Spiritual Dwarfs

Many of us have normal bodies. We all can thank God that we all tall and beautiful people. Even when we are not so tall, our height is still within normal range. However, if our physical body were to reflect our spiritual life, we may not look so normal.
If we harbour sin in our life, our spiritual growth will be stunted. If our physical body reflect our spiritual growth, we would look like short little dwarfs, small body with an adult head.
We do not like to look like that physically, but we do not mind looking like that spiritually, because our spiritual life cannot be seen.

Early Christian Heresies

Early Christian heresies centered around the twin issues of the nature of God (Trinity) and the nature of Jesus Christ (Christological Controversies).

The official stand on these issues (according to all the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant churches) are as follows:
1. God is a trinity, three persons but one essence;
2. Jesus Christ was one person, simultaneously human and divine.

Modalism / Sabellianism
God is one person in three modes. This, of course, implies that Jesus Christ was purely divine, without humanness, and therefore could not truly have suffered or died.

Docetism
Jesus was divine, but only seemed to be human.

Adoptionism
Jesus was a human being who was "adopted" by God and granted a divine nature.

Monophysitism
Jesus Christ has two separate natures joined in one body.

Nestorianism
Jesus Christ had two natures - man and God which remained separate throughout his period on earth.

Apollinarianism
Jesus fully God, partially or incompletely human, Jesus divine will overshadowed and replaced the human. Apollinarians suggested that he had a human body and a human soul, but his mind was taken over by the eternal Logos.

Arianism
Jesus was a lesser, created being, a special creation by God for man's salvation.

Socinianism - (A version of Arianism)
Denial of the Trinity. Jesus is a deified man. This heresy still lives on in two very different forms, the Unitarians and the Jehova's Witnesses.

Bible Fights

All Bible fights in Christianity can boil down to these four items:

Components, Reliability, Interpretation, Translation.

Components
What books to be included in the Bible.

Reliability
Extraordinary: Miracles (e.g. Virgin Birth, Bodily Resurrection) or fairy tales;
Past: History (Did Abraham, Moses etc exists? Was Israel really a kingdom in Middle East? Who wrote the Gospels? etc);
Current: Science vs Bible;
Future: Prophecies (Fulfilled prophecies or people writing history but pretending to be prophecies).

Interpretation
Salvation (Faith, Works);
God, Jesus Rituals (Sacraments, Baptism Mode, Child Baptism, Lord's Supper);
Church Government (Pope, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Brethen).

Translation
Mainly English - KJV controversy

The Secret of Elijah's power

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. (John 15:7)
Note well that we must hear Jesus speak if we expect Him to hear us speak. If we have no ear for Christ, He will have no ear for us. In proportion as we hear we shall be heard.
Moreover, what is heard must remain, must live in us, and must abide in our character as a force and a power. We must receive the truths which Jesus taught, the precepts which He issued, and the movements of His Spirit within us; or we shall have no power at the Mercy Seat. ... Thus are Elijahs trained to handle the keys of heaven and lock or loose the clouds. ... He has need to "hearken diligently" who would pray effectually. (C. H. Spurgeon, Faith's Check Book, February 24)

Jews during the days of Christ (A. W. Pink)

The following quote is extracted from the book "Profiting From The Word", Chapter 2 "The Scriptures and God" by A. W. Pink. It describe the Jews during the days of Christ. could it also describe the Christian Fundamentalist today?

QUOTE
It was so when Christ was here upon earth. The Jews were very orthodox. At that time they were free from idolatry. The temple stood at Jerusalem, the Law was expounded, Jehovah was worshipped. And yet Christ said to them, "He that sent me is true, whom ye know not." (John 7:28). "Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also" (John 8:19). "It is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God. Yet ye have not known him" (John 8:54,55). And mark it well, this is said to a people who had the Scriptures, searched them diligently, and venerated them as God’s Word! They were well acquainted with God theoretically, but a spiritual knowledge of Him they had not.
UNQUOTE

Two sins

There were 2 sins which God condemn severely, but look so minor to us.
When Adam and Eve eat the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:6), the whole world fell into sin. What a punishment for eating the wrong fruit.
When Esau came home hungry, he sold his birthright for one morsel of meat (Genesis 25:29-34). For that, God declares that "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated" (Romans 9:13, Malachi 1:2-3). What a bargain Jacob got, and what a curse Esau got himself into.
The course of history changed, all because of food.

Unwilling to part with $1000 but happy to part with $10000

Is it possible that a person is happy to part with $10000 but unwilling to part with $1000? Let say someone approach Mr. X to donate $1000 for some charity. Mr. X felt that this is too much money to waste and he said no. Mr. X also invest $100000 in some financial instrument, something like Lehman Mini-bonds. Then he was told that he would lose all his money. After many years, he was finally told that he can get back 90% of his investment, losing only $10000. He was overjoyed that he only lose $10000. So it is always possible for a person to be happy when losing a big sum of money in hope of making more money, but unwilling to give small sum of money for charity.

1 John 1:8,9,10

I was puzzled by 1 John 1:8 and 1 John 1:10. Verse 8 says "we have no sin" and verse 10 says "we have not sinned". I was wondering why we need two different verses, and why is verse 9 in the middle. Then I come across this imaginary conversation in article after a google search:

QUOTE
To get at the true meaning of the verse in question, let us suppose a conversation between a Christian depending, as all must, on the blood of Christ for salvation, and a self-righteous sinner, who thinks he is good enough and has no sin, consequently no need of the cleansing blood.

Christian: My friend, did you know that “if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin?” I have proved this to be true, and if you will come to Him as I did you may prove it for yourself, and be cleansed from all sin.

Self-Righteous: But I have no sin to be cleansed away; I have no need of the blood of Jesus.

Christian: What? You say you have no sin? “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” Surely you are wrong and self-deceived. You should repent, confess your sins, and be saved, for we read in I John 1 :9. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Self-Righteous: But I have never sinned, and do not feel that I have anything to confess or repent of. I pay my honest debts, and treat my neighbors well, and support my family, and I believe I am just as good as anyone. I am not a sinner, and have never done anything wrong.

Christian: Surely, in saving that, you are making God a liar, for in I John 1:10 it says: “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him. liar, and His word is not in us.”

Thus we get at the meaning of the last four verses of I John 1. The text in question, then, does not have any reference whatever to one who has been cleansed from all sin, but to one who says he has no sin to be cleansed from, when he really has sin in his heart. It is also just as applicable to the unsanctified Christian who denies the further need of cleansing.
UNQUOTE

Disclaimer:
The fact that I quote the website does mean that I endorse its stand. In the first place, I have not idea about its stand on Christianity because I have not really checked it.

World and Bible

The world teaches us to be self-sufficient and be interdependent. The Bible teaches us to be God-dependent.

Religion and Way of Life

Many people tell me, "XXX is not a religion; it is a way of life." My pastor just mentioned this again in his Wednesday prayer sharing. "Christianity is not a religion, it is a way of life."

I believe that any system of beliefs is a religion if it seeks to explain beyond death. To me, atheism is a religion because it seeks to tell you that there is nothing beyond death. If you are an atheist and God exists, you are in trouble. Of course Christianity is a religion. The Bible tells you that God exists and is ever ready to punish you in hell because you are a sinner. But there is always redemption in Christ, the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. Christianity, atheism and other religions all seek to tell you something beyond death.

When you practised your religion, it becomes your way of life. So a religion is the set of beliefs and a way of life is the practice of the beliefs. Let us not confuse people by saying "XXX is not a religion; it is a way of life."

Christian Activism

If the job of full time Christian preachers is to preach the Word of God, then it is the job of the lay Christians to apply the Word to the world. Look at Christian activist such as William Wilberforce in Great Britain. If not for them, we will still have slavery today. Christians are the light of the world and salt of the earth. If we do not act, then the world will be in darkness.

Jacob and Esau

Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated (Malachi 1:2-3, Romans 9:13), so proclaims God in the Bible. But who was Esau? Esau was not a wicked man. He was a good hunter and liked the outdoors, the eldest son of the Patriarch Isaac. His father loved him because he could cook tasty dishes from the wild animals he hunted. From the worldly point of view, he was a successful man. He had hoped to inherit his father's wealth, but was cheated of his birthright (Genesis 25:29-34) and blessings (Genesis 27:1-41) by his brother Jacob. But he went to and became a successful man himself. When he was to meet his brother Jacob again, he had 400 men with him (Genesis 33:1). He magnanimously forgave his brother (Genesis 33:1-16) and built his own inheritance at Edom (Genesis 36:6) and never fought with Jacob for Isaac's inheritance after the latter died.

As a country, Edom progress faster than Israel. While Israel were still slaves in Egypt, kings ruled in Edom (Genesis 36:31). If you were an observer at this time, you would think that Esau the ancestor and Edom the country is doing very well indeed.

But God hated Esau. He considered Esau as a fornicator, or profane person, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright (Hebrews 12:6). Like the world, Esau despise God, and use his own strength to build his legacy. God is ignored. Edom may build, but God will tear down (Malachi 1:4). All that the world built without God will be torn down.

Who was Jacob? His name meant "heel catcher, that is, supplanter". He was the Plain Man (Genesis 25:27), unlike his brother Esau, who was an outdoor man and a hunter. He took advantage of his brother's hunger and bought his birthright. He stole his brother's blessings from their father by pretending to be him. Yet this is the man that God chose to be the ancestor of the Chosen People, the ancestor of Jesus Christ. Jacob's only saving grace is that he desired the things of God, and he tried to get them by all means. In the end, it was God's perseverance with Jacob that finally change him from one who trust his own scheming to one who trust God.

God chose Jacob, the horribly imperfect man and changed him. This gives us hope, for we are also sinners like Jacob and we need God to transform us.

We can all say with Jacob, "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands (Genesis 32:10)."

Propitiation, ransom, redemption, reconciliation and justification

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God... (1 Peter 3:18 ESV)

For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. (Rom 3:22-25 ESV)

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:4-5 ESV)

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. (1 Timothy 2:5-6 ESV)

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:18-19 ESV)

Quotes About the Bible - 2

"It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference. Scores of archaeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or exact detail historical statements in the Bible. And, by the same token, proper evaluation of Biblical description has often led to amazing discoveries." - Dr. Nelson Glueck, Rivers in the Desert, (New York: Farrar, Strous and Cudahy, 1959), 136.

Can GOD create a stone so heavy so that He cannot lift it up Himself?

Can GOD create a stone so heavy so that He cannot lift it up Himself? The Bible does not have an answer to this question. But if you change to question to "Can the immortal God die?", the Bible has the answer.

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures: (1 Corinthians 15:3-4 KJV)

So if there is a stone that Jesus cannot carry, then GOD had created a stone so heavy so that He cannot lift it up Himself.

It is wonderful to be Trinity, three and yet one.

A non-Christian's response to the Bible

On Thursday 12th February 2009's letter to Straits Times, a certain Dr. Panagiotis Karras felt that Professor Ngiam Tong Dow's article "Fostering the freedom to think" on 10th February 2009 in Straits Times, offering the Bible as a model of free thinking is incorrect. He felt that "The model of behaviour in the Bible is one of fear and uncritical submission to 'the will of God'. A prime example is the story of Abraham who followed 'the will of God' and tried to sacrifice his own son. This is not an example of 'fostering the freedom to think'".

Our righteousnesses are as filthy rags

We all know the story of the Prodigal Son very well. While we know that the Prodigal Son is accepted by the Father, we do not if the Elder Brother accepted his Father's pleading to accept the Prodigal Son. The parable just ends with the pleading. Yesterday at a sharing during our Wednesday night prayer meeting, a pastor proposed this startling ending: the Elder Brother beat his Father to death. The Elder Brother cannot accept the fact that his good works is not acceptable. The same is Cain who killed Abel; and the Pharisees who put Jesus on the Cross. The righteousness of men cannot be compared to the righteousness of God. But many good people cannot accept that their righteousness’s are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) in the sight of God. They have spent so much effort and time. They put in so many sacrifices to be good and have done so much charity. They have much assurance that they have must done well on the basis of their good works. It is a pity that many did not check the KPI (Key Performance Indicators) God had set for them because they ignored Him. Many assumed that God wanted them to be good, but did not seek out God's definition of "good". They are very sure that their KPI is better than that of the Prodigal Son. When they found out that all they have done is nothing in the sight of God, it is all too late.

Our Children's Salvation

Copied from C. H Spurgeon's Daily Check Book:

February 11
Are the Children In?

I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring. (Isaiah 44:3) Our dear children have not the Spirit of God by nature, as we plainly see. We see much in them which makes us fear as to their future, and this drives us to agonizing prayer. When a son becomes specially perverse, we cry with Abraham, "Oh, that Ishmael might live before thee!" We would sooner see our daughters Hannahs than empresses. This verse should greatly encourage us. It follows upon the words, "Fear not, O Jacob, my servant," and it may well banish our fears.

The Lord will give His Spirit; will give it plentifully, pouring it out; will give it effectually, so that it shall be a real and eternal blessing. Under this divine outpouring our children shall come forward, and "one shall say, I am the Lord's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob."

This is one of those promises concerning which the Lord will be inquired of. Should we not, at set times, in a distinct manner, pray for our offspring? We cannot give them new hearts, but the Holy Spirit can; and He is easily to be entreated of. The great Father takes pleasure in the prayers of fathers and mothers. Have we any dear ones outside of the ark? Let us not rest till they are shut in with us by the Lord's own hand.

The Glory of God departed from the Temple of Jerusalem

The Glory of God leaves the temple (Ezekiel 10:18-22).
The Glory went up from cherub to Temple threshold (Ezekiel 9:3, 10:4).
The Glory stood over the cherubims at entrance of East Gate (Ezekiel 10:18).
The cherubims stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD's house (Ezekiel 10:19).
The glory of the LORD stood upon the mountain east of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 11:23).

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, razed and burned the Temple on 14th August 586 B.C.

And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled (Luke 21:24 KJV).

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth (John 1:14 KJV).

Religions of the God of Abraham

Samaritans
The Samaritans accepted only the Torah (i.e. the Pentateuch of Moses). They refused to accept the rest of the Tanakh (i.e. the Prophets), which generally spoke highly of Jerusalem. They insisted the temple was to be at Mount Gerizim in Samaria, not Jerusalem. In Deuteronomy 34:10, the Torah wrote "there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses". But in the Samaritan version, it is written as "there will not arise again", implying that Moses was the only Prophet. However, they were waiting for the Prophet prophesied in Deuteronomy 18:18 (John 4:25). The Samaritans recognized neither the Temple at Jerusalem nor the Davidic Dynasty.

Jews
The Jews accepted the Torah and the Prophets. In the Prophets, God promised King David a descendant shall build a house for God and his throne shall last forever (2 Samuel 7:12-16, 1 Chronicles 17:11-14, Psalm 89:3-4). This promise was immediately fulfilled in part by King Solomon. But the Jews are still waiting for David's greater Son, the Messiah.

Christians
The Christians accepted the Law, the Prophets and the Gospel. They believed that Jesus is the Prophet prophesied in Deuteronomy 18:18 and the Son of David, the Messiah.

Muslims
The Muslims believed that God spoke to Muhammed. But unfortunately, God no longer seem to refer to all the earlier promises found in the Law, the Prophets and the Gospel. The Koran stands alone, completely different from the other revelations of God.

Ninth of Av (called Tisha Ba’av)

And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. (Numbers 14:1)

It was said that as punishment for crying in the desert upon hearing the report of the spies, God said to the Israelites, "You are crying tonight for no reason. This night will be set aside as a time for crying throughout the generations' with a reason".

The Talmud tells us of five tragedies that happened on the ninth of Av (called Tisha Ba’av).

1. Crying in the desert upon hearing the report of the spies;
2. The first Temple was destroyed.
3. The second Temple was destroyed.
4. Bar Kokhba's revolt against Rome failed in 135 CE. Simon bar Kokhba was killed, and the city of Betar was destroyed.
5. The wicked Turnus Rufus plowed the site of the Temple and its surroundings. Following the Roman siege of Jerusalem, the razing of Jerusalem occurred the next year.

Others:
March 31, 1492, Ferdinand and Isabella issued a royal decree to expel all Jews from Spain;
1095: The declaration of the Crusades by Pope Urban II;
1242: The burning of the Talmud;
1290: The signing of the edict by King Edward I expelling the Jews from England;
1914: The start of the First World War;
1942: The mass deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto to the Treblinka extermination camp in Poland;
1994: The bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center by Arab terrorists in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which killed 86 and wounded more than 120.
2005: Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

Delaying in doing good

Once I had this Indonesian Muslim colleague who does not wear a tudung. Someone asked her why she was not wearing one. She replied, "I am still young. I want to enjoy myself first. I will wear the tudung when I am older."

I had a student who once said to me, "If I know the exact date when I would die, I would be a nun for two years before that date."

To me, wearing tudungs and becoming a nun had no value. But to these two, they were something good and also have some religious values. However, it seem such an unhappy burden to them that they preferred to postpone these good things to enjoy themselves. But why did they not enjoy doing good?

The Bible has the answer. All men (and women) are sinners and they enjoy sin but hate righteousness.

Why was Christ born?

Why was Christ born?
Answer: Bear witness to the truth.
John 18:37-38
Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.
彼拉多就对他说：「这样，你是王吗？」耶稣回答说：「你说我是王。我为此而生，也为此来到世间，特为给真理作见证。凡属真理的人就听我的话。」彼拉多说：「真理是什麽呢？」说了这话，又出来到犹太人那里，对他们说：「我查不出他有什麽罪来。

What is truth?
Answer: All must die.
Hebrews 9:27
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
按著定命，人人都有一死，死後且有审判。
Psalm 89:48
What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.
谁能常活免死、救他的灵魂脱离阴间的权柄呢？（细拉）

Why?
Answer: Because the wages of sin is death.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
因为罪的工价乃是死；惟有神的恩赐，在我们的主基督耶稣里，乃是永生。

All must die implies all have sinned.
Romans 3:23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
因为世人都犯了罪，亏缺了神的荣耀；

But God had made provision for the salvation of sinner.
Romans 5:8
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
惟有基督在我们还作罪人的时候为我们死，神的爱就在此向我们显明了。

Mechanics of salvation – propitiation (挽回祭).
1 John 2:2
And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
他为我们的罪作了挽回祭，不是单为我们的罪，也是为普天下人的罪。
1 Peter 2:24
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
他被挂在木头上，亲身担当了我们的罪，使我们既然在罪上死，就得以在义上活。因他受的鞭伤，你们便得了医治

Christ rose again because He was sinless.
1 Corinthians 15:4
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures:
而且埋葬了；又照圣经所说，第三天复活了，

All in Christ shall all arise with Him.
1 Corinthians 15:22
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
在亚当里众人都死了；照样，在基督里众人也都要复活。

What do you have to do? Believe.
Acts 16:31
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
他们说：「当信主耶稣，你和你一家都必得救。」

Jesus is the only way.
Acts 4:12
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
除他以外，别无拯救；因为在天下人间，没有赐下别的名，我们可以靠著得救。」

All must die

I once heard a story about a King who had a new born prince. Many people came to congratulate him and said many good things about his prince. Some said he would be wise, some said he would be rich, some said he would be great and others said he would have a long and happy life. Finally, it was the turn of one foolish but honest minister to speak. He was not sure how the prince will turn out in future, so he said the only truth that he knew, "One day, your son will die." The king was furious. I could not remember how this truthful minister was punished, but the Bible tells us that all must die.
What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah. (Psalm 89:48 KJV)

The Bible also gave us the reason why we all died.
For the wages of sin is death; (Romans 6:23a KJV)

And the Bible also provides the cure.
but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23b KJV)

The God of Abraham - History

It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it. (Luke 13:19 KJV)
The visible history of the God of Abraham begins with Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3) when God called Abram out of Haran to go to "a land that I will show thee". By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going (Hebrews 11:8 NIV). Although Abraham was rich, he was nothing compare with the great kingdoms of his day, like Egypt. If you were an observer at that time, you would never guessed that Egypt would be gone, and the descendents of Abraham would occupy the country.
Out of Abraham came the chosen people of Israel. For a time, the Israelites were slaves in Egypt and the God of Abraham seem very weak indeed. Then came Moses, Joshua and later David and Solomon. A temple was built to the God of Abraham. God's chosen people reached their zenith. But sin and disobedience cause the decline of Israel.
On 14th August (9th Av) 586 BC Jerusalem was destroyed and the Temple of God was burnt to ground. The God of Abraham had lost. Marduk (i.e. Baal), the chief god of Babylon had won. If you were an observer at that time, you will never guessed that the God of Abraham would be destroying every tribal god in the Middle East and eventually most of the gods in the world. Marduk himself would be destroyed within 70 years.
It was during this dark age that the God of Abraham announced through Daniel the prophet the blue print for the times of the Gentiles. Four gentile kingdoms will come before the God of Abraham establish His own Kingdom (Daniel 2:31-44). Pictured in Daniel as parts of a huge statue, these kingdoms would eventually be destroyed by the God of Abraham (Daniel 2:45).

The God of Abraham

There is only one God, and He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is also the God of Israel. Many people like to complain that God does not show Himself. In an article in the website "BuddhaNet", it said and I quoted "There are numerous religions, all claiming that they alone have god's words preserved in their holy book, that they alone understand god's nature, that their god exists and that the gods of other religions do not."

This is not true. Almost all monotheistic religions of the world accept the same one God - the God of Abraham. The only non-Abrahamic monotheistic religion I can think of is Sikhism. The other non-Abrahamic monotheistic religion I can think of is the extinct religion of the Pharaoh Akhenaton, who worshiped the sun god Aten as the only god. So the monotheistic religions are not that numerous and the God of Abraham has the majority share. The only one God, the God of Abraham, did manifest Himself very clearly. He has no competition.

The next problem is the holy books. Basically, the God of Abraham has two competing holy books - the Bible and the Koran. Their descriptions of God are so different that one of them must be false. With only two books to analyse, I do not think that the task is too difficult.

The God of Abraham has destroyed every traditional deity in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, North and South America and large parts of Asia. The only religions to survive the God of Abraham are found in India and East Asia.

Please do not ignore the God of Abraham. The Bible has this to say of people who refused to recognise God, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. (Psalm 14:1, 53:1 KJV)". Be wise therefore, and come to know the God of Abraham before it is too late. For every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess to God (Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10-11). You either do it willingly now on earth, or unwillingly thereafter in hell.

John and 1 John

If you are not a Christian, you should read the Gospel of John. The Apostle John wrote that the purpose of the book is to convince you that you need Jesus the Messiah as your Saviour in order to have eternal life. "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. (John 20:31 KJV)"

If you are already a Christian, you may want to read the First Epistle of John to see if you are truly saved and have eternal life. "I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:13 HCSB)"

Perception

In the old days when people believe that the earth was flat, they find it impossible to accept that the world is round. This is because they had the idea of top and bottom first, and then they place the earth inside. Thus they believe that those at the bottom of the earth will fall off. But if they change their perception, having the earth first, then the top and bottom on earth, there would be no problem.


Many people have the idea of good and bad first, and then they put God in it. God is thus judged by the good and bad, as defined by the people. If the people can also change their perspective and put God first, then good and bad, and accept that God is the one who created the concept of good and bad, and not judged by it, they would have the right perspective of God and His creation. Then they would not be asking silly questions about God making mistakes. The concept of mistake is created by God and it is working perfectly. Is there any mistake in mistake? Do we need a patch or upgrade for our world?