The New Testament uses two words for Temple. One of these words refers to the collection of buildings that made up the Temple in Jerusalem, while the other usually refers to the sanctuary of the Temple. In the New Testament, Jesus related to the Temple in four distinct ways:

First, as a pious Jew who was zealous for the Lord, Jesus showed respect for the Temple. He referred to it as "the house of God" - But he said to them, 'Have you not read what David did when he and his followers were hungry - how he went into the house of God and how they ate the loaves of offering which neither he nor his followers were allowed to eat, but which were for the priests alone? - Matt. 12:4 - and "My Father's house" - Just before the Jewish Passover Jesus went up to Jerusalem and in the Temple he found people selling cattle and sheep and pigeons, and the money changers sitting at their counters there. Making a whip out of some cord, he drove them all out of the Temple, cattle and sheep as well, scattered the money changers' coins, knocked their tables over and said to the pigeon-sellers, 'Take all this out of here and stop turning my Father's house into a market.' - John 2:13-16 -

Jesus taught that "everything in the Temple was holy and sacred because of the sanctifying presence of God." - Alas for you, blind guides! You who say, "If a man swears by the Temple, it has no force; but if a man swears by the gold of the Temple, he is bound." Fools and blinds! For which is of greater worth, the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred? Or else, "If a man swears by the altar it has no force; but if a man swears by the offering that is on the altar, he is bound." You blind men! For which is greater worth, the offering or the altar that makes the offering sacred? Therefore, when a man swears by the Temple he is swearing by that and by the One who dwells in it. - Matt. 23:16-21 -

Second, Jesus' zeal led Him to purge the Temple of the money changers and weep over it as He reflected on its coming destruction. The Book of Malachi 3:1 prophesied the cleansing of the Temple as something the Lord and His Messenger would do, Jesus' act implied His deity. Consequently, the Pharisees, Scribes and the chief priests sought how they might destroy Jesus. - Mark 11:15-18, 13:1; Luke 19:41-47; John 2:16 -

Third, because Jesus was the Son of God incarnate, Jesus taught that He was greater than the Temple. 'Or again, have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbath day the Temple priests break the Sabbath without blamed for it? Now here, I tell you, is something greater than the Temple. And if you had understood the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the blameless. For the Son of Man is master of the Sabbath. - Matt. 12:5-8 - Jesus' teaching that if the temple of His body was destroyed in three days He would raise it up, likewise affirms His superiority to the Temple building. 'Jesus answered, 'Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up.' - John 2:19 - That saying of Jesus may have provided the basis for the claim of the two false witnesses at His trail who stated that Jesus said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.' - Matt. 26:59-61, 27:40; Mark 14:55-59, 15:29 -

Finally, Jesus taught that the Church is the new temple. 'When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, 'Who do people say the Son of Man is?' And they said, 'Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.' 'But you.' he said 'who do you say I am?' Then Simon Peter spoke up, 'You are the Christ' he said 'the Son of the living God.' Jesus replied, 'Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. - Matt.16:13-18 -

At the moment of Jesus' death, the veil of the Temple was torn from top to bottom. - Matt. 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45 - By His death, Jesus opened a new way into the presence of God. A new order replaced the old. No longer was the Temple in Jerusalem to be the place where peoples worshiped God. From now on they would worship God 'in spirit and truth.'

Sir, said the woman. 'Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, while you say that Jerusalem is the place where once ought to worship.' Jesus said:
'Believe me, woman, the hour is coming
when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
You worship what you do not know;
we worship what we do know;
for salvation comes from the Jews.
But the hour will come - in fact it is here already -
when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth:
that is the kind of worshiper
the Father wants.
God is spirit,
and those who worship
must worship in spirit and truth.' - John 4:20-24 -

The first Christians were converted Jews. They continued to worship at the Temple as Jesus had. - Luke 24:52; Acts 2:46, 3:1, 5:12, 20:21, 42 - As they began to understand the meaning and significance of Jesus' person, work and teaching, they realized they were the new people of God, infused by God's Spirit. As such, they were a new, living Temple. A new order had replaced the old. Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr, a Christian of Gentile background was the first person to understand that the Church had replaced the Temple as the place where God's presence was manifested in a special way among His peoples.

Saint Stephen insight was carried forward by Saint James, who identified the Church with Amos' prophecy about the 'tabernacle of David, which has fallen.' According to Saint James application of Amos' prophecy about the end times, the restoration of David's tabernacle, the Temple, would serve as the rallying point for Gentiles wished to come to the Lord.

That day I will re-erect the tottering hut of David,
make good the gaps in it, restore its ruins
and rebuild it as it was in the days of old,
so that they can conquer the remnant of Edom
and all the nations that belonged to me.
It is the Yahweh who speaks, and he will carry this out. - Amos 9: 11-12 -

Saint James understood the Church as the new temple that fulfilled that prophecy.

When they had finished it was James who spoke. 'My brothers' he said 'listen to me, Simeon has described how God first arranged to enlist a people for his name out of the pagans. This is entirely in harmony with the words of the prophets, since the scriptures says:
After that I shall return
and rebuild the fallen House of David;
I shall rebuild it from its ruin
and restore it.
Then the rest of mankind,
all the pagans who are consecrated to my name,
will look for the Lord,
says the Lord who made this known so long ago. - Acts 15:13-18 -

                                                                       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
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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 -

Temple is a building which a god or gods is worshiped. The Old Testament describes temples as some of man's oldest buildings. The Tower of Babel - Gen. 11:4 - is the first recorded example of a structure that implies the existence of a temple, although this tower was not a temple itself. A temple was thought of as the building where the god manifested his presence, so the place the temple occupied was holy or sacred. Because the god was thought to dwell in the temple, the Old Testament had no specific word for temple. It refers instead to the 'house' of a deity.

Abraham was from Mesopotamia where each city had a temple for its patron god. The Mesopotamia believed that the god owned their land, that the king was the vassal of the god, and that the land had to be blessed by the god in order to be fruitful. Their religious practices were, in part, designed to win the god's favour. Several Canaanite temples are mentioned in the Old Testament. They include the temples of the god Berith in Shechem - Judg. 9:46 - Dagon in Ashdod - Judg. 16:23-30 -; 1Sam. 5:2-5; 1Chr. 10:10 - and Beth Shan on Mount Gilboa. - 1Sam. 31:12 -

The patriarchs such as Abraham and Jacob did not build temples because they were wandering herdsmen. However, they did have shrines and altars in places where God had revealed Himself to them, at Bethel and at Beersheba. - Gen. 12:6-7, 33:20, 21:33, 26:23-25 - Even after Solomon's Temple was completed, rival sanctuaries at Bethel and Dan competed with it. - 1Kin. 12:28-33 - Later the Samaritans had a temple on Mount Gerizim. - John 4:20 -

Solomon's Temple: Once the land was fully conquered and all the tribes were properly settled, it was important that the worship of God be centralized. David, the Israel king was a man of war, because of that he was not allowed to build the temple, but he was allowed to gather the materials for it and to organize the project. - 1Chr. 22:1-19 - The actual work began 'in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel.' - 1Kin. 6:1 - Solomon began to reign about 971B.C. so his fourth year would have been about 967B.C. The temple was completed about 960B.C., seven years later. - 1Kin. 6:37-38 -

In biblical times three temples were built on the same site: Solomon's, Zerubbabel's and Herod's. Solomon built the temple on the east side of Jerusalem on Mount Moriah "where the Lord had appeared to his father, David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite." - 1Chr. 21:28; 2Chr. 3:1 - The highest part of Mount Moriah is now the site of the building called 'The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.'

Solomon contacted Hiram, king of Tyre, to supply workmen and materials to help construct the Temple. - 2Chr. 2:3 - First Kings 5:6 calls those workmen Sidonians. Additional, Solomon 'raised up a labour force out of all Israel' of 30,000 men to assist Hiram in the forests of Lebanon. - 1Kin. 5:15 - Solomon had seventy thousand who carried burdens and eighty thousand who quarried stone in the mountains. The Gebalites also helped to quarry stones. - 1Kin. 5:18 - Those who quarried stones were overseen by 3,300 of Solomon's deputies. - 1Kin. 5:16 -

Solomon's Temple is described, though incompletely, in 1Kings 6-7 and in 2Chronicles 3-4. The description of Ezekiel's Temple, an elaborate version of Solomon's may supplement those accounts. - Ezekiel 40-43 -  Solomon's Temple was in the shape of a rectangle that ran east and west. Like Ezekiel's Temple - Ezek. 41:8 - it may have stood on a platform. The accounts in the Book of Kings and Chronicles suggest that there was an inner and an outer courtyard. Three main objects were situated in the inner courtyard. The bronze altar that was used for burnt offerings measured 20 cubits square and 10 cubits high. - 1Kin. 8:22, 64, 9:25; 2Chr. 4:1 - Between that and the porch of the Temple stood the bronze laver, or molten sea, that held water for the ritual washing. It was completely round, 5 cubits high, 10 cubits in diameter, and 30 cubits around its outer circumference. - Twelve bronze oxen, in four groups of three, faced outward toward the four points of the compass, with the bronze laver resting on their backs. - 1Kin. 7:23-26 - But Ahaz removed the bronze laver from the oxen. - 2Kin. 16:17 -

Finally, at the dedication of the Temple, Solomon is said to have stood on a 'bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high' that stood in the middle of the courtyard. - 2Chr. 6:12-13 - The interior dimensions of the Temple were 60 cubits long, 20 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. - 1Kin. 6;2 - The ten steps to the porch of the Temple were flanked by two bronze columns, Jachin and Boaz, each 25 cubits high and 12 cubits in circumference. - 1Kin. 7:15-16; 2Chr. 3:15 - The porch was 10 cubits high, 20 cubits wide, and supposedly 120 cubits high. - 2Chr. 3:4 -

To the west of the porch was the Holy Place, a room 40 cubits long, 20 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high where ordinary rituals took place. Windows near the ceiling provided light. In the Holy Place were the golden incense altar, the table for the show-bread, five pairs of lamp stands, and the utensils used for sacrifice. Double doors, probably opened once a year for the high priest on the Day of Atonement, led from the west end of the Holy Place to the Holy of Holy, a 20 cubits cube. In that room two wooden cherubim, each ten feet tall, stood with outstretched wings. Two of the wings met above the ark of the covenant and two of them touched the north and south walls of the room. - 1Kin. 6:27 - God's presence was manifested in the Holy of Holy as a cloud. - 1Kin. 8:10-11 -

The outside of the Temple building, excluding the porch area, consisted of side chambers or galleries that rose three stories high. - 1Kin. 6:5 - The rooms of the Temple were paneled with cedar, the floor was cypress, and the ornately carved doors and walls were overlaid with gold. - 1Kin. 6:20-22 - Not a stone could be seen.

Shishak, king of Egypt, took away the Temple treasures during the reign of Rehoboam, Solomon's son. - 1Kin. 14:26 - Asa used the Temple treasure to buy an ally and to buy off an invader. - 1Kin. 15:18; 2Kin. 16:8 - Manasseh placed Canaanite altars and a carved image of Asherah, a Canaanite goddess, in the Temple. - 2Kin. 21:4-7 - Ahaz introduced an altar patterned after one he saw in Damascus. - 2Kin. 16:10-16 - By about 640B.C. Josiah had to repair the Temple. - 2Kin. 22:3-7 - After robbing the Temple of its treasures and gold during his first attack in 587B.C. the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar looted, sacked and burned the Temple - 2Kin. 24:13, 25:9, 13-17 - but people still came to the site to offer sacrifice. - Jer. 41:5 - There are 'Ezekiel's Temple' - Ezek. 40-43 - 'The Second Temple' and 'Herod's Temple.'

The New Testament uses two words for Temple.......

                                                                  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 -

No one can ever fully develop his character who does not understand the law; to use is to have. The wise get wiser, the rich get richer and "those who have, get." Hence the general complaint at raffles is that it is always the man who has the automobile who gets the prize; those who do not really need money receive the inheritance. But it is not just windfall wealth that is received; rather, those who have capital are apt to put it out successfully for investment and thus double or triple their income. Treasure grows when it is used, but when hidden in the ground and not used it rusts. "To him who has, more shall be given."

Even in the higher realms of the moral order, the more one uses what is good, the more one develops and enriches it. The more the intellect is used for the high purposes to which it is destined, the more agile and profound it becomes. On the contrary, those who substitute eyes for the mind or looking at pictures for thinking, eventually reach a point where reading a solid work is a positive trial. When everything is made easy, the noblest parts of man wither through disuse.

In the moral order as well, when the voice of conscience is used, respected, obeyed and followed, it becomes more sensitive to duty, more sympathetic to the burdens of others and more solicitous about the aches and worries of neighbours. On the contrary, when the voice of conscience is thrust aside; when the carnal and the erotic are allowed to dominate it; when the animal instincts are used to the detriment of the God-like imperatives, consciences begins to dwindle until it becomes "seared as if with a hot iron. " Everyone is born with "moral capital" which is conscience. If he/she uses that capital he/she gets more of it, namely, an increase of goodness and honesty. Moral power is lost by inattention as the eyes of the mole lost their vision by groveling in the earth. Neglect has terrible penalties: talents are taken away and, after a while, one becomes like the profligate woman in the Book of Proverbs who "wipes her mouth and says: 'I have done no wrong.'"

This law explains why some intellectuals who seem to know so much have not always a virtue comparable to their knowledge. Some teachers know all the proofs of Aristotle for the existence of God, and yet they never say any prayers. Because they have not acted on the little knowledge of God they had, by deepening their communion with God, their knowledge atrophies like a parched tree, bearing no more fruit. It is the use of brains and not their mere possession to which the reward attaches. Any truth that is meant to influence life, if held lightly or indifferently, generally evaporates. The moral truths that we already know, if not followed through with discipline and effort, soon become unwelcome truths, because they are at variance with the way we live.

Every D.D. [Doctorate of Divinity] ought to be saint; every Ph.D. ought to be as good as Plato or Socrates but, as a matter of fact, there are more saints among the non D.D.s and more good moral pagans among the non Ph.D.s. If the mind, the will and the moral sense of duty are to grow, they must be pressed to the heart with hoops of steel, allowed to dominate us until they begin to produce their capital of a happy and a peaceful life.

What is true in the order of nature is true in the order of super nature or grace. Only those who use the graces they are given are given more. As in the order of nature, we get our second wind only when we have used up our first, so in the order of the spirit, as we exhaust ourselves in the pursuit of the Divine and the Kingdom of God, are we given increments and compound interest of new insights and energies.

The law is written in every heart: Whatever we cultivate, bestial or divine, will grow; whatever we repress or neglect will die. Disregarded truth becomes disliked truth; truth acted on grows more rapidly than money produces interest. It is up to us to choose - everyone is reaping what he/she sows.

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 -

Seven, Seventh is a sacred number to the ancient Hebrew people. The word is used often in the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible to symbolize perfection, fullness, abundance, rest and completion. This number was also considered holy or sacred by other cultures of the ancient world. The first mentioned of the number seven occurs in Genesis 2:2-3. God created the world in six days, but on the seventh day He rested from His work, setting aside the seventh day as holy. The fourth of the Ten Commandments states: 'Remember the Sabbath day [that is, the seventh day] to keep it holy.' - Ex. 20:8 -

The number seven also had a ritual importance to the Hebrews. Several of the religious acts of the Old Testament received a seven-fold repetition, for instance, the sprinkling of blood - Lev. 4:6 - or the dipping of Naaman the leper in the Jordan River. - 2Kings 5:10,14 - Periods of time composed of seven units are often used in the Old Testament. - Gen. 2:2; Dan. 9:25 - Within visions and dreams, the number seven often plays a prominent part. Pharaoh dreamed of two herds composed of seven animals each. These symbolized the seven years of famine and the seven years of plenty, as did the two groups of seven heads of grain. - Gen. 41:1-36 -

In the New Testament, Jesus cast seven demons out of Mary Magdalene and fed the 4,000 with seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. - Luke 8:2; Matt. 15:32-39 - The seven different utterances of Jesus while He hung on the cross:

( 1 ) "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." - Luke 23:34 - Jesus taught that we should forgive those who sin against us. How appropriate that His first words from the cross should be words of 'Forgiveness.'

( 2 ) "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." - Luke 23:43 - As He hung on the cross, Jesus certainly did not appear to be king. Yet, what faith and hope the repentant thief displayed when he asked, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." - Luke 23:42 - Jesus' reply was good news indeed to this dying sinner.

( 3 ) "Woman, this is your son" Then to his disciple he said, "This is your mother." And from that moment the disciple made a place for Mary in his home. - John 19:26-27 - In spite of His grief and pain, Jesus continued to think of others. His earthly father, Joseph, probably had died by this time. Jesus asked his beloved disciple, John, to take care of His mother, Mary.

( 4 ) "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?...My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" - Matt. 27:46; Mark 15:34 - These words came from Jesus' lips about 3p.m. after He had hung on the cross for nine hours. Death was near, and Jesus was feeling the pain and loneliness that sin causes. But the sin in this case was our sin and not His. To express His anguish and grief, Jesus quoted the opening words of Psalms 22, using the same words that king David had used many years earlier. - Ps. 22:1 -

( 5 )  "I am thirsty!" - John 19:28 - The Old Testament had prophesied that Jesus would suffer for the sins of the world. In His death, that prophecy was being fulfilled. Jesus suffered spiritual torment as well as physical agony as He hung on the cross. His spirit thirsted to win the spiritual battle against evil while His body thirsted for water.

( 6 ) "It is accomplished!" - John 19:30 - This shows clearly that Jesus. victory has been achieved. It carries the understanding of perfection and fulfillment. God's plan of salvation had been accomplished through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.

( 7 ) "Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit." - Luke 23: 46; Mark 15:37; Matt. 27:50; Ps. 31:5 - Jesus did not die a failure. He died a victorious Saviour. He finished His work triumphantly and entrusted His spirit to God His Father.

The number seven appears frequently in the Book of Revelation too.

                                                                   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 -

Sin is an offense against God, it is also interpreted as a breach of His laws/commandments. In the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible sin is viewed in several ways: as an offense against God, which requires a pardon; as defilement, which requires cleansing; as slavery, which cries out for emancipation; as a debt, which must be cancelled; as defeat, which must be reversed by victory; and as estrangement, which must be set right by reconciliation. However sin is viewed, it is through the work of Christ that the remedy is provided. Jesus Christ has procured the pardon, the cleansing, the emancipation, the cancellation, the victory, and the reconciliation.

The law of God, like law in general, involves penalties against lawbreaker. The apostle Paul, conducting his preaching along these lines, quoted one uncompromising declaration from the Old Testament: "A curse on him who does not maintain the words of the Law by observing them." And all the people shall say: Amen. - Deut. 27:26 - Paul goes on to say that Christ, by enduring the form of death on which a divine curse was expressly pronounced in the Law, absorbed in His own person the curse for us.

On the other hand, those who rely on the keeping of the Law are under a curse, since scripture says: Cursed be everyone who does not persevere in observing everything prescribed in the book of the Law. The Law will not justify anyone in the sight of God, because we are told: the righteous man finds life through faith. The Law is not even based on faith, since we are told: The man practices these precepts finds life through practicing them. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by being cursed for our sake, since scripture says: Cursed be everyone who is hanged on a tree. This was done so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might include the pagans, and so that through faith we might receive the promised Spirit. - Gal. 3:10-14 - Deut. 21:23 -

When sin is considered as defilement that requires cleansing, the most straightforward affirmation is that 'the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin' - 1John 1:5-7 - The effect of Jesus death is to purify a conscience that has been polluted by sin. The same thought is expressed by the writer of the Book of Hebrews, and he speaks of various materials that were prescribed by Israel's ceremonial law to deal with forms of ritual pollution, which was an external matter. Then he asks, 'How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?' - Heb. 9:14 - Spiritual defilement calls for spiritual cleansing, and this is what the death of Christ has accomplished.

When sin is considered as slavery from which the slave must be set free, then the death of Christ is spoken of as a ransom or a means of redemption. Jesus Himself declared that 'He came to give His life as a ransom for many.' - Mark 10:45 - The apostle Paul not only spoke of sin as slavery; he also personified sin as a slave owner who compels his slaves to obey his evil orders. When they are set free from his control by the death of Christ to enter the service of God, they find this service, by contrast, to be perfect freedom.

The understanding of sin as a debt that must be canceled is based on the teaching of Jesus. 'One of the Pharisee invited Jesus to a meal. When he arrived at the Pharisee's house and took his place at table, a woman came in, who had a bad name in the town. She had heard he was dining with the Pharisee and had brought with her an alabaster jar of ointment. She waited behind him at his feet, weeping, and her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them away with her hair; then she covered his feet with kisses and anointed them with the ointment.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, 'If this man were a prophet, he would know who this woman is that touching him and what a bad name she has.' Then Jesus took him up and said, 'Simon, I have something to say to you.' 'Speak, Master' was the reply. 'There was once a creditor who had two men in his debt; one owed him five hundred denarii, the other fifty. They were unable to pay, so he pardoned them both. Which of them will love him more?' The one who was pardoned more, I suppose' answered Simon, Jesus said, 'You are right.'

Then he turned to the woman. 'Simon,' he said, 'you see this woman? I came into your house, and you poured no water over my feet, but she has poured out her tears over my feet and wiped them away with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she has been covering my feet with kisses ever since I came in. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. For this reason I tell you that her sins, her many sins, must have been forgiven her, or she would not have shown such great love. It is the man who is forgiven little who shows little love.' Then he said to her, 'You sins are forgiven.' - Luke 7:36-47 -

This is similar to Saint Paul reference to God as having canceled the bond which stood against us with its legal demands. Paul's words in Colossians 2:14-15 speak of the 'principalities and powers' as a personification of the hostile forces in the world which have conquered men and women and hold them as prisoners of war. There were no hope of successful resistance against them until Jesus Christ confronted them. It looked as if they had conquered Him too, but on the cross He conquered death itself, along with all other hostile forces.

He had overridden the Law and cancelled every record of the debt that we had to pay; he has done away with it by nailing it to the cross, and so he got rid of the Sovereignties and the Powers, and paraded them in public, behind him in his triumphal procession. - Col. 2:14-15 -

Sin is also viewed as estrangement or alienation from God. In this case, the saving work of Christ includes the reconciliation of sinners to God. The initiative in this reconciling work is taken by God. - 2Cor. 5:19 - God desires the well-being of sinners; so He sends Jesus as His reconciling grace to them. '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. 1:20 -

Those who are separated from God by sin are also estranged from one another. Accordingly, the work of Christ that reconciles sinners to God also brings them together as human beings. Hostile divisions of humanity have peace with one another through Him. Apostle Paul celebrated the way in which the work of Christ overcame the mutual estrangement of Jews and Gentiles.

But now in Christ Jesus, you that used to be so far apart from us have been brought very close, by the blood of Christ. For he is the peace between us, and has made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart, actually destroying in his own person the hostility caused by the riles and decrees of the Law. This was to create one single New Man in himself out of the two of them and by restoring peace through the cross, to unite them both in a single Body and reconcile them with God. In his own person he killed the hostility. Later he came to bring the good news of peace, peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near at hand. Through him, both of us have in the one Spirit our way to come to the Father. - Eph. 2:13-18 -

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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 Hebrew people reckoned their day from evening to evening, the period of time between two successive sunsets. "God called light 'day' and darkness He called 'night'. Evening came and morning came: the first day." - Gen. 1:5 - "Evening came and morning came: the second day." - Gen.1:8 - "Evening came and morning came: the third day." - Gen. 1:13 - "Evening came and morning came: the fourth day." - Gen. 1:19 - "Evening came and morning came: the fifth day." - Gen. 1:22 - "Evening came and morning came: the sixth day." - Gen.1:31 -

Thus the heaven and earth were completed with all their array. On the seventh day God completed the work he had been doing. God rested on the seventh day after all the work He had been doing. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on that day He had rested after all His work of creating. Such were the origins of heaven and earth when they were created. - Gen. 2:1-4 -

Among the Hebrew people, units of time were measured in hours, days, weeks, months, and years. The more abstract concept of time is mentioned in the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible and speaks of God who exists eternally as well as man who lives in a time-space framework. - Ex. 12:1-19; Lev. 23:15-16, 32 - It uses the word day in a meaningful sense, as in "the day of God's Wrath" - Job 20: 28-29 - "the day of Yahweh Sabaoth", "the day of Yahweh/the Lord." - Is. 2:12, 13:6, 9; Amos 5:18-20 -

It is also meaningfully used in the New Testament, "the Day of the Lord" / "the Day of the Lord Jesus Christ" or His second coming. To those who scoff at the delay of the Lord Jesus return, Saint Peter declared: But there is one thing, my friends, that you must never forget: that with the Lord 'a day' can mean a thousand year, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord is not being slow to carry out his promises, as anybody else might be called slow; but he is being patient with you all, wanting nobody to be lost and everybody to be brought to change his ways. The Day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then with a roar the sky will vanish, the elements will catch fire and fall apart, the earth and all that it contains will be burnt up. - 2Peter 3:8-10 - 'Since you know very well that the Day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night.' - 1Thes. 5:2 -

A related concept, Day of the Lord, focuses on God's judgment against human beings. The period at the end of time when Jesus Christ will return to claim faithful believers and baptized Christians of His Church as His own. 'The are no hidden meanings in our letters besides what you can read for yourselves and understand. And I hope that, although you do not know us very well yet, you will have come to recognize when the day of our Lord Jesus comes, that you can be as proud of us as we are for you.' - 2Cor. 1:13-14 -

My prayer is that your love for each other may increase more and more and never stop improving your knowledge and deepening your perception so that you can always recognize what is best. This will help you to become pure and blameless, and prepare you for the Day of Christ, when you will reach the perfect goodness which Jesus Christ produces in us for the glory and praise of God. - Phil. 1:9-11 - I never stop thanking God for all the graces you have received through Jesus Christ. I thank him that you have been enriched in so many ways, especially in your teachers and preachers; the witness to Christ has indeed been strong among you so that you will not be without any of the gifts of the Spirit while you are waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed; and he will keep you steady and without blame until the last day, the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, because God by calling you has joined you to his Son, Jesus Christ; and God is faithful. - 1Cor. 1:4-9 -

Eschatology is a theological term that designates the study of what will happen at the end time or end of history, particularly the event known as the SECOND COMING of Jesus Christ. Eschatology shows how God's Redeemer will establish His Kingdom upon a rebellious earth. The long process through which God selected a righteous group to serve Him on earth came a climax in the person of Christ. Prophet Isaiah spoke of God's presence in Jesus in order to save.

The Lord himself, therefore,
will give you a sign.
It is this: the maiden is with child
and will soon give birth to a son
whom she will call Immanuel. [God-with-us] - Is. 7:14 -

Yahweh will bring times for you
and your people and your father's House,
such as have not come
since Ephraim broke away from Judah. - Is. 7:17 -

Epiphany - The feast on which we remembered Christ's making Himself known to the Gentiles in the person of the Magi. Epiphany comes from a Greek word meaning "Manifestation"
For there is a child born for us,
a son given to us
and dominion is laid on his shoulders;
and this is the name they give him:
Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God,
Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace.
Wide is his dominion
in a peace that has no end, - Is. 9:1-21 -

The Lord Jesus Christ first coming was to save. - Mark 10:45 - His Second Coming will be primarily to 'Judge.' But His return will spell relief to His faithful Remnants, and those who love Him, with all his/her soul, heart, mind and strength. Eschatology shows that God's presence for the redeemed will be fully realized at Jesus' return, when He will dwell among all the redeemed in the new heavens and earth. - Rev. 21:3-4 -

THE DAY OF THE LORD is a special day at the end time when God's will and purpose for mankind and His world will be fulfilled. It will be a long period of time rather than a single day - a period when Christ will reign throughout the world before He cleanses heaven and earth in preparation for the eternal state of all mankind. That day would be a time of great darkness for any in rebellion against God, whether Jew or Gentile. The day would be a time of judgment as well as restoration.

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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 -

Blessings were promised to those who were generous in aiding the poor and needy. Eventually, the notion developed that almsgiving had power to atone for the giver's sins. 'He who looks down on his neighbours sins, blessed is he who takes pity on the poor. The man who is kind to the poor lends to Yahweh: he will repay him for what he has done.' - Pro. 14:21, 19:17 - In the Old Testament, the Israelite was commanded to be generous in opening his hand wide to the poor and needy. Gleanings from vineyards, orchards, olives groves and fields should be made available to the poor and needy. - Ruth 2:1-23 -

Is there a poor man among you, one of your brothers, in any town of yours in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you? Do not harden your heart or close your hand against that poor brother of yours, but be open-handed with him and lend him enough for his needs. Do not allow this mean thought in your heart. "The seventh year, the year of remission is near" and look coldly on your poor brother and give him nothing; he could appeal against you to Yahweh and it would be a sin for you. When you give to him, you must give with an open heart; for this Yahweh your God will bless you in all you do and in all your giving. Of course there will never cease to be poor in the land; I command you therefore: Always be open-minded with your brothers, and with anyone in your country who is in need and poor. - Duet. 15:7-11 -

By Jesus' time, the word righteousness was tied closely to the word alms. Thus, when Jesus taught about 'alms-giving' or 'charitable deeds', prayer, fasting, He prefaced His teachings by saying, 'Beware of practicing your piety and righteousness before men in order to attract attention and seen by them.' - Matt. 6:1-18 - In this way Jesus taught that the giving of alms to the needy and poor must not become a theatrical display to people's applause; the praise that comes from God is far more important.

In the New Testament, the Book of Acts comments favourably  on several instances of alms-giving. At Jaffa there was a woman disciple called Tabitha or Dorcas in Greek, who never tired of doing good or giving in charity. But the time came when she got ill and died, and they washed her and laid her out in a room upstairs, Lydda is not far from Jaffa, so when the disciples heard that Peter was there, they sent two men with an urgent message for him, Come and visit us as soon as possible.' Peter went back with them straightaway, and on his arrival they took him to the upstairs room, where all the widows stood round him in tears, showing him tunics and other clothes Dorcas had made when she was with them. Peter sent them all out of the room and knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to the dead woman and said, 'Tabitha, stand up.' She opened her eyes, looked at Peter and sat up. Peter helped her to her feet, then he called in the saints and widows and showed them she was alive. The whole of Jaffa heard about it and many believed in the Lord. - Acts 9:36-42 -

One of the centurions of the Italica cohort stationed in Caesarea was called Cornelius. He and the whole of his household were devout and God-fearing, and he gave generously to Jewish causes and prayed constantly to God. One day at about the ninth hour he had a vision in which he distinctly saw the angel of God come into his house, and call out to him, 'Cornelius!' He stared at the vision in terror and exclaimed, 'What is it, Lord?' 'Your offering of prayers and alms' the angel answered 'has been accepted by God. Now you must send someone to Jaffa and fetch a man called Simon, known as Peter, who is lodging with Simon the tanner whose house is by the sea.' When the angel who said this had gone, Cornelius called two of the slaves and a devout soldier of his staff, told them what had happened, and sent them off to Jaffa.

Next day, while they still on their journey and had only a short distance to go before reaching Jaffa, Peter went to the housetop at about the sixth hour to pray. He felt hungry and was looking forward to his meal, but before it was ready he fell into a trance and saw heaven thrown open and something like a big sheet being let down to earth by its four corners; it contained every possible sort of animal and bird, walking, crawling or flying ones. A voice then said to him, 'Now, Peter; kill and eat!' But Peter answered, 'Certainly not, Lord; I have never yet eaten anything profane or unclean.' Again, a second time, the voice spoke to him, 'What God has made clean, you have no right to call profane.' This was repeated three times, and then suddenly the container was drawn up to heaven again.

Peter was still worrying over the meaning of the vision he had seen, when the men sent by Cornelius arrived. They had asked where Simon's house was and they were now standing at the door, calling out to know if the Simon known as Peter was lodging there. Peter's mind was still on the vision and the Spirit had to tell him, 'Some men have come to see you. Hurry down, and do not hesitate about going back with them; it was I who told them to come. Peter went down and said to them, 'I am the man you are looking for; why have you come?' They said, 'The centurion Cornelius, who is an upright and God-fearing man, highly regarded by the entire Jewish people, was directed by a holy angel to send for you and bring you to his house and to listen to what you have to say.' So Peter asked them in and gave them lodging.

Next day, he was ready to go off with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Jaffa. They reached Caesarea the following day, and Cornelius was waiting for them. He had asked his relations and close friends to be there, and as Peter reached the house Cornelius went out to meet him, knelt at his feet and prostrated himself. But Peter helped him up. 'Stand up' he said 'I am only a man after all!' Talking together they went in to meet all the people assembled there, and Peter said to them, 'You know it is forbidden for Jews to mix with people of another race and visit them, but God has made it clear to me that I must not call anyone profane or unclean.

That is why I made no objection to coming when I was sent for; but I should like to know exactly why you sent for me.' Cornelius replied, 'Three days ago I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, when I suddenly saw a man in front of me in shinning robes. He said, "Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been accepted as a sacrifice in the sight of God; so now you must send to Jaffa and fetch Simon known as Peter who is lodging in the house of Simon the tanner, by the sea." So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Here we all are, assembled in front of you to hear what message God has given you for us.' Then Peter addressed them: 'The truth I have come to realise' he said is that God does not have favourites, but that anybody of any nationality who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to him. - Acts 10:1-35 -

If one of the brothers or one of the sisters is in need of clothes and has not enough food to live on, and one of you says to them, 'I wish you well; keep yourself warm and eat plenty' without giving them these bare necessities of life, then what good is that? Faith is like that: if good works do not go with it, it is quite dead. This is the way to talk to people of that kind: You say you have faith and I have good deeds; I will prove to you that I have faith by showing you my good deeds - now you prove to me that you have faith without any good deeds to show. - James 2:16-18 -

Then, as now, God acknowledges those who gave alms generously and in other ways show compassion to the needy and the poor. "If a man who was rich enough in this world's, and saw that one of his brothers or sisters was in need, but closed his heart to him or her, how could the love of God be living in him/her?

                                                                        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 -