On Mount Sinai, after the Lord had given the 10 commandments and ordinances to Moses. God's instructed Moses to construct the Tabernacle. This was to be a centre for worship and a place where the people could focus upon the presence of the Lord. This tabernacle was to replace the temporary tent that had been pitched outside the camp. - Ex. 33:7-11 -

The description of the actual building of the tabernacle is recorded in Exodus chapter 35 to 40. The workers were first enlisted as God had commanded. Following the enlistment, recorded in Exodus 35, the building of each item of the the tabernacle is described in Exodus 36 to 39. The record of the tabernacle's construction occurs in Exodus 40. Just how central the tabernacle was in the life of Israel is graphically portrayed in the Book of Numbers.

Responsibilities for the care and moving of the tabernacle were delegated to various families of the tribe of Levi. The Levitical family of Kohath was to disassemble the structure and cover the tabernacle furnishings with the badger skin. The tapestries were the responsibility of the family of Gershon. Merari's family in charge of the boards, pillars, foundations, pins and cords. All these Levitical families were commissioned to care for the sanctuary.

The first day of tabernacle worship is described in Numbers chapter 7 to 9. The guiding pillar of cloud and fire rested upon the tabernacle when the people were encamped. When the people were on the march with the pillar serving as their guide, the tribes which camped on the east of the tabernacle were first in marching order, These were Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. The tabernacle was carried by the assigned family members of Gershon and Merari.

The next group in the marching order were the tribes which camped on the south of the tabernacle. These were Reuben, Simeon and Gad. Following these, the family of Kohath carried the holy objects of the tabernacle.

Then came the tribes which camped on the west of the tabernacle. These were Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin.

The rear guard of the march was composed of the tribes which camped on the north of the tabernacle. These were Dan, Asher and Naphtali.

When the tribes were camped, two silver trumpets were used to summon the tribes to gather at the tabernacle. The tabernacle was also the place where the 70 elders advised and counseled the people. - Num. 11:16 - It was also the place of specific judgments - Num. 12:4 - and appointments. - Deut. 31:14 -

As the years passed, certain other structures were added to the tabernacle while it remained at Shiloh. These included living quarters for the priests and Levites who served at the tabernacle. By the end of the period of the judges, during the administration of Eli, at least some of the attendants lived on the premises. - 1Sam. 3:3 -

During the Israelites battle against the Philistines at Aphek, the ark of the covenant was removed from the tabernacle and taken into battle. Lost to the Philistines, it finally came to rest at Kirjath Jearim. It remained here until the time of David's reign. - 1Sam. 4:1-7:1 -

With the departure of the ark, the tabernacle lost some of its esteem in the eyes of the Hebrew people. - Ps. 78:60 - During the reign of Saul, the tabernacle was at Nob. - 1Sam. 21:1 - From the latter part of David's reign throughout the fourth year of Solomon's reign, the tabernacle was at the high place of Gibeon. - 1Chr. 16:39, 21:29 - When the Temple was completed, Solomon had the Levites bring the tabernacle to Jerusalem, presumably to be stored in the Temple area. - 1King 8:4; 2Chr. 5:5 -

The New Testament uses some terminology and concepts drawn directly from the tabernacle. The supreme event of all the ages is the existence of God's son in human form. The Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible declares that the Word became flesh among us. - The Word was made flesh, he lived among us, and we saw his glory, the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. - John 1:14 -

Stephen, one of the first seven deacons of the early Church and the first Christian martyr accepted the Old Testament account of the tabernacle as historical. While apostle Paul used the word propitiation or to appease which might be translated 'mercy seat'. - Rom. 3:21-26 - Book of Revelation speaks of the golden incense altar and reference is made to the heavenly tabernacle. - Rev. 8:3-5, 13:6, 15:5 - Practically every feature of the tabernacle is found in the Book of Hebrews.

While they were in the desert our ancestors possessed the Tent of Testimony that had been constructed according to the instructions God gave Moses, telling him to make an exact copy of the pattern he had been shown. It was handed down from one ancestor of ours to another until Joshua brought it into the country we had conquered from the nations which were driven out by God as we advanced. Here it stayed until the time of David. He won God's favour and asked permission to have a temple built for the House of Jacob, though it was Solomon who actually built God's house for him. Even so the Most High does not live in a house that human hands have built: for as the prophet says:

With heaven my throne
and earth my footstool,
what house could you build me,
what place could you make for my rest?
Was not all this made by my hand? - Acts 7:44-50 -

                                                                      Page 1  

If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

Throughout the history of redemption, election has characterized God's saving activity. He chose and called Abraham from Ur to Canaan, making an everlasting covenant with him and his offspring. - Gen. 11:31-12:7; Neh. 9:7; Is. 41:8 - God also called Moses to lead His people out of bondage. He chose Israel from among the nations of the world to be His special covenant people. - Ex. 2:24-3:10; Deut. 4:37, 6:21-23, 7:6-7; Ps. 105; Is. 44;1-2 -

The Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible describes the concept of election in three distinct ways. It sometimes refers to the election of Israel and the Church as a people for special mission, service and privileges. Election may also refer to the election of a specific individual to some office or to perform His mission and some special service: the grace and free act of God by which He chose and calls those who become part of His kingdom and special beneficiaries of His love and blessings. Still other passages of the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible refer to the election of individuals to be children of God and heirs of eternal life.

The elect inevitably believe but they do not believe against their will. They have God-given grace, desire and ability to trust in Christ for salvation. The elect choose God because He effectively calls them through the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ; they choose Him because He first chose and called them to Himself. That initiating love of God is reflected in Jesus. "You did not choose Me, no, I chose you". - John 15:16 -

I am the least of the apostles; in fact, since I persecuted the Church of God, I hardly deserve the name apostle; but by God's grace that is what I am and the grace that he gave me has not been fruitless. - 1Cor. 15:9-10 -

We know that by turning everything to their good God cooperates with all those who love him, with all those that he has called according to his purpose. They are the ones he chose specially long ago and intended to become true images of his Son, so that his Son might be the eldest of many brothers. He called those he intended for this; those he called he justified and with those he justified he shared his glory. - Rom. 8:28-30 -

God has chosen Christians to bear the image and glory of Christ. They have been elected to be holy in conduct, like Christ, so that we might bring praise and glory to God.

But we feel that we must be continually thanking God for you, brothers whom the Lord loves because God chose you from the beginning to be saved by the sanctifying Spirit and by faith in the truth. Through the Good News that we brought he called you to this so that you should share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Stand firm, then, brothers and keep the traditions that we taught you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father who has given us his love and, through his grace, such inexhaustible comfort and such sure hope, comfort you and strengthen you in everything good that you do or say. - 2Thess. 2:13-17 -

How rich are the depths of God - how deep his wisdom and knowledge - and how impossible to penetrate his motives or understand his methods! Who could ever know the mind of the Lord? Who could ever be his counsellor? Who could ever give him anything or lend him anything? All that exists comes from him; all is by him and for him. To him be glory forever! Amen.

                                                                           Page 1  

If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

A careful comparison of the first and tenth chapters of the book of Ezekiel shows clearly that the "four living creatures" were the same beings as the cherubs or cherubim. Each had four faces - that of a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle - and each had four wings. In their appearance, the cherubs or cherubim "had the likeness of a man". These cherubs or cherubim used two of their wings for flying and the other two for covering their bodies. Under their wings the cherubs or cherubim appeared to have the form or likeness of a man's hand.

In the same ways, the cherubs or cherubim were similar to the SERAPHS or SERAPHIM, another form of angelic being mentioned in the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible. Both were winged beings and both surrounded God on His throne. But the Seraphs or Seraphim of the prophet Isaiah's vision were vocal in their praise of God, singing "Holy, holy is the Lord of hosts" It break forth in such exuberant praise.

In the year of king Uzziah's death I saw the Lord Yahweh seated on a high throne; his train filled the sanctuary, above him stood seraphs, each one with six wings: two to cover its face, two to cover its feet and two for flying. And they cried out one to another in this way, "Holy, holy, holy is Yahweh Sabaoth. His glory fills the whole earth". - Is. 6:1-3 -

In the New Testament, apostle Paul's speaks of God new covenant: 'Christ enters the heavenly sanctuary'. The first covenant also had its law governing worship, and its sanctuary, a sanctuary on this earth. There was a tent which comprised two compartments: the first, in which the lamp-stand, the table and the presentation loaves were kept, was called the Holy Place; then beyond the second veil, an innermost part which was called the Holy of Holies to which belonged the gold altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant, plated all over with gold. In this were kept the gold jar containing the manna, Aaron's branch that grew the buds and the stone tablets of the covenant. On top of it was the throne of mercy and out spread over it were the glorious cherubs. This is not the time to go into greater detail about this. - Heb. 9:1-5 -

The Book of Revelation 4:6-11 is indeed inspired by the prophecies of Ezekiel. The "four living creatures" described here, as well as the cherubs or cherubim of Ezekiel, served the purpose of magnifying the holiness and power of God. This is one of their main responsibilities throughout the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible. In addition to singing God's praises, they also served as a visible reminder of the majesty and glory of God and His abiding presence with His people.

Between the throne and myself was a seat that seemed to be made of glass, like crystal. In the centre, grouped round the throne itself, were four animals with many eyes, in front and behind. The first animal was like a lion, the second like a bull, the third human had a human face and the fourth animal was like a flying eagle. Each of the four animals had six wings and had eyes all the way round as well as inside; and day and night they never stopped singing:

'Holy, Holy, Holy
is the Lord God, the Almighty;
he was, he is and he is to come'.

Everytime the animals glorified and honoured and gave thanks to the One sitting on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders prostrated themselves before him to worship the One who lives forever and ever, and threw down their crowns in front of the throne, saying, "you are our Lord and our God, you are worthy of glory and honour and power because you made all universe and it was only by your will that everything was made and exists". - Rev. 4:6-11 -

                                                                     Page 2  

If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

Winged angelic beings, often associated with worship and praise of God. The 'Cherubs or Cherubim' are first mentioned in the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible in - Genesis 3:24 - When God drove Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, He placed 'cherubs' at the east of the garden and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the 'tree of life'. Cherubim belong to the category of unfallen; at one time, however, Satan or Lucifer was a cherub until he rebelled against God.

The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows, Son of man, raise a dirge over the king of Tyre. Say to him, "The Lord Yahweh says this:
You were once an exemplar of perfection,
full of wisdom,
perfect in beauty;
you were in Eden, in the garden of God.
A thousand gems formed your mantle.
Sard, topaz, diamond, chrysolite, onyx,
jasper, sapphire, carbuncle, emerald,
the gold of which your flutes and tambourines are made,
all were prepared on the day of your creation.

I had provided you with a guardian cherub;
you were on the holy mountain of God;
you walked amid red-hot coals.
Your behaviour was exemplary from the day of your creation
until the day when evil was first found in you.
Your busy trading
has filled you with violence and sin.
I have thrown you down from the mountain of God,
and the guardian cherub has destroyed you from amid the coals.
Your heart has grown swollen with pride
on account of your beauty.
You have corrupted your wisdom
owing to your splendour.

I have thrown you to the ground;
I have made you a spectacle for other kings.
By the immense number of your sins,
by the dishonesty of your trading,
you have defiled your sanctuaries.
I have brought fire out of you to consume you.
I have made you ashes on the ground
before the eyes of all who saw you.
Of the nations, all who know you
are lost in amazement over you.
You are an object of terror;
gone forever". - Ezekiel 28:11-19 -

On your account Sheol beneath us
is astir to greet your arrival.
To honour you he rouses the ghosts
of all the rulers of the world.
He makes all the kings of the nations
get up from their thrones.
Each has something to say
and what they will say to you is this,
'So you too have been brought to nothing, like ourselves.
You, too, have become like us.

Your magnificence has been flung down to Sheol
with the music of your harps;
underneath you a bed of maggots,
and over you a blanket of worms.
How did you come to fall from the heavens,
Daystar, son of Dawn?
How did you come to be thrown to the ground,
you who enslaved the nations?
You who used to think to yourself,
"I will climb up to the heavens;
and higher than the stars of God
I will set my throne.

I will sit on the Mount of Assembly
in the recesses of the north.
I will climb to the top of thunderclouds,
I will rival the Most High".
What! Now you have fallen to Sheol
to the very bottom of the abyss! - Isaiah 14:9-15 -

Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible told of 'cherubs or cherubim' were used in the TABERNACLE in the wilderness. Two cherubs made of gold were stationed at the two ends of the MERCY SEAT, above the ARK OF THE COVENANT in the HOLY OF HOLIES.

Further you are to make a throne of mercy of pure gold, two and a half cubits long, and one and a half cubits wide. For the two ends of this throne of mercy you are to make two golden cherubs; you are to make them beaten gold. Make the first cherub for one end and the second for the other and fasten them to the two ends of the throne of mercy so that they make one piece with it. The cherubs are to have their wings spread upwards so that they overshadow the throne of mercy. They must place the throne of mercy on the top of the ark. Inside the ark, you must place the Testimony that I shall give you. There I shall come to meet you; there, from above the throne of mercy, from between the two cherubs that are on the ark of the Testimony, I shall give you all my commands for the sons of Israel. - Exodus 25:17-22 -

He gave him the plans for the chariot, for the golden cherubs with wings outspread covering the ark of the covenant of Yahweh - all this in accordance with what Yahweh with his hand had written in order to make the whole work clear for which he was providing the plans. - 1Chr. 28:18-19 -

When king Solomon built the Temple, he ordered that two cherubs or cherubim be made of olive wood and overlaid with gold. Each measured ten cubits (4.6 meters or 15 feet) high with a wingspread of ten cubits. Artistic designs of cherubs or cherubim decorated the ten curtains and the veil of the tabernacle. These gigantic cherubs or cherubim were placed inside the inner sanctuary or in the Most Holy Place in the Temple. Their wings spread over the ark of the covenant. The wood work throughout the Temple was decorated with engraved figures of cherubs or cherubim, trees and flowers. - Ex. 26:1, 36:8; 1Kin. 6:23-35, 7:29,36, 8:6-7 - 2Chr. 3:7-14, 5:7-8 -

A careful comparison.......

                                                                              Page 1  

If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

In the Old Testament, Israelites were taught not to hate their brothers: I am Yahweh. You must not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. You must openly tell him, your neighbour, of his offence, this way you will not take a sin upon yourself. You must not exact vengeance, nor must you bear a grudge against the children of your people. You must love your neighbour as yourself. I am Yahweh. - Lev. 19:17-18 - This emphasis is continued and is made even more positive in the New Testament.

The love of brothers or sisters for each other; the love of fellow Christians for one another, all being children of the same Father in a special sense. Occasionally the New Testament uses the word brother to refer simply to another human being, whether a Christian or not a Christian or to one's fellow countryman. Usually, however, it is used of a fellow believer in Christ. This is true of all places where the concept of brotherly love and brotherly kindness appears.

And the King will answer, "I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me". - Matt. 25:40 -

What I want to say now is no pretence; I say it in union with Christ - it is the truth - my conscience in union with the Holy Spirit assures me of it too. What I want to say is this: my sorrow is so great, my mental anguish so endless, I would willingly be condemned and be cut off from Christ if it could help my brothers of Israel, my owm flesh and blood. - Rom. 9: 1-3 -

Believers are exhorted to be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, to let brotherly love continue, to 'love the brotherhood' and to 'love as brothers'.

Do not let your love be pretence but sincerely prefer good to evil. Love each other as much as brothers should and have a profound respect for each other. - Rom. 12:9-10 -

Continue to love each other like brothers and remember always to welcome strangers for by doing this, some people have entertained angels without knowing it. - Heb. 13:1-2 -

These remained faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers. - Acts 2:42 -

The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul; no one claimed for his own use anything that he had, as everything they owned was held in common. - Acts 4:32 -

Finally: you should all agree among yourselves and be sympathetic; love the brothers, have compassion and be self-effacing. Never pay back one wrong with another or an angry word with another one; instead, pay back with a blessing. That is what you are called to do, so that you inherit a blessing yourself. - 1Peter 3:8-9 -

Brotherly love should be the hallmark or badge of a Christian. 'By this love you have for one another, everyone will know that you are my disciples'. - John 13:35 -

                                                                    Page 1  

If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

The question is not why do we sin because there is distinction between temptation and sin. Temptation is merely a solicitation, an invitation, a suggestion to do wrong. Sin is the voluntary doing of that wrong thing. Scripture says, "Blessed is the man who suffers temptation". In this context, temptation means trail. The sixth petition of the Lord's Prayer, "Lead us not into temptation" is a petition to escape trails which we cannot master.

When Scripture states that God tempted Abraham, it merely means God tried Abraham's faith as a goldsmith tries gold in the fire; there is a world of difference between God trying His people and inciting their corruption.
Coming more precisely to the subject of temptation, here are a few basic principles:
1. - Temptation comes from the duality or complexity of our nature. We are not simple creatures like crystals but rather a compound of body and soul, matter and spirit. The human personality is like a driver in a chariot, as Plato suggested. Before him are two headstrong steeds: one is the animal urge with us and the other the spirit. The charioteer or the driver has great difficulty to get both steeds headed in the same direction.

Though modern psychology has done much to develop the nature of this tensions, it must not be thought that the tension inside man was not known in the past. The greatest of Greek dramatists, Sophocles, wrote of the great primeval disharmony that it was "grave with age and infected all men". Ovid, the Latin poet, wrote: "I see and approve the better things of life but the worse things in life I follow".

Every human being in the world can bear witness to the civil war which goes on inside his being. Good people sometimes act like bad people; very bad people, in certain circumstances will act like good people. Goethe regretted that God had made him only one man. There was enough material in him for both a saints and a villain.

2. - It must not be thought that the origin of temptation is solely to be sought in the individual human personality. If the origin were wholly within the person, it is conceivable that some would be without temptation; but there is no one in the world who is not tempted - absolutely no one. The nature of the temptation may vary one from another and they may even vary with age. Confucius divided temptations into three different stages of human life: in youth man is tempted to lust, in middle age to pride and power, and in old age to avarice or greed. No one tells the full story of temptation by seeking its origin in a grandfather or a grandmother or too much love for a father or too little love for a mother, crowded tenements, low calorie diet or insufficient education.

3. - The true origin of the conflict is not to be found in the individual exclusively but in human nature. This assumes there is a difference between "nature" and "person". Nature answers to the question, "What is it?" A person answers to the question, "Who is it?" A pencil is not a person. An atom is not a person. John Jones is a person. Something has happened to disturb the original human nature so that it is now neither an angel nor a devil. Human nature is not intrinsically corrupt (as some theologians claimed 400 years ago); nor is it intrinsically divine (as philosophers began saying fifty years ago) Rather, human nature has aspirations for good which it sometimes finds impossible to realize completely by itself; at the same time, human nature has inclinations to evil which solicit it away from these ideas.

It is like a man who is down a well of his own stupidity. He knows that he ought not to be there but he cannot get out by himself. Or to change the picture, he is like a clock whose mainspring is broken. He needs to be fixed on the inside but repairs must be supplied from without. He is a creature who can run well again but only if Someone outside has the kindness to repair him. This Someone is Christ, the Son of God and the Redeemer of human nature. He came not only to teach but to heal the breach caused by false freedom.

BY ARCHBISHOP FULTON J. SHEEN ( 1895 to 1979 )

                                                                   Page 1  

If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

The difference between a habit and an instinct is that a habit is acquired, whereas an instinct is infused. A duck never has to acquired the instinct to swim but a man has to develop it. Habit then means not only the facility of doing a thing because one has done it frequently but it also implies the impulse of the will to do the action. Because of the lack of will, no inanimate creatures ever develop habits.

 A clock does not go by continued repetition of its movements. But habit is developed by the will. A drunken Rip Van Winkle, in Jefferson's play, excuses himself for every fresh dereliction by saying: "I won't count this time", he may not count it but it is counted nonetheless. The nerve cells, fibers and the molecules are counting it, registering it and storing it up to be used against him when the next temptation comes. A man becomes a permanent drunkard by separate drinks and he becomes a permanent saint by separate acts of virtue.

No man becomes bad at once. Evil is not native to the soul; it has to become domesticated. Any evil desire or affection repeatedly acted upon receives less and less attention from the conscience until at last it almost becomes automatic, like reaching for a cigarette after one has acquired the habit. At first, an act of vice requires an effort and is speedily followed by regret. This voice of conscience is more and more diminished after the evil deed is multiplied.

A man may eventually reach a point where he has a memory of the knowledge of morality, as well as the memory that it exercised over his conduct at one time. But the power of moral cause is gone, though he may falsely justify himself by calling moral precepts superstitions or the relic of a bygone age or a mark of his immaturity.

It would seem that Our Blessed Lord did not recommend a gradual breaking of a habit but immediate: "If your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into fiery Gehenna". He did not actually mean a physical plucking out of the eye but a complete break with the evil habit. A short time ago a drunkard stopped me on the street and said: "I am a bum; I have no job and I drink too much. What would you recommend?" I said to him: "The first thing that you must do is to want to be sober and decent and hardworking". He said: "Oh, no. That is too hard: Though Dr.Jekyll made up his mind to have done with the hateful life he carried on in the form of Mr.Hyde, he did not destroy the cup and the liquid which enabled him to transform himself onto a safe disguise. It is the destruction of the cup and the will to be better which is the condition of breaking the evil habit.

J.Arthur Thomson well emphasized this necessity of suppressing the animal in us in order to encourage the angel: "Man often seems like a creature whose wings have been smirched with oil or bedraggled with mud, so that it cannot fly... There are gratuitous handicaps which can be got rid of, so as to leave the developing human spirit to go forth with a new freedom on this quest after adventures in the kingdom of the spirit".

So many say it is their weak wills which keep them from rising. It is not just the will that is weak; it is rather the refusal to accept the truth that the will has the power to rise, particularly when there is power supplied from the outside, namely the power of grace. In breaking evil habits, man does not act alone; he acts in conjunction with help from God, if he but claims it. The wise of Pythagoras used to say: "Choose that course of action which is best, and custom will soon render it the most agreeable". If we kept a tiger alive and expect to manage him, the best thing to do is to feed him; but if we desire to kill him, the only thing to do is to stop his food at once and for a little while he will roar and tear but will soon grow weak.

BY ARCHBISHOP FULTON J. SHEEN ( 1895 to 1979 )

                                                                           Page 1  

If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-25 -

Immutability is a characteristic of God's nature which means that He does not change in His basic nature. In Him, 'there is no such thing as variation, alteration and no shadow of a change. God does not mutate from being one kind of God to being another, nor is He subject to the limitations of time and space since in Christ He upholds all things by the word of His power.

Make no mistake about this, my dear brothers: it is all that is good, everything that is perfect which is given us from above; it comes down from the Father of all light; with him there is no such thing as alteration, no shadow of a change. - James 1:16-17 -

He is the radiant light of God's glory and the perfect copy of his nature, sustaining the universe by his powerful command; and now that he has destroyed the defilement of sin, he has gone to take his place in heaven at the right hand of divine Majesty. - Heb. 1:3 -

But there is one thing, my friends, that you must never forget: that with the Lord, 'a day' can mean a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day. - 2Peter 3:8 -

Jesus is the image of the unseen God
and the first-born of all creation,
for in him were created
all things in heaven and on earth:
everything visible and everything invisible,
Thrones, Dominations, Sovereignties, Power-
all things were created through him and for him.

Before anything was created, he existed,
and he holds all things in unity.
Now the Church is his body,
he is its head.

As he is the Beginning,
he was first to be born from the dead,
so that he should be first in every way;
because God wanted all perfection
to be found in him
and all things to be reconciled through him and for him,
everything in heaven and everything on earth,
when he made peace
by his death on the cross. - Col. 1:15-20 -

God's is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty", Jesus Christ, is the head of all creation, "the same yesterday, today and forever" - Rev. 1:8, 21:6, 22:13; Heb. 13:8 - and the God of steadfast love.

I show kindness to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments. - Deut. 5:10 -

I will celebrate your love forever, Yahweh,
age after age my words shall proclaim your faithfulness;
for I claim that love is built to last forever
and your faithfulness founded firmly in the heavens. - Psalm 89:1-2 -

The heavens are yours and the earth is yours,
you founded the world and all it holds,
you created north and south;
Tabor and Hermon hail your name with joy.

Yours was the arms, and yours the prowess,
mighty and exalted your right hand;
Righteousness and Justice support your throne,
Love and Faithfulness are your attendants.

In redeeming your life from the Pit,
In crowning you with love and tenderness - Psalms 89:11-14, 103:4 -

Let me sing the praises of Yahweh's goodness,
and of his marvelous deeds,
in return for all that he has done for us
and for the great kindness
he has shown us in his mercy
and in his boundless goodness. - Is. 63:7 -

                                                                         Page 1  

If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

The word 'apocalypse' is a Greek word meaning "Revelation". Therefore, apocalyptic literature is a special kind of writing that arose among the Jews and Christians to reveal certain mysteries about heaven and earth, human-kind and God, angels and demons, the life of the world today and the world to come.

Apocalyptic literature probably arose in the tradition of the true Prophets of Israel but it came several centuries after their times. The last true prophet of Israel, Malachi, wrote about 450 B.C. Two books in the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible - the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament and the Book of Revelation in the New Testament are good examples of the apocalyptic literary form.

Most of the apocalyptic books were written by Jews in reaction to the oppression of their people by foreign powers. Often they wrote to explain why evil seemed to prosper while the righteous suffered. The Christian apocalyptic writings were influenced by these earlier Jewish works. The close similarities between Jewish and Christian apocalyptic literature explains why scholars group them into one category and study both Jewish and Christian apocalyptic literature together. Apocalyptic literature has certain literary devices or styles that set it apart from other literature.

Although other types of literature use visions to communicate - Isaiah chapter 6 - it uses visions as a way of revealing secrets from heaven about the present and the future of humankind. Often these visions are caused by some trauma, major personal or social event that created a crisis in the writer's experience. These visions lead in turn to further explanations about coming events. As a result of these visionary experiences, the writer draws ethical conclusions. In Revelation chapter 2 to 3, John writes seven churches in western Asia Minor. Each letter is addressed to specific issues facing the church. These letters were written after John heard a voice, and saw a vision, and was commissioned by God to write. - Rev. 1:9-20 -

The Book of Revelation in the New Testament is the book of apocalyptic literature that gives the name of the author. All other apocalyptic books are attributed to famous and true prophets of the past, such as Ezra, Baruch, Jeremiah, Abraham, Moses and Adam. The reason why these authors identified their writings with great persons in Israel's history probably was to add credibility to their work.

Each of the apocalyptic books is rich in symbolism and images. The reader's imagination is stretched. Those who read the apocalyptic books just after they had been written knew the meaning of the symbols and images used by the author. The events of the time, evil and wicked rulers, and the pagan nations are symbolized by distorted animals and beasts, horrible signs from heaven or a chaotic flowing of waters. But the people who are faithful to God are portrayed as majestic animals, like a lion or a well kept plant. The purpose of the symbolism and images was to make the contrast between good and evil.

Throughout these books, the authors write about the arrival of the end times within the near future. In the other books various images are used to spell out the coming end. This apocalyptic view of the last days gives a certain urgency to these writings. The end of the world is not a solitary event for the earth alone; it extends to the whole universe. This planet is only part of a greater tragedy. An awful time is in store for all nations of the earth will be seized with great panic.

Along with a pessimistic view of history, the apocalyptic books declare that history has been determined by God before creation. World history is divided into fixed time periods. These fixed segments have been established and mankind simply lives out the already established drama. History may be divided into two periods - this world which is ruled by Satan and his legions, and the next world in which wickedness will be abolished and God will rule supreme. Apocalyptic literature is filled with angels and demons who are actively involved in the drama of events. The problem of evil is explained by pointing to the demons and Satan himself as the forces that cause evil. Angels who have not fallen are used by God to protect and serve his faithful people. These truths are echoed in the Book of Revelation.

The New Heaven and the New Earth. The end times as portrayed in the apocalyptic writings return to the beginning of creation. Out of heaven will come a new heaven and a new earth. The old will be destroyed, replaced by a new creation where God will rule. Only those who have been faithful to God's commandment will be saved. - Rev. chapter 20 to 22 -

The kingdom of God describes the place from which all the world will be judged or as the ultimate rule in the new creation. - Dan. 4:17; Rev. 11:15 - The Rule of God or the Kingdom of God is central and all events are determined from God's throne. A Messiah or a Mediator between God and man appears in most of the apocalyptic writings as one who accomplishes the final salvation of the world. This figure appears either as a Messiah, Son of Man, Son of God, the Chosen One, as a Mediator between God and man.

The righteous have suffered in this world because it has been ruled by Satan. But this situation will change in the future. This vision of glory appears as a world of hope and encouragement to the faithful - those who love God with all their soul, heart, mind, strength and trust in God. Glory will come to God's peoples. They have the power necessary to live full and meaningful lives in this world.

                                                                     Page 1  

If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

The line of descent from Adam to Noah was as follows: Adam, Seth, Enosh, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, and Noah. If this Genealogy does not allow for any gaps, Noah was only nine generations removed from Adam and his father, Lamech, was 56 years old at the time of Adam's death. Noah is God's instrument in saving mankind from total destruction by the FLOOD. - Gen. 5:28-29, 9:29 -

Noah lived at a time when the whole earth was filled with violence and corruption. Yet Noah did not allow the evil standards of his day to rob him of fellowship with God. He stood out as the only one who "walked with God" as was true of his great-grandfather Enoch. Noah was a just and righteous man. The Lord singled out Noah from among all his contemporaries and chose him as the man to accomplish a great work.

When God saw the wickedness that prevailed in the world. He disclosed to Noah His intention to destroy the world by a Flood. God instructed Noah to build an ark in which he and his family would survive the catastrophe. Noah believed God and obeyed Him and 'according to all that God commanded him, so he did'. - Gen. 6:5, 22 -

It was through his faith that Noah when he had been warned by God of something that had never been seen before, felt a holy fear and built an ark to save his family. By his faith the world was convicted and he was able to claim the righteousness which is the reward of faith. - Heb. 11:7 -

With unswerving confidence in the Word of God, Noah started building the ark. For 120 years the construction continued. During this time of grace, Noah continued to preach God's judgment and mercy, warning the unbeliever and ungodly of their approaching doom. He preached for 120 years, however, without any converts. People continued in their wicked and evil ways, and turned deaf ears to his pleadings and warnings until they were overtaken by the Flood.

Why, Christ himself, innocent though he was, had died once for sins, died for the guilty, to lead us to God. In the body he was put to death, in the spirit he was raised to life, and in the spirit, he went to preach to the spirits in prison. Now it was long ago when Noah was still building that ark which saved only a small group of eight people 'by water' and when God was still waiting patiently, that these spirits refused to believe. That water is a type of the baptism which saves you now, and which is not the washing off physical dirt but a pledge made to God from a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ who has entered heaven and is at God's right hand, now that he has made the angels and Dominations and Powers his subject. - 1Peter 3:18-22 -

When angels sinned, God did not spare them: he sent them down to the underworld and consigned them to the dark underground caves to be held there till the day of Judgment. Nor did God spare the world in ancient times: it was only Noah he saved, the preacher of righteousness, along with seven others, when He sent the Flood over a disobedient world. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah these too God condemned and reduced to ashes; he destroyed them completely, as a warning to anybody lacking reverence in the future. - 2Peter 2:4-6 -

When the ark was ready, Noah entered in with all kinds of animals 'and the Lord shut him in' cut off completely from the rest of mankind. - Gen. 7:7-9, 15-16 - Noah was grateful to God's who had delivered him from the Flood. After the Flood he built an altar to God and made sacrifice which was accepted graciously. The Lord promised Noah and his descendants that He would never destroy the world again with a flood. God's made an everlasting covenant with Noah and his descendants, establishing the Rainbow as the sign of His promise. The Lord also blessed Noah and restored the creation command, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth". These were the same words He had spoken earlier to Adam. - Gen 1:28, 8:20-21, 9:1, 12-17 -

Noah became the first tiller of the soil and keeper of vineyards after the Flood. His drunkenness is a prelude to the curse that was soon to be invoked on Canaan and his descendants, the Canaanites. Noah died at the age of 950 years old. - Gen. 9:18-29 -

In the Gospels of the New Testament, the account of Noah and the Flood is used as an indication of the end times. Warning His hearers about the suddenness of Jesus return. Jesus referred to the sudden catastrophe that fell upon unbelievers at the time of the Flood: - Luke 17:26-37 -

As it was in Noah's day, so will it be when the Son of Man comes. For in those days before the Flood people were eating, drinking, taking wives, taking husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark and they suspected nothing till the Flood came and swept all away. It will be like this when the Son of Man comes. Then of two men in the fields one is taken, one is left; of two women at the millstone grinding, one is taken, one left.

So stay awake because you do not know the day when your master is coming. You may be quite sure of this that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house. Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. - Matt. 24:37-44 - Luke 17:26-37 -

Wake up; revive what little you have left: it is dying fast. So far I have failed to notice anything in the way you live that my God could possibly call perfect and yet do you remember how eager you were when you first heard the message? Hold on to that. Repent. If you do not wake up, I shall come to you like a thief, without telling you at what hour to expect me. There are a few in Sardis, it is true, who have kept their robes from being dirtied and they are fit to come with me, dressed in white. Those who prove victorious will be dressed, like these, in white robes; I shall not blot their names out of the book of life but acknowledges their names in the presence of my Father and his angels. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to what the Spirit is saying to the Churches. - Rev. 3:2-6 -

                                                                    Page 1  

If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

Consulting Mediums refer to the same thing as practicing wizardry. The word describes the necromancer or witch at En-dor whom Saul engaged to conduct a seance and bring up the spirit of Samuel. A kind of ventriloquism. - 1Sam. 28:3-19 - It was forbidden by the laws of God but practiced by bad, wicked kings and condemned by the true prophets. In few places the prophet Isaiah hinted that consulting mediums may be a kind of ventriloquism.

And should men say to you, 'Consult ghosts
and wizards that whisper and mutter'
by all means a people must consult its gods
and on behalf of the living, consult the dead.

To obtain a revelation and a testimony,
without doubt this is how they will talk
since there is no dawn for them. - Isaiah 8:19-20 -

Thrown down - you will speak from the ground,
your words will come muffled by dust.
Your voice will rise from the earth like a ghost's,
you will speak from the dust in a whisper. - Is. 29:4 -

Spiritism. - The word for spiritist always appears with witch. The root of the word in Hebrew is the verb 'to know'. In modern English wizard means someone very wise or inventive, a very clever or skillful person. In the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible, it is always a forbidden thing, a kind of black magic. This is why most modern versions translate the word as spiritist, fortune-teller, sorcerer, astrology or in pleasing definition but God's forbids this practices.

But the legacy for cowards, for those who break their word or worship obscenities and fornicators, and for fortune-tellers, idolaters or any other sort of liars, is the second death in the burning lake of sulphur. - Rev. 21:8 -

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Happy are those who will have washed their robes clean, so that they will have the right to feed on the tree of life and can come through the gates into the city. These others must stay outside: dogs, fortune-tellers, and fornicators, and murderers, and idolaters, and everyone of false speech and false life. - Rev. 22:13-15 -

Magic. - The Hebrew word translated as magic appears in connection with Egyptian Babylonian magicians. The first cluster of verses relates to Joseph in Egypt - Gen. 41:8-24 - the second appears in connection with the plagues - Ex. 7:11 to 9:11 - and the third deals with Daniel, the prophet and the various government supported magicians of Babylon.

The king Nebuchadnezzar coversed with them and among all the boys found none to equal Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. So they became members of the king's court, and on whatever point of wisdom or information he might question them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom. - Daniel 1:19-21 -

In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, he had a series of dreams; his mind was troubled, sleep deserted him. The king then had magicians and enchanters, sorcerers and Chaldaeans summoned to tell the king what his dreams meant....... The question the king asks is difficult and no one can find the king an answer to it, except the gods whose dwelling is not with creatures of flesh. At this the king flew into a rage and ordered all the Babylonians sages killed, search was made for Daniel and his companions to have them put to death...and Daniel went off to ask the king for a stay of execution to give him the opportunity of revealing his interpretation to the king. Daniel then went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah what had happened, urging them to beg the God of heaven to show his mercy in this mysterious affair, so that Daniel and his friends might be spared the fate of the other Babylonian sages. The mystery was then revealed to Daniel in a night-vision and Daniel blessed the God of heaven............The great God has shown the king what is to take place. The dream is true, the interpretation exact.

At this, king Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel; he gave orders for Daniel to be offered an oblation and a fragrant sacrifices. The king said to Daniel, 'Your god must be the God of gods, the master of kings, and the Revealer of Mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery'. - Daniel 2:1-47 - 5:10-12 -

This term is never used in connection with the nation of Israel, so apparently it was not a threat or a temptation. In all Old Testament contexts the effectiveness of magicians is underscored.

Magic actually comes from a Greek word which appears several times in the New Testament. Simon the sorcerer is one example and Elymas the sorcerer is another.

Now a man called Simon had already practiced magic arts in the town and astounded the Samaritan people. He had given it out that he was someone momentous and everyone believed what he said; eminent citizens and ordinary people alike had declared, 'He is the divine power that is called 'Great'. They had only been won over to him because of the long time he had spent working on them with his magic. But when they believed Philip's preaching of the Good News about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptised, both men and women, and even Simon himself became a believer. After baptism Simon who went round constantly with Philip, was astonished when he saw wonders and great miracles that took place.

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, and they went down there, and prayed for the Samaritians to receive the Holy Spirit, for as yet he had not come down on any of them: they had only been baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the imposition of hands by the apostles, he offered them some money. 'Give me the same power' he said, 'so that anyone I lay hands on will receive the Holy Spirit'. Peter answered, 'May your silver be lost forever and you with it, for thinking that money could buy what God has given for nothing! You have no share, no rights in this: God can see how your heart is wraped. Repent of this wickedness of yours and pray to the Lord; you may still be forgiven for thinking as you did; it is plain to me that you are trapped in the bitterness of gall and the chains of sin'. 'Pray to the Lord for me yourselves' Simon replied, so that none of the things you have spoken about may happen to me. - Acts 8:9-24 -

They travelled the whole length of the island and at Paphos they came in contact with a Jewish magician called Bar-jesus. This false prophet was one of the attendants of the proconsul Sergius Paulus who was an extremely intelligent man. The proconsul summoned Barnabas and Saul/Paul and asked to hear the word of God, but Elymas Magos - as he was called in Greek - tried to stop them so as to prevent the proconsul's conversion to the faith. Then Saul, whose other name is Paul, looked at him full in the face and said, 'You utter fraud, you impostor, you son of the devil, you enemy of all true religion, why don't you stop twisting the straight-forward ways of the Lord? Now watch how the hand of the Lord will strike you: you will be blind and for a time you will not see the sun. That instant, everything went misty and dark for him and he groped about to find someone to lead him by the hand. The proconsul who had watched everything became a believer, being astonished by what he had learnt about the Lord. - Acts 13:6-12 -

They may have been something like the 'itinerant Jewish exorcists' also mentioned in the Book of Acts who attempted to drive evil spirits out of people in the name of Jesus.

But some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried pronouncing the name of the Lord Jesus over people who were possessed by evil spirits; they used to say, 'I command you by the Jesus whose spokesman is Paul'. Among those who did this were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest. The evil spirit replied, 'Jesus I recognise and I know who Paul is but who are you?' and the man with the evil spirit hurled himself at them and overpowered first one and then another and handled them so violently that they fled from that house naked and badly mauled. Everybody in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, heard about this episode; they were all greatly impressed and the name of the Lord Jesus came to be held in great honour.

Some believers, too, came forward to admit in detail how they had used spells and a number of them who had practiced magic collected their books and made a bonfire of them in public. The value of these was calculated to be fifty thousand silver pieces. - Acts 19:13-19 -

                                                                     Page 2  

If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -