a definitive answer: The soul of the wicked desires evil. This explains why the wicked do evil. The soul of the wicked desires evil. The soul of the righteous hates evil.
Eze 18:4, “Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die.”
Note: All souls belong to God. The soul who sins will die.
Mat 10:28,“Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell.”
Note: Man and even Devil are unable to kill the soul. Fear God for God is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell. The wicked will rise in the end of time to be judged. The wicked who rose from the dead will have an immortal body and soul. To be tormented body and soul in Hell means the wicked can feel the pain of fire and worm, they feel like dying all the time but they are not dead. They will suffer eternal punishment in Hell.
Human Intelligence is largely an inborn gift that consists of mental ability, capability, activity and quality to learn from one’s and other’s experience, understand and handle abstract and concrete concepts, adjust and adapt to new situation, and use knowledge and judgment to solve problems and manipulate one’s environment. Acquisition may play a role in contributing and sharpening one’s intelligence. A man may expand and better utilize his intelligence by observation, study, research, or experience. However, no man can increase the level of his intelligence by any acquisitive effort or means. In brief, intelligence is the ability to think and solve problems. The ability to think and solve problem may draw upon a number of cognitive processes, such as conception, perception, action, memory, and reasoning. Intelligence is not contingent on any single cognitive process, rather it is the result of the effective combination and interaction of all these processes. Intelligence enables a man to understand, to take or hold, all sorts of things and matters real or imaginary, abstract or concrete, tangible or intangible, rational or irrational, beautiful or ugly, noble or foul. Intelligence helps a man to discriminate and differentiate between right and wrong, good and evil, important and unimportant, precious and worthless, momentary and lasting, transitory and eternal. Intelligence can be low or high, inferior or superior, good or bad, positive or negative. Positive intelligence means one is using his intelligence to do good. Negative intelligence means one is using his intelligence to do evil. High, superior, good and positive intelligence help a man to live better and do well.
VALUE
Value is the moral standard and judgment of assessing what is important, good, right, noble and worthwhile. Value can be more or better; good or bad; present or eternal. For example, indulgence of the flesh is precious to a natural man, but abominable to a spiritual man. Things of above are of more value to believers than to non-believers. In the things of the world, the real value of a thing is its utility. In the things of God, the real value of things are the abiding and intrinsic nature of things in themselves. 1Co 13:13, “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” The greatest is love, for God is love. Do not stray into error, love is not God. Some worship love as a god. Grace, peace, truth, and eternal life are not commodities, they are the gifts of God without price.
The following is the Christian manifesto of Value:
Phl 3:7-12, “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.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 but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.”
Note: Christian value is epitomized and embodied in the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
Col 2:8, “See to it that no one takes you captive throughphilosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”
Note: The trinity of Washington, Wall Street, and Hollywood represents as captive through secular philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, and according to the elementary principles of the world which are contrary to the Christian value. Christian value is not a commodity and cannot be exchanged for anything. There is no price function in Christian value because it is priceless. The economic theory of supply and demand is ludicrous and irrelevant to Christian value. No Christian would make profit out of Christian value, only false preachers do. No one can merchandise or monopolize the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ, because it is the free gift of God. One unknown man emailed me because he wanted to buy my products in dollars. I told him the Gospel is free and not for sale. I strongly believe the American value of money, power, and sex will eventually destroy America and probably will destroy the world also.
Job 28:13,“Man does not know its value, Nor is it found in the land of the living.”
Note: Value in Hebrew is`erek which means estimation; price; valuation; proportion; assessment; – which occurs 34 times in the Old Testament. People who lack intelligence may not know the value of things. Almost all people know the value of money, but most people do not know the value of truth and wisdom.
Mat 13:46, “and upon finding one Pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
Note: Value in Greek of the cited Scripture ispolytimos which means of great price; very costly; very valuable; extremely valuable; – which occurs 6 times in the New Testament. Jesus Christ is our Pearl of Great Value. Paul says, 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 but rubbish so that I may gain Christ.” Surpassing value is the supreme value, the excellent value, and the highest value. If you know the surpassing value of Christ Jesus, naturally you count all things as rubbish. If you own a 100-carat perfect diamond, you would view all other stones as nothing. If you own a skyscraper in Lujiazui, Shanghai, what is your home in the village would matter?
Rom 2:25, “For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.”
Note: Value in Greek is ōpheleō which means profit; advantage; usefulness; – which occurs 16 times in the New Testament. If you are a Jew and practice the Law, indeed circumcision is of value to you. If you are a transgressor or violator of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. If you made your money the crooked way, your charity becomes non-charity, your foundation is to benefit you and not others. If you rob someone and give a little to the poor, what is the value of your gift?
Col 2:23, “These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.”
Note: Value in Greek of the Scripture cited above is the same original word used in 1 Pe 2:7. The appearance of wisdom represented by Washington, Wall Street, Hollywood, military-industrial-security complex is not true wisdom. Self-made religions and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
1Pe 2:7, “This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, “THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone,”
Note: Precious value in Greek is timē which means honor; price for thing bought or sold; deference; reverence; esteem; dignity; – which occurs 44 times in the New Testament. For those who believe in Jesus Christ, the Christian faith is of precious value. Once I bought some brass statues, I thought one was a symbol of wealth as another symbol of age. Some told me it was the god of wealth. As soon as I know it, I threw it into the garbage can. 1Co 8:4, “Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but One.” All idols even made of gold are worthless to me, and in fact abominable. Intelligence enables you to know what is what and which is which.
PERSONALITY
The word “personality” does not exist in the Bible; it is a modern word, although its concept always existed from the beginning. Personality is the identity or individuality with the total characteristics or qualities of a person. I believe it is wrong to use the term Personality in terms of the three persons of the Trinity, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Nothing human can be or should be compared with the Divine. It is most dangerous and stupid for theologians who think that with the approval of councils they can compare the nature of God with the nature of man. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are ONE, the unity not the separateness. The highest moral perfection of a Christian is in the subordination to the will of God and conformation to the image of Christ. The summum bonum of a Christian is not the actualization or realization of the self, but the gain of Christ. Phl 1:21,“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Gal 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
The devil has a personality of self-centered arrogance; for he wants to be like God. Isa 14:12-14,
“How you are fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!
For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’
Woman in general has a personality of vanity probably inherited from Eve. Man has a personality of lust, lust for power and sex.
Personality is the substance and summary of a man’s individual qualities, self-consciousness, self-determination, and self-expression. Personality is basically self consciousness. When a boy or girl begins to say, I like this, or, I don’t like it – it begins to have a personality. Personality is a personal way of thinking, feeling, and behaving. Personality is the totality of a person. Moods, attitudes, feelings, opinions, gestures, voice, civility, and behaving are clearly expressed in interactions with other people. What does a person do by himself or herself is only known to himself or herself. It is hard to say whether which behavioral characteristics are inherent or acquired. Eating, drinking, speaking, laughing, feeling, looking, walking, etc. are universally inherent, but how each function or task is expressed is individually. Can you tell different people laugh differently? When I was young I could discern the way of my father’s footsteps sound? Is a person born that way or bred that way? This is a big topic about nature and nurture which we are not going to dwell on in this article. Pattern of behavior is usually acquired. Children imitate the adults. Quarrelsome parents produce quarrelsome children. Parents who eat with the habit of throwing fish or meat bones on the floor, their children follow. Dirty parents produce dirty children. Interplay among children at school also lead some acquire bad habits, bad language, and bad behavior. Individual patterns of behavior can be swallowed up by the governing group, such as among religious followers and also brainwashing by ideological groups. I offer an example of religious brainwashing. I met a young Catholic girl and told her Mary was not the perpetual Virgin, as the Bible says she had several sons and daughters. The Catholic girl would not accept the fact but persistent in believing Mary, the Holy Mother is the perpetual Virgin as taught by the Roman Catholic Church.
Personality is a fascinating subject, the embodiment of a person. A male standing there, there you have vision of a man. A female standing there, there you have vision of a woman. A child standing there, there you have vision of a child. Personality has a way of manifesting itself. Marilyn Monroe by just walking can capture the attention, hearts and minds of men. You cannot see Intelligence or Value by just looking. I used to see a beautiful woman in America. She did not have to speak or do anything. She was just standing there and I had the vision of a beaming and shining star! Personality is psychologically and socially significant. Once a six-year old boy who had high intelligence, good value and pleasant personality visited us with his mother in Shanghai. I had a chat with the boy, and I told him Mount Huang, Yellow Sea and Yellow River (Huang and Yellow = Wong) all belong to me because my surname is Huang (Wong). He looked at me and listened and then laughed heartily. Why? He could not answer or respond or comment to such an outrageous and amusing claim and his personality became the predominating factor that brought on a good laughter. Personality is the conscious manifestation of self. The consciousness of self and the consciousness of another person or thing is not the same. The difference is internal versus external. There is no such a thing called permanent self. Everything human or about the world is not permanent.
Only God can have a complete and perfect Personality. Self-knowledge and Self-determination do not make man like God. In the full sense of the word, only God can declare, “I AM WHO I AM.” (Exo 3:14) There are many things overpass human power of knowing and proving. The complete consummation of Christian personality is the voluntary and intentional surrender of our will to the will of God. Mat 26:39, “And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”For that reason, Christianity is not a religion, but a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The pivot of the Gospel is: Lord, save me.Jer 17:14, “
Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; Save me andI will be saved, For You are my praise.”
From the perspective of personality, it tells you something about the nature of a language. In German “ich” is equivalent to English “I” which is using small letter. In English “I” is using capital letter. I do not know other languages that use “I” in capital letter. Obviously the “I” of the English culture is self-important, and egocentric. Therefore, the English-speaking people are culturally inclined and influenced to be more aggressive than others. Jesus never made use the language of science or philosophy of His age to express God. The Wisdom of God does not need the knowledge of man. Jesus Christ is the Word of God. To explain the ‘I AM WHO I AM’ of the Old Testament, Jesus declares, Jhn 14:6-7, “Jesus said to him, “I AM the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” Jhn 10:30, “I and the Father are One.” How the Father and the Son are ONE? Jhn 14:10-11, “Do you not believe that I AM in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.Believe Me that I AM in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.” Jhn 8:29, “And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” The whole raison d’êtreand the highest goal of Christians is to conform to the Image of Christ, by always doing the things that are pleasing to God. Thus the Christian personality is an imitation of Christ.
I personally do not believe in Personality Types presented in the market place. Introvert or extrovert is an easy classification which may have some truth in it. The three personality types of ant, bee and spider also contain some interesting points. An ant is sociable; a bee is individualistic; while a spider is a self-dominant and power-hungry. The dichotomy between proud and humble, honest and dishonest; dependable and undependable are clearly verifiable and useful. I also do not believe in many tests that claim to define your personality type. However, I do think Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) has some value, but not absolute. There is nothing absolute in any science or human knowledge.
IVP not only influences your thinking and behavior, IVP ultimately makes you what you are. IVP Scale measures and indicates the score of a individual, or nation. For the sake of simplicity, we only provide simple models. There are sophisticated IVP Scales which we will not dwell on in this article.
As an illustration, some years ago I lectured at Xian Jiaotong University, China, the Chairman of a corporation also invited me to speak to his staff and employees. In providing a model of decision making, I presented an imaginary problem to see how people would solve it. Suppose you are in a big ship but sinking, your mother, wife and child are with you. The situation is such that you can save only one person. Your mother, wife, and child, which one you would save. All the Chinese people influenced by the Chinese traditional Value as the predominating factor decided to save their mother. They objected that I would not save my mother. I explained to them: my mother is already old and she has lived a happy life, and I am my mother’s favorite son. My mother would refuse me to save her, she would want me to save my wife and live happily hereafter. Besides, I can have another child; but I would not want to have another woman or another wife. You see my decision is more complex than the straightforward decision of the Chinese audience, even the Value factor plays an important role dominating and interacting with other factors.
If you would understand a person better, you better understand his IVP. If you were born with low and inferior Intelligence, no one can help you to increase your intelligence to a higher level. But everyone can change and improve his Value and Personality. IVP is all about this life in this world. If you want eternal life in the world to come, Jesus says, Jhn 3:5-8, “Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
If you are born again, having passed from death to life, and have eternal life, with the Holy Spirit living in you, you will enter the Kingdom of God and enjoy full blessings of the Lord, every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,peace and grace, honor and glory forever and ever in the Kingdom of Heaven. IVP would not be a problem to you. All things have passed away, and all things have become new.
2. IVP SCALE
IVP Scale is used to score the tripartite elements of an individual, high, middle or low or zero, positive or negative, +, – and x. The sum of IVP Scale indicates the complete make-up of the person.
To make IVP Scale it is necessary to understand the following symbols:
IVP = THEORY OF MAN, COVERING INTELLIGENCE, VALUE AND PERSONALITY.
IVP Scale counts and covers the total makeup or picture of a man.
IVP = INTELLIGENCE, VALUE , PERSONALITY
I = INTELLIGENCE
V= VALUE
P= PERSONALITY
H= HIGH
M= MIDDLE
L= LOW
h= high
m= middle
L= low
o= zero
n= negative
p= positive
+ = plus
– = minus
x = multiply
These are simple IVP Scales, there can be very sophisticated scales. Suffice it to use simple scales for the sake of simplicity. To provide examples, I have made the following IVP Scales of various individuals and nations for your evaluation and judgment:
Hitler = nHI x nLV + nHP
Japanese no. 1 war criminal = nMI x nLV + nLP
Note: Do you know why Hitler was more dangerous than the no. 1 Japanese war criminal by examining their IVP scales?
Islamic Terrorist = nLI x oV x oP
Western leaders who continuously lie, distort, kill, rob = nlI x nlV x nlP
Drunk driver who kills = nmI + nLV + nLP
Judas the Traitor = nMI – nLV – nLP
Nobel Prize winners, scientists, great philosophers = pHI
Famous actors and actresses = pHP
Martin Luther = pHI x pHV x pHP
Abraham Lincoln = pHI + pHV + pHP
Helen Keller = phI + pHV + pMP
Ungrateful person = nLI + oV + nLP
Traitor = nLI – oV – nLP
Serial rapist or mass murderer = noI – oV – noP
Delilah = nlI – oV + mP
When you assess a nation, you must think Personality as national character.
Evil Empire = nl I x nl V x nl P
Nazi Germany = nMI – nLV – nLP
Militarist Japan = nMI – nLV – nLP
Western Powers = nMI – nLV – nLP
Warmonger = nl I – nl V – nl P
Western Media = nMI – nLV – nLP
Fool = nLI + nLV + nLP
Rascal = nLI – nLV – nLP
Crooked doctor and hospital owner = nHI + nLV – LP
Washington Executives = nhI – nLV – nLP
Wall Street Executives = nHI – nLV – nLP
Hollywood Executives = nhI – nLV – nLP
A hot tempered person = nl I + l V + l P
A good for nothing person = nl I – oV – l P
A religious or cult leader = nhI + nLV + MP
An violent and abusive husband = nl I – nl V – nl P
A rioter = nl I + oV + oP
A traitor = nl I – oV – oP
An unpleasant person = nl I + lV – lP
An unwelcome person = nl I + oV + oP
A useless person = nl I – oV – oP
A shameless person = nl l – oV + oP
Prolific serial killer =oI x oV x oP
The most frightening phenomenon is the fact that the leaders of the United States of America today are = nLI x nLV x nLP
They may lead America to a nuclear war and destruction of the world.
More sophisticated IVP Scales could include the following:
There are cases where no predominating factor emerges, even people make decision. For example, do you prefer the gift of a $1 million home or cash of $800,000? As for me, three parts of me, Intelligence, Value and Personality would unanimously choose $800,000 cash. Pardon me for not providing the detailed analysis of my decision. I am aware some people would prefer a $1 million home. This is not a moral issue, you may choose as you like.
Almost all Christian ministries exist and live on donations. I know how poor preachers suffered, my father was one of them. The children of poor missionaries also suffered. The most difficult and hardest thing I have ever done was to work my way through college in America. When I earned my Bachelor and Master’s degrees, I did not owe anyone one penny. I have preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the Internet for about 20 years absolutely free. We do not want donation, we just want the people to know the truth. My decision to decline donation is deliberate. Over the years I have watched false preachers who distorted the Gospel and disgraced Christianity by shamelessly and repeatedly begging for money on TV in public. My Body, Soul, and Spirit; my Intelligence, Value, and Personality unanimously and wholeheartedly vote to choose to preach the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ absolutely free. There is no regret, no hesitation, no change of mind.
Would you choose to marry a rich fool or a poor wise man? I know many girls and women would prefer to marry a rich fool. Not a few would even marry a rich old fool. For these girls and women, the Value of money is the only predominating factor in their lives. The Bible says,The love of money is the root of all evil. (1Ti 6:10)For the same reason, Wall Street executives invented 2008 financial crisis and robbed the world $50 trillion and obtained billions in bonuses without shame or regret or going to jail. For the same reason, crooked and fraudulent doctors, dentists, hospital owners, insurance and drugs companies, labs and medical suppliers habitually and routinely defraud and overcharge and bankrupt millions of families with impunity. It is the strangest and most abnormal business transaction in the world that American doctors and hospitals do not have to provide advanced cost information to patients. After patients are discharged, they automatically send overcharged and fraudulent bills to patients they cannot bargain or refuse. In all business transactions under the Heaven, the buyers know ahead of time what will cost them or how much they have to pay. The American legal system allows and enables doctors and hospitals not to disclose cost information in advance and charge whatever they please with impunity.
Why do you become a Christian? As for me, all the articles I wrote on the Internet testify to it. My theological tripartite and my philosophical tripartite deliberately choose to believe in Jesus Christ and become a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ. For those who do not believe, I cannot speak for them. Let us take the Intelligence factor which secularists, unbelieving theologians, scientists and philosophers would argue as the first cause. But Jesus says, Jhn 10:26, “But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.” I would rather to be a sheep of Jesus than all the knowledge and honor of secular academics, unbelieving theologians, scientists and philosophers. The evil heart of unbelief is not what man can fully explain or understand. If you are wise, Believe and Repent.
IVP teaches every man is responsible for himself. IVP also teaches you to know yourself and to know others. IVP teaches you your thinking has consequences because thinking influences behavior. Every act brings consequence. What you sow is what you reap. No one can escape the law of cause and effect. If you fail in this world, there is no one to blame but yourself. If you do well or succeed, it is because you have received help from many people. Your IVP makes you what you are. You have a choice to be what you are. You do not have a choice to be born, but you have a choice how to live. Your destiny is in your hand. Only you can save yourself from self-indulgence, self-deception, self-negligence, self-will, and self-destruction. If you perish, you could not even blame the devil. Jesus says, Jhn 5:40,“and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.” If you are unwilling, God will not force you. God has given you a free will, you may choose life or death. I hope you choose to come to Jesus and have life, eternal life.
Unfortunately I fell ill on October 7, 2019 so I had to go to a major hospital emergency in Shanghai. There I observed several events at the emergency department. (1). One violent young man suddenly ferociously beat up his wife with slapping and kicking in public. People were watching and no one helped. (2) One strong some 40 year old female patient suddenly erupted in fighting and banging the door of a doctor, I saw her hand combat with hospital security personnel, I did not know whether she struck at the doctor or not. Four or five security personnel could not handle her. Then I went to Emergency IV Therapy Area to undergo IV treatment. So I did not know the end result of that violent female patient. (3). I went to below standard hospital toilet facility where I met a man hiding behind the toilet door smoking. I do not need to mention the undesirable and unpleasant and stupid behavior of some patients during IV treatment.
A word to secular academics, unbelieving theologians, scientists and philosophers who say there is no God, so they also believe there is no Hell. I invite them to visit a major Shanghai hospital emergency to find out the existence of a living hell. First they have to fight through the procedure of registering as an emergency patient and pay the fee. Then they have to line up waiting for the doctor. They will have to go through all kinds of tests, pay the fees and wait for the reports. They will also pay and get the prescribed drugs. Finally they will go to the Emergency IV Area to undergo IV treatment. All anyone has to do is to open his eyes to see, his ears to hear, and with MI (Middle Intelligence) he should be able to determine if a living hell exists or not in this world. Have you ever met a doctor who is really concerned about you, voluntarily taking time to explain your condition? If you are very ill, a prescription of ineffective drugs is tantamount to poison. It will not be hard to convince you that a living hell exists in this world, so you can be sure of God’s Word there is an eternal Hell after death.
INTELLIGENCE and VALUE are not self-apparent, you have to use deductive method to measure them. If you are experienced and good at IVP Scale, you can estimate an individual IVP Scale by just watching and hearing a person speak. PERSONALITY is more apparent than Intelligence and Value. IVP Scale has political, social, psychological and economic implications for nations. IVP Scale describes and defines what a person is, or his IVP Scale reflects what a person is.
Woe to a nation which has a large population with the following IVP Scale: nll + lV + lP.
I do not see any hope for any nation which has a large population of the following IVP Scale: nl I + oV + oP.
Have you found IVP and IVP Scale interesting and useful? I told you so.
V. THINKING INFLUENCES BEHAVIOR
What a man thinks in his heart or in his mind has direct influence on his behavior, for better or worse.
1. The Devil was the first wrong THINKER.
Isa 14:12, “How you are fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!”
Note: Lucifer in Hebrew isheylel which means Lucifer = “light-bearer”; shining one; morning star; splendid star; – which occurs 1 time only in the Old Testament. The fallen angel was Lucifer, who was fallen from Heaven. That was the biggest fall, probably bigger than falling from grace. The Bible does not provide the origin of the evil angel. He was cut down to the ground by God. Weaken in Hebrew is chalash which means to waste away; to disable; to prostrate; to overcome; to overthrow; to make frail; – which occurs 3 times in the Old Testament. The Devil weakened the nations. How did the evil angel fall from Heaven?
Isa 14:13,“But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to Heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, AndI will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north.”
Note: Does the devil have a heart, or it means his mind? The fallen angel said in his heart, he will ascend to Heaven. He will raise his throne above the stars of God. He will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. The sin that caused the fallen angel turn into the Devil was his pride or unholy ambition. He wanted to ascend to Heaven. He wanted to raise himself above the stars of God. He wanted to sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. The pride of the Devil’s heart is the pride of power. The Devil spokewith insolent pride he will ascend. The devil is full of ego, that was why he did not subject himself to God. Anyone who does what the devil did is going to destruction. Pro 16:18, “Pridegoes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.” Later the Devil used the same sin to seduce Eve, You will be like God. Secular academics, unbelieving theologians, scientists and philosophers fall into the same trap the devil did.
Isa 14:14, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”
Note: The will of Lucifer ruins him. Lucifer committed the unpardonable sin for he wanted to make himself like the Most High. Lucifer had the ego bigger than his head. How many times he made egocentric thoughts and said in his heart: I will ascend to Heaven …I will raise my throne above…I will sit on the mount…I will ascend above the heights…I will make myself like the Most High – he hit the deadly sin. So Lucifer was the first wrong thinker that brought himself down from Heaven. That is why Jesus says anyone who wants to follow Jesus must deny himself. Watch out the activities of the devil:
(1). The devil fell from Heaven like lightning. (Luk 10:18)
(2). The devil is the enemy who sowed bad seed in the world. (Mat 13:39)
(4). The devil takes away the word from the heart of man. (Luk 8:12)
(5). The devil is a murderer, liar, and father of lies. (Jhn 8:44)
(6). The devil puts evil thought into the heart of man. (Act 10:38)
(7). The devil oppresses people with diseases and demons. (Act 10:38)
(8). The devil plots schemes against believers. (Eph 6:11)
(9). The devil makes the snare to trap Christians. (1Ti 3:7)
(10). The devil is seeking someone to devour.(1Pe 5:8)
(11). The children of the devil do not practice righteousness. (1Jo 3:10)
(12). The devil deceives the whole world. (Rev 12:9)
(13). The devil has come down to earth. (Rev 12:12)
(14). The devil is not setting his mind on God’s interests. (Mat 16:23)
(15). The devil disguises himself as an angel of light. (2Co 11:14)
(16). The devil hinders the servants of Christ. (1Th 2:18)
(17). The devil can perform power and signs and false wonders. (2Th 2:9)
(18). The devil has the flaming arrows. (Eph 6:16)
(19). The devil does not touchone who is born of God. (1Jo 5:18)
(20). The whole world lies in the power of the evil one. (1Jo 5:19)
(21). The devil is the ruler of this world. (Jhn 16:11)
(22). The devil will be thrown into the Lake of Fire. (Rev 20:10)
2. Some Biblical Examples:
The Bible is full of examples to illustrate the fact that thinking influences behavior, we only selected a few for your edification.
(A.) EVE.
Gen 3:1-7, “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’ ”The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.”
Note: Historically Eve was deceived first by the Devil. It is not a sexist statement to say that women are more likely to be deceived than men. The old crafty serpent started his dirty work first with Eve. He picked his vulnerable target.
2Co 11:2-4, “For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.”
Note: Spiritually speaking, a Christian, a true believer, is like a pure virgin of Christ betrothed to Christ. The pure virgin of Christ will not go for another Jesus, will not receive a different spirit, and will not receive a different gospel. Secular academics and unbelieving theologians seduce the pure virgin of Christ to follow another Jesus, to receive a different spirit and a different gospel. So Christians must be alert and not to be deceived. For instance, prosperity gospel is another gospel, not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The so-called historical Jesus presented by Modernists is not the true Jesus of the Bible. The spirit of one World Religion is the spirit of the devil.
1Ti 2:12-15, “But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve.And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.”
Note: The devil seduced Eve with the cunning words your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God. That was the sin the devil committed in the first place, he wanted to be like God. Eve saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise. Here Eve fell into the trap of appearance, the vanity of beauty: the fruit was a delight to the eyes. All the cosmetics and fashions and bags and shoes, jewelry, etc. appeal to women and they turn into big businesses in billions and billions. The desire to look smart and pretty is a black hole.
Christian women, do not listen to the feminist movement and their spokeswomen. They are children of the devil. Follow the Bible as instructed below:
1Ti 3:11, “Women must likewise bedignified, not slanderers, but temperate, faithful in all things.”
Note: Dignified in Greek is semnos which means honest; grave; august; venerable; reverend; venerated in character; honorable; respectable; serious and graceful; distinguished; – which occurs 5 times in the New Testament. Have you met a dignified Christian lady? She is more magnificent than a queen. Slanderer in Greek is diabolos which means false accuser; a calumniator; one who acts the part of the devil; traducer; – which occurs 38 times in the New Testament. Many Western leaders and almost all Western media are slanderers who spread lies, make fakes news and fake reports and false accusations. Temperate in Greek is nēphalios which means sober; vigilant; abstaining from wine; free from alcohol; circumspect; – which occurs 3 times in the New Testament. An intemperate woman appears more degrading. Faithful in Greek ispistos which means true; trusty; sure; worthy of trust; trustworthy; truthful; that can be relied on; – which occurs 69 times in the New Testament. On the contrary, many worldly women engage in malicious gossips.
Tit 2:3, “Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not false accusers nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good.”
Note: Reverent in Greek is hieroprepēs which means befitting; becoming; as becomes holiness; – which occurs 1 time in the New Testament. Enslave in Greek is douloō which means to become servant; to be under bondage; to make a slave of; – which occurs 12 times in the New Testament. Wine or liquor can enslave people. A woman enslaved by wine appears more horrible. A dignified woman who also teaches what is good is so precious.
Tit 2:4, “so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children.”
Note: Women who love their husbands and their children are good citizens of Heaven.
1Pe 3:5, “For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands.”
Note: Adorn in Greek is kosmeō which means to garnish; to trim; to put in order; to arrange; to prepare; to embellish; to ornament; to decorate; to make ready; to beautify; to do makeup; – which occurs 12 times in the New Testament. In former times the holy women are more dignified and respectable than these days. The adornment of the holy women is to be submissive to their own husbands. Other women act like the husbands.
1Ti 2:9-10, “Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments,but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.”
Note: How women adorn themselves tell the difference between the holy women and the common women. Proper in Greek is kosmioswhich means modest; of good behavior; well arranged; seemly; orderly; decorous; virtuous; respectable; – which occurs 2 times in the New Testament. Due to bad influence of Western culture, nowadays many women and girls do not know how to dress themselves properly. Many Western women dress in away deliberately to show most of their breasts. It will not be a surprise if these women and girls go topless one day. Clothing is a very big business in the name of fashion appealing to vanity allure women and girls to dress not properly.
Modestly in Greek is aidōs which means shamefacedly; bashfully; respectfully; decently; – which occurs 2 times in the New Testament. Discreetly in Greek is sōphrosynē which means soberly; with self control; with soundness of mind; – which occurs 3 times in the New Testament. Women hairdos or hairstyles is another big business. Women jewelry is probably the most expensive business. Their favorites are gold and pearls and diamonds. It is even said, Diamonds are women best friends. Costly garments are status symbol for men and women, especially for women. I hold the opinion that a minister’s wife who wears a $30,000 mink coat is a disgrace and gives the enemy of Christ occasion for reproach.
Christian women do not follow the feminist movement, it is a broad way that leads to destruction. Do not imitate Eve, but imitate the holy women. Do not follow in the steps of Eve, but follow Sarah the wife of Abraham, Ruth the virtuous woman, Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary the sister of Lazarus, Elisabeth the mother of John the Baptist, Mary Magdalene, etc.
(B). CAIN.
Gen 4:1-16, “Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a manchild with the help of the LORD.” Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground.Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering;but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.Then the LORD said to Cain: And why has your countenance fallen?If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground.Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.”Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is too great to bear!Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”So the LORD said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him.Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.”
Note: Cain in Hebrew is Qayin which means a possession; a spear; – which occurs 19 times in the Old Testament. Eve thought she got a possession when she gave birth to Cain, not knowing she got a killer, a murderer of his brother. The difference between Abel and Cain was not in their work; one was a keeper of flocks, the other was a tiller of the ground. There is nothing wrong with being a tiller of the land. All work is honorable. God had regard for the offering Abel, and no regard for the offering of Cain. Instead of thinking and finding out why his offering was not acceptable to God, Cain got angry. Very often, people who do not do well get angry. A Western power got angry with China because it cannot compete with China. Out of envy and jealousy the evil nation targets China in every way and treats China as an enemy without cause. If Cain asked his father Adam, he would have learned that because of Adam’s sin, the ground was cursed by God. Cain used the fruit of the ground (cursed) to offer to God, therefore God had no regard for his offering.
When Cain killed his brother Abel, God asked Cain, Where is your brother Abel? Cain answered he did not know. When a man commits a sin or crime, he always insists he has no knowledge of it. Now not only Cain was a murderer, he was a liar. Cain even argued with God that he was not his brother’s keeper. Thinking evil has consequences. When God punished Cain for his murder, Cain not only did not repent and beg for mercy, he complained the punishment was too great to bear. Those who hold death penalty is too cruel must be descendants of Cain.
Gen 3:17, “Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life.”
Note: It is dangerous for the husband to listen to the voice of his wife in sinning against God. The world is cursed because of sin.
Gen 3:19, “By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”
Note: Arrogant man does not realize he is dust, and to dust he shall return.
Gen 5:29, “Now he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the LORD has cursed.”
There is no escape, thinking and doing evil has consequences.
Heb 11:4, “By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.”
Note: Through faith in Jesus Christ and by grace a sinner can be justified before God and saved from the wrath of God.
1Jo 3:12, “not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.”
Note: The Bible calls Cain the evil one because he slew his brother. It is not passing judgment to say a killer is an evil one. Western warmongers and Islamic terrorists are evil ones. Nazis who killed 6 millions Jews were evil ones. Japanese who killed 35 million Chinese were evil ones. The devil was the first murderer, and Cain was the first fratricide.
Jde 1:11, “Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.”
Note: The way of Cain is the way of killing. Since the end of World War II, American presidents and Congressional leaders have gone the way of Cain by killing millions and millions of innocent peoples in the world.
(C). LOT.
Gen 12:5, “Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan.”
Note: Lot in Hebrew is Lowt which means covering; a veil; the ancestor of Ammonites and Moabites; – which occurs 33 times in the Old Testament. Lot was very fortunate to have an uncle like Abraham; Abraham was burdened to have a nephew like Lot.
Gen 13:5-13, “Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents.And the land could not sustain them while dwelling together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together.And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. Now the Canaanite and the Perizzite were dwelling then in the land.So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers.Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me; if to the left, then I will go to the right; or if to the right, then I will go to the left.”Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar.So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other.Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom.Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the LORD.”
Note: Possession in Hebrew isrĕkuwsh which means goods; substance; riches; property; – which occurs 28 times in the Old Testament. Worldly possessions often cause conflict between men and men and nations and nations. Sometimes too much riches may not be a blessing. I agree with the saint who prayed:
Pro 30:7-9, “Two things I asked of You, Do not refuse me before I die:
Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion,
That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the LORD?” Or that I not be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God.”
Note: Please in Hebrew is na’ which means now I beseech thee; I pray; used in entreaty or exhortation; used in submissive and modest request; to have the kindness; to express politeness in a request; – which occurs 384 times in the Old Testament. Abraham was so magnificent and noble. Lot had nothing when Abraham took him to the land of Canaan. Now the herdsmen of Lot had strife with herdsmen of Abraham because Lot had great possessions. Lot looks like an ungrateful nephew. Strife in Hebrew is riyb which means controversy; conflict; contention; dispute; case at law; contest; chiding; suit; fight; – which occurs 63 times in the Old Testament. Although Abraham was the elder of Lot as his uncle, he spoke humbly to Lot. Brother in Hebrew is ‘ach which means kindred; relative; kinship; kinsman; – which occurs 634 times in the Old Testament. Abraham treated Lot as a brother, not as an inferior low ranking relative. Abraham even gave his nephew first priority: If Lot chooses to go to the left, Abraham will go to the right; if Lot chooses to go to the right, Abraham will go to the left. It is unlike the arrogant American leaders to declare policy to the world with “America First”.
Choose in Hebrew is bachar which means to make choice; to elect; to select; to decide for; to appoint; to require; to have a preference for; – which occurs 170 times in the Old Testament. Lot’s choice was influenced by his perception and value.Choice determines one’s destiny.If you compare the life of Lot and the life of Abraham, the consequences prove choice is a critical and historical determinant. Choice reveals the true nature of a person. It is not possible for a sheep to choose a life of a pig.
Gen 13:10-12, “Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar.So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other.Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom.”
Note: Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan like the garden of the Lord. Lot had shallow perception and worldly value.
Luk 17:28-29,“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, they were building;but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from Heaven and destroyed them all.”
2Pe 2:6-8, “and ifHe condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter;and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men(for by what he saw and heard thatrighteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by theirlawless deeds).”
Note: How can any Christian, much more a preacher, not be tormented by the lawless deeds of American and European leaders and politicians from ancient time to the present and the evil deeds of Islamic terrorists?
Whatever we may think of Lot, the Word of God calls him righteous Lot, righteous man, he had righteous soul. But Lot made a wrong choice, while living among the Sodomites, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds. Are your righteous souls not tormented day and night by watching on TV what is happening in the world? Why did not Lot move out of Sodom is a question I cannot answer. Lot was oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men. Homosexuals are unprincipled men. Corrupt politicians are unprincipled men. Corrupt and greedy Wall Street and Hollywood executives are unprincipled men. Greedy and fraudulent doctors, dentists and hospital owners are unprincipled men. Could not Lot do something about the unprincipled men? I do not understand Lot at all. If you make a wrong decision after all can you not change to save yourself from the wrong environment? Of course we are in the world, we cannot get out the world unless we die, but we do not belong to the world. That is the predicament of every saint on earth waiting for the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Luk 17:32-33,“Remember Lot’s wife.Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.”
Note: Remember in Greek ismnēmoneuō which means to be mindful of; to mention; to call to mind; to think of; to hold in memory; to keep in mind; to recollect; to make mention; to remember about; – which occurs 23 times in the New Testament. What to remember Lot’s wife about? Jesus Christ teaches us a lesson: “Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.” Washington, Wall Street and Hollywood executives seek to keep their lives in this world will lose them eventually.
(D). ABRAHAM.
Gen 20:1-18, “Now Abraham journeyed from there toward the land of the Negev, and settled between Kadesh and Shur; then he sojourned in Gerar.Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is married.”Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, will You slay a nation, even thoughblameless?Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.”Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.Now therefore, restore the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not restore her,know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”So Abimelech arose early in the morning and called all his servants and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were greatly frightened.Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.”And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What have you encountered, that you have done this thing?”Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.Besides, she actually is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife;and it came about, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is the kindness which you will show to me: everywhere we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”Abimelech then took sheep and oxen and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and restored his wife Sarah to him.Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; settle wherever you please.”To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; behold, it is your vindication before all who are with you, and before all men you are cleared.”Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maids, so that they bore children.For the LORD had closed fast all the wombs of the household of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.”
Note: This is a most fascinating historical account of Abraham and his beautiful wife Sarah. I have nothing against Abraham. Abraham, who owns a title called, the friend of God, is probably the most magnificent and marvelous and noble gentleman ever lived. Jas 2:23, “and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend of God.” Whenever I meet Jewish people, I always tell them I am also a son of Abraham by faith. I am using Abraham as an example, not because he had done anything wrong. The point is: Man’s thought influenced his behavior. A man’s thought influences his behavior. A good man’s thought also influences his behavior. If I were in the position of Abraham, probably I would do the same and calling my beautiful wife my sister. People who have no fear of God may do any evil. People who fear God do no evil. Western leaders pretend to fear God but they continuously do evil in this world for the last 500 years.
Besides in Hebrew is gam which means also; even; again; indeed; moreover; in addition; truly; which occurs 707 times in the Old Testament. Blessed is the man when he does thing with additional reason. Sarah was truly Abraham’s sister, the same father but different mother. Sarah was both wife and half-sister of Abraham. Kindness in Hebrew ischeced which means mercy; lovingkindness; goodness; favor; pity; faithfulness; good deed; love; benevolence; – which occurs 253 times in the Old Testament. What wife would not do a good deed to save her husband’s life? Here is a tragic reality. People would kill for a beautiful woman. Pardon me, even David did it. Beauty is good but it can be dangerous. People kill for money too. So wealth can be dangerous.
Abraham said God caused him to wander. Abraham obeyed God wherever God wanted him to go. God caused Abraham to wander. Abraham did whatever God caused him to do. This is obedience. Is God the first cause of your life? This is also security. If everything happens in my life is caused by God, I am secure, having nothing to worry. God will lead me through the valley of death to the Holy City. This is the promise of God to His children, Rom 8:28, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” It is a most comforting thought that in a dangerous world God not only controls whatever comes to pass, God also causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him.
Dream in Hebrew is chalowm which means what is heard or seen or experienced during sleep; – which occurs 65 times in the Old Testament. There are two kinds of dream: ordinary dream and prophetic dream. For example, Joseph had prophetic dreams. God also used dream to speak to people, from king Abimelech to the wise men from the East.
God said to Abimelech that he was a dead man because the woman whom he had taken wasmarried. If you take a married woman, God considers you are a dead man. Adultery is a great sin. Oh how many dead men in the West, Arab countries and the world! Dead in Hebrew ismuwth which means killed; executed; sterile; – which occurs 984 times in the Old Testament. The reason was that the LORD had closed fast all the wombs of the household of Abimelech, Abimelech and his wife and his maids, so that they bore no children. Hearing these things they were greatly frightened.
God can slay any person or nation any time. I wonder why Western leaders and media executive and Islamic terrorists are not afraid that God may slay them? Blameless in Hebrew is tsaddiyq which means righteous in conduct and character; just; lawful; correct; right; true; honest; virtuous; pious; upright; – which occurs 235 times in the Old Testament. To be blameless is to have the integrity of the heart and the innocence of the hands. Integrity in Hebrew is tom which means uprightness; simplicity; perfection; completeness; innocence; wholeness; incorruptibility; – which occurs 24 times in the Old Testament. Innocence in Hebrew isniqqayown which means innocency; cleanness; freedom from guilt; purity; – which occurs 5 times in the Old Testament. How many Western leaders have the integrity of the heart and the innocence of the hands? A liar, murderer and robber cannot have the integrity of the heart and the innocence of the hands.
Restore in Hebrew isshuwb which means to return; to turn back; to recover; to bring back; to put back; to give back; to send back; – which occurs 1,299 times in the Old Testament. This is grave and serious matter: If you rape a virgin, she cannot be restored. If you rape a woman, she cannot be restored. It is wonderful to know that God who loved Abraham and Sarah so much that He kept king Abimelech from sinning against God, and therefore God did not let Abimelech touch Sarah. I bow to the Sovereignty of God and I adore His power and lovingkindness.
Vindication in Hebrew is kĕcuwth which means covering for concealment; vesture; raiment; veiling; a cover (garment); covering of the eyes (a gift of appeasing); a present given in order to obtain a pardon; a mulct; – which occurs 8 times in the Old Testament. For a vindication, king Abimelech gave a thousand pieces of silver to Abraham, a big sum of money. Vindication of China will take place when Japan confesses its war crimes, genocide, sex slavery, slave labor, atrocities and brutalities committed against China in the war of aggression for 14 years and pay compensation! Vindication of China can take place when America, Europe, Japan and others return the national treasures of China worth US$100,000 trillion dollars robbed and looted during the infamous Opium Wars, etc. to the present.
Clear in Hebrew is yakach which means to prove right; to show to be right; to justify; to be in the front; to be in the sunshine; – which occurs 64 times in the Old Testament. Isn’t this a beautiful expression? To be cleared is to be in the sunshine? American presidents and leaders, Western leaders for the last 500 years, Japanese leaders and militarists, and Islamic terrorists can never be cleared from their crimes and sins of lying, killing and robbing. They should not feel lucky because they are not charged in the court of men. They will face the Supreme Court of Heaven sooner or later.
(E). SAMSON.
Jdg 14:1-9, “Then Samson went down to Timnah and saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines.So he came back and told his father and mother, “I saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.”Then his father and his mother said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she looks good to me.”However, his father and mother did not know that it was of the LORD, for He was seeking an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.Then Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came as far as the vineyards of Timnah; and behold, a young lion came roaring toward him.The Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily, so that he tore him as one tears a young goat though he had nothing in his hand; but he did not tell his father or mother what he had done.So he went down and talked to the woman; and she looked good to Samson.When he returned later to take her, he turned aside to look at the carcass of the lion; and behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the body of the lion.So he scraped the honey into his hands and went on, eating as he went. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it; but he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey out of the body of the lion.”
Note: Delilah looks good to Samson. Deadly mushrooms also look good. Samson in Hebrew is Shimshown which means like the sun; sunlight; – which occurs 38 times in the Old Testament. Samson was a Nazarite for life, and a judge of Israel for 20 years. Samson was celebrated for his great strength, but he was weak toward women, particularly beautiful women. Samson could conquer the Philistines, but he could not subdue himself.Pro 16:32, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.” Apparently, Samson could not rule his spirit. A wife must be a woman, but a woman may not be a wife. The only reason that Samson wanted Delilah for a wife was because Delilah looked good to him. The good looks of woman have such a mesmerizing effect on all men. All men are pleased with good looking women. Appearance attracts man. When Marilyn Monroe walked, all men stopped and looked.
Jdg 16:15, “Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have deceived me these three times and have not told me where your great strength is.”
Note: It is certainly dangerous to pick a wife sheer and only based on appearance or good looks. There is vanity in beauty, but no beauty in vanity. It is true everywhere, appearance attracts men. Jesus says, Jhn 7:24, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”1Sa 16:7, “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”Appearance in Hebrew is mar’eh which means sight; countenance; what is seen; look; form; – which occurs 95 times in the Old Testament. Outward appearance in Hebrew is`ayin which means eye; face; sight; presence; resemblance; what is before the eyes; between the eyes; – which occurs 844 times in the Old Testament. This is a great truth: God sees not as man sees. A man of tripartite (IVP) cannot and does not see as the Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient God sees. So this is your problem, secular academics, unbelieving theologians, scientists and philosophers –you cannot see as God sees.
A good looking woman may not be a good wife, a good wife may not be good looking. It is rare to find the combination of intelligence and beautiful appearance. 1Sa 25:3, “(now the man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. And the woman was intelligent and beautiful in appearance, but the man was harsh and evil in his dealings, and he was a Calebite).” Abigail was both intelligent and beautiful who became David’s wife after decease of her husband. Ruth was beautiful and virtuous. Sarah was beautiful and holy. See the value of a virtuous woman and wife as follows:
Pro 12:4, “A virtuous womanisa crown of her husband, but she who causes shameislikedecay in his bones.”
Note: Virtuous in Hebrew is chayilwhich means efficient; able;virtuous; worthy; – which occurs 243 times in the Old Testament. Crown in Hebrew is `atarah which means a diadem; a royal headdress; – which occurs 23 times in the Old Testament. Cause shame in Hebrew is buwsh which means to put to shame; to act shamefully; to disgrace; – which occurs 109 times in the Old Testament. Decay in Hebrew is raqab which means rotten thing; rottenness; decomposition; – which occurs 5 times in the Old Testament.
Pro 31:10-31, “Who can find an virtuous wife? For her worth is far above jewels.The heart of her husband trusts in her, And he will have no lack of gain.She does him good and not evil All the days of her life.She looks for wool and flax And works with her hands in delight.She is like merchant ships; She brings her food from afar.She rises also while it is still night And gives food to her household and portions to her maidens. She considers a field and buys it; from her earnings she plants a vineyard. She girds herself with strength and makes her arms strong. She senses that her gain is good; her lamp does not go out at night. She stretches out her hands to the distaff, and her hands grasp the spindle. She extends her hand to the poor, and she stretches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of the snow for her household, for all her household are clothed with scarlet. She makes coverings for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies belts to the tradesmen. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future. She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her, saying: Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all.” Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.”
Note: The failure of Samson highlights the priceless value of a virtuous wife. To get a woman is easy, but who can find a virtuous wife. How blessed is the man who has a virtuous wife, she is more valuable than all the gold stored at Fort Knox. I rise up and bless my mother. There is one important point to be said about Delilah in respect to Samson.
Jdg 16:14-17, “So while he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his hair and wove them into the web. And she fastened it with the pin and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin of the loom and the web.Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have deceived me these three times and have not told me where your great strength is.”It came about when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his soul was annoyed to death.So he told her all that was in his heart and said to her, “A razor has never come on my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will leave me and I will become weak and be like any other man.”
Note: Delilah in Hebrew is Dĕliylah which means feeble; weak and delicate; a Philistinewoman pining with desire; – which occurs 6 times in the Old Testament. Delilah was anything but feeble. She was full of lies and schemes to destroy Samson, and had the gall to say that Samson deceived her three times. Press in Hebrew is tsuwq which means to distress; to oppress; to bring into straits; to compress; to straiten; to urge; – which occurs 13 times in the Old Testament. Samson who was a physically strong person but was spiritually weak and could not stand the daily pressure of words and urging from his woman. You see how much influence a woman has on a man. Urge in Hebrew is ‘alats which means to press; to demand earnestly; – which occurs 1 time in the Old Testament. Annoy in Hebrew is qatsarwhich means to vex; to discourage; to disturb; to dock off; to curtail; to bother; to trouble; to loathe; to grieve; to straiten; to upset; to make impatient; to irritate repeatedly; to harass; – which occurs 52 times in the Old Testament. The soul of Samson was annoyed to death by Delilah. Who says it is a weaker sex, a woman can annoy the strongest man to death! Oh man, do not tell the secret of your heart to a woman, unless she is a Ruth or Sarah. Strangest thing about Samson is the fact that Delilah tried three times to betray and harm him, Samson did not seem to realize the danger or recognize the evil of Delilah. Samson seemed to be blind, deaf and dumb in front of his woman. The evil and wicked Delilah had the most twisted and tortured logic and distorted definition of love, she said to Samson, How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me?. The concept of Delilah’s love is one way and to irrationally demand Samson to surrender his heart to her. Diabolical Delilah does not know that love is mutual, not selfish. Love is not only the heart who loves you must be with you, your heart must also be with your counterpart. Samson’s heart must be with Delilah even Delilah planned boldly to have him harmed and killed. If you think a woman wants to rob all you have, to bankrupt you, to ruin your life is to love you, you set yourself up for complete shame and total destruction.
Beware of Delilah! Christians girls and women, don’t be Delilah even in Samson’s eyes she was beautiful. Don’t be a woman that betrays your husband and ruined his life. Christian ladies, imitate the holy women like Sarah, Ruth, Mary Magdalene, Mary the sister of Lazarus, Joanna, Susanna, and Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist, etc.
(F). ELI
1Sa 1:8-19, “Then Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep and why do you not eat and why is your heart sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”Then Hannah rose after eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the temple of the LORD.She, greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly.She made a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.”Now it came about, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli was watching her mouth.As for Hannah, she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk.Then Eli said to her, “How long will you make yourself drunk? Put away your wine from you.”But Hannah replied, “No, my lord, I am a woman oppressed in spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD.Do not consider your maidservant as a worthless woman, for I have spoken until now out of my great concern and provocation.”Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace; and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of Him.”She said, “Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.Then they arose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD, and returned again to their house in Ramah. And Elkanah had relations with Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her.It came about in due time, after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked him of the LORD.”
Note: Eli in Hebrew is `Eliyin Hebrew is means ascension; a high priest and judge of Israel; the predecessor of Samuel; – which occurs 33 times in the Old Testament. Poor Eli could not judge correctly, he thought Hannah was drunk when actually she was speaking in her heart and pouring out her soul before the Lord. When a devout woman was praying earnestly, the priest thought she was drunk a worthless woman. Eli had poor insight and poor judgment. It is tragic when a minister has poor insight and wrong judgment. No matter what church you belong to, you must use the Word of God to test and measure the preacher. How damaging when a minister condemns the wrong person.
1Sa 2:12-17, “Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the LORDand the custom of the priests with the people. When any man was offering a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand.Then he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. Thus they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.Also, before they burned the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest meat for roasting, as he will not take boiled meat from you, only raw.”If the man said to him, “They must surely burn the fat first, and then take as much as you desire,” then he would say, “No, but you shall give it to me now; and if not, I will take it by force.”Thus the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for the men despised the offering of the LORD.”
Note: Eli thought Hannah was drunk a worthless woman. Poor Eli could not see the evil and blasphemous deeds of his two sons who did not know the Lord and the custom of the priests with the people. Poor Eli could not see his sons were worthless men. So many parents could not see their sons and daughter are worthless persons. The sons of Eli were famous or infamous with the “three-pronged fork”. Worthless in Hebrew is bĕliya`al which means wicked; ungodly; naughty; evil; good for nothing; base; vile; useless; – which occurs 28 times in the Old Testament. Why Eli was so blind and deaf that he did not know his two sons were worthless men who did not know the Lord? Some parents seem to be oblivious to the faults and sins of their children. The sins of the young men was very great before the Lord for they despised the offering of the Lord. The offering of the Lord is holy and to be respected. It is most tragic if the children of a minister are worthless and do not know the Lord.
1Sa 2:22-25, “Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting.He said to them, “Why do you do such things, the evil things that I hear from all these people?No, my sons; for the report is not good which I hear the LORD’S people circulating.If one man sins against another, God will mediate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for the LORD desired to put them to death.”
Note: The evil things that the sons of Eli did were sins against the Lord. Eli had failed as a priest and judge because even his children would not listen to his voice. Every father is a failure if his children would not listen to his voice. Every minister is a failure if his children would not listen to him. A word to all fathers: the most important lesson you must teach your children is only one word: obedience. Obedience is the path of righteousness and the path of success.
1Sa 2:27-36, “Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Did I not indeed reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh’s house?Did I notchoose them from all the tribes of Israel to be My priests, to go up to My altar, to burn incense, to carry an ephod before Me; and did I not give to the house of your father all the fire offerings of the sons of Israel?Why do you kick at My sacrifice and at My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling, and honor your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the choicest of every offering of My people Israel?’Therefore the LORD God of Israel declares, ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father should walk before Me forever’; but now the LORD declares, ‘Far be it from Me—for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed.Behold, the days are coming when I will break your strength and the strength of your father’s house so that there will not be an old man in your house.You will see the distress of My dwelling, in spite of all the good that I do for Israel; and an old man will not be in your house forever.Yet I will not cut off every man of yours from My altar so that your eyes will fail from weeping and your soul grieve, and all the increase of your house will die in the prime of life.This will be the sign to you which will come concerning your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: on the same day both of them will die.But I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed always.Everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and say, “Please assign me to one of the priest’s offices so that I may eat a piece of bread.”
Note: The sin of Eli was that he honored his son above the Lord. Honor in Hebrew is kabad which means to glorify; to esteem; to respect; to promote; to lift up; to make important or heavy; to make honorable; to make weighty; to render illustrious; to boast; to treat with respect; – which occurs 132 times in the Old Testament. This is a great truth with consequences: Those who honor God, God will honor them. Those who despise God will be lightly esteemed. A minister who honors his son or anyone above the Lord is a dead man. Christians must not and cannot honor anyone above the Lord. This is God’s wonderful promise: God will honor those who honor Him. Despise in Hebrew is bazah which means to hold in contempt; to disdain; to regard with contempt; to look down; to scorn; to underestimate; to trample with the feet; to make light of; – which occurs 44 times in the Old Testament. Esteem lightly in Greek is qalal which means to be cursed; to despise; to abate; to be slighted; to make despicable; to treat with contempt; to be dishonored; to be diminished; to be made of little account; to make light; to reckon lightly; – which occurs 95 times in the Old Testament. Is there anything worse than the curse of God?
A house which does not have an old man is cursed, because their members die in the prime of their lives. The sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, both of them died on the same day. Hophni in Hebrew is Chophniy which means pugilist; fighter; – which occurs 5 times in the Old Testament. Hophni was not fighter, he was a fool. Phinehas in Hebrew is Piynĕchac which means mouth of brass; mouth of a serpent; – which occurs 25 times in the Old Testament. Hophni and Phinehas who sinned against God died young on the same day. Eli could not see well because his eyesight had begun to grow dim. Nowadays we might say Eli suffered cataract.
1Sa 3:11-18, “The LORD said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.In that day I will carry out against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them.Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. But Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.”He said, “What is the word that He spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the words that He spoke to you.”So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the LORD; let Him do what seems good to Him.”
Note: Tingle in Hebrew is tsalal which means to quiver of fear; to rattle together (as the ears reddening in shame); or the teeth in chattering with fear; or the lips quivering with fear; – which occurs 4 times in the Old Testament. Iniquity in Hebrew is `avon which means sin; fault; mischief; perversity; depravity; guilt contracted by sinning; punishment of iniquity; crime; calamity; misery; – which occurs 237 times in the Old Testament. To bring curse in Hebrew is qalalwhich means to execrate; to bring curse to oneself; to afflict; to declare to be evil; – which occurs 95 times in the Old Testament. Rebuke in Hebrew is kahah which means to restraint; to weaken; to cast down; to chide; to reprimand; to check or keep down; to strongly disapprove; – which occurs 8 times in the Old Testament.
1Sa 4:12-18, “Now a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn and dust on his head.When he came, behold, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road eagerly watching, because his heart was trembling for the ark of God. So the man came to tell it in the city, and all the city cried out.When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, “What does the noise of this commotion mean?” Then the man came hurriedly and told Eli.Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were set so that he could not see.The man said to Eli, “I am the one who came from the battle line. Indeed, I escaped from the battle line today.” And he said, “How did things go, my son?”Then the one who brought the news replied, “Israel has fled before the Philistines and there has also been a great slaughter among the people, and your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been taken.”When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell off the seat backward beside the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for he was old and heavy. Thus he judged Israel forty years.”
Note: Somethings were seriously wrong with Eli. (1). Knowing the iniquity his two sons committed against the Lord and the people, Eli did not rebuke and stop them. (2). Hearing the Lord was going to judge and destroy his house, Eli did not beg God for mercy and repent of his sins. How awful and terrible that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.Eli nonchalantly said, “It is the LORD; let Him do what seems good to Him.” It is not up to Eli to say anything, the Lord will do whatever He pleases. The Lord will do whatever seems good to Him. The tragic end of Eli serves a warning to all ministers who are complacent and incompetent about the rearing and training of their children. Eli serves as a warning to all ministers who do not discipline their children. Eli serves as a warning to all fathers who do not rebuke and stop their children from sinning or doing evil.
(G). SAUL.
Saul was the first king of the Jewish nation.
1Sa 9:1-17, “Now there was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor.He had a son whose name was Saul, a choice and handsome man, and there was not a more handsome person than he among the sons of Israel; from his shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people.Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. So Kish said to his son Saul, “Take now with you one of the servants, and arise, go search for the donkeys.” He passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. Then they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they did not find them.When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come, and let us return, or else my father will cease to be concerned about the donkeys and will become anxious for us.”He said to him, “Behold now, there is a man of God in this city, and the man is held in honor; all that he says surely comes true. Now let us go there, perhaps he can tell us about our journey on which we have set out.”Then Saul said to his servant, “But behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the bread is gone from our sack and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?”The servant answered Saul again and said, “Behold, I have in my hand a fourth of a shekel of silver; I will give it to the man of God and he will tell us our way.”(Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he used to say, “Come, and let us go to the seer”; for he who is calleda prophet now was formerly called a seer.)Then Saul said to his servant, “Well said; come, let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was.As they went up the slope to the city, they found young women going out to draw water and said to them, “Is the seer here?”They answered them and said, “He is; see, he is ahead of you. Hurry now, for he has come into the city today, for the people have a sacrifice on the high place today.As soon as you enter the city you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat, for the people will not eat until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now therefore, go up for you will find him at once.”So they went up to the city. As they came into the city, behold, Samuel was coming out toward them to go up to the high place.Now a day before Saul’s coming, the LORD had revealed thisto Samuel saying,“About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over My people Israel; and he will deliver My people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have regarded My people, because their cry has come to Me.”When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said to him, “Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you! This one shall rule over My people.”
Note: Saul had begun well, who could predict his tragic end? He who begins well there is no guarantee will end well.
1Sa 9:18-27, “Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, “Please tell me where the seer’s house is.”Samuel answered Saul and said, “I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today; and in the morning I will let you go, and will tell you all that is on your mind.“As for your donkeys which were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father’s household?”Saul replied, “Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak to me in this way?”Then Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall and gave them a place at the head of those who were invited, who were about thirty men.Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion that I gave you, concerning which I said to you, ‘Set it aside.’”Then the cook took up the leg with what was on it and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, “Here is what has been reserved! Set it before you and eat, because it has been kept for you until the appointed time, since I said I have invited the people.” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.When they came down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the roof.And they arose early; and at daybreak Samuel called to Saul on the roof, saying, “Get up, that I may send you away.” So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out into the street.As they were going down to the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Say to the servant that he might go ahead of us and pass on, but you remain standing now, that I may proclaim the Word of God to you.”
Note: The job of a prophet of God is to proclaim the Word of God without fear.
1Sa 10:6-9, “Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you mightily, and you shall prophesy with them and be changed into another man.“It shall be when these signs come to you, do for yourself what the occasion requires, for God is with you.And you shall go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you should do.”Then it happened when he turned his back to leave Samuel, God changed his heart; and all those signs came about on that day.”
Note: The Spirit of the Lord can make a man mighty. When God is with you, you have nothing to worry.
1Sa 10:20-24, “Thus Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot.Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the Matrite family was taken. And Saul the son of Kish was taken; but when they looked for him, he could not be found.Therefore they inquired further of the LORD, “Has the man come here yet?” So the LORD said, “Behold, he is hiding himself by the baggage.”So they ran and took him from there, and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen? Surely there is no one like him among all the people.” So all the people shouted and said, “Long live the king!”
Note: Why was Saul hiding himself by the baggage? Saul was little in his own eyes, and so he hid himself. Saul was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. The height of man is measured from his chin up, not from his shoulders upward. In my lifetime a great man Deng Xiaoping was also short, and too bad he was not a Christian.
1Sa 11:11-13, “The next morning Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp at the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.Then the people said to Samuel, “Who is he that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring the men, that we may put them to death.”But Saul said, “Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has accomplished deliverance in Israel.”
1Sa 11:15, “So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they also offered sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.”
Note: Saul was young and had this first great victory over the Ammonites and he was also wise in not putting his enemies to death.
1Sa 13:5-14, “Now the Philistines assembled to fight with Israel, 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen, and people like the sand which is on the seashore in abundance; and they came up and camped in Michmash, east of Beth-aven.When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were hard-pressed), then the people hid themselves in caves, in thickets, in cliffs, in cellars, and in pits.Also some of the Hebrews crossed the Jordan into the land of Gad and Gilead. But as for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.Now he waited seven days, according to the appointed time set by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him. So Saul said, “Bring to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering.As soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and to greet him.But Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the appointed days, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash,therefore I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the LORD.’ So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.” Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.“But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”
Note: Here is the beginning of the downfall of Saul. The situation was desperate. When you are in a desperate situation, all the more you must keep the commandment of the Lord your God and seek His mercy earnestly. Saul had waited, I do not know the delay of Samuel was a test for his patience. Never run ahead of the Lord. The darkest night is near the dawn. Always ask yourself, What am I doing? Am I doing the will of God? Never force yourself to do anything that violates or offends the commandment of the Lord. Saul knew a king is not appointed or qualified to do the sacred job of the priest or prophet. Never go beyond your position. Never usurp a divine authority. In the holy things of God, you must never offend God and think it is a small thing. For a king to act as a priest is foolish. Samuel said to Saul that he had acted foolishly. For a carpenter to act as a surgeon would be disaster. For a cook to play doctor is a calamity. This is a great truth, obedience is better than a offering. Nothing against the Lord will endure. The Lord will appoint a man after His own heart. God honors those who honor Him. God uses those who obey Him.
However bad was Saul, he had a good and righteous son Jonathan. Jonathan was not a homosexual as secular academics and unbelieving theologians may claim. Jonathan’s love for David was pure and holy, for he knew God had chosen David to be King of Israel. The foolish Saul almost had killed his good son.
1Sa 14:37, “Saul inquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You give them into the hand of Israel?” But He did not answer him on that day.”
Note: If you do not listen to God, God will not listen to you. If you continue to read about Saul, you will learn more about foolish and unrighteous things that he did. He was marching toward destruction, a tragic end even involving his righteous son Jonathan.
1Sa 15:1-4,“Then Samuel said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; now therefore, listen to the Words of the LORD.Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he set himself against him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt.Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’Then Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim, 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah.”
Note: For any man, high or low, the most important thing is to listen to the Words of the Lord.
1Sa 15:8-11, “He captured Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were not willing to destroy them utterly; but everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.Then the Word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying,“I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands.” And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all night.”
Note: The word “regret” is curious. Whether to say God feels sorry or grieves is an anthropomorphic euphemism. For God knows the end from the beginning. Nothing surprises God. Nothing withstands God. The Bible was written for our learning, learning in human terms. Here goes again Saul turned his back from following God and did not carry out His commands repeatedly and disobeyed God again and again.
1Sa 15:22-23, “Samuel said, “Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.
“For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the Word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king.”
Note: The Scriptures cited above summarize the failures and sins of Saul. It is very funny all crooked people who made their fortunes corrupt way always ended up in becoming philanthropists. Their foundations are used to compensate or cover up their conscience of guilt and greed. Dirty money does not make charity. God rejects those who reject His Word. 1Sa 15:26, But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you; for you have rejected the Word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel.” The way Saul hunted down David discloses what a bad character he is. Truth often makes people angry. Saul had slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. This is an indisputable fact. But the saying displeased Saul. Jealousy can blind a human’s heart and sight. For the same reason, out of envy and jealousy Western leaders are madly targeting and hunting down China.
To make the long story short: 1Ch 10:2-6, “The Philistines closely pursued Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan, Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.The battle became heavy against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was wounded by the archers. Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, otherwise these uncircumcised will come and abuse me.” But his armor bearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took his sword and fell on it.When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell on his sword and died.Thus Saul died with his three sons, and all those of his house died together.”Many of Saul’s thoughts and acts were fatally wrong. Here the tragic end of king Saul who rejected the Word of God. Do not confuse Saul of the Old Testament with Saul of the New Testament who was better known as Paul.
(H). JUDAS ISCARIOT
Mat 10:4, “Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him.”
Note: Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve disciples, the one who betrayed the Lord. Judas in Greek is Ioudas is a name of several persons; which means he shall be praised; which occurs 44 times in the New Testament. Judas Iscariot has an epithet of the traitor. Judas proves a bad man can have a good name. Betray in Greek is paradidōmi which means to give into the hands of another; to deliver up treacherously; to give over; to be disloyal by evil deed; – which occurs 134 times in the New Testament. The Lord was betrayed by his disciple. You can be betrayed by a friend of 30 years. This illustrates human depravity.
Luk 6:16, “Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.”
Note: Become in Greek is ginomai which means to come to pass; to begin to be; to be made; to come into being; to come into existence; to show oneself; to come to be; – which occurs 536 times in the New Testament. To become presupposes choice and action. Judas became a traitor on his own, not forced by anyone. Traitor in Greek is prodotēswhich means a betrayer; surrender; one who commits treason; – which occurs 3 times in the New Testament. For thirty pieces of silver, Judas stinks and suffers shame for eternity.
Some may not realize the leaders of Taiwan have become Chinese traitors because they obeyed the command of foreign forces and leaders and have sold out China. It would be wrong to treat them like Chinese. They must be destroyed as traitors. There have been traitors in Hong Kong too, but Hong Kong government gets wiser now.
Jhn 12:3-8, “Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, said,“Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?”Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it.Therefore Jesus said, “Let her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial.For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.”
Note: The comparison of Mary with Judas is the comparison of Heaven and Hell. Mary offered to Jesus her best, Judas was intending to betray the Lord. Very costly in Greek is polytimoswhich means of great price; very valuable; extremely valuable; very expensive; – which occurs 6 times in the New Testament. What Mary did for Jesus burial the fragrance lasts for eternity. Intend in Greek ismellō which means to have in mind; to be about; to be on the point of doing something; to think to; – which occurs 105 times in the New Testament. It is significantly clear, both a good and bad deed is intentional. When people pompously promote something seemingly good, you have to analyze the motive behind the campaign. Some people are so sleek to say and do something seemingly good, but that is not because of what they say or do. They say just to fool people. Watch out the true reason behind any action: not because… but because. Judas was not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief. Thief in Greek is kleptēs which means an embezzler; pilferer; a stealer; one who commits theft; – which occurs 16 times in the New Testament. The word kleptomania is derived from the Greek word. Many politicians who advocate loudly democracy and human rights are actually kleptocracy wherewith they rob the people and nation to live luxuriously. Not a few preachers who preach they are the recipients of tithing in order to live lavishly.
Judas sounds like a philanthropist, but actually he is an embezzler who pilfers from the money box. There are rich people who set up foundations, not because they care about the poor or intending to do good, but because to compensate their guilt in making money the crooked ways and to be exempt from taxes. Western leaders loudly promote democracy, freedom, human rights, etc. not because they care for justice and peace and equality, but because they want to dominate and dictate the world. Playboys behave nicely to young women, not because they want to marry them, but because they want to play promiscuity and have sex with them. It is almost funny to hear so may old people in China fall into scam and con game thinking they can make good money. The promise of a swindler is to bait the simple-minded.
Mat 26:14-16, “Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priestsand said, “What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?” And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him.From then on he beganlooking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus.”
Note: The wicked always want to get something out of the evil deed they do. They want to get paid for doing evil. Look for in Greek iszēteō which means to seek for; to seek in order to find; to seek after; to aim at; to strive after; to search for; to await with hope; – which occurs 119 times in the New Testament. Opportunity in Greek is eukairia which means a favorable occasion; seasonable time; good timing; a good chance; – which occurs 4 times in the New Testament. Interestingly Judas was looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus. I think you always have a chance to do a little good or a little evil. But to do big good or big evil, you will need a good opportunity. Pure virgins do not give opportunity to the rapist to deflower you. Virtuous women do not give a good opportunity to the wicked to debase you. Watch out do not give the wicked opportunity to rob you. You must be alert and always on guard to protect your valuables.
Jhn 13:2, “During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him.”
Note: This is one of the most horrible and terrible truths. The devil is the most dangerous character, not only he does evil himself, he also puts evil thought in the heart and mind of man. The devil is the origin of evil.
Jhn 6:70-71, “Jesus answered them, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?”Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him.”
Note: Devil in Greek is diabolos which means false accuser; slanderer; a calumniator; a traducer; Satan; the supreme spirit of evil; – which occurs 40 times in the New Testament. Jesus called Judas a devil, not a demon. Could it be Judas was the incarnation of the devil? Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus was a devil, worse than a demon. The devil is the chief of all demons and evil spirits.
Jhn 6:64, “But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him.”
Note: Jesus knew all men. Jesus knew some people who do not believe. Jesus was never a victim of man, or circumstances, or the devil. Jesus knew the end from the beginning. Jesus knew everything. Nothing surprised the Lord. Jesus knew from the beginning Judas the traitor who did not believe. Amazing, a man could follow Jesus and eat with Him and witnessed His miracles and teachings for years and even performed miracles and cast out demons in Jesus name and yet not a believer. How can anyone know or realize the evil heart of unbelief?
Mat 26:48-50, “Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.”Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.And Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him.”
Luk 22:47-48, “While He was still speaking, behold, a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was preceding them; and he approached Jesus to kiss Him.But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
Note: Kiss in Greek is philēma which means a touch with the lips as a sign of affection; a sign of fraternal affection; a caress of one another with the lips; – which occurs 7 times in the New Testament. How wicked for Judas to use a sign of affection in betraying the Lord. Friend in Greek is hetairos which means a comrade; fellow; partner; one that is not hostile; a favored companion; someone who can be trusted; – which occurs 3 times in the New Testament. It is amazing that Jesus knew Judas to be the traitor and still called him friend.
Mat 26:24, “For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”
Note: Be far better in Greek iskalos which means good; honest; beautiful; excellent; eminent; precious; commendable; admirable; useful; suitable; magnificent; approved; noble; honorable; pleasing; expedient; profitable; wholesome; delightful; – which occurs 105 times in the New Testament. I am not a Greek scholar, I believe the Greek word kalos does contain the meaning of “better” although it usually rendered as “good”. Can anyone have the idea of anything good or better than never to have been born? Can you know or think of nothingness? Even a rat can know it is a rat. But nothingness cannot be conscious of nothingness. If you have never been born, it means you never exist, you are absolutely nothing, having no identity or consciousness whatsoever — such cognitive oblivion and material or physical nothingness would be better than to betray the Lord!
Mat 27:3-10, “Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he regretted and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to that yourself!”And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself.The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood.”And they conferred together and with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers.For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “AND THEY TOOK THE THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER, THE PRICE OF THE ONE WHOSE PRICE HAD BEEN SET by the sons of Israel;AND THEY GAVE THEM FOR THE POTTER’S FIELD, AS THE LORD DIRECTED ME.”
Note: Only God knows how much innocent blood had been shed by American and European leaders for hundreds of years to this day. What is most shocking is the fact that they seem willing to continue shedding the blood of innocent!!!
Regret in Greek is metamelomai which means to repent; to care afterwards; to feel sorry; – which occurs 9 times in the New Testament. Judas regretted and admitted that he betrayed the innocent blood. The price of blood is a decent concept. So many world leaders and the wicked would rob the price of blood willingly and happily and put them in their bank accounts and safe deposit boxes. In the last 500 years European powers and in the last 300 years American imperialists have robbed the world and made themselves very rich and affluent. In the last created economic crisis of 2008 Wall Street had robbed the world more than$50 trillions! Crooked and fraudulent American doctors, dentists and hospital owners, drug and insurance companies, labs and medical suppliers, lawyers, etc. have robbed billions or trillions and bankrupted millions of American families with impunity.
Mat 21:28-32,“But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ “And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went.“The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go.Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you.For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him.”
Note: Regret in Greek is metamelomai which means to repent; to change one’s mind; to be very sorry for; which occurs 9 times in the New Testament. Feel remorse in Greek is metamelomai, the same word used for regret. I think Judas regretted without remorse and repentance.
Act 1:16-19,“Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.For he was counted among us and received his share in this ministry.”(Now this man acquired a field with the price of his wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out.And it became known to all who were living in Jerusalem; so that in their own language that field was called Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.).”
Note: Ministry in Greek isdiakonia which means service; ministering; office of the apostles; – which occurs 34 times in the New Testament. Judas the traitor serves as a warning and a sign that not all ministers or preachers are servants of Christ. A devil can be a minister!!! All those who preach the Gospel for money are descendants of Judas. For example preachers of false gospel such as prosperity gospel.
Some facts about JUDAS THE TRAITOR:
Judas was foretold in the Scripture to betray the Lord.
Judas was an apostle, although he followed Jesus all these years, heard Jesus teaching and watched Jesus performing miracles, he himself also received his share of the ministry, cast out demons, but he from the beginning did not believe.
Jesus called Judas a devil.
Judas had the money box and he was a thief.
Judas got thirty pieces of silver from the chief priests for betraying Jesus.
Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss.
Judas regretted and admitted his sin for betraying Jesus but never repented.
Judas hanged himself and died with all his intestines gushed out.
It was good or better that Judas had never been born.
In summary, Judas the traitor serves as a warning to all false preachers, to preachers who merchandise the Gospel of God for gain and glory, for fame and fortune.
3. WHITE MAN’S BURDEN
The White Man’s Burden was not created in 1899. Much earlier and long before Power and Wealth wed in Europe and bred what is known later as White Man’s Burden. In order to whitewash and beautify the evil thought and action committed by Europeans, they put on the cloak of Christianity as a cover and with the phony pretext in their hearts and minds that claim the Europeans are of a superior race, and they are given a burden by God to civilize and colonize the nonwhites (who are half devil and half child) in order to rule the world on behalf of God. They can use you in any way and are better because they are superior. The white man’s burden means it is the white person’s duty to teach you how to be civilized and how to be like them. This reason becomes the basis and rationale of White racism to this day. Darwin’s “the survival of the fittest” becomes a convenient analogy that Europeans were the fittest in human nature and environment and technologically more advanced.
Although it was Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) who was the first person to coin the term, White Man’s Burden did not start with Kipling the British white supremacist. Charles Darwin (1809-1882) did not start White Man’s Burden either, although social Darwinism was having frequent intercourses with White Man’s Burden. Long before Kipling and Darwin, the forefathers of White Man’s Burden were blessed with the elementary enlightenment of Christianity but went astray and infused or adulterated with the love of Power and Wealth — and so the unholy union and ambition drove unrighteous and unjust white supremacists to justify the existence of Imperialism and Colonialism. In fact, there is not much difference between Imperialism and Colonialism. Imperialists employ military power to conquer weaker nations like China, India, etc. at that time. Colonialists moved to conquered nations and set up governments to rule and subdue the peoples so that they can exploit and rob their resources and wealth. The resources and wealth looted and robbed from Europeans colonies in Asia, Africa and Latin America made Europe affluent and rich to develop science and technology and vast infrastructure and imperial luxury. I recall studying Latin American history, European had the gall to conquer South America with the slogan “For God and Gold”. It was reported at the height of European imperial powers, by 1914, European imperial powers controlled 70% of the land on earth. Probably European imperialists also had more than 70% of the wealth of the world.
In the last 500 years Western powers (mainly Europe and later America) rule the world to this day. It started with a false and fallacious and facetious thinking called “White Man’s Burden” and translated into the world domination and dictatorship to this day. After World War II all European and American colonies became independent, and thus the de facto end of colonialism. But after World War II due to the virtual destruction of Europe, America emerged as the only Imperialist and Super Power. Although the United States does not have colony or colonial government in Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa–America acts as the only Imperial Power that can order governments in Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa to do its will. For example, recently Canada bowed to America to arrest a Chinese Huawei executive without charge and without cause. Taiwanese leaders are actual running dogs of America. Europe Union also bows to America because NATO is under American protection, although in reality Russia is no threat to Europe at all. It is the brave president of the Philippines who refused to take order from Washington. Venezuela is subject to American sanction because its president does not surrender to American power, etc. Although Colonialism is no more, but American imperialist rules the world with its superior nuclear military and monopolistic power, controls and dictates finance and banking, world trade and technology, transportation, education, diplomacy, gold reserve, etc. It is better for the headquarters of the United Nations to move out of New York, to a neutral nation that practices multilateralism so that diplomats will not be refused visa to enter the United Nations.
“White Man’s Burden” is a historical and very arrogant view that White Europeans had a duty to make the peoples of Africa, Asia and Latin America ‘civilized’. This view has been used to justify and serve as an excuse for colonialism, imperialism, militarism, and capitalism and many unjust and unholy wars conducted by Europe and America. How many millions of peoples in Asia, Africa and Latin America have been killed by Europeans and Americans. How many injustice, atrocities, miseries, and brutalities and how much poverty and hardship have been caused by the evil deeds of Europeans and Americans? Isn’t it a laughingstock and absurdity that the American government makes laws involving the sovereignty of other nations which it has no jurisdiction such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet, etc. acting like the world dictator? Only the American Imperialist has ever done so in the history of mankind. American leaders cannot be self-abased, self-absorbed, self-abused, self-aggrandizing; self-catering, self-conceited, self-congratulating; self-glorious, self-important, and self-indulgent in thinking evil they can continue do evil and do as they please. The judgment of God is at hand.
One thing which is most disturbing and distressing is the fact that Europeans and Americans who are responsible for all the evil deeds done in the last 500 years (and more recently the evil deeds done by Japan which incited the World War II) to the present claim they are Christians. Japanese are pagans who do not claim to be Christians. In fact, true Christianity does not exist in Europe today. Europeans are practicing a secular form of Christianity. America is practicing a false version of Christianity. For the last 300 years no American preacher preached against imperialism and capitalism. Blinded by national patriotism no American preacher dares to preach against the sins of American presidents and congressional leaders who have been wrecking havoc and doing destruction in the whole world. But listen carefully to the judgement of Jesus Christ:
Jhn 8:44,“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” Now it is no secret to the world that American leaders lie, lie, and lie; kill, kill, and kill; rob, rob, and rob. American and Western powers and media are expert in using their vast global propaganda machine to lie, make lies, make fake news, make fake reports to support the evil actions of their nations. The devil is not only the first liar, murderer; but also the first wrong thinker because the devil thought to be like God. The Jews were mistaken to think because of Abraham they were children of God. Jesus defines the children of the devil as anyone who lies and kills. How many lies and murders and robberies European and American leaders have committed only God knows and counts them. In addition, they hypocritically sent missionaries to the nations they oppressed. You can imagine those oppressed people would accept the religion of their oppressors. Europe and America disgraced and distorted Christianity by their words and deeds, although Christianity is definitely not a White’s man religion.
During the infamous Opium Wars, the British empire, America, Japan and other nations killed Chinese and looted and robbed China’s national treasures worth at least US$100,000 trillions not including interest. There are many Chinese priceless national treasures you can see for yourself displayed in the British Museum, American Smithsonian, theLouvre Museum, European museums, Japanese museums, etc.
America, Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, NATO, EU, Japan, etc. Open your eyes. Have you seen the 2hr40min multi-billion dollar Parade of China 70th Independence Day, on October 1, 2019 the greatest and grandest parade in the history of the world? The 1.4 billion Chinese are on the move. Do you want to stand in their way? If you stand in the way, you surely will be run over and trampled to death. Do you want to take on China and wage war against China? It is not wise to be the enemies of 1.4 billion Chinese. The certain consequence is mutual destruction and destruction of the world! Cooperation is more profitable than confrontation. Don’t you see? Peace is more desirable than War. Life is better than Death.
In the twist of time, White Man’s Burden has been replaced by “America First” as declared and demonstrated by the current American president. The old causes are still the new causes of imperialism that include manufactured goods, raw materials, trade in terms of import and export, tariff, manifest destiny, democracy, freedom with some fancy civil rights, human rights, civilization, protection money, military alliance, economic and political reasons. China and Russia do not want war. The rest of the world do not want war. American president and Congressional leaders want war and spend and prepare for war. American allies under American leadership also want war. Japan wants war to reemerge as the Great Nippon. Islamic terrorists execute war daily. It is suggested that Europeans and American leaders read my article on
As I am an American, I hope American leaders and American people will think about the consequences of what America has done since its inception to the present and repent before the judgment of God fall upon the country. Historically, Lucifer, thinking evil to want to be like God, fell from Heaven, turned into the devil. Individuals, thinking evil, can be ruined. Nations, thinking and doing evil, can be doomed. My fellow Americans, may I have a word with you. Have you ever thought, why the Holy Bible does not mention or give a clue to the existence of the sole superpower, the United States of America, in the end time? There are possibly two explanations, either and or. It is possible that in the end of time, America is no longer an important nation like insignificant Singapore or Australia or Canada, so it is not mentioned at all. Or in the end of time, America no longer exists so the Bible does not and could not mention a nation which does not exist anymore. Continuously demonstrated by words and deeds, I am afraid the current American president and Congressional leaders with the national policy of “America First” insolently interfering and maliciously meddling in the internal affairs of many nations, spending huge funds on developing and maintaining of massive nuclear weapons and global military bases, and making every effort and activity in preparing for the coming war, are leading America and the world to a nuclear war and total destruction. If you prepare for a funeral, you are going to have a funeral. If you are preparing for a war, you are going to have a war. Those who have eyes to see know for sure America is committing suicide with “America First” policy; however, American leaders are completely oblivious and unconscious of the handwriting on the wall!
VI. THINKING MAKES THE MAN.
Pro 23:7, “For as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, “Eat and drink!” But his heart is not with you.”
Note: As a man thinks, so is he. Thinking makes the man. Thinking makes you what you are. Thoughts are the prime movers of conduct or behavior. If you think bad, you become bad. If you think dirty, you become dirty. If you think stupid, you become stupid. If you think violence, you may kill. For the last 500 years, Western leaders have been thinking evil and have done so much evil in this world. However, if you think wise, it does not make you wise. But if you think you want to be wise, and think how to be wise, and ask the Lord to give you wisdom, you may be wise. If you think rich it does not make you rich. But if you think how working hard and being thrifty you may become rich.
Martin Luther was thinking the Word of God is far above the teaching of the church or any man. Reformation begun by Martin Luther in 1517 was the greatest positive and distinctive results of one single individual and others in obedience to the Word of God which started the glorious revival of the Church and return of Christians everywhere to the infallibility and final and supreme authority of the Holy Bible above any human institution or individual. The pope, pretending to be the Sole Representative of Christ on earth, had in the most audacious manner declared himself the sovereign of the whole world. The illumination of the human mind by the Word of God brought about the most interesting improvement of the social, political and economic state of the world. All human doctrines, traditions, teachings, rules of faith, and beliefs are considered as null and void. The peoples were liberated from the monstrous despotism of the popes, extravagant superstitions and indulgences of the ecclesiastical polity, and the corruption and spiritual slavery practiced by the Roman Catholic Church. Protestantism singularly succeeded in making straight and bringing the Church back to the Bible, return to the original Christianity, and a revolt of light against darkness. The great Reformation is supranational. Protestantism is never a new religion as apostate Catholics claim. Luther did not find the Lutheran Church. It was the brightest moment in the darkest ages. Almost about the same time all the kingdoms of Europe began to open their eyes and saw the great Light. In my assessment, Martin Luther was the greatest man ever lived outside of the Bible. A Protestant is an evangelical and true believer of Jesus Christ the Son of God, and the Savior of the world, as practiced in the original Christianity written in the New Testament, without divisions and without denominations. Only setting free from slavery by knowing the truth can you have mature and productive thinking.
All Protestants, evangelicals and Christians believe in the following Apostles’ Creed.
Apostles’ Creed
1. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of Heaven and earth:
2. And in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord:
3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary:
4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell:
5. The third day He rose again from the dead:
6. He ascended into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty:
7. From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead:
8. I believe in the Holy Ghost:
9. I believe in the holy catholic church: the communion of saints:
10. The forgiveness of sins:
11. The resurrection of the body:
12. And the life everlasting. Amen.
Note: Item 4. “He descended into hell” was believed not in the original. Item 9. does not mean the Roman Catholic Church, it means the universal Church of Jesus Christ, the Body of Christ. If you do not think the Apostle Creed is correct, you cannot be a Christian.
For better or worse, it is believed that Reformation makes Renaissance possible. Renaissance was begotten and driven by Humanism. Humanism is the father of today Secularism. Thought begets something.
Pro 6:18, “A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil.”
Note: An evil heart devises wicked plans. Wicked plans come from an evil heart. America has “RAND PLAN” to war against China and destroy it.
Pro 12:20, “Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, But counselors of peace have joy.”
Note: Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, so the Western leaders lie, lie, and lie; kill, kill and kill; rob, rob, and rob. They abnormally have joy in war, in aggression, in oppression, in sanction, in destruction.
Pro 12:23, “A prudent man conceals knowledge, But the heart of fools proclaims folly.”
Note: The heart of a foolish Western leader proclaims folly loudly and shamelessly daily.
Pro 12:25, “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, But a good word makes it glad.”
Note: Anxiety in a man’s heart is like a big burden that weights it down. A good word can make it glad. No good word comes from an evil man.
Isa 32:6, “For a fool speaks nonsense, And his heart inclines toward wickedness: To practice ungodliness and to speak error against the LORD, To keep the hungry person unsatisfied And to withhold drink from the thirsty.”
Note: You can watch TV and hear a foolish Western leader speak nonsense, and his heart inclines toward wickedness. Only God knows and counts how much wickedness Western powers have done in the last 500 years.
Jer 23:23-29,“Am I a God who is near,” declares the LORD, “And not a God far off?Can a man hide himself in hiding places So I do not see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the Heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy falsely in My name, saying, ‘I had a dream, I had a dream!’ “How long? Is there anything in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy falsehood, even these prophets of the deception of their own heart,who intend to make My people forget My name by their dreams which they relate to one another, just as their fathers forgot My name because of Baal?The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has My word speak My word in truth. What does straw have in common with grain?” declares the LORD.“Is not My word like fire?” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock?”
Note: The false and immoral political preacher said, I had a dream! I had a dream! What does straw have in common with grain? You will know them by their fruits.
Luk 12:45,“But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk.”
Note: To say in one’s heart is to think. The slave thinks his Master will be a long time in coming, and so he begins to beat the other slaves, and to eat and drink and get drunk. Here is a clear example how the thinking of the slave produces the beating of other slaves, eating and drinking and getting drunk because he says in his heart, My master will be a long time in coming. The Judge of the living and the dead is coming soon to judge the whole world and reign with the saints.
2Co 5:12, “We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart.”
Note: Beware of those who take pride in appearance and not in heart. Don’t you know all the rich an powerful people take pride in appearance?
Nehemiah
Neh 6:1-19, “Now when it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall, and that no breach remained in it, although at that time I had not set up the doors then Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together at Chephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to harm me.So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” They sent messages to me four times in this manner, and I answered them in the same way.Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same manner a fifth time with an open letter in his hand.In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel; therefore you are rebuilding the wall. And you are to be their king, according to these reports.You have also appointed prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem concerning you, ‘A king is in Judah!’ And now it will be reported to the king according to these reports. So come now, let us take counsel together.”Then I sent a message to him saying, “Such things as you are saying have not been done, but you are inventing them in your own mind.”For all of them were trying to frighten us, thinking, “They will become discouraged with the work and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands.When I entered the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined at home, he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you, and they are coming to kill you at night.”But I said, “Should a man like me flee? And could one such as I go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.”Then I perceived that surely God had not sent him, but he uttered his prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.He was hired for this reason, that I might become frightened and act accordingly and sin, so that they might have an evil report in order that they could reproach me.Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these works of theirs, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the rest of the prophets who were trying to frighten me. So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days.When all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it,they lost their confidence; for they recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.Also in those days many letters went from the nobles of Judah to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them.For many in Judah were bound by oath to him because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.Moreover, they were speaking about his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him. Then Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.”
Note: Nehemiah was born at Babylon during the captivity. So he knew the importance of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. Nehemiah got permit from the king of Persia to go to Jerusalem and rebuilding it. Nehemiah was a man who trusted God and thought and acted correctly and courageously. Nehemiah was a fearless great man who did a great work and not frightened or threatened by the enemies of the Jews. Even his enemies recognized that the work that Nehemiah did was accomplished with the help of our God. A great man knows he is doing a great work, determined, not stopping the work even when frightened by the enemies, and not fleeing when his life is threatened, but keeps on working to finish the great work. Nehemiah sets an example as a strong leader with ability and determination and shows how to accomplish great work.
Exo 25:2, “Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him you shall raise My contribution.”
Note: If you want to make a contribution for the work of the Lord, let every believer’s heart move him or her.
Exo 35:5, “‘Take from among you a contribution to the LORD; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as the LORD’S contribution: gold, silver, and bronze.”
Note: All contribution to the Lord must come from a wiling heart to support for the furtherance of the Gospel. To support false preachers is a waste of money and not a contribution to the Lord.
Exo 35:21, “Everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him came and brought the LORD’S contribution for the work of the tent of meeting and for all its service and for the holy garments.”
Note: Those who work for the Lord whose heart must stir him and whose spirit must move him not for gain or glory, fame or fortune.
Deu 4:29, “But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.”
Note: We must search and seek the Lord with all our heart and all our soul.
Since thinking makes the man, we must get rid of all bad thoughts:
Job 4:13,“Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, When deep sleep falls on men.”
Psa 94:19, “When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.”
Jer 4:14, “Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem, That you may be saved. How long will your wicked thoughts Lodge within you?”
Note: Both Disquieting Thoughts and Anxious Thoughts are not good for spiritual and mental health. Seek the Lord for healing. Wicked in Hebrew is‘aven which means unrighteous; iniquitous; evil; vain; fraudulent; false; wrong; – which occurs 77 times in the Old Testament. Wicked thoughts make wicked man. For as he thinks within himself, so he is.
Do not listen to the secularists who tell you to indulge your mind on rational or religious pleasure, or the so-called positive thinking, etc. The following Scripture tells us exactly how and what to think:
Phl 4:8, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” To think is to dwell on it and have the mind of Christ. To have the mind of Christ is to have every view or thought or will according to Christ Jesus.
It is a fallacy to suppose that any human thought or behavior might affect the mind of Christ. The thought of Christ is not human thought. It is absolutely false to say that at the outset the essence of the Gospel appeared as a revolutionary idealism. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has nothing to do with the systems of the world or any revolution. Jhn 18:36, “Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not of this world. If My Kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My Kingdom is not of this realm.” Watch out the unbelieving scholars try to secularize Christianity. The ancient mind, the mediaeval mind, the modern mind, etc. had nothing to do with the mind of Christ. The mind of Christ is never a product or synthesis of compromises and contrasts of various streams of human thoughts in this world. Jesus makes contrast between this world and the world to come is fully embodied in the truth of Christ. When Jesus makes contrast between the secular and the spiritual, they are always definitive and ultimate, having no worldly sources or gray areas.
Mat 16:26, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Note: The whole world cannot be exchanged for one’s soul.
Jhn 3:6, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
Note: The children of the devil are born of the flesh, the children of God are born of the Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Luk 18:29-30, “And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God,who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.”
Note: What you have left for the Kingdom of God will receive many times and eternal life.
Jhn 5:24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My Word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”
Note: He who hears the Word of God and believes in Jesus Christ whom God sent has eternal life and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. Having passed out death into life means you are saved.
Jhn 5:28-29, “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice,and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.”
The consciousness of Jesus Christ is expressed in the eternal truths:
Jhn 5:30-32,“I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true.There is another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true.”
Mat 3:9, “and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.”
Mat 11:25, “At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from thewise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.”
Note: Do you notice that secular academics, unbelieving theologians, scientists and philosophers consider themselves wise and intelligent but the truths of Christ are hidden from them, and yet the common people who are simple like infants receive the revelation?
An unbelieving so-called philosopher and anti-christ said, “Jesus Christ knew he was God. So wake up and find out eventually who you really are. In our culture, of course, they’ll say you’re crazy and you’re blasphemous, and they’ll either put you in jail or in a nut house (which is pretty much the same thing). However if you wake up in India and tell your friends and relations, ‘My goodness, I’ve just discovered that I’m God,’ they’ll laugh and say, ‘Oh, congratulations, at last you found out.”
Note: Jhn 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Jesus Christ did not dream or sleep and wake up to discover He was God. Jesus Christ was God from the beginning, before time and space and everything. God is eternal not local or regional or national. A man who says there is no God is a fool. A man who declares he is god is not only mad, but self-made deception. If you discovered yourself god in India, why don’t you first test yourself by walking on the Indian Ocean? Why don’t you save yourself from poverty, ignorance, injustice and violence and save other Indians from famine and lack of toilet facilities? Wake up and find out who you really are:
Job 14:1-2,“Man, who is born of woman, Is short-lived and full of turmoil.Like a flower he comes forth and withers.He also flees like a shadow and does not remain.”
Note: This is an accurate description of human life: short-lived and full of turmoil. Turmoil in Hebrew isrogez which means trouble; fear; rage; wrath; agitation; trembling; commotion; restlessness; crash; noise; trepidation; perturbation; tumult; – which occurs 7 times in the Old Testament. Man withers and flees like a shadow and does not remain.
Job 33:12, “Behold, let me tell you, you are not right in this, For God is greater than man.”
Note: It is the fool of fools who does not know God is greater than man.
Psa 49:12, “But man in his pomp will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish.”
Note: How many men in their pomp did not endure, to name a few Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Napoleon, Eisenhower, Hitler, etc. They all like the beasts that perish.
Pro 14:12, “There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”
Note: The American way seems right to the American president and congressional leaders, but its end is the way of death.
Mar 7:20-23, “And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man.For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries,deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness.All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”
1Co 3:18, “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this world, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise.”
Note: Let no man deceive himself. Apparently Washington, Wall Street, Hollywood, military-industrial-security complex think they are wise in this world because they own most of the power and wealth in the world.
Gal 6:7-8, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”
Note: God is not mocked, God cannot be mocked. Whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. Do you know what Washington, Wall Street, Hollywood, military-industrial-security complex are going to reap?
Eph 5:5, “For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.”
Note: The Word of God says this is for sure: No immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, can enter the Kingdom of Christ and God.
Rom 5:12, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—”
Rom 3:23-24, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.”
Note: The fact that we were all born in sin is not a doctrine of Luther. In the face of truth, you will find man is no god, no good but a poor miserable sinner who will suffer eternal death in Hell unless he is justified as a gift by God’s grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. Superstition, empty philosophy and false religions blind the hearts and minds of many people and leading them to death.
Mat 19:23-24, “And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of heaven.Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.”
Note: Hard in Greek is dyskolōs which means with difficulty; impractical; not easy; – which occurs 3 times in the New Testament. It is not impossible, but it is more difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Why? Mar 4:19, “but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful.” Washington, Wall Street, and Hollywood, and the military-industrial-security complex own much of the power and wealth of the world, but it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than a member of these conglomerate empire to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jhn 8:12, “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
Note: No one speaks like Jesus who speaks with authority. Jesus is the Light of the world. He who follows Jesus will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life. There are Western leaders who claim to be Christians, yet they do not follow Jesus but walk in the darkness. If you follow the Light of the world, you will have the Light of life.
Jhn 3:3, “Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
Note: See in Greek ishoraō which means to perceive; to know; to attend to; to behold; to see with the eyes; – which occurs 459 times in the New Testament. Unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.
Jhn 5:19, “Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.”
Note: The consciousness of Jesus is to do whatever the Father does, these things Jesus also does in like manner. Christians cannot do whatever Jesus does in like manner because we do not have the power of God. For examples, Christians cannot walk on the sea, turn water into wine, or rebuke the winds and the sea to make perfectly calm, etc. But Christians can take up the cross and follow Jesus. Above all, to be Christians is to obey the commandments of Jesus Christ.
Jhn 8:34, “Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.”
Note: This is an eternal truth: Everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. Executives of Washington, Wall Street, Hollywood, and military-industrial-security complex may think they are victors and rulers of the world, but in fact they are slaves to money, power and pleasure.
Mar 10:46-52, “Then they came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar namedBartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road.When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”Many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him here.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you.” Throwing aside his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus.And answering him, Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!” And Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.”
Note: Batimaeus illustrates a true story how a blind beggar becomes a Christian. The task of becoming Christian requires a subjective faith and a personal will. Bartimaeus means son of Timaeus, a blind beggar in Jericho. When he heard it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out. Bartimaeus must have heard how Jesus healed the blind and raised the dead. So he seized the opportunity and cried out. Faith is active. Bartimaeus passionately begged for mercy. Those who seek mercy of God is not far from salvation. Faith encounters difficulty because many were sternly telling him to be quiet. Batimaeus is so concerned about himself that he totally ignores the opinions of others. Faith is unstoppable, Bartinaeus kept crying out all the more. Here is a man of character and courage. When faith calls on God for mercy, God stops and answers. This is faith in action. Bartimaeus throwing aside his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus. When you want to come to Jesus, do not let anything to hinder you. This is the most wonderful offer from the Savior, “What do you want Me to do for you?” Christianity is the personal relationship between sinner and the Savior. The blind man said to Jesus, “Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!” Rabboni in Greek is rhabbouniwhich means Lord Christ; – which occurs 2 times in the New Testament. You must know whom you ask for mercy and salvation. There are too many who seek salvation from idols and false gods or man-made religions. Bartimaeus wants to regain his sight. He asks for the right thing. The blind beggar did not ask for silver and gold. Many people join the church seeking prosperity, opportunity, position, money and wealth. Batimaeus immediately regained his sight. To be born again is an immediate occurrence, passing from death to life. To grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ requires a life-long process. To be a Christian is simply to follow Christ all the days of your life.
Act 20:24, “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the Gospel of the grace of God.”
Note: Paul took a stand on a matter of life and death and counted all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord. As a comparison, Apostle Paul is a victor who did not consider his life of any account as dear to himself; so that he might finish his course and the ministry which he received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the Gospel of the grace of God.
Such man is the victor who considers and thinks finishing the course of his life according to the will of God is of the greatest meaning and importance. The Christian does not live alone. Phl 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
VII. THE VALUE OF MATURE THINKING.
1Co 13:11, “When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.”
Note: A child by nature does not think like a man. A man should not speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child. To be a man is to do away with childish things. A simple-minded or immature person is like a child. By watching and listening to how a person speaks, how he thinks and reasons, you can judge whether he is a child or a man. What are childish things? They include hasty in word or impulsive in thought, tantrum, short sighted, impatience, ignorance, playfulness, lack of restraint, lack of instruction, lack of understanding, lack of knowledge, lack of self-control, lack of commitment, lack of judgment, wrong motive, wrong value, etc. To have mature thinking you must have the mind of Christ.
1Co 14:20, “Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.”
Note: Thinking in Greek is phrēn which means understanding; perceiving an judging; cognitive faculties; – which occurs 2 times in the New Testament. In perceiving and judging do not be children. In evil be infants, because infants do not think or do evil. In thinking be mature. Mature in Greek isteleios which means perfect; of full age; complete; full grown; – which occurs 20 times in the New Testament. A mature man must have mature thinking. Children cannot have mature thinking.
Heb 5:14, “But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.”
Note: Infants cannot take solid food. Solid food is for the mature. Infants cannot discern good and evil. Infants cannot deal with weighty matters of life. Mature people have their senses trained to discern good and evil. Senses in Greek isaisthētērion which means faculty of the mind for perceiving, understanding, judging (Strong’s Concordance); an organ of perception; judgment; – which occurs 1 time in the New Testament. Train in Greek is gymnazō which means to exercise vigorously; to undergo instruction; – which occurs 4 times in the New Testament. Discern in Greek is diakrisis which means to judge; to estimate judicially; to distinguish; to pass judgment on opinion; to discriminate; – which occurs 4 times in the New Testament. Senses of discerning good and evil have to be trained which makes a mature man. For example, a doctor is trained to discern the sound of your heart to determine whether you have heart murmur or not. For example, Samuel did not know, but Eli discerned that the LORD was calling the boy.
2Co 12:17-21, “Certainly I have not taken advantage of you through any of those whom I have sent to you, have I?I urged Titus to go, and I sent the brother with him. Titus did not take any advantage of you, did he? Did we not conduct ourselves in the same spirit and walk in the same steps?All this time you have been thinking that we are defending ourselves to you. Actually, it is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ; and all for your upbuilding, beloved.For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you to be not what I wish and may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps there will be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances;I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have sinned in the past and not repented of the impurity, immorality and sensuality which they have practiced.”
Note: Strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slanders, gossips, arrogance, disturbances, impurity, immorality, sensuality are indicated of immature believers.
Phl 1:15-21, “Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will;the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the Gospel;the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
Envy, strife, selfish ambition, etc. are symptoms of immature thinking and behaving.
Heb 11:13-16, “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return.But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.”
Note: It is a mature thinking of seeking a country of your own and desire a better country. In 1975-76 I went to six European nations (Britain, France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway) looking for a better country than America. There I conceived and developed the Theory of Good Society. Now I concluded there is no better country on earth anywhere. There is a better country, that is, a heavenly one.
1Co 2:10-14, “For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.Now we have received, not 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,which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.But a natural man 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 appraised.”
Note: Appraise in Greek isanakrinō which means to examine; to judge; to discern; to ask question; to investigate; to scrutinize; to sift; to interrogate; to estimate; to determine; to search; – which occurs 19 times in the New Testament. God revealed to believers spiritual things or the things freely given to believers by God through the Holy Spirit. There are two spirits: the spirit of the world and the Spirit who is from God.The people of the world have the spirit of the world, Christians have the Spirit from God. Worldly people are taught by human wisdom; spiritual people are taught by the Spirit. Like it or not, secular academics, unbelieving theologians, scientists and philosophers are natural men who do not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to them. Their human wisdom cannot understand them. I recall the confession of a famous Chinese scholar who studied thePilgrim’s Progressof John Bunyan; he highly appraised the English classic, but confessed he did not understand what is all about. In the same way the secularists do not and could not understand the Bible talking about spiritual things. In spite of their intelligence, those unbelievers do not have the Spirit of God and the things of God are spiritually appraised. God did not reveal the things of God to secular academics, unbelieving theologians, scientists and philosophers so by their human wisdom they cannot understand them, and they consider spiritual things as it is written in the Bible foolishness to them. Mature thinking cannot be accomplished without being taught by the Holy Spirit. Unbelievers are spiritually dead and blind.
Mat 9:4, “And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evilin your hearts?”
Note: What makes man think? Jesus says men think evil in their hearts. To think evil in your heart is to err in the heart. In pre-science era, people did not know much about brain. Even today scientists still do not know much about brain. Suffice it to say, heart is the center or seat of thinking, feeling, and deciding.
Mar 7:21-23, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness.All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”
Note: Defile in Greek is koinoō which means to pollute; to make common; to make unclean; to render unhallowed; to render profane; to count unclean; to declare unclean; to make profane; – which occurs 14 times in the New Testament. Some evil things defile the man and Jesus defines evil thoughts. Fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness are evil things. In Western nations, sensuality is counted a good thing among certain circles. Many Westerns leaders exude pride as a badge of national honor. If men think evil things as things of honor, they have a wrong value, and immature thinking.
Gen 6:5, “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
Gen 6:6, “The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.”
Note: God is Spirit, unlike man to have flesh and blood. What does it mean that God was grieved in His heart? Does God have a heart? Not a physical heart as the blood circulating organ of the body. God has a heart, definitely. This is an anthropomorphic expression. There is no way to compare God with man. So human language is used as a method or tool of communication. It is impossible for man to learn or know the language of God. Besides, God knows all the languages of men. The Bible speaks about the language of angels, never the language of God. A language consists of the use of words. This is a fine gift of God differentiating men from all animals. Jesus Christ is the Word of God and He reveals God to mankind. We are ignorant what will be the language of Heaven, definitely not English or Chinese. In the first place the language of angels is most pure and wonderful already, although I do not speak the language of angels. However, when God sends His angels to communicate with human beings, the angels always use the language of the recipient so that the recipient can understand. Imagine, angels who are servants of God already know all languages in the world. How can anyone compare angels to the Omnipotent and Omniscient God? God is grieved in His heart that men reject the truth, reject Jesus Christ the Son of God who was sent into the world to save sinners.
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.”
Note: Attain in Greek is katantaō which means to come to; to arrive; to achieve a thing; to obtain; to gain; – which occurs 13 times in the New Testament. It is an ongoing process for all believers in Christ to attain to the unity of the faith. The unity of the faith is based on the knowledge of the Son of God and the fullness of Christ. To the extent that a Christian becomes mature, he attains to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. Even Apostle Paul could not claim to have attained the full measure of the stature of Christ.
1Co 2:6, “Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this world, who are passing away.”
Note: You cannot speak wisdom to an infant or a baby, even a child because they could not understand and would not appreciate. There are spiritual wisdom for mature Christians to expand discernment and increase the breadth of mind. I have studied secular academics, unbelieving theologians, scientists and philosophers, they do not have sound wisdom. The wisdom of this world and of the rulers of this world (as represented by Washington, Wall Street, Hollywood, military-industrial-security complex) are passing away.
Pro 9:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
As I study the work of secularists, they appear to me they have no fear of the Lord, and they do not seem to be interested in the knowledge of the Holy One.
Pro 19:21, “Many plans are in a man’s heart, But the counsel of the LORD will stand.”
Note: Man’s heart is deep and has many plans, the mature are wise to seek the counsel of the Lord. The mature man asks for the counsel of the Lord. The mature one listens to the counsel of the Lord. The mature one waits for the counsel of the Lord. The mature man acts according to the counsel of the Lord. The counsel of the wicked is far from me.
Why do we seek the counsel of the Lord?
Job 12:13,“With Him are wisdom and might; To Him belong counsel and understanding.”
Psa 33:11, “The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation.”
Mature thoughts exclude base thought, impulsive thought, accursed thought and all wicked thoughts. Childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.
Most people have wrong conception of God. Some people even treat God like a human being of infinite limitations. Jesus correct this flawed thinking by saying Mar 10:27, “Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”Contradiction presents no difficulties to God. God has no problems. God is not limited by time and space. God has no limitations. There is nothing that stands in the way of God. In the sight of God, everything is nothing to Him. That is why the counsel of the Lord stands forever.
Eph 1:9-12, “He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Himwith a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the Heavens and things on the earth. In Himalso we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.”
In summing up all things in Christ, things in the Heavens and on the earth, what is the highest purpose in a mature Christian life? To know the mystery of God’s will. Obtain an inheritance according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will. The will of God is the summum bonum or the highest goal of every Christian life. To fail to do the will of God is to fail in life, to fail for eternity. To do the will of God is to win for eternity. Let a wise man’s heart direct himself toward the right. The end that we Christians to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.
This is what an unbeliever does not know or experience. Many thoughts of unbelieving philosophers are lofty, speculative, vain and self-conceited. Christians are empowered to destroy speculative thoughts against the knowledge of God, and take captive of every thought to the obedience of Christ. The power to destroy any thought against God is the Sword of the Spirit. Our thought and our heart must subject to the obedience of Christ. This is the mind of Christ in the believers. A carnal mind does not have the power from above, and cannot understand spiritual things.
Deu 28:28, “The LORD will smite you with madness and with blindness and with bewilderment of heart.”
Note: The people who are smitten with madness and with blindness and with bewilderment of heart cannot discern good and evil, cannot see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Jer 49:16, “As for the terror of you, The arrogance of your heart has deceived you, O you who live in the clefts of the rock, Who occupy the height of the hill. Though you make your nest as high as an eagle’s, I will bring you down from there,” declares the LORD.”
Note: The rich and powerful who live in the clefts of the rock, who occupy the height of the hill, who make their nest as high as an eagle’s, the arrogance of their heart has deceived them. They cannot have correct and mature thinking. Their thinking is only about the world, wealth, riches, and the desire of other things; the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life.
Rom 12:3, “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”
Note: A mature spiritual Christian does not think more highly of himself than he ought to think, but to think so as to have sound judgement. If you tell me what you think, I cannot tell you what you are.
Deu 28:65, “Among those nations you shall find no rest, and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot; but there the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul.”
Note: The Scripture cited describes the situation of the world: You find no rest among the nations whether rich or poor, advanced or primitive, democratic or non-democractic, and there is no resting place; the people are suffering a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul.
Deu 28:67,“In the morning you shall say, ‘Would that it were evening!’ And at evening you shall say, ‘Would that it were morning!’ because of the dread of your heart which you dread, and for the sight of your eyes which you will see.”
Note: In the morning people shall say, ‘Would that it were evening!’ And at evening people shall say, ‘Would that it were morning!’ because of the dread of your heart which you dread, and for the sight of your eyes which you will see. People in the world dread what the dread of their heart, and the dread of what their eyes will see coming to this world!
Deu 32:35,‘Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them.’
Note: If you are mature, think about the day of calamity is near, and the impending things are hastening upon them. The Judgment Day is coming.
Job 21:30, “For the wicked is reserved for the day of calamity; They will be led forth at the day of fury.”
Note: The wicked has no place to run to, no refuge, no hiding place. Nuclear defense cannot protect or save them. The wicked is reserved for the day of calamity and the day of fury.
Pro 1:27, “When your dread comes like a storm And your calamity comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you.”
Note: The superpower may think it has security. The dread will come like a storm, your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon the world. Jesus Christ is coming again!
The Kingdom of God awaits the children of God. It will be love, peace, joy, light, righteousness, holiness, honor, glory and immortality.
VIII. THE INCOMPARABLE MIND OF CHRIST.
The self-consciousness of Christ is the self-consciousness of God. The mind of Christ is the mind of God. So no one speaks like Christ. When Jesus speaks, God speaks. For Jesus Christ is the Word of God. Jesus Christ and God are ONE.
Jhn 6:46, “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father.” No one has seen the Father, except the Son has seen the Father. Jhn 14:9, “Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” Jhn 10:30, “I and the Father are one.” God and Jesus are ONE. There is no doubt or uncertainty about the divinity of Christ.
Jesus speaks with full consciousness, confidence and assertiveness. No one speaks like Jesus. For Jesus speaks like God speaks. Jehovah’s “Thus says the Lord”, in the Old Testament is Jesus’ “I say to you”, in the New Testament. The Old Testament ‘I AM WHO I AM’ is the New Testament “I AM.’ When Jesus speaks, God speaks. The mind of Christ is the mind of the Lord. Paul never says, I say to you. Peter never says, I say to you. No prophet, no apostle, no angel, no church, no pope, no one has the authority of Jesus Christ.
Jhn 3:11,“Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony.”
Jhn 8:14, “Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.”
Jhn 8:55, “and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His Word.”
Jhn 10:38, “but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.”
All thinking involves willing, and all willing involves thought. Jhn 7:15-18,“The Jews then were astonished, saying, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated?”So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” To be willing in Greek isthelō which means to desire; would have; to have in mind; to intend; to purpose; to wish; to like to do; to take delight in; to have pleasure; to love; to determine; to choose or prefer; to resolve to; to carry out the purpose into act; – which occurs 212 times in the New Testament. If you are willing to do the will of God, you will know for sure Jesus is true.
Jhn 14:20, “In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.”
Note: This is a great mystery, we Christians still do not understand. In that day when Jesus Christ returns to reign with the saints, believers will know that Jesus Christ is in the Father, and believers are in Christ, and Christ is in believers. There is no such a thing called Lutheran theology, Calvinistic theology, Augustinian theology, liberal theology, fundamental theology, Catholic theology, Protestant theology — there is only one Biblical theology.God is ONE, the Lord is One, the Holy Spirit is One, One Faith, One Baptism, One Savior, One Mediator, One Hope, One Body, all saved believers are One in Christ.
Would Christ approve of the pattern of our present civilization at all? Absolutely and definitely not. For that reason Christ prays to the Father: Jhn 17:14-24, “I have given them Your Word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.I do not ask on behalf of these alone, that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one;I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”
Christianity has a clear message. Christ does not want Christians to escape from the world. Christ wants us to escape from the snare of the devil.2Ti 2:26, “and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” Christ prays to the Father to keep Christians from the evil one. Christ desires Christians to be sanctified in truth. Christ desires Christians to be one in God, perfected in unity. Christ desires Christians one day to be with Him where He is, so that we may see His glory the glory the Father has given Him. For that reason, the Bible says: 1Pe 1:8, “and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.” 1Jo 2:15, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Christians are in the world now, but they do not belong to the world, and they do not love the world nor the things in the world. There is no confusion. Phl 3:20-21, “For our citizenship is in Heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” This is the reason of Christian existence, our hope.
Jhn 15:15,“No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
Jhn 17:23, “I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.”
Note: The relationship between the Father and the Son, between the Son and believers are wonderful and great mystery. Jesus Christ is in the believers, and the Father is in the Son. The believers may be perfected in unity, unity in faith in Christ. So that the world may know that the Father sent the Son, and loved believers, even as the Father has loved the Son. The relationship between the Father and the Son and the believers are the relationship of love for eternity.
Jesus Christ never makes the following statements:
“I don’t know.
I don’t think so.
I believe so.
Maybe.
Probably.
I hope so.
I have no idea.”
The Bible never says ‘Jesus thinks’ or ‘Christ thinks’ because Jesus Christ knows everything; He knows the end from the beginning, from everlasting to everlasting. Jesus does not have any problem; He does not need to figure out how to solve a problem. On the contrary, Jesus tells his enemies not to think:
Mat 5:17, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”
Note: Jesus knows what He is doing. Jesus did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; Jesus did not come to abolish but to fulfill. Everything God requires of sinners, Jesus Christ fulfills for them.
Mat 10:34, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
Note: This does not mean Jesus has come for war. It means people who reject the truth will have no peace, nations will be fighting against nations.Luk 21:9-11, “When you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end does not follow immediately.”Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom,and there will be great earthquakes, and in many places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from Heaven.”
Mat 26:53, “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”
Note: Do not think there is anything that Jesus cannot do. Appeal in Greek isparakaleō which means to beseech; to entreat; to ask; to request; to call upon; to pray; to beg; – which occurs 111 times in the New Testament. Legion in Greek is legiōn which means a body of soldiers; the principal unit of the Roman army comprising around 6,000 soldiers. Twelve legions of angels using Roman unit would be around 72,000. The Roman Empire would not be able to fight a legion of angels. Remember Sennacherib?
2Ki 19:35-37, “Then it happened that night that the angel of the LORD went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men rose early in the morning, behold, all of them were dead.So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home, and lived at Nineveh.It came about as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son became king in his place.”
Note: One angel of the Lord alone killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night. The issue was not the Roman Empire. Historian Edward Gibbon estimated that the size of the Roman army most probably a standing force of 3,750,000. By His Word, Jesus alone can destroy the whole Roman Empire. Jesus Christ did not come to destroy, He came to save sinners. Jhn 6:38, “For I have come down from Heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”
Heb 10:7-10, “THEN I SAID, ‘BEHOLD, I HAVE COME (IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME) TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.’After saying above, “SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS AND WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, NOR HAVE YOU TAKEN PLEASURE in them” (which are offered according to the Law),then He said, “BEHOLD, I HAVE COME TO DO YOUR WILL.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second.By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
Note: Jesus takes away the first (Law) in order to establish the second (Truth and Grace). By the will of God Jesus sacrificed Himself through the offering of His body on the cross once for all. Jesus Christ fulfilled all the requirements of the Law, the righteous for the unrighteous in order to obtain the righteousness of God; and by grace and through faith in Jesus Christ we may be saved and receive the eternal life. Believers are sanctified by the precious blood of Christ through the Holy Spirit.
There is nothing impossible with Jesus. But Jesus has come to the will of the Father.
Jhn 5:45, “Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope.”
Note: The Jews who rejected Christ will be condemned by the Law of Moses. Moses does not offer hope to anyone. There is no salvation or grace in the Law. The Law brings the knowledge of sin; and the wages of sin is death.
Mat 5:17, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”
Note: Jesus came to fulfill the Law or the Prophets. Jesus came to fulfill the Old Testament. The Old Testament is fulfilled in the New Testament.
Everything Jesus says is true, absolute, authoritative, ultimate, and final. Jesus often stresses by saying, ‘truly I say to you,’ ‘truly, truly, I say to you,’ or ‘I say to you.’
Whatever Jesus says is the final with supreme authority for the standard belief and conduct of every believer, Christian, and follower of Jesus Christ. You have to test every doctrine, teaching, tradition, belief, subject, matter, etc. by the Word of Christ. You do not test the Truth of Christ by anything else.
Mat 5:18, “For truly I say to you, until Heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”
Note: One of the last words of Jesus on the cross: Jhn 19:30, “Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” The work of redemption is accomplished, finished. The work of salvation is accomplished. Jesus had finished the work the Father had Him to do.
Mat 5:20, “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Note: The scribes and Pharisees were religious hypocrites. Their righteousness cannot enable them to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Believers by grace through faith in Jesus Christ are given the righteousness of God and by the righteousness of God believers may enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Mat 5:22, “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery Hell.”
Note: Jesus says there exists the fiery Hell. The wicked and unbelievers will suffer in Hell for eternity.
Mat 5:26, “Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.”
Note: It is bad for an individual to owe money. It is even worse for a nation to owe large debt. You have to pay your debt. Nation has to pay its debt. You will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent. Nowadays crooks and criminals defraud by billions and trillions of dollars. In 2008 Wall Street manufactures a financial crisis which robbed the world more than $50 trillion dollars. Japan killed 35 million Chinese and denies all its war crimes, sex slavery, slave labor, atrocities and brutalities and refuses to pay compensations. God will judge individuals as well as nations. No one and no nation can escape their responsibility. No one and no nation can escape the judgment and punishment of God.
Mat 5:28, “but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
Note: No one can stand before the Judge of the living and the dead. Jesus Christ knows everything in your heart. Do you know a man can commit adultery with a woman in his heart just by looking at the woman with lust? How can any man escape God’s judgment?
Mat 5:32, “but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”
Note: Jesus Christ forbids Christians to divorce, the only ground is the reason of unchastity or infidelity. Those who remarry after divorce commit adultery. Those who marry a divorced woman commit adultery. America is practicing a false version of Christianity. There are many church members who divorce and remarry. Even some pastors did.
Mat 5:34, “But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by Heaven, for it is the throne of God.”
Note: Jesus Christ forbids believers to make an oath or to swear.
Mat 5:39, “But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.”
Note: Christians must not practice violence. Do not resist an evil person. This is the famous dictum of Jesus: Whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
Mat 5:44, “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
Note: This is the highest Christian ideal: love your enemies. Do not take vengeance. Jesus Christ dying on the cross said: Luk 23:34, “But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.” The sins of some Western leaders are even heavier and more weighty, not only they do not love their enemies, they make enemies without cause or reason. They lie, lie, and lie; they kill, kill, and kill; and they rob, rob, and rob — yet they claim to be Christians. They want to dictate and dominate the whole world.
Mat 6:2,“So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”
Note: Doing charity cannot save you. No matter how good you are, you are not good enough to enter Heaven. We are not saved by good works, but after we are saved we must do good works or to bear good fruits. To rob people $99 dollars and donate $1 is not charity, but thievery and robbery. Christians do good work not for seeking fame or to be honored by men. Many so-called philanthropists seek fame through their fortune.
Mat 6:5, “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”
Note: Jesus Christ hates hypocrites, above all religious hypocrites. They practice religion in order they may be seen by men. You pray to God in secret. There are also political hypocrites, ideological hypocrites, theoretical hypocrites, philanthropic hypocrites, economic hypocrites, financial hypocrites, medical hypocrites, theological hypocrites, and philosophical hypocrites.
Mat 6:16, “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”
Note: Whether praying or fasting, it is not for a show. It must be sincere.
Mat 6:25, “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”
Note: Jesus wants believers not to be worried about eating, drinking, and clothing. Seek first the righteousness of God.
Mat 6:29, “yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
Note: Solomon in all his glory is no better than the lilies of the field.
Mat 7:23, “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’
Note: Jesus will say to false prophets, false preachers, false brothers, unbelieving theologians, the wicked and unbelievers, I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS. Western leaders seem not to know, to engage in war of aggression and intervention is to practice lawlessness. They cannot fool the Lord using the name of democracy, human right, freedom, justice, humanity, etc.
Mat 8:3, “Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”
Note: Jesus is willing; willing to cleanse all leprosy, willing to cleanse sinners from their sins. Are you willing to come to Jesus to be cleansed from your sins and to be saved?
Jhn 5:40-42, “and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.I do not receive glory from men, but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves.”
Note: The greatest tragedy is that people are unwilling to come to Jesus so that they may have life. Jesus knows you. There is no place to hide. The love of God is so precious. No secularists, unbelieving theologians, scientists and philosophers can supply the assurance of true knowledge, permanent reality or certainty of truth. After you have wasted so much time and effort to discover how superficial and frail are all the systems of philosophy, and the limitations and failure of science, you willingly bow down to accept and appreciate the eternal Word of God. Col 2:17, “For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ Himself is that reality.” Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. Christ is the only Reality.
Mat 8:7-11, “Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. “I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Note: A good Christian always thinks he is not worthy. If you think you are worthy, it is because you are not worthy. The centurion had great faith. He said the Lord did not have to come under his roof, because he is not worthy. The Lord just say the word, his servant will be healed. Do you know the Lord Jesus did not have to do anything, He just says the word, it will be done.
The rise of speculative philosophy, the scientific movement and the application of scientific method in historical and critical research cannot clear a man from consciousness of his sins. There is nothing absolute in science; science only deals with knowable, the natural, the visible, the temporal and the finite. No human reason can reach Ultimate Reality without divine Revelation. Science does not know what is beyond human reason. Biblical theology is based only and formed by the truths of Christ, not contributed by any science or philosophy, not influenced by historical or psychological or social consciousness. All theological truth is Christo-centric. The supernatural, the spiritual, the eternal truths beyond human conception or perception are not vulgar but glorious, beautiful, absolute, holy and infinite. Jhn 3:6,“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
There is no such a thing called modern conceptions of Christ as secular scholars claim to be. It is absolute theoretical trash to divide Christ into the Ideal Christ, the Ethical Christ and the Historical Christ. There are not three Christs. There is only one conception of Christ which is Biblical. The Historical Christ is the true Christ, as it is written in Bible, not imagined by self-appointed theologians or scholars. The Christ of history does not mean His life began on earth when he was born, for Christ has preexistence before time and space, before the universe. 1Co 8:6, “yet for us there is butone God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.” Christians cannot exist without Jesus Christ. Eph 4:4-6, “There isone body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;one Lord, one faith,one baptism,one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” The number of Christianity is made of seven perfect ones: ONE BODY, ONE SPIRIT, ONE HOPE, ONE LORD, ONE FAITH, ONE BAPTISM, ONE GOD AND FATHER. The unity of Christianity is ONE in Christ, there is no other.
The Historical Jesus means God became Man in the person of Jesus Christ. The Biblical Christianity is the true Christianity, not dogmatic Christianity. The historical Christ means God manifested in the person of Jesus, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of Virgin Mary, the Son of the living God. The life story of Jesus Christ is recorded in the Four Gospels. Everything Jesus said and did is written down in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These were firsthand Jesus eyewitnesses. In the holy communication to the Father, Jesus says, Jhn 17:3,“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Jesus came that we the people of the world may know God, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom God had sent. To know God and Jesus Christ is to have eternal life. Apostle John in particular wrote, Jhn 21:24-25, “This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true.And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.” The divinity of Jesus indicates His divine nature and eternal power, His humanity proves His suitability to save mankind by His death on the cross. Christ’s threefold ministry as Preacher (Prophet), Priest and King is to be consummated as history progresses. The first of ministry as Prophet was completed on earth some 2000 years ago. Christ is now in the highest Heaven as the High Priest on behalf of His sheep before God the Almighty. The third ministry will be fulfilled when Christ returns to judge the world and reign with the saints forever and ever as King of kings and Lord of lords.
The correct conception of Christ was a revelation of the Father to Peter, Mat 16:16-17, “Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not revealthis to you, but My Father who is in Heaven.” Based on this revelation, Jesus Christ builds His Church on the Rock which is Himself, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. (Mat 16:18, 1Co 10:4).Mar 1:1, “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus Christ the Son of God is the beginning of the Gospel. Without Jesus Christ there is no Gospel. Christ not only has the Word of God, Christ is the Word of God. The critical and decisive question for all Christians, however, is not whether a doctrine or teaching is acceptable to a rational mind but whether God had said it. The Word of God is absolute, supreme, ultimate and eternal.
The Bible consistently and persistently presents and demonstrates the only correct conception of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of mankind as follows:
Luk 2:11, “for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luk 9:20, “And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.”Luk 24:46, “and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day.”Jhn 1:17, “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”Jhn 7:31, “But many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, “When the Christ comes, He will not perform more miracles than those which this man has, will He?”Jhn 11:27, “She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, evenHe who comes into the world.”Jhn 20:31, “but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” 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.”Act 2:38, “Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Act 3:18, “But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.” Act 17:3, “explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.”Act 18:28, “for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.” Act 20:21, “solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.Act 26:23, “that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”Rom 1:4, “who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom 3:22, “even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction.” Rom 3:24, “being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.” Rom 5:1, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Rom 5:6, “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” Rom 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Rom 6:4, “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” Rom 6:8, “Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.” Rom 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”Rom 7:4, “Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.” Rom 8:1, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Rom 8:9, “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” Rom 8:11, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Rom 12:5, “so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”Rom 16:25, “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my Gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past.”
Christ is more than the Ideal Christ, Ethical Christ and Historical Christ. Christ is Perfect, Able, Absolute, Holy, Glorious, Faithful, Sinless, Righteous, Christ is all, and in all. Christ is Eternal. Heb 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” What is universally and eternally true cannot be appreciated by time.
The idea that man, each man, as a moral personality, endowed with reason and free will, is self-sufficient on his own for moral advance or redemption is destructive heresy. If man can save himself, Christ needs not come down from Heaven to die on the cross. Under whatever label this belief, ideology, general idea is strange doctrine and strange teaching that will undergo the punishment of eternal fire. What man needs is not a thorough revolution of the entire mode of thought. What man need is a regeneration, a new birth.Jhn 3:3-8, “Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”No matter how good the flesh is, it is not good enough in the sight of God. The salvation of Jesus Christ is not founded on our moral reason. Sinful man has no moral reason in the sight of God. The redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ is based on making atonement for sin and iniquity, the Righteousness died for the unrighteous, in order to obtain the righteousness of God as a gift of grace through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of mankind. No human deed or merit can earn or deserve the righteousness of God. Self-redemption is the philosopher’s illusion and delusion. For human to achieve moral perfection is another illusion and delusion of unbelieving theologians and speculative philosophers. Secularists beget so many vain deceits, one of them is history itself is the incarnation of God. I have discovered it is a waste of time and effort to evaluate the empty words, empty conceit, empty deception, empty chatter, and erroneous opinions of secular academics and unbelieving theologians, scientists and philosophers. They are not worth a dime. The collective humanity is a corrupt bundle of individuals sinking without God and without hope. But Jesus does not just present an idea, Jesus offers real salvation.
Mat 11:28, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” Jhn 5:40, “and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.” You have free will to come to Jesus or not, but only you come may have life, salvation. Jhn 6:37, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” Jhn 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.” Jhn 6:65, “And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”Jhn 7:37, “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.” 2Pe 3:9, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” If you perish and go to Hell, you have no one to blame but yourself.
Rev 21:6, “Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.”
Rev 22:17, “The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.”
Note: To take the water of life is to have eternal life, without cost is absolutely free. Salvation is free, free of money, free of work, free of merit.
Christ is not only the center of Christianity, Christ is everything about Christianity. Christ is also the ground of Christianity, without Christ Christianity has no ground to stand. Without Christ, there is no Christianity. The unity between Christ and God is not solidaric, it is singular, spiritual, substantive, united in mind, in will, in activity, in connectivity, in fidelity, in reciprocity, in community, in sovereignty, and in perfect bond. The Father is in the Son, and the Son is in the Father, the unity no human words can describe. No reflection or appreciation of the truth can a saint fully experience. The Triune God is too wonderful for man to fathom or understand. There is one more mystery to realize in eternity: Just as God is in Christ, Christ is in God, Christ is in believers, and believers are in Christ forever ever in truth and in love.
What is truth? Truth defines what is. Mat 5:37, “But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.” Lie defines what is not. However, to define what is or what is not depends on what type of truth. There is no one tool for humans to define all truths. Different types of truth require different types of tool. What is used to measure weight, cannot be used to measure length. What is used to measure one type of truth may not be fit to measure another type of truth. Cups cannot be used to measure ocean water. Thermometers cannot be used to measure straightness. Scientific truth can be verified by scientific means. Historical truth can be verified by historical facts. Financial truth can be verified by accounting. Mathematical truth can be verified by mathematical principles. However, human efforts are so feeble, and the tool so crude, very often are not dependable. For example, historical truth with a long time frame is hard to be verified. Even Vietnam War was fought in our generation, it is hard to determine the historical truth; because each side has its own version of truth. Moral truth is usually verified by its consequences. Political truth does not exist because politicians seek expediency, not principle. Western leaders and Western media are the largest organized lies. All human truths are relative, only the divine truth or spiritual truth is absolute. 2Co 1:18-19, “But as God is faithful, our word to you is not yes and no.For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silvanus and Timothy—was not yes and no, but is yes in Him.” So the truth of Christ is very different from all human truths. When Jesus Christ declares, Jhn 14:6Jesus said to him, “I AM the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” How do I know this is truth? It cannot be verified by any human means and tools. I study and search the Scriptures. I study the person, the word and deed of Jesus Christ. I have found no one in the history of the world who is like Jesus. No one in history claims what Jesus claims to be. No one in history was born of a Virgin, conceived by the Holy Spirit. No one performed miracles, wonders and signs like Jesus did. No one speaks and teaches like Jesus. Jesus died as predicted by Himself, buried, rose from the dead, ascended into Heaven. Jesus saved me from deaths many times. He answered my prayers a million times. From childhood to old age, Jesus has led my life through crises and difficulties. With all my heart and soul I deliberately and willingly believe Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior, and that the truth of Christ is absolute, supreme, ultimate, and eternal as it is written in the Holy Bible. Without doubt or compromise, the incomparable mind of Christ is the mind of God. Experience cannot be used as the test of sacred truth. For the truth of God is beyond human experience. Job 13:15,
“Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him.”
The decisive question is not whether the truth is acceptable to a rational mind but whether God had said it. Christians rest on the Word of God.
We don’t need any bright stars in the theological sky? What we need is 2Pe 1:19, “So we have the prophetic word mademore sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”
The central dogmas of the faith, such as the Trinity and the Incarnation and the Resurrection are not an admixture of Greek thought. The Virgin birth and the atonement are not an amazing mass of parallels from folklore of kindred peoples. Rationalism is not the new conquering empire of light and reason. The entire Bible was inspired and therefore it is true. The Bible is the Word of God cannot be wrong. God cannot be wrong. The Word of God was not evolved, it was revealed. Truth does not depend on any stage of your life or the era of history. The Christian doctrine is true and has nothing to fear of scientific rationalism. No advancing knowledge can break the Word of God. There cannot be untruth in the true living God. Rational criticism will vanish as Heaven and earth will vanish, but the Word of God remains forever. The whole Christian dogma and moral prescription are accepted on faith by revelation, not on rational evidence. There is no self-sufficiency in human reason because of the frailty and fallibility of human mind. It does not bother me because God cannot be known by theoretical reason. God is Spirit beyond human reason. It does not bother me that an ameba cannot understand man. There is no need to combine Christian belief with so-called intellectual honesty. All men are liars, what intellectual honesty can be; let God be true. Modern thought does not threaten the absolute and eternal truth in Christ, because it was built on the rock. Luk 6:48, “he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.” Christianity is built on the rock, and the Rock is Jesus Christ, who came down from Heaven, who died for sinners and rose from the dead, ascended to the highest Heavens, and He is coming back to judge the world and reign with the saints forever and ever. Remember, no science, no philosophy, no ideology, no rationalism can save mankind. Human reason is self-defeating. The individual can do absolutely nothing of himself. Man cannot save himself. Man is nothing before God. There is no salvation in any other except Jesus Christ.
2Ti 1:12, “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believedand I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”
Note: I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that Jesus Christ is able to save me to the end and until that day of His glorious coming. Convinced in Greek ispeithō which means to be persuaded; having confidence; assured; – which occurs 64 times in the New Testament.
Secular scholars may think that some of the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith are indemonstrable. Is God demonstrable? Blasphemy! By the creation you can know the Creator. By Incarnation God has manifested Himself. Only by faith you can see the invisible.Pro 22:21, “To make you know the certainty of the words of truth that you may correctly answer him who sent you?” Jhn 20:27-29, “Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.”Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” Is eternal life demonstrable? No one can use time to demonstrate eternity, for eternity is without time. You cannot use a cup to measure the ocean. Although I do not see, and yet I believe. I believe everything written in the Word of God. I have more certainty in the Word of God than all the works of secular academics, unbelieving theologians, scientists and philosophers put together. Plato and Aristotle, Spinoza and Hume, Kant and Hegel, Nietzsche and Kierkegaard, etc. are nothing in the sight of God.
The ultimate concern of a Christian is not the sense of sin or guilt of his own, because Rom 8:1, “Therefore there is nowno condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Now the prime place in a Christian’s life is his relation to God the Father. When the finite facing the infinite, it is not your morality or merit that matters, it is your complete obedience to Christ. Christ set an example for us. Heb 5:8, “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.” Christians need to learn obedience to the will of God through suffering. Suffering is not a goal, obedience to the will of God is. Jhn 12:26,“If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.” Mat 25:23, “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” Christians are not in the world to earn Nobel Prize, national highest medal, to be invited to the White House, etc. All the efforts of Christians in this life is to serve Jesus Christ, hoping to hear the final commendation, “Well done, good and faithful slave!”
Job 19:25, “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.”
Because my Redeemer lives forever, so I will also live forever.
IX. GOD KNOWS YOUR HEARTS.
Luk 16:15, “And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.”
Note: Money, power, and sex are highly esteemed among men especially in Western nations are detestable in the sight of God. Detestable in Greek is bdelygma which means abominable; foul; filthy; pertaining to idolatry; – which occurs 6 times in the New Testament. God does not value what man values.
Psa 44:21, “Would not God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.”
Note: God knows the secrets of your heart. God knows the top secrets of Western powers in the last 500 years to present. God knows the secrets of the heart of warmongers. God knows the secrets of all nations and peoples.
Psa 69:5, “O God, it is You who knows my folly, And my wrongs are not hidden from You.”
Note: God knows my folly, your folly, and folly of everyone and every nation. My wrongs, your wrongs, and wrongs of every body and every nations are not hidden from God.
Isa 59:7, “Their feet run to evil, And they hasten to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, Devastation and destruction are in their highways.”
Note: The Scripture cited above accurately and vividly describe many Western leaders. They move by planes and aircraft carriers and tanks and submarines and war ships to do evil. They hasten to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity. Wherever they go devastation and destruction are in their highways.
Act 15:8, “And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us.”
Mat 9:4, “And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?”
Note: Jesus Christ the Omniscient God not only knows your words, your deeds, and also your evil thoughts in your heart. There is no hiding. There is no escape.
Mat 12:25, “And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand.”
Note: Do you see America is divided against itself? Do you see Britain is divided against itself? Many nations and peoples are divided against themselves. Any nation divided against itself will not stand.
1Jo 3:20, “in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.”
Note: God is greater than our heart and knows all things. If our heart condemns us, how much more would God condemn us. I am afraid there are people whose hearts are seared by hot iron, their conscience is dead, they do not feel shame or regret in lying, killing, and robbing others. Doctors and hospital owners who habitually and routinely make fraudulent and excessive billing thinking they have a license to bankrupt millions of families in order to make themselves filthy rich.
2Co 10:5, “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”
Note: Secular academics, unbelieving theologians, scientists and philosophers give birth to speculations and every lofty thing (such as higher criticism, textual criticism, etc.) raised up against the knowledge of God. Christians must use the Sword of the Lord to destroy them. Believers are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
Mar 7:21-23,“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries,deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness.All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”
Note: God knows out of the heart of men, all these evil things proceed from within and defile the man. Can anyone stand before the judgment of God? God sees all the dirty and evil things in the heart.
Heb 4:12, “For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Note: The Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. How do you face God, the Judge of the living and the dead?
Luk 6:6-11, “On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching; and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him.But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And he got up and came forward.
And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?” After looking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored. But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.”
Note: Scribes and Pharisees were watching Jesus closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him.
Is it not strange that hypocrites are filled with rage when someone does something good? Western leaders are filled with rage when China does something good in Africa and they try to find reason to accuse China of neocolonialism. Western leaders do not repent and make compensation for all their evil deeds under imperialism and colonialism in the last 500 years. They are true children of Pharisees the hypocrites. God knows the hearts and minds of the wicked who are filled with rage when seeing other people doing good.
Luk 9:46-48, “An argument started among them as to which of them might be the greatest.But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking in their heart, took a child and stood him by His side,and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great.”
Note: Even disciples started argument among them as to which of them might be the greatest. Jesus teaches them the truth to be great one has to be humble like the least. An arrogant Western leader wants to be the greatest is causing much trouble in the world, he may lead the world to a nuclear war that will destroy the world.
Luk 12:34, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Note: This is an apparent truth: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The rich and powerful love the world, because it is where their treasure is. If your treasure is in Heaven, you seek and think of things above. Can you imagine a famous preacher died and left $10 million to his children? The heart of prosperity gospel preachers is on money. If you watch commercial people, it becomes so apparent they go crazy with zeal because their heart is on money.
Isa 35:4, “Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.”
Note: Believers with anxious heart, don’t worry, believe in Christ. Behold God will come with vengeance; the recompense of God will come. Jesus will save His followers to the end.
Oba 1:3, “The arrogance of your heart has deceived you, You who live in the clefts of the rock, In the loftiness of your dwelling place, Who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to earth?’”
Note: The rich and powerful people, the arrogance of their hearts have deceived them. They who live in the lofty mansions of high rise skyscrapers, who say in their hearts, who will bring us down to earth? The Washington, Wall Street, and Hollywood executives and military-industrial-security conglomerate empire feel on top the world and live in luxury and security, who can topple them? God knows the hearts and minds of the rich and powerful, deceived by the arrogance of their hearts.
Zec 8:17, “Also let none of you devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love perjury; for all these are what I hate,’ declares the LORD.”
Note: The current phenomenon of the world is the fact that Western powers devise evil in their heart against nations that are not their allies or running dogs. They love perjury and distortion of justice apparent in Western media and their sly and false statements and reports. These are what the Lord hates. The most outrageous thing is that the Western leaders think they are Christians just like the Jews who opposed Jesus Christ thought they were children of Abraham.
Mar 7:21-23, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries,deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness.All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”
Note: God knows the heart of men. Out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. This is like a catalog of evil in Western society, and also more and more in the whole world. Evil things defile the man, East or West, North or South.
Luk 6:45, “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.”
Note: The mind of Christ is the mind of God. Jesus Christ sees through what is in the heart of man. Jesus sees what is the good treasure of the good man and also the evil treasure of the evil man. This is a verifiable truth that a man’s mouth speaks from that which fills his heart. When I was a manager, in a 15-minute interview I can know for sure what a person is. If your mouth speaks that which fills your heart, you are an open book. Western leaders are expert in talking craftily. When they speak about democracy, human rights, civil rights, freedom, justice, humanity, and a bunch of flowery slogans, it means they want to dominate and dictate your country.
Eph 4:18, “being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart.”
Note: There are many in the world today among the rich and powerful, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance in them, because of the hardness of their heart. Once in a while it is refreshing to hear and watch some strong man or woman who dares to challenge injustice. Recently I learned about Dr. Abigail Disney who championed the cause of underpaid miserable Disney employees who have to go home and forage for food in other people’s garbage. Let me say first I have nothing against Disney personally. Over the years (most of my life) in California I enjoyed Disneyland. Orange County is the best place I have ever lived in this world. I spent many New Year’s Eve at Disneyland watching the fireworks. While the current CEO of Disney is making $66 million a year. For years I hold the truth that employees making too little because corporate executives are making too much. I suggested there must be a limit to executive pay in comparison to the pay of the lowest employees, the ratio cannot be too great. No, it won’t happen because America is a capitalistic nation, where 1 percent of the population rules over the 99 percent. That is the beauty of American democracy. Unless you are an American and live half a century in America, you would not understand how serious is poverty. There was a time when American economy was so bad that even a Ph.D. became a taxi driver and millions of professionals were laid off and unemployed for a long period of time. I was so worried of becoming a homeless beggar. Foreigners do not really know the high cost of living in America. One day I read the Scripture, Psa 37:25,
“I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread.”
The Word of God cheered me up, and I rested on the promise of God. I communicated to my Lord and said I was a descendant of the righteous, my parents were missionaries and asked the Lord not to let me begging bread. I can testify to the fact although I was not rich, all my life I had never been a beggar, and I have never looked for food in other people’s garbage. Those who put their trust in the Lord will not be put to shame.
Most people in the world do not know, in the land of the free, you are free to be shot, free to be mugged, free to be threatened, free to be raped, free to be robbed, free to be abused and oppressed, free to be discriminated, free to be laid off or unemployed, free to be defrauded and slaughtered by doctors and hospitals, free to become desperate and homeless. If you are unemployed for a few months, you will lose your home or apartment and free to be homeless in the street! Western society is an alienated society, everyone for himself. When you are doing well, you have plenty of friends. When you are in need, you are alone.
Psa 73:7, “Their eye bulges from fatness; The imaginations of theirheart run riot.”
Note: Have you not seen people with their eyes bulging from fatness? The scary thing is the imagination of the hearts of many Western leaders run riot with their money and power to oppress and sanction weaker nations without cause.
2Pe 2:14, “having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children.”
Note: I have a lifetime observing and watching how executives of Washington, Wall Street, and Hollywood having a heart trained in greed, they were well trained at American Ivy League Universities. They are the smartest people on earth who own most of money and power in the world. But God called them accursed children.
Gal 6:3, “For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.”
Note: The most miserable and pitiful people are those who think they are something when they are nothing, they who deceive others and deceive themselves. God cannot be fooled. God not only knows your words and deeds, He knows your thoughts. You cannot escape from the judgement of God. Having learned so much about the Word of God, don’t you think it is high time to repent and have a change of heart. Remember, whatever you do have consequences.
If God only judges the thoughts of men, no one can stand before God. Not to say God will judge the words, the deeds, and the thoughts of every man and woman. The inevitable is for everyone to be sent to Hell for everlasting punishment. Stress of suffering in this life comes from the original sin and personal sins. The world was cursed. But there is good news in Jesus Christ. Your sins can be forgiven and you may be saved from eternal damnation.
Jer 4:14, “Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem, That you may be saved. How long will your wicked thoughts Lodge within you?”
Note: How can you wash your heart from evil? You cannot use bleach, detergent, dish soap, baking soda, or other cleaning agents to wash your heart from evil. There is good news. 1Pe 1:18-19, “knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers,but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” The precious blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, washes away our sins; sanctified by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.
Isa 55:7, “Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”
To pardon in Hebrew is calach which means to forgive; to spare; to receive mercy; to pass without punishment; – which occurs 47 times in the Old Testament. God will pardon your iniquity, your transgression, and your sin in the name of Jesus Christ the Redeemer.
Christianity is a way of life in Christ. Christianity is action, not thought. Faith is not an intellectual affair, but a matter of action. The following historical story illustrates the leap of faith. Act 3:6-9, “But Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!”And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened.With a leap he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.And all the people saw him walking and praising God.” The acceptance of Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior requires a decision, a leap of faith, a commitment of the will (heart and soul), an instance of doing and becoming, not of contemplating.
Sadly and tragically, America, Europe, UK, NATO, Australia, Canada, Palestinians, Hamas, Islamic terrorists, and Japan do not know that they are WONG. The worst of all they think they are RIGHT!
You have learned a lot about thinking and thinking has consequences.
“For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”
Why must you also be ready? At least two reasons: the first you do not know when you are going to die. Secondly, we do not know when Jesus Christ is coming again.
Do you want to act now in receiving pardon for your sins in Jesus Christ? Do you want to have correct thinking and right behavior? Those who repent and believe in Jesus Christ will receive forgiveness of sins.
Would you repent of your sins and believe Jesus Christ, the Son of God, your Lord and Savior?
You can do it right now. Come before it is too late!
ON September 3, 2025 for China to mark 80th anniversary of victory over Japanese aggression and fascism is a historical necessity and hard-earned victory. All foreigners who heroically sacrificed their lives for China in their fight against Japanese aggression must individually be commemorated and remembered, their relatives are eternal friends of China. I have never seen such a great parade before, the size and scope of it would overwhelm your mind; every aspect of it was systematically planned, every step of male and female soldiers was of uniform procedures, every military vehicle with all nuclear missiles and every war airplane in the sky well performed; the words such as grand, massive, superb, magnificent fail to describe the whole celebration. I wholeheartedly salute every Chinese military man and woman who participated. From 1931-1945, the brutal behavior of Japanese and its inhuman atrocities were worse than wild beasts and deserve ten atomic bombs in recompense. Even today Japanese government and leaders do not admit and repent of their war crimes, they worship executed war criminals as their national heroes and living gods. Japan never apologizes and pays compensation for killing 35 million Chinese, made hundreds of thousands sex slaves, millions of labor slaves and untold atrocities. Never again will China be oppressed. I am sure the militant Japan is deterred, but America is on the wrong side of history. Thank God it did not rain.
The mayors of Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and Chicago are for crooks and criminals, they must be dismissed and deported. All the facts point to the need, Ukraine must be destroyed and its leader executed in order to end the war. Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis are terrorists and the countries that harbor them must be destroyed all together.
Since Gaza, West Bank, etc. are the Jewish lands, Palestinians must evacuate from all Jewish lands and flee to Arab lands where they are safe to receive international aid and build a Palestinian state of their choice.
The leader of Ukraine is corrupt and evil. Ukrainians are stupid to follow the path of destruction. He was the one who instigated war with Russia. Now he asks for security guarantees. The nincompoop should be executed to end the war.
Palestinians, Africans, and others serve as example of peoples who want to eat and do not want to work. UN, WHO, EU, etc. champion their cause. Palestinians do not want evacuate from Gaza, Jewish lands to resettle in Arab lands. Because they will lose their status as refugees where they can get their food, fuel, water, medicine and everything for free from international community. These problems multiply with the passage of time.
UN, EU, GERMANY, UK, FRANCE, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZELAND, ETC. are strange and unreasonable peoples. Who is stopping Palestinians to build a Palestinian state in an Arab land? It is wrong and illegal to build a Palestinian state in Jewish land (Gaza, West Bank, etc.). That is the cause of conflict.
The fact that National Guards have to patrol Washington, D.C. with weapons speaks loudly and badly of the capital. The mayor of Washington, D.C. should be dismissed and deported. All the more urgent the national capital should move to Lincoln, Nebraska, without delay.
The mayor of Washington, D.C. bowed to the illegal acts of street people who set up tents on public streets. She should be dismissed and deported. The National Guards are empowered to trash the tents, clear the streets and vanish street people. Los Angeles is a disgraced city because the California Governor and Los Angeles mayor failed to solve the problems of street people who not only set up tents on public streets, but also urinate and defecate. All the more urgent for the national capital to move to Lincoln, Nebraska. In the face of national debt exceeding $37 trillion, the people can save money by abolishing the House, retain the unicameral legislation of Senate to move also to Lincoln Nebraska. All this can be accomplished legally by a national referendum. America is ruined by dark and evil forces.
Heroes of all races who sacrificed their lives for China in the war against Japanese aggression should be celebrated and remembered. The descendants of them are eternal friends of China. Descendants of American Flying Tiers whose forefathers had sacrificed their lives in the war against Japanese aggression and atrocities must always be honored and remembered. The Chinese government must treat them as eternal friends, and they are welcome to China anytime. Such blood bonds must be appreciated and maintained forever.
The world wrongly marks the anniversary of dropping atomic bomb on Hiroshima while neglecting the Japanese aggression and atrocities of killing 35 million innocent Chinese without remorse or reparations. UN over–appointed unqualified blacks and media have given too much coverage to unworthy black spoke-persons. It is amazing no matter how beautifully white organizations and individuals hail human rights, civil rights, democracy, development, technology, benefits, justice, etc., what they are actually after is MONEY. This can be said equally true about blacks.
Pet economy is wasted economy. Money should better be spent on nutrition and education of children and orphans. In cities all dogs must have annual license of Y5,000, cats Y4,000, and birds Y3,000. It is exempt for rural areas. If a dog defecates in public place, it shall be fined Y3,000 plus cleanup by owner or walker.
Global media highlight the number of Palestinians who have died, but fail to consider why Palestinian Authority and Palestinians do not want to evacuate from Jewish land and resettle in Arab land. Palestinians, men and women, young and old, are shameless beggars. They remain in Gaza to qualify for refugees so that they can get everything free from international community. The international community is ignorant of the fact that GAZA and related territories all belong to the Jews. Israel has every right to take back and take over Gaza and related territories. Palestinians must evacuate and relocate to Arab lands, make a living and establish its own Palestinian state without further delay.
French nincompoop Macron recognized Palestine as a state but failed to know that Palestine does not have territory and sovereignty. Leaders of UK, GERMANY, AUSTRLALIA would commit the same mistake by supporting terrorists. Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis are wicked terrorists, they should be destroyed without mercy. Leaders of Palestinian Authority are guilty for the death and malnutrition of children because they lead Palestinians to the path of destruction. They could have led Palestinians to lands of Arabs to earn a living and build their own Palestinian state. Palestinians (young & old, man & woman) are most shameless beggars for food & water, they don’t want to go to an Arab land to earn a living and build their own Palestinian state. Africa amid famine has the most fat people in the world, they are also shameless beggars. Ukrainians are shameless beggars for weapons, they do not have reason for existence. Harvard though the richest university in the world is a shameless beggar for US aid. Japan claims to practice democracy, its ruling party lost election miserably, yet its prime minister shamelessly wants to stay in power. The world must realize years of aid to Africa produced nothing, trillions of dollars went to black holes. Africa is corrupt, unmotivated and useless. Black leaders and politicians take advantage of it; dress well, eat well, and live a luxurious life style. Black problems can be solved only by Blacks. Let Africa alone to survive on its own. Blacks create most of the problems in the world, given too much coverage and platform in world media, over–appointed and given too many spokespersons and positions in UN. Any nation who shares destiny with Africa will be doomed. Nothing good comes out of Africa: primitive religion, superstition, spiritism, orgies, black magic, tribalism, voodooism.
If the Texas flooding is an act of God; Ukraine conflict, and conflicts of Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthis must be acts of the devil.
India must coexist with China, at the same time India and South Africa must be expelled from BRICS besause they do not remain true to BRICS’ founding mission, they do not belong, must be replaced by Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. US and EU must not rearm Ukraine, let Russia destroy it, and never to be rebuilt. The leader of Ukraine must also be executed.
Palestinian Authorities are guilty for leading Palestinians to a path of death, children died and suffer malnutrition. Palestian Authorities do not lead Palestinians (who are Arabs) to a land of Arabs to work for a living and build the Palestinian state.
American forces have successfully wiped out three Iranian nuclear sites through B-2 bombers. The “everlasting consequence” is Iran cannot be a nuclear threat anymore. I stand with the overwhelming majority of Dutch people to demolish NATO — the war machine.
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Fiber and textile crafts involve the creation of an item by using fabric or textile. 
Leatherworking is an ancient process of creating items out of animal skins. During ancient times, hunters used the skins of the animals they hunted for clothing. The clothing would, unfortunately, stiffen and rot over time. To solve this problem, they created primitive techniques for crafting leather.
Paper crafts are designs formed using paper. Some familiar paper crafting techniques are origami, paper marbling, decoupage, embossing, scrapbooking, quilting and more.
