Bible Study With Jairus

Bible Study with Jairus- Acts 17

In the beginning of Acts 17 it tells us that Paul and Silas came to the synagogue in Thessalonica to preach the gospel. Some people were persuaded, but it also led to the opposition of many Jews. The Jews wanted to bring Paul and Silas out to the crowd but could not find them. Because of this, the Jews dragged Jason out who had received Paul and Silas. Because of this, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea, and upon their arrival, they started to preach the gospel in the synagogue. The people there were more open-minded than the Thessalonians. When the Jews in Thessalonica heard about it, they came over to stir up trouble again. The believers then sent Paul to the coast and escorted him to Athens, while Silas and Timothy remained in Berea.

When Paul arrived in Athens, he asked the people who escorted him to let Silas and Timothy come over. Then the Bible records:

17:16 (NIV) While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.

17:17 (NIV) So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.

17:18 (NIV) A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.

The Christian woman who was leading our Bible Study asked, “Why is it that the Jews of Thessalonica were so opposed to Paul's evangelism and when Paul arrived in Berea, why did the Jews from Thessalonica travel to Berea to oppose Paul? Why is it wherever Paul and Silas went, they went to the synagogue first to preach the gospel? And why is it when Paul arrived in Athens, he still let Silas and Timothy to come over? It seems that Timothy had always been with Paul, but why is it he didn’t mention Timothy when he was in Thessalonica and Berea? After the Jews brought Jason to the crowd, why was it recorded in Acts 17:7-8 (NIV) that: "Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus. When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil." Why were they thrown into turmoil?

There are a lot of questions here but we can only answer one at a time so let’s start with why the Jews were thrown into turmoil when they heard Jesus was king.

I shared that there was a historical background to this which I learned while I was studying Christian theology. During the time when the Israelites were against Roman rule, there were several different Jewish factions. The Herodians and Sadducees mentioned in the Bible were Roman advocates; but the Pharisees and the Zealots advocated for independence and were opposed to Roman rule. In particular, the Zealots advocated the use of violent and revolutionary means to overthrow Roman rule, and they launched violent uprisings against Roman rule but were brutally suppressed by the Romans. After the brutal crackdown, the Zealots were almost completely exterminated. The Pharisees were basically politically cautious. They didn’t fiercely advocate revolution, and thus survived. But the faction that advocated cooperation with the Romans occupied a large part of Israel's upper class.

Why were the Jewish crowds and the city officials thrown into turmoil when they heard that Jesus was another king? One of the reasons may be that many Jews advocated cooperation with the Romans. It can be said that they were "Jewish traitors”. So, if Jesus (another king) came and if He was able to lead the Israelites in a successful revolt, would they have to liquidate the history of these traitors? And Jesus is really the king of Israel. Not only were these Jews afraid that He would become king, but even his disciples were hoping that He would really be king in order to lead them to revolutionary success and to drive the Romans out and restore Israel's glory. Looking at these two examples, the identity of the Lord Jesus as a Jewish king does bring hope but it also poses a threat to some groups of people.

Although Jesus had already been crucified when Paul preached the gospel, talking about Him as another king of the Jews could have caused another Jewish revolution.  The revolts might have been successful and the Roman advocates would be called traitors.  If the revolution wasn’t successful the Israelites would be brutally suppressed by the Romans again.

Therefore, there were valid reasons why the Jews fiercely opposed evangelism. It could even be said that it was a very legitimate reason to protect the Israelites from harm. Those who hold this view believe that the people who were opposing Paul's evangelism were actually protecting ordinary Israelites from the Romans, because the history of the fierce suppression of the Zealots was still fresh in their memory.

It may be for these reasons, plus several others, that these Jews from Thessalonica had gone to Berea to oppose Paul's evangelism. In both places, Paul was forced to leave. Please note that the first time Paul was forced to leave Thessalonica and flee to Berea, he was with Silas. The second time Paul was forced to leave Berea and was escorted to Athens while Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. When he arrived in Athens, the one who escorted Paul had taken orders from him and went back to call Silas and Timothy to come over Athens, and left. Here, I guess the person who escorted Paul is just one person, or even if it’s a few people, they were all gone. After Paul was left alone, he encountered a lot of difficulties. Herein lays the problem.

When American pastors and teachers travel to other countries to preach, they spend many exhausting hours on the plane and then often proceed directly to the place they are to preach.   Many times they are already exhausted when they reach their destination. They need to be strengthened by the Lord before they can finish their sermon. Even though we have airplanes and better traveling conditions, a long flight is still exhausting.  If that’s the case, imagine that if you were Paul, and you traveled long distances to evangelize and you were continuously being chased. Now you are alone in Athens, and Athens is full of idols. How would you react?

Let’s look at Paul’s reaction.

Acts 17:16-18 (NIV) says that:

16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.

How should we look at this passage?

The church that I was saved in was more in favor of Paul's work. In my spiritual education, Paul was rarely criticized. But when the Lord led me to look at the teachings of some of the Bible teachers outside the traditions of my evangelical church, I heard some criticisms towards Paul.

I heard a message from Rick Joyner that there are statistics showing that 80% of the Exegetical and Hermeneutical Work of Bible after Martin Luther’s Reformation have been about Paul. Rick saw Paul once in a vision. Paul told him that everyone has highly exalted him. They should not take his work to analyze the four Gospels. Instead, they should use the words of the four Gospels to measure his works.

Rick Joyner also said that Paul’s life has undergone three stages of growth and change. The initial stage seems to be what he said in the first chapter of the Epistle to the Galatians (NIV), “My immediate response was not to consult any human being.” There seems to be some pride in saying these words; but in the second stage, he claims that “For I am the least of the apostles” (NIV, 1 Corinthians 15:9) and “I am less than the least of all the Lord's people” (NIV, Ephesians 3:8); Later he said, “I am the worst sinner of them all.” (NIV, 1 Timothy 1:15). These verses show that Paul had also undergone a process of constant humility.

There is some controversy that arises when reading Paul's work. The controversy revolves around the issue of Paul’s teachings being infallible. Paul is a human being and all human beings are bound to make mistakes. But if Paul was used to write the Bible under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, could there be any errors? If you believe that Paul can't be wrong, that doesn't really make sense because humans are bound to make mistakes. If you believe that Paul can be wrong, then how do you decide which subjects he was right or wrong about? This is an issue in particular with the controversy about Paul's prohibition of women preaching. Was Paul wrong to base it on the customs of that time, or were his words the revelation of the Holy Spirit? How we should view Paul’s teachings? Whether Paul is right or wrong in this matter has become a big debate in Christian exegesis. But for now, we won’t discuss the issue of whether women should or shouldn’t preach.

We certainly believe that Paul's words are the revelation of the Holy Spirit, but we also believe that Paul went through a learning process because he experienced failure. Although the Biblical education I received did not say that Paul's experience in Athens was a failure, I have heard other Bible teachers mention that Paul's attempt to win people's hearts in accepting Christ through debating at Athens was a failure. They specifically compared what is written in Galatians 3:5 with Paul's experience in Athens. Paul says in Galatians 3:5 (NIV), "So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?" Here, Paul specifically mentioned that the Galatians started with the Spirit so that they should not fall into the flesh. He preached the gospel by relying on the Holy Spirit. He had also performed miracles to bring the Galatians to salvation.

Let's take a look again at Chapter 17 verses 16-18 (NIV):

16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.

I agree more with the argument that Paul’s debating may not have had good results here. Allow me to explain my thoughts. 

As I mentioned earlier, Paul was chased twice by the Jews. He was accompanied by Silas the first time, and the second time; he was accompanied by an escort. When he arrived in Athens, the person who escorted him went back to assist Silas and Timothy so they could come quickly to Athens. In this interval, Paul was alone. Even if Paul possessed remarkable abilities/powers, he would still feel lonely when he was alone. The Bible tells us “How could one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight?” (NIV, Deuteronomy 32:30). The principle that God established was to partner us with the body of Christ. At this time, when Paul was left alone, he might have faced an attack and incitement of the enemy.

My personal view is that after Paul experienced the continuous attacks and rejection of the Jews plus the fact that he was left alone in Athens and saw that the city was full of idols, he became greatly distressed. Then I think he started to reason and ask himself, was he still in the spirit? The Bible does not explain this so we do not know for sure. But the view I mentioned before, that is, the result of Paul's hopes of spreading the gospel to the Athenians through debating did not go very well. So Paul's experience in Athens is regarded as one of his failures.

Let me discuss the inspiration that I received during this meeting. It can be said through the word "react" or more appropriately, "to be influenced by the environment". In our spiritual experience as Christians, we should be seated in heavenly places in Christ, but sometimes our flesh or minds are provoked and make us react in our minds and in the flesh. Afterwards, we often regret the experience.

I recently listened to a very early message from an American pastor named Jack Deere about the discipline of the Holy Spirit. He mentioned a very interesting experience that he had. He said that he is a pastor in a not so well-off place in the United States. As a pastor, he is often misunderstood and attacked by others. One day, a female Christian, in a church where he served as a pastor, said to him, "You are just serving as a pastor here for the money." He was very angry and he answered her back. Things like this seemed to happen all the time. He asked the Lord, “What is going on?” The Lord said that this is the discipline of the Holy Spirit. He said, “When will it end?” The Lord replied, "When you can treat those who criticize you with a gentle and kind spirit." Jack Deere is a pastor who moved from the evangelical church to the charismatic movement. He is well-known in the Christian world in the United States. He is also one of the few American pastors I know of that teaches the discipline of the Holy Spirit. Supposedly, he’s also a person who pursues deeper spirituality, but he shared this experience to let us see that a person who pursues spirituality is often influenced by the environment especially when they are not mature enough.

When Jack Deere’s spiritual discipline was more mature, he would respond more gently and lovingly to those who criticize him.

When a Christian is practicing to be more spiritual, we need to learn not to react to the environment or be influenced by the environment. Instead, we should react to the heavenly reality and our communication with the Lord, and out of our position of sitting together with Christ in heavenly places.  Reacting to the environment or what you see will end up pulling you down to the level of the environment itself.

Can Paul’s experience here be pulled down by the surrounding environment? We know that Paul is a man with heavenly experience and vision, but there are times that people become weak, especially when he is constantly attacked by Jews, and his co-workers Silas and Timothy are not beside him to assist him. He might have been very knowledgeable since he received training from Gamaliel, and he was good at debating. After he was enraged in the spirit, his soul also became agitated: "You guys know how to debate, I also know to debate. Your philosophy is great. My philosophy is also very impressive."

As you can see here, not only did he debate with the Jews and God-fearing people, but he has also debated with the people he met in the marketplace every day, and some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers who have argued with him. We are not sure whether Paul is like this, but those who hold the view that Paul has done nothing wrong is untenable because Paul is a human being, and every human being has a process of learning and continuous maturing. In his later years, Paul did not think that he was fully mature yet, saying that “I press on toward the goal to win the prize.” (NIV, Philippians 3:14). If Paul's later years are not fully mature, then Paul's experience should be a process of continuous maturity. The only difficulty is how we see Paul’s continuous maturity process with the help of the Holy Spirit, but at the same time not be affected in accepting the fact that the Holy Spirit has spread the Word of God through Paul's mouth.

Judging from my limited personal evangelistic experience, many times we encounter some atheist Chinese, who often debate with the people who are preaching the gospel. I personally feel that these debates are often not very effective. The best way is to influence them through prayers and testimonies of love. Of course, among many Christians who advocate Power Evangelism, there are many who use the power of the Holy Spirit to let the atheists be convinced. The debate is usually not very effective. Debates often let us fall to the battlefield of the mind, and debates are things that often happen after we have fallen into a reprobate mind. I slowly learned a lesson, that is, when a person is not ready to accept Christ, or the Holy Spirit hasn’t yet reached a point where he has begun to work on the person to open up his/her mind, we don’t need to have too much debate with him/her. Instead, we can silently pray for the person with an attitude of give and take in the service of love. It has a better effect as time passes.

In addition to this it’s important to be spiritually paired with other believers no matter how knowledgeable or spiritual you may be.  Paul knows this very well. But does the absence of Silas and Timothy affect Paul's judgment? Although Paul is an apostle, the Bible clearly says that Silas is a prophet. If Silas is there, will Silas pray to God to get any prophetic revelation on how to do the work of evangelism in the city of Athens? Or if Timothy is there, will he be more eloquent to deliver and preach the gospel? Although Timothy is younger than Paul, we have seen how young people can do many things better in the church. When people who don’t know much about God come to church, the effect when the pastor preaches a profound sermon is often not as good as the testimony of a few Christians who have faith in the Lord from the very start. The latter is more appealing to those who have just come into contact with the gospel.

This is also my personal point of view. I think that Paul may be more suitable to teach those who want to seek and experience the truth on a deeper level, but Timothy may be more suitable to test the waters first in Athens. Their human hearts are not prepared yet for the idol worshipping people so we should let Timothy pave the way through his words. Or let Silas pray to God to see what strategic or spiritual guidance God has, and then find ways to preach the gospel here. But it seems that it wasn’t mentioned here that Paul has received any revelation or God's guidance. Instead, the Bible mentions that he had reacted because he was angry in the spirit. Is this reaction completely from God?  We don't know.

But I think that those who hold the view that since Paul was an apostle, everything he did was right and he didn’t need to seek God's guidance, and he won’t ever make mistakes is untenable. Although Paul was an apostle, he has the ability to make mistakes and will need a process of learning from them. I personally think that Paul should not be in a rush and do things hastily. He should take a rest and wait until Silas and Timothy come to discuss the matter together and then take action. In other words, Paul is too rash here. This may be one of Paul's weaknesses.

Of course, our analysis is not necessarily right, but it can provide us with another idea, that is, to understand the process of Paul's growth in God. Paul was a person, not a God. Did he have any shortcomings? It’s safe to say that it’s very natural for everyone to have weakness. Did Paul have any weaknesses? If what we propose here exposes the weakness of human nature, what is Paul’s weakness? What effect does Paul's weakness have on his ministry?

We don't know the specific weaknesses that Paul had, but it’s impossible for a person not to have any weakness. Even if people don’t have obvious weaknesses, they need to be paired with other believers who have different giftings.  Therefore, the pairing of Silas and Timothy to Paul is very important.

Of course, we are not totally negating the effect of Paul's evangelism in Athens. Although he wasn’t good at convincing the Athenians through debating, he had attracted some people who were seeking the truth.

Acts 17:19-21 (NIV) says: "Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?  You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)”

You can see that the explanation in verse 21 is that the Athenians and the foreigners who live there are very busy, and they have no time to take care of other things. So these people took Paul and brought him to Areopagus to talk about these new lessons/ideas which stood out to us. Going back to what we mentioned earlier, Paul may not have the silver tongue of Timothy, or the effect of preaching the gospel to the newcomers or those who are occupied by the world’s affairs, but Paul didn’t fail to attract those who really seek the truth. Paul’s personality may be more suitable to people who are diligent seekers of truth.

Paul spoke a very famous passage in Acts 17:24-27 (NIV) which says that: "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.”

We have no intention of belittling Paul, and the experience here is also the highlight of Paul's experience in Athens. But I personally don't think that idolizing Paul or assuming that he doesn’t have a process of continuous maturity, is correct. Paul is a human being. When he is continuously attacked and left alone, he will be weak and will be incited by the environment to react. And such a reaction usually pulls us down to the level of the environment or the enemy, letting us lose the commanding heights of victory in Christ. An example is Pastor Jack Deere that I mentioned earlier. When others criticize you, don't rush to react. Instead, rest in the Lord and ask His wisdom and follow his leading to deal these criticisms. Similarly, I think that Paul should not be rash here. He should seek the Lord on how to evangelize Athens which was occupied by idols. He should also wait for Silas and Timothy to come and discuss first before making any decisions. It’s not that Paul has no wisdom, but Paul was constantly attacked and alone. He needs to get a good rest and to be taken care of.

We have a new couple coming to our Bible study. I hoped to give them a prophetic word before the end of our meeting. I prayed to God and asked Him, “Are there any prophetic words to give and bless them?” I heard the Holy Spirit say two names, Aquila and Priscilla. I prophesied by faith that:

I feel that God believes that you are Aquila and Priscilla. They have the same line of work as Paul, but they have also taken care of him. Although Paul is an apostle, the apostles also need to be cared to and helped by people. I feel that God called you to be Aquila and Priscilla to train the Paul of tomorrow, because in this era, God will raise and widely use many Paul-like apostles. God called you to be Aquila and Priscilla to cherish those who are serving as apostles. Whether this person is still your child, or a little brother or sister in your church, God will use you to fulfill them in order to make them become servants like Paul. As we saw in this chapter, Paul also has weaknesses and there are times that he needs help and to be paired with other believers. Paul’s encounter with Aquila and Priscilla was a turning point in Paul’s spirituality, because the couple, Aquila and Priscilla, is very compassionate. They were tentmakers just as Paul was and they had received Paul. We believe that Aquila and Priscilla have tended Paul to a large extent, so after Paul met Aquila and Priscilla, it could be said that spiritually, he became more mature. How God used Aquila and Priscilla to take care of and complete Paul’s ministry, God will also use you two to come along side and complete the Pauls of tomorrow.

I prophesied that according to the principle that “everyone can prophesy” (1 Corinthian 14:31), it’s not because I am a prophet. I was saved in an Evangelical church, but I learned the gift of prophecy after I first came into contact with the American modern prophetic movement in 2015. Of course, I studied five courses at a prophetic school, and their teachings helped me to go and activate this prophetic gift.

I prophesied with inspiration and faith. I don't know if these words are correct for the couple because they didn't give me feedback. However, after other friends who were in the meeting with me verified Acts 18, they began to discover Paul's experience of encountering Aquila and Priscilla. It seems that perhaps, I am speaking by the Holy Spirit. Because when I prophesied, I was not sure when Paul met Aquila and Priscilla, nor was I very familiar with the content of Acts 18.

I hope that when we have the opportunity to read Acts 18, we can learn more about how Aquila and Priscilla have tended and helped Paul with the help of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for reading, listening or watching.  

Bible Study with Jairus-Revelation 1

The Perspective of the Apostle John: Christ as Judge

Though I’ve read the book of Revelation before, I’ve always found it difficult to understand. I’ve often felt that the last days discussed in Revelation were still far away from the times we live in. But as I reflected on the pandemic, war and other current events, my most recent study of the Book of Revelation has been more enlightening than ever.  As I studied the book of Revelation at a recent Bible study, I began to feel that the things described in it are not far away from us.

Although I admit that there are still many things in the book of Revelation that I do not fully understand, I feel that the Holy Spirit has given me a better understanding this time. Though I dare not claim that we are experiencing the end of the age depicted in the book of Revelation, I can nonetheless say that the Day of the Lord is very near.

Since 2015, the Lord has revealed to me in visions and prophetic dreams that there will be many great revivals. Many of my dreams featured a great revival of China. But I had absolutely no idea where these revivals would start. Then one day, in a dream, I saw an angel stretching out a huge stick that reached all the way from heaven to the ocean. As the angel began to stir, the waves churned and the ground became unstable. Because of this dream, I realized that a great revival is coming, and it will be accompanied by shaking. God will shake all kingdoms that can be shaken, so that the kingdom that cannot be shaken may be sought and obtained (Hebrews 12:27).

This shaking represents judgment, which is one of the themes of the book of Revelation. After the pandemic, I received inspiration in the spirit that the great revival has already begun. Why do I believe this? Because the great revival begins with cleansing and judgment. This judgment begins in the house of God, and it allows the church to mature. When wheat is about to be harvested, exposure to the sun will help it ripen more quickly. In the same way, exposure to judgment prepares the church for the harvest. God will harvest His sheaves.

This harvest also includes the judgment and harvesting of the weeds. The wheat of God will be gathered into the barn, and the weeds will be thrown into the fire by the angels. All of this takes place because God the Judge has given all judgment to the Son (John 5:22).

Although the great revival we are facing may not be the last great revival of the last days, I believe it is nonetheless a preparation for the great revival of the last days. For this reason, I believe that reading the book of Revelation at this moment in history can bring insight and inspiration to our lives today.

The Lord Is Our Judge

We often say that the Lord is both a lamb and a lion. The first time He came to earth, He came as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He brought grace and delayed his judgment. Jesus clearly said, "I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day." (John 12:47-48).[1] God’s word clearly tells us that the Lord will judge those who reject Him on the last day. Revelation, the last book of the Bible, discusses the judgment of the last days. The Lord, as revealed in Revelation, will be the Judge.

The Holy Spirit introduced the drama of the book of Revelation in a very creative way. The Bible is breathed out by God (2 Timothy 3:16). The Holy Spirit inspired people to write the Bible, so the Holy Spirit is its true author. As a writer and playwright, I have often said that the Holy Spirit introduced the drama and He is the best playwright. If we think of the book of Revelation as a movie, and the first chapter of Revelation as the prologue, what would be the best way to introduce the Judge? I personally think that there would be no better way than to surprise the Apostle John with the appearance of the Judge.

John was Jesus' favorite disciple. He often laid in the arms of the Lord and was very familiar with Jesus Christ the Lamb. But just like the disciples whom the Lord Jesus appeared to after His resurrection, John did not recognize the risen Christ at first. Seeing the risen Christ shocked John since he was only familiar with Christ the Lamb. John's visual description of the risen Christ, the Judge, was brand new to John. As the best playwright, the Holy Spirit began the book of Revelation with a vivid and new image of Christ as the Judge, an image that shocked the apostle John.

Revelation Of Jesus Christ

Let's imagine the book of Revelation as a movie. Let’s follow the playwright, the Holy Spirit, into this earth-shattering show. Even though the Holy Spirit is the playwright, the idea for this drama came through the collaboration of the three members of the Trinity. Jesus Christ said that He would receive truth from the Father and declare it to the Holy Spirit (John 16:15). In the same way, Revelation 1:1 mentions that the revelation of Jesus Christ came from the Father and was "given by God” to Jesus Christ. God told Him that He should show His servants the things that would soon take place. He communicated the message by His angel to His servant John through symbols (Revelation 1:1).

The characters in this movie script are the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit; the angels, evil spirits, and devils; saints and sinners; Christ and the Bride, who are united with the Lord; the Antichrist and the great prostitute, who is composed of evil spirits and sinners; dragons and beasts; a woman and a male child. These all comprise the pictorial symbols mentioned in verse 1. We must learn how to understand this symbolic language. I believe I have gained new inspiration about some figurative images, including the sickle and Babylon, which we will describe in detail later. As a preview, let me quickly summarize these concepts. The sickle is a gift from God, and it is up to us to sharpen it. Babylon is a united system of evil spirits and sinners, including but far greater than the fallen system of Catholicism. Babylon includes the fallen religious, political, economic, and other systems in this world. This network of systems devours human minds, hearts, and souls.

The language of symbols is the language of pictures. These pictorial symbols often hinder us from understanding the Bible. That’s why it’s so important to understand these figurative images. If you understand the symbols and visual language, you will better understand the entire book of Revelation. An example of figurative language is the saying, “He was shot by Cupid's arrow.” Of course, we don't mean that a person was actually shot. Instead, we understand that this is a figurative way to say that someone is in love. Although the meaning of this figurative language is clear to us today, it might not be clear to a reader thousands of years from now. No longer familiar with the idiom, people may become confused by the references to “Cupid” and his arrow. Similarly, there are many symbols and much visual language ​​in the Bible which were understandable to the readers at the time when the Bible was being written. However, the meaning has been lost in our current culture, making it difficult for us to understand this visual language.

In addition, many biblical images were based on spiritual inspiration rather than on historical or cultural idioms that were common at the time. For human beings living in the material realm, it can be difficult to put spiritual realities into words. There may be no physical reality that we can compare the spiritual reality to. It is difficult for our natural minds to grasp. In these cases, figurative language and images can help us express heavenly things that are beyond words.

For example, in order to explain how the Holy of Holies in heaven was built, God asked Moses and David to build a tabernacle and a temple that matched the heavenly pattern. The temple itself and the accompanying utensils were pictorial images that represented a heavenly reality. When the high priest entered the Holy of Holies once a year to sprinkle the blood, it was an image of the blood of Jesus which restored fellowship between God and man. When Moses approached the mercy seat, saw God’s glory, and heard Him speak (Numbers 7:89), it represented our ability to draw near the Holy of Holies with boldness through the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 4:16). This pictorial representation shows that in Jesus Christ, we can meet with God face to face.

Since 2015, God has given me dreams that help me express spiritual realities through pictorial images. In my dreams, I have been taken to heaven, paradise, and other places in the underworld. I saw various images and scenes of the lives of the people there. When I would tell my wife about these things, she would ask, “What is the use of these things?” I said, “These visions of the spiritual world have greatly expanded my spiritual imagination, helping me break through many traditional Bible teachings that limit my thinking. These images help me better understand how God speaks through pictorial languages in the Bible.” I believe that the dreams that God gave me were not useless. They helped me better understand the visual language in the Bible. I believe that the more we understand the figurative images in Revelation, the more we will understand the book as a whole. In this study, we will focus on clarifying these images and the message that the symbols are describing.

Preparation to Hear God’s Voice

In Revelation, John heard Jesus speaking to him personally. If we want to learn how to hear Jesus’ voice, we should prepare ourselves like John did. Although some of John’s circumstances were brought about by the sovereignty of God and were beyond his control, we can still learn from John’s example. We can learn about the importance of preparing our hearts before God.

Cultivating a Quiet Heart

The first way we can prepare our hearts is by cultivating a quiet, undistracted heart. God speaks to us often. But if we are too busy, we may not be able to quiet down enough to hear God speak. For instance, if we are on a crowded bus, and someone steals our wallet, we might not even notice it. But if we are sitting quietly on a balcony, drinking coffee, we could feel the breeze blowing across our faces. That’s why it’s so important to find a quiet environment where we can better hear God's words. Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still, and know that I am God." But we are often unable to quiet down because we live in a distracted world.

It’s easy to imagine that the Apostle John was also very busy. Perhaps he was very busy with his ministry to the seven churches that he later wrote to in the book of Revelation. If he had not been exiled and put in prison, he might have been too busy with ministry to be able to see this vision. God knew how to quiet John’s heart and mind to receive his word.

John was exiled to the island of Patmos. In chapter 1 verse 9 he said, "I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus." The island created a quiet environment for John. He was probably exiled because of his faith in Jesus. Now that he had fewer external distractions, he was able to quiet his heart before God and hear his words. On the Lord’s day, he became receptive to the Spirit and heard God’s voice.

Letting Go of Rigid Thinking.

Another way we can hear the voice of God is by letting go of our own rigid thinking. Our past experiences with God tend to generate rigid expectations about future interactions with Him. The Pharisees, who claimed to love God and obey His laws, were completely blind to the coming of God in the flesh. They were so wrapped up in their rigid thinking, which focused on outward obedience, that they didn’t recognize Jesus Christ, the incarnation of God. In the same way, our minds, prejudices, and traditions can solidify our thinking so much that we cannot understand God’s leading in a new era. In order to become trailblazers who lead the work of God in a new era, we must let go of rigid thinking and receive the fresh guidance and presence of Jesus.

The New Image of The Judge

The Lord Jesus has appeared to me several times in visions, but each appearance was unique. No two visions were identical.

Once, I was taken to China in the spirit. The Lord Jesus appeared to me, robed with light, and laid His hands on my head. After falling to the ground, I got up. But He was gone.

On the last day of 2017, He first appeared to me as an old Chinese lady. Then He took me to heaven in the spirit and changed His form. There, He told me about my calling. Through a glass window, he showed me people going up to heaven. They looked as if they were riding an escalator to heaven. This vision gave me a burden for China's great revival.

Another time, I was taken to Japan in the spirit, and the Lord Jesus appeared to me. He healed my hands, which had been wounded from fishing, with a healing balm drawn from the nail marks on his feet. Yet another time, I was taken to heaven in the spirit and saw Jesus’ face and strong muscles up close.  Every appearance has been unique.

Testimonies of people with prophetic experiences abound. I have heard others say that every time the Lord appears, He looks different, depending on the amount of light He emits. Sometimes, he appears as a lion, an eagle, or some other manifestation.

The appearance of the risen Lord can be in many different forms. Perhaps this is why the disciples did not always recognize him when he appeared after his resurrection. When He appeared to the twelve disciples, to the men on their way to Emmaus, to Mary as she wept by the tomb, or to Peter as he fished by the sea, they did not recognize Him right away. In other words, the Lord Jesus Christ often appears in a specific form that communicates an important figurative message.

For example, one day the Lord Jesus appeared to me as an old Chinese lady and led me down the mountain near my hometown. He led me to the entrance of the village. There, I saw some women and children weeping. Then I heard voices saying, “This represents the people in China who are being oppressed by the unfair distribution of wealth.” Suddenly, I saw that a strange currency was about to be unloaded from the bed of a big truck. It seemed to be a huge amount of money, near $200 million. The money was not in US dollars, or CNY. It was in a strange currency. Then I heard voices that said, “The wealth will be redistributed to those who are godly and righteous, so that they can evangelize and transform Chinese society.”

Not long after that, the old lady started to take me to heaven in the spirit. I fought and struggled against her with all my strength, because I was worried that I was being deceived by an evil spirit. But her power overcame me. Then she gave me an enormous push from behind and lifted me to heaven, where she transformed into Jesus Christ. He showed me images of people, similar to the images of saints used in the past, and He asked me if I wished to be like them. I cried, “I am willing in my heart, but my flesh is weak. I still have some fleshly weaknesses that I cannot overcome.”

During this experience, I was shocked to see a cherub flying toward us. What shocked me even more was that the Chinese saints in glory sang a four-verse hymn together to praise God and to bless and encourage me. Sadly, I cannot remember the lyrics of this hymn. But this experience has greatly encouraged me.

Many of these spiritual experiences involved figurative images:

• God often uses my rural hometown in China to represent China.

These figurative images greatly shocked my spirit and also gave me a great burden for the future revival of China and the world. Even the Chinese saints who sang hymns in heaven represented the fact that the great revival in China will be a collaboration between God, the saints in glory, and the saints on earth. This deeply inspires me.

This is just one example of a spiritual experience full of visual language that conveyed God's message to me. These images helped me to break through my mental limitations and accept God’s call—a calling that I never dared imagine.

Similarly, the image of the Lord Jesus Christ described in Revelation 1 is not a fixed image, but a symbolic image that describes what God will do during the judgment of the last days. The pictures themselves are God's words to the apostle John and the church in the end times. Let's examine the image of the Lord described by the apostle John.

The golden lampstand represents the church (1:20). Walking in the midst of the golden lampstand represents Jesus walking amongst the churches and checking on them. The robe that reaches down to his feet does not mean that the Lord wears a robe every day in heaven. Rather, this symbolic image represents holiness, just like the robe that Joshua put on to cover his filthiness (Zechariah 3:4), or the bright, clean linen that the bride of Christ wore, which represents the righteous deeds of the saints (Revelation 19:8).  Once, during a vision, I was standing in line to see Jesus.  While standing in line, I was asked to first put on a robe. This symbol shows us that filthy people cannot see the Lord, but that Jesus bestows on us a robe of righteousness that covers our uncleanness. In figurative visual language, the robe Jesus was wearing in Revelation 1 reminds us of the righteousness of Jesus that covers His body, the church. Although the church is weak and filthy, we are the body of Christ. As such, we are covered by Christ’s righteousness. His holiness and His blood cover our sins and weaknesses. Later verses will mention the specific weaknesses of each church, but for now, we are reminded through this symbolic image that it is God cleansing us. We must not forget that we are more than conquerors in Christ.

When I was reading the book of Revelation, I was amazed. The Holy Spirit is truly the best playwright and director! He describes the risen Christ to us like a good director of photography. He starts with a long shot of Jesus wearing a robe, then moves to a medium shot of Jesus with a golden sash, and finally moves to a close shot of Jesus’ eyes and hair. The camera focuses on these characteristics one by one, presenting the image of the risen Lord in minute detail.

First, God offers us a wide-angle view of Jesus’ entire body, including a robe reaching down to his feet. Next, the camera zooms in to focus on the Lord's chest, with a golden sash around it. Symbolically, his chest represents love. While he was on earth, John had reclined on Jesus’ chest and in his arms. At that time, Jesus probably did not have a golden sash around His chest, so this vision must have left a deep impression on John. The golden sash on the chest of the risen Christ stood in stark contrast to John’s memory of Jesus’ chest in the past. Jesus had always been God in the flesh, but He was mainly revealed as the Son of Man. Even here, the apostle John calls him the Son of Man (1:13). But this appearance more clearly demonstrated Jesus’ divinity as well. In the Bible, gold represents God’s divine nature. For example, the streets of the New Jerusalem are made of gold. So the focus on the gold sash reminds us of Jesus’ deity.

Next, the director’s camera focuses on Jesus’s hair. This close shot describes His white hair as

What does his white hair represent? Some say that His white hair represents his eternal nature. I'm not against this explanation. But I feel that the white hair is another way to express his holiness and flawlessness. As the Holy Spirit, our director, reveals more of the risen Christ and the Judge, we are constantly seeing more of His divinity and holiness. In other words, the gentle Lamb the apostle John was familiar with, who was merciful to sinners and tolerant to those who were against Him, has become the Lord who will judge sinners and those who oppose Him. The setting of the Book of Revelation is the last days. Judgment Day is coming soon. Based on the logic of the “director,” we would expect the next shot to reveal more of His judgment. As expected, the next shot focuses on His eyes, which are like a flame of fire. This image speaks of His judgment.

The next scene also points to judgment. The apostle John describes the Lord's feet as like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, which is a common symbol of judgment. The furnace speaks of trial and testing. Bronze represents judgment as well. After Korah’s rebellion, God asked Moses to hammer the bronze censers of the rebellious Israelites into bronze sheets to cover the altar, as a lesson for future Israelites.

In addition to pictures, movies also use the language of sound, which can make movies more realistic. Through John’s description, we hear the Holy Spirit’s depiction of the voice of Christ. It sounded like the roar of many waters. What does the sound of many waters represent? Judgment. We often refer to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit, which is like a gentle maternal reminder. However, a strong rebuke from your mother is more like the sound of many waters. It stuns you and motivates you to obey out of fear of punishment.

One time, when I was taken to heaven in the spirit, I experienced the “sound of many waters” for myself. In the vision, I was waiting in line to see the Lord. I was so excited that my heart wanted to jump out of my chest. While waiting, someone gave me a robe to put on and told me to wait there. As I was entering the room where the Lord was, I found that I could not stand up. I fell backward to the ground. Then I heard the voice of the Lord, like the voice of many waters, saying, "Get up.” I immediately gained strength, stood up, and entered the room to meet Him. The voice of the Lord was so rich and powerful that it could not be described in words. The enemy can’t mimic His voice. Hearing the voice of the Lord is truly shocking and terrifying!

The seven stars in Jesus’ right hand also speak of judgment, because the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches (1:20). Jesus not only walks among the churches (represented by the golden lampstands), but He also judges His churches and angels first. The sharp two-edged sword that comes out of His mouth represents His judgment. Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” His face is like the sun shining in full strength, which shows that harvest time has come. The sun has facilitated the drying of the wheat.

With each new scene of this powerful drama, emotions continue to build. The apostle John is already completely overwhelmed. The gentle lamb he knew on earth had become the lion of the tribe of Judah. John saw that Jesus was the King. The Father had given Him all authority to execute judgment!

In the next shot, John fell at Jesus’ feet as if he were dead. John, the apostle who used to lie in the arms of Jesus like a baby, now fell at His feet as though dead. If even the apostle John could not bear the appearance of the glorified and holy Lord, how could we sinners bear it? No wonder the Bible says that the coming of the Lord will great and dreadful (Malachi 4:5)! We will never be able to stand before Him if we do not repent and are not covered by His holy robe!

The Seven Stars and The Seven Lampstands (The Church) are also Symbolic

The seven stars are also symbols of judgment. Why do I say this? Let’s imagine the Lord Jesus walking among the golden lampstands, holding the seven stars in His hand. He expressly states that the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and that the golden lampstands are the seven churches (1:20). Although John briefly mentions that he is addressing his letters to the seven churches (1:11), he also expressly states that the letters are written to the angels of the seven churches (chapter 2-3). In other words, the angels of the seven churches are the overcomers of the seven churches. The Lord is speaking to the overcomers in every church.

Daniel said, "And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever." (Daniel 12:3). We are all stars, and we must shine like stars. The Book of Proverbs says, "But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day." (Proverbs 4:18). As stars, we must keep shining brighter and brighter until the full dawn appears. Revelation 1 mentions that the face of the Lord Jesus was like the sun shining in full strength. As believers, we are destined to be conformed to the image of Christ, who is like the midday sun. This is not something that one person can do on his own. But when each of us shines like a star, we can collectively become like the midday sun.

A brother made a wise observation. He said, “Elijah, the greatest prophet in Israel's history, appeared during the reign of Ahab, the worst king of Israel. A king is like the moon. If the moon is bright, the stars are less visible. But if the moon is not visible, the stars will shine brightly. In the same way, a good king doesn’t need a prophet to remind him to follow God. But during the reign of a bad king, the prophet's star will be very bright.”

This is a great insight. We as the church are the royal priesthood of God. Collectively, we are both kings and priests. When we fall into sin, we no longer give light to the world. The lamp is put under the bushel; the salt loses its taste, and the function of the Old Testament king is destroyed. Therefore, the prophets of this age (the overcomers, also called the angels of the church) must shine more brightly. They must shine like stars and illuminate the dark church and the world.

The seven stars in the right hand of the Lord Jesus are symbolic. After the Lord Jesus was resurrected, He sat down at the right hand of God the Father. Therefore, the right hand of God represents the exaltation of God. Being held in His hand is also symbolic language. It signifies that He is holding the seven stars tightly. He will never let go of the prophets and overcomers of this age (the angels of the churches). God will not give up on his church! God’s judgment begins with His church and the angels (overcomers) of His church. The letters in Revelation 2 and 3 were clearly addressed to the angels of the seven churches. This is something I had never noticed before. I had thought the letters were written to the church, but the Holy Spirit shows me that the recipients of the letters were the angels of the seven churches (2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3: 1, 7, 14).

The Lord is calling His overcomers from the seven churches to overcome every weakness and attack of the enemy. If they cannot overcome them, the Lord will remove their golden lampstands from their places. In other words, if the light of the church is weak, and the overcomers can no longer conquer their weaknesses and sins, they will no longer shine like stars. Their golden lampstands will be completely dark.

We will continue to share more symbols and figurative images ​​in Revelation 2 and 3. I hope that this introduction to symbolic images in the book of Revelation will help you understand the entire book of Revelation so you can see where God is moving today.

[1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

Bible Study with Jairus - Summary of Revelation

The Turning Point of the Book of Revelation: The Arrival of the Bride of Christ

The purpose of Revelation is to produce the bride of Christ. When the bride of Christ arrives, Jesus Christ and His Bride will have a wedding feast (Revelation 19). Ultimately, God will judge Satan, evil spirits, and sinners, and cast them, along with death and Hades, into the lake of fire. But until this ultimate mission is accomplished, the negative experiences of judgment exist to help the church spiritually mature and become the bride of Christ. This is what Paul said in Romans 8:28: “For those who love God all things work together for good.”[1]

Chapter 12 is a turning point in the book of Revelation. Before Chapter 12, God is judging the church to bring about its maturity. However, after Chapter 12, the church begins to judge the fallen angels and evil spirits. The Bible says, "Do you not know that we are to judge angels?" (1 Corinthians 6:3). The overcoming bride of Christ (represented by the woman and the male child) will judge angels on behalf of the church. The battle becomes fierce, and the final tribulation begins. 

Before his rebellion, Satan's mission was to lead all things to worship God. Later, he rebelled against God and failed to fulfill his mission. God created human beings to replace Satan as the ones who would lead others to worship God. Although Satan tried to tempt man and destroy this purpose, the bride of Christ ultimately triumphs over Satan’s temptation. Conquering believers are well qualified to judge Satan and evil spirits.

In Revelation 12, the bride of Christ arrives on the scene. The bride gives birth to a male child (the overcoming believers). To fight against them, Satan's persecution becomes intense, and the tribulation begins. During the tribulation, the battle between Christ with His bride and Satan with his prostitute continues. In the end, Christ and His bride will win the ultimate victory, ushering in the end of the age. This is the summary of Revelation.

The Cycle of Seven in The Bible

Seven is a very important number in the Bible. It reveals the way God has arranged the universe. God created everything in six days, and on the seventh day, He rested. Similarly, he has invited his people to work for six days and to rest on the seventh day (Genesis 3:19).

This cycle of work and rest points to a greater truth. When man first sinned and rebelled against God, they lost their rest in Him. Now, we must accept six days of God’s discipline as we learn obedience through suffering. We then hope to find His rest on the seventh day.

This continuous cycle of seven is the basic structure of life. The Old Testament not only teaches us to rest every seven days, but also every seven years. The Israelites were permitted to sow their fields for six years, and in the seventh year, they were commanded to rest. This is yet another example of the cycle of work and rest. It points to the fact that God will lead his people to find rest.

I believe that if the Israelites had kept the weekly Sabbath and Sabbath year, there would be no need for the Year of Jubilee. But this was not the case for the Israelites. Many Israelites lost their land or were sold as slaves before the Year of Jubilee, so God created the Year of Jubilee to save them. After the seven sets of sabbath years came another cycle of seven to reach the Year of Jubilee. After seven times seven years, in the fiftieth year came the Jubilee, where all lands that had been sold must be returned to their original owners and all slaves must be freed. This represents God’s ultimate salvation.

Daniel's vision concerning the fate of the Israelites also contained seventy “sevens.” Seven “sevens” represented the time it took to rebuild Jerusalem. Sixty-two “sevens” described the time from when Jerusalem was rebuilt to the time the Messiah was killed. These events have already happened. The last seven represents the last seven years mentioned in the book of Revelation. The next time period, which lasts three and a half years, is the great tribulation. But there is a long period between sixty-two “sevens” and the last “seven”, which biblical scholars call the "Age of Grace." No one knows how long this period lasts, but we know it will be a continual repetition of seven days (Sabbath), seven years (Sabbath years), and 49 years (Year of Jubilee).

In addition, the Israelites had seven feasts every year: the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Firstfruits, the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. We will not discuss the first six feasts here, but we’ll take the time to look at the seventh: the Feast of Tabernacles. The Feast of Tabernacles was a day of thanksgiving and rejoicing after the wheat had ripened. This feast represents the wedding feast of the Lamb and His Bride in the Book of Revelation. God is our tabernacle and will be with us forever. Therefore, the seven feasts of Israel also point to God's final plan in the book of Revelation. If we understand the number seven, the seven feasts, and the prophecies containing the number seven, we will better understand the book of Revelation. The end of Revelation is the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles.

The Cycle of Seven in The Book of Revelation

The basic structure of the book of Revelation contains several sets of sevens. Let’s look at seven of those!

1. Seven golden lampstands (Revelation 1:12). The golden lampstand is an Old Testament type that prefigures Christ. It is a vessel in the sanctuary of the tabernacle of God. There are seven lamps on the golden lampstand. The high priest is responsible for lighting the lamps of the golden lampstand and refueling them so that the light of the golden lampstand may shine continually. The golden lampstand represents the church (1:20), and seven is a “complete” number, a representation of all churches. Remember, the golden lampstands in the Old Testament were made of gold. Gold represents God’s divine nature. So, the seven golden lampstands speak of the eternal, heavenly nature of the church.

1. Seven stars and seven spirits. I believe the seven spirits are closely related to the seven stars. Why do I say that? First, John’s letter to the seven churches is a revelation from God the Father (1:4, The one “who is and who was and who is to come”), the Holy Spirit (1:4, “the seven spirits who are before His throne”), the Lord Jesus Christ (1:5, “Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth”). This heavenly vision is the joint work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
   

The Holy Spirit is the essence of the church. We come to the Father in one Spirit and have constant fellowship with Him through Christ (Ephesians 2:18). "He who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him." (1 Corinthians 6:17). The fellowship of the Holy Spirit is at the core of the church. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." (2 Corinthians 13:14). The church is filled with the fullness of the Triune God. Therefore, the seven stars may represent those who are filled with the Holy Spirit.

Third, the Lord Jesus is the High Priest, who walks among the golden lampstands to trim the wicks and add oil. The seven spirits and the seven stars represent the oil and fire in His hands, so they are all manifestations of the Holy Spirit. The Bible speaks of the Holy Spirit as both oil and fire. When we barbecue, we use both firewood, lighter fluid (oil) and a spark of fire to ignite the wood. The spark will turn into fire, and the fire will ignite the fuel and the firewood, which will make the fire stronger. The spark, the fire, the oil, and even the wood (a representation of our sacrifice) are united in purpose. In the same way, the Holy Spirit is the spark that ignites our love, the oil that fans it into flame, and the wood that keeps our passion burning (2 Timothy 1:6). This is why I believe the seven spirits and the seven stars are two aspects of the same Holy Spirit.

1. Seven churches. This description reminds us of the earthly side of the church. Although the church is infused with the divine gold of heaven, we are still earthly in many ways. Even though Jesus Christ sees the church as a perfect bride without spot and blemish (Ephesians 5:27), on earth it is still full of blemishes, spots, and wrinkles. As Lord of the Church and Lord of Heaven, Jesus endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God for the sake of his church (Hebrews 12:2). He sees the eternal perfection of the church. But in the here and now, inside of time, the church still needs refinement. That is why Jesus sent seven letters to the seven churches (Revelation 2-3), to point out areas where they needed refinement.

1. Seven seals (Revelation 4-8). The fourth seven is closely related to the third seven. The third seven (seven letters to the seven churches) reveals the earthly side of the church and the ways it needs to be refined. The fourth seven (seven seals) speak of seven disasters, seven purifying fires that will burn the church and take away its earthly dross. As Peter said, "So that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:7). God’s judgment revealed in these seven seals is the consuming fire of His seven spirits and seven stars.

Let’s examine a few seals in detail. The Gospel (represented by the white horse in the first seal) may be the purifying fire that refines the church in Ephesus. The church in Ephesus had left its first love. Once a church stops preaching the gospel, it will be filled with infighting and internal friction and will gradually lose sight of its first love. Meanwhile, a church that zealously preaches the gospel will often be full of love for God.

Jesus' letters to the seven churches are assessing and diagnosing the seven churches, measuring their spiritual temperature and symptoms to determine the correct remedy. The seven seals are the remedies to deal with the unique and varying problems of the seven churches. I had never noticed this connection before. It was only during our recent Bible study that I received this inspiration from the Holy Spirit. There is no way that Jesus would have mentioned the problems of the churches without providing a solution to the problems in the following verses. Our Lord is a Lord of provision. He not only informs us of our problems but also provides solutions to our problems.

Between the sixth and seventh seals, God gave John an encouraging vision so that the believers would not lose hope. He shared that 144,000 Jews were sealed and that there was a great multitude in heaven serving God. What could be more inspiring? Trials often tempt people to lose their faith, so God specifically asked John to share this encouraging vision between the sixth and seventh seals. Why between the sixth and the seventh? We’ve previously noted that seven is a number of perfection, completion, and ultimate fulfillment. Not only is there an encouraging vision between the sixth and seventh seals, but there is also an encouraging vision between the sixth and seventh trumpets, and also between the sixth and seventh bowls in the great tribulation. All of these passages follow the same principle.

1. Seven Trumpets. The seven seals and the seven trumpets take place before the appearance of the woman and the male child in Revelation 12; they usher in the coming tribulation. In other words, the seven seals and seven trumpets help produce Christ's bride and overcomer. The seven trumpets bring more judgments, including the judgment of the land, sea, rivers, sun, moon, stars, those who do not have the seal of God, one-third of mankind, the dead, and so on. The vision between the sixth and seventh trumpets shows that even though God allowed the Gentiles to trample the temple, the two witnesses appeared to testify of God’s truth. Believers in trials would learn that God was still sovereign, even if the earthly temple was trampled. They should not be discouraged.

1. Seven years, 3.5 years of tribulation. The 3.5 years of the tribulation period began after the bride of Christ began to judge evil spirits. Satan tried his best to persecute the church (the woman) because the time for his judgment by the bride of Christ was near. But she gave birth to overcomers (the male child). This birth process is what Jesus referred to as labor pains. At this time, God and angels helped the church fight against the team of evil spirits and sinners led by Satan and gain the victory. Before the Great Tribulation began, God harvested the firstfruits (true believers) while the angels harvested the tares (false believers). Of course, there were also many martyrs. The bride of Christ continued to mature through suffering as Babylon the Great was thrown down.

The book of Revelation can be divided into two parts. Before chapter 12, God helps the church mature through various judgments; after chapter 12, the mature Bride of Christ continues to fight against the enemy and eventually judges fallen angels and evil spirits.

1. Seven Bowls. These bowls represent the ultimate judgment of God. During the bowl judgments, sores appear on the worshipers of the Antichrist; seas, rivers, and springs turn into blood; the sun scorches people with fire; the kingdom of the Antichrist becomes darkness; the great river Euphrates dries up; a great earthquake takes place; and great hailstones fall. Between the sixth and seventh bowl judgments is a vision that encourages believers. This vision depicts the preparation for the final battle of Armageddon. God reveals his plan and encourages believers that they will be victorious if they persevere.

The Ultimate Seven Brings Jubilee

After the seven bowl judgments, the book of Revelation depicts the destruction of Babylon, the marriage supper of the Lamb, the battle of Armageddon, the imprisonment of Satan, the coming of the millennial kingdom, the last rebellion of Satan, the Great White Throne judgment, the New Heaven and New Earth, the New Jerusalem, etc. At this point, God's judgment is finally complete. Death and rebellion are cast into the lake of fire, and believers reign with God forever and ever. This is the ultimate seven, which is the reality that the Sabbath, the Sabbath year, and the Year of Jubilee point to. It is also the end of human history.

Although I discussed seven sevens in this article, there may be even more sevens in the book of Revelation. The Bible is full of continuous cycles of sevens. Human history is not limited to a linear timeline of 7000 years. Instead, our history culminates with the ultimate Sabbath, an eternity of rest and completion.

[1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

Bible Study with Jairus - Leviticus 7

The functions of offerings: Reinforcement and reduction

In past lessons, we’ve mentioned the significance of the order of the offerings in Leviticus 1:1- Leviticus 6:7, as well as the different order in Leviticus 6:8-7:38. In addition, I believe the different offerings represent different functions. Some offerings (grain offerings, burnt offerings) were for reinforcement, while others (sin offerings and guilt offerings) were for reduction. Let me explain what I mean.

Reinforcement and reduction are concepts in traditional Chinese medicine. Through reinforcement and reduction, we achieve balance. Our body reaches a balance of yin and yang. I believe the essence of the peace offering is achieving a balanced state, in which there is reinforcement and reduction.

Many people may have difficulty understanding this concept. Let me give a metaphor from Western Medicine. When our white blood cells carry away waste and help our bodies fight infection, this is the function of reduction. When our red blood cells carry oxygen, supplying us with life, this is the function of reinforcement.

In the same way, the sin offering and the guilt offering remove our sins and transgressions, helping us “reduce” unhealthy things. The burnt offering and the grain offering, on the other hand, provide positive life and nourishment. The grain offering not only pleased God but also provided food for the priests. The food provided God’s life supply to the priests, which is “reinforcement.” The sin offerings and the guilt offerings (“reduction” offerings), as well as the peace offerings, grain offerings, and wave offerings could all be eaten by priests, which is the effect of "reinforcement". Such "reduction" and "reinforcement" allowed the priest to simultaneously cover their sins and receive God’s life supply, thus achieving a balance.

Just like we have to maintain the balance of yin and yang within our bodies to keep our bodies healthy, we need spiritual balance to maintain a healthy spiritual body. We need “reduction” offerings to remove our sins and “reinforcement” sacrifices to nourish us with spiritual bread so we can grow and mature.

What are reinforcement and reduction?

Reinforcement and reduction are concepts of traditional Chinese medicine. Chinese medicine believes that a healthy body lies in the balance of yin and yang. The balance of yin and yang is also related to qi. For example, the qi from sun and food is positive whereas qi from cold or wind is negative. If there is more negative qi than positive in our body, it is necessary to reduce the negative and reinforce the positive, so that our body can maintain balance and be healthy.

Although I have only a limited understanding of traditional Chinese medicine, I want to use traditional Chinese medicine to create an analogy. Many people in the West believe that concepts such as yin and yang and qi belong to the metaphysics of Eastern culture. But from my limited understanding, they are a good picture to help us understand spiritual things.

We know as Christians that the church is the body of Christ. Does this body need a balance of yin and yang? When Satan and sin attack us, it reminds us of being assaulted by freezing wind. This negative qi must be reduced. Meanwhile, Christ’s redemption (represented by the offerings) represents positive qi. The more Satan attacks, the more we need to nurture an awareness of Christ’s redemption.

 According to the theory of Chinese medicine, qi exists and operates in our bodies, but it is invisible. The same is true of the Holy Spirit. He is invisible, but he operates within the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit is the Helper sent by the Father in the name of Jesus Christ (John 14:26) to give us heavenly "positive qi.” Through him, we have access to the Father in one spirit (Ephesians 2:18). Through the Holy Spirit, we are convicted of sin (John 16:8). He applies Christ’s redemption personally to our lives. The Bible says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:17). His work is in line with the work of Jesus.

Jesus Christ became our redeeming sacrifice which takes away our sins. The Bible says, "the Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil” (ESV, 1 John 3:8)[1]. This reminds us of the concept of reduction. The work of reduction comes first, as our sins are removed through Jesus’ blood.

In addition, Jesus Christ is the bread that came down from heaven (John 6:58). He is the spiritual manna, the holy food for us to eat. This reminds us of the concept of reinforcement. The work of reinforcement is a further step in our Christian growth that manifests the glory of God.

If we understand the spiritual meaning of the five basic offerings, it will help us apply God’s truth to our everyday lives. The purpose of the offerings was not external obedience, but internal intimacy with God. The offerings were a living illustration of the removal of sin and the pursuit of fellowship with God. God’s purpose was to remove the worshipers’ sins so they could return to God and get to know him better. If you have accepted God’s gift of redemption through the blood of Jesus, God wants you to maintain fellowship with Him and grow closer to him. In this way, you will be filled with His holiness and glory. Redemption through His blood is the foundation. Intimate fellowship is the goal.

The five basic offerings in the Old Testament can all be categorized as either reduction or reinforcement. The sin offering and the guilt offering are for reduction, that is, taking away our sins. The grain offering and the burnt offering are not only offered to God, but also given to the priests to eat. This nourishing supply reminds us of the concept of reinforcement. Although the burnt offering is burned entirely, it benefits the worshiper by giving them a practical way to please God and receive his blessing. The peace offering represents both reduction and reinforcement at the same time. It not only includes a sin offering and guilt offering (reduction), but also a grain offering and wave offering (reinforcement). These offerings help us achieve spiritual balance.

Many people express doubts about the existence of qi and the concept of yin and yang because they cannot be seen or touched. But those who have experience in traditional Chinese medicine can verify through their experiences that the balance between qi, yin, and yang is real. Qi represents the Holy Spirit. His work is invisible and intangible, but we can feel his presence in our spiritual experience. When the Lord Jesus talked about the work of the Holy Spirit, He also likened it to the wind. He said, "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." (John 3:8).

In Chinese acupuncture, practitioners hold the needle in the right hand and rotate it in a clockwise direction to achieve reinforcement. On the other hand, when they want to achieve reduction, they rotate the needle in a counterclockwise direction. Many people in the West accept acupuncture, but they may not know that a different rotation of the needle will have a different effect. Acupuncturists use different rotational methods to help adjust the patient’s balance of qi, yin, and yang, which they believe will treat the patient’s disease.

Just like acupuncturists seek to achieve balance, we as God’s children also need balance. To use an analogy more familiar to a Western audience, our white blood cells remove waste products from our blood, while our red blood cells transport oxygen to our body. In the same way, some offerings (sin offerings and guilt offerings) remove sin and waste from the worshiper’s spiritual body, while other offerings (grain offerings, burnt offerings, wave offerings, heave offerings, and peace offerings) please God and supply us with His divine life. The offerings remind us of the importance of not only reducing evil (removing sin) but also increasing goodness as we unite ourselves with God’s divine life. When we achieve balance, we will become spiritually healthy.

The function of the burnt offering and the grain offering

Burnt offerings are entirely burned to God to please Him. Whether it was Noah offering clean animals as sacrifices or Abraham offering Isaac, both were to please God. The grain offering contains a portion that is burned to God, and this portion pleases God. But the rest was reserved for the priests as their food, the staff of life. The food was holy in order to help the priests become holy. After we offer burnt offerings to please God, He begins to share food with us through the grain offering. This is the function of reinforcement. But reinforcement is not enough. For example, if a vessel is unclean and if you put food in it, you will contaminate the food. Therefore, the laws of the sin offering and the guilt offering are needed to cleanse the vessel.

The function of the sin offering and the guilt offering

Before you cook a meal, you first wash the dishes, pots, and pans you will be using. In the same way, the sin offering and the guilt offering remove the impurity from our vessel so we can receive the nourishment God wants to give. We must clean and detoxify our vessels first. Only after the poison of sin and transgression has been removed can we receive the nourishing, reinforcing spiritual food that God wants to give us.

Using another metaphor, God wants to remove the weeds from the crop. If we add fertilizer before the weeds are removed, the weeds will get an extra boost. If we put the fertilizer on first, it will be wasted. In the same way, we should remove the sins from our lives before nourishing ourselves with God’s spiritual food.

Leviticus 6 ends with the regulations regarding the sin offering, and Leviticus 7 continues to discuss the guilt offering. Although the main purpose of the sin offering and the guilt offering is to reduce, they also reinforce. Both offerings were also used as food for the priests. Speaking of the sin offering, Leviticus 6:26 says, "The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tent of meeting." Speaking of the guilt offering, Leviticus 7:6 says, "Every male among the priests may eat of it. It shall be eaten in a holy place. It is most holy."

Furthermore, Leviticus 7:8-10 says, “And the priest who offers any man's burnt offering shall have for himself the skin of the burnt offering that he has offered. And every grain offering baked in the oven and all that is prepared on a pan or a griddle shall belong to the priest who offers it. And every grain offering, mixed with oil or dry, shall be shared equally among all the sons of Aaron.” I had not noticed before that the priests could use the skins of the burnt offering and eat the bread of the grain offering (reinforcement). These verses show us that God provides for us when we serve him.

As you can see, both the sin offering and the guilt offering have a reinforcing effect as well as a reducing effect. Although a given offering’s main goal may be reduction or reinforcement, they all may share both purposes. Let’s consider the example of acupuncture once again. When the acupuncturist rotates the needle, he rotates it to the left or the right at each acupuncture point. In different situations, he either reinforces or reduces the qi, to help keep the patient’s body in balance. In the same way, God used the offerings to simultaneously take care of sin and provide a blessing to the priests.

The peace offering is all-inclusive

In Leviticus 1-5, the peace offering is discussed in the middle of the list of offerings. But in chapters 6-7, it is mentioned last. I believe it comes last because it is an all-inclusive offering. It includes the sin offering, the guilt offering, the grain offering, the wave offering, and the heave offering. This is one of the reasons why the law of the peace offering is placed at the end of the list of offerings.

The peace offering is all-inclusive. First, it includes the bread of the grain offering (Leviticus 7:12). The sacrifice of the peace offering is also burned on the altar of burnt offering (Leviticus 3:5, 4:10). So, does the peace offering include an offering that removes sins? Though this is not mentioned explicitly, the law of the peace offering comes directly after the law of the sin offering and the guilt offering, so I believe the peace offering is rooted in the atonement.

The peace offering represents completion. After God removes our sin and we receive his life supply, we meet with God in a state of yin and yang balance. The peace offering represents the intimacy that Moses shared with God: "The Lord and Moses met on the mercy seat of the ark, and there the Lord spoke to Moses" (Numbers 7:89). Before Moses could meet God in glory and hear Him speak, the blood must be sprinkled on the mercy seat (Numbers 7:89).

In the same way, we can come boldly to the Holy of Holies (the throne of grace) through the blood of Jesus. We are not only covered by Jesus’ blood (the fulfillment of the sin and guilt offerings), but we also hear God speaking to us in glory (the fulfillment of the grain offering). The peace offering includes these two aspects. On the one hand, our sins are removed so that we can draw near to God. On the other hand, we are filled with His divine nature and glory. The peace offering reveals that as God removes our sins and supplies us with his love and provision, we can achieve a state of peace with Him.

The difference between the wave offering and the heave offering

The heave offering and wave offering are discussed in Numbers 8 and Exodus 30. Numbers 8:11 records that Aaron offered the Levites as a wave offering to the Lord. Exodus 30:11-16 states that the Israelites who were numbered were to offer half a shekel as a heave offering to atone for their sins. The rich should not give more, and the poor should not give less. From these two scriptures alone, we can surmise that the heave offering was used for basic atonement, while the wave offering represented further and deeper devotion.

Numbers 18:26 also mentions that the Levites were to tithe on the money they received from the people. They were to offer their tithes as a heave offering to the Lord. God seems to give more regulations regarding the heave offering than he does the wave offering. The Levites could offer their tithe to God as a wave offering, perhaps speaking of deeper holiness and devotion.

There are many similarities between the heave offering and the wave offering. I don’t fully understand the differences between them. As God continues to give me an understanding of the spiritual meaning of these offerings, I hope to share the insights he gives me.

Conclusion:

The purpose of the sacrificial regulations was to not only remove sin (sin, guilt, and heave offerings) but also to please God and supply spiritual food to the worshiper (burnt, grain, and wave offerings). The first group of sacrifices reminds us of reduction, which removes the obstacles that hinder our fellowship with God. The second group of sacrifices reminds us of reinforcement, which deepens our fellowship with God. Through eating the heavenly food God gives, we can become partakers of His divine nature and be conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. First comes redemption, then transformation. These two aspects are shown clearly in Romans 5:10: “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”

[1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

Bible Study with Jairus - Deuteronomy 5

Moses reiterates the significance of the Ten Commandments

In Deuteronomy 5, Moses restates the Ten Commandments. Today, we will discuss several topics related to God’s law:

• The differences between the Ten Commandments recorded in Deuteronomy and in Exodus

The original intent of the Law was to provide protection for God’s people, especially the Israelites, and to ultimately introduce them to Christ. The Law is the guardian that protects us. It is like a sheepfold that protects the sheep through the winter. When Christ came, we were set free from the ceremonial laws, just like sheep are let out of the sheepfold when spring comes. We may bravely step out of those protective ceremonial laws and enter His pasture.

Although we live in the age of grace and no longer in the age of law, many Christians act and think as though they are still restricted by the law. Therefore, it’s critically important to understand the spiritual meaning of the Ten Commandments and the Law and to understand the difference between God’s nature and His guidance.

Differences between the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy and in Exodus

The Ten Commandments listed in Exodus 20 are repeated in the book of Deuteronomy, but there are slight differences between the two passages. Here are two differences I’ve noticed.

First, Exodus 20:10 says, "But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates."[1] In Deuteronomy, the passage reads, "But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.” Deuteronomy mentions an ox and donkey. Perhaps the Israelites acquired some oxen and donkeys during their journey through the wilderness. In addition to the general mention of livestock, Deuteronomy places special emphasis on the ox and the donkey.

Second, Exodus 20:17 says, "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; neither shall you covet your neighbor's wife, or his servant, or his handmaid, or his ox, or his donkey, or all that he has." But Deuteronomy 5:21 reads, "And you shall not covet your neighbor's wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's." The word "field" appears in Deuteronomy, whereas it does not appear in Exodus. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt, so they probably owned no land; while wandering in the wilderness, they also owned no land. But when Moses reiterated the commandments in Deuteronomy, the Israelites were preparing to enter the promised land. They were about to cross the Jordan River and enter the land of Canaan, where they would begin to own land. Perhaps this is the reason “field” is added in Deuteronomy.

Why do these records of the Ten Commandments contain subtle differences? Perhaps the addition of oxen, donkeys, and land would bring more trials to the Israelites, so they needed more specific instructions. Perhaps these subtle differences reflect changes in culture and time period. We know that many of the Old Testament passages quoted in the New Testament come from the Septuagint (Greek) translation of the Old Testament, and there are slight differences between the Greek translations and the original Hebrew texts. God’s original intention does not change much, though. The application of His words is relatively flexible in different situations.

Will the law of God punish the sins of our children to the third and fourth generation?

Perhaps you have heard pastors quote Deuteronomy 5:9 to prove that children will be punished for their ancestors’ sins. Some pastors say, “When a person sins, encounters misfortune, or has bad luck, it is because their parents or ancestors sinned, as the law of God said: ‘You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.’ (Deuteronomy 5:9).” Is this understanding correct?

I believe that in the New Testament, this is not correct. Galatians 3:13 says: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.’” Since Christ became a curse for us, the curse of sin was removed. So how do we respond to the many people who pray to break generational curses during Deliverance and Inner Healing Ministries? Is praying to cut off family ties or generational curses biblical? I think it is. Let’s look at this topic from several angles.

Since we are in Christ, all sin is taken away, but each person still has to repent to be saved. Through our act of repentance, we receive Christ's work on the cross and apply it to our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Likewise, when we pray to break a generational curse, we apply Christ’s curse-removing work to ourselves.

The modern church does not pay attention to the work of Deliverance Ministries or of prayer to cut off generation curses. By and large, the church has not removed Satan’s strongholds in these areas. Satan and evil spirits have established strongholds through human sin. These strongholds may be in the hearts of the sinners themselves or in the hearts of the people who are hurt by them. In other words, it's not that the family curses are still alive, but that our own sins and the sins of our ancestors have opened the door for evil spirits to attack us. It is not that God continues to punish us for the sins of our ancestors, but that evil spirits continue to attack us by taking advantage of the weaknesses brought about by our sins.

An American prophet, Cindy Jacobs, told a story that provides an excellent example of this concept. She said that she was suffering from depression, so she prayed and asked God to heal her. God then inspired her to forgive one of the board members in the church where her father was serving as a pastor. She resented the board member because of what happened in a board meeting that was discussing whether to increase her father’s salary. The board member not only refused her father’s request, but also said something unpleasant about him. Cindy happened to hear about it and has since hated this man. The Lord revealed to her that her depression was the result of her accumulated hatred toward this person. So, if she wanted to be healed, she would need to forgive this person. In this example, although it was a church board member who hurt her, not her father, the board member can also be counted as one of her elders. His actions or sins hurt her, and her unforgiveness provided the conditions necessary for the evil spirits to build strongholds in her heart, causing her to suffer from depression.

As the Lord instructed her, Cindy apologized and forgive him. And she was healed. The same scenario can take place between us and our parents. Our hatred and unforgiveness give evil spirits an opportunity to attack us. When our parents sin against us and hurt us with their words or actions, our unforgiveness and pain opens the door for spiritual attack. This is not to say that God is punishing us for our parents’ sins, but that we must free ourselves from the effects of those sins through active forgiveness. That's why the Lord's Prayer places so much emphasis on the need to forgive others.

Andrew Park, a Korean-American theology teacher at United Theological Seminary, proposed a unique theological theory of "hatred" (or HAN). He said that because the Japanese have hurt many Koreans, many Koreans are full of hatred towards the Japanese, and this hatred has twisted the hearts of many Koreans. He proposed that for sinners, all they have to do is "repent", which is an aspect of salvation. For those who have been hurt by sin, all they have to do is "forgive," which is another aspect of experiencing God's salvation.

Let’s look at the history of the Japanese invasion of Asian countries. The Japanese have not repented, so this unrepentance opens the door for evil spirits to attack their descendants. The suicide rate in Japan is very high. Do Koreans also give evil spirits a chance to twist their hearts because they are unwilling to forgive? The answer is yes. This is not to say that God is punishing the sins of the third or fourth generations in Japan and Korea, but that the enemy has come to destroy and kill (John 10:10).

When David sinned, he repented and God forgave his sin. But God still said that his sin gave Jehovah's enemies a great opportunity to blaspheme Him, so his child must die (2 Samuel 12:14). It appears that God punished David's son for his sin. But I believe this is a special case, because Ezekiel 18:20 clearly says, "The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.”

How Christians Understand the Role of the Law in the New Testament

How should Christians understand the role of Old Testament law in our Christian life today? Is the law completely outdated? Or can we still refer to the Old Testament law as we grow in our New Testament faith? The Bible says Christ is the end of the law (Romans 10:4), so should we abandon the Old Testament law? The Lord Jesus said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished." (Matthew 5:17-18). How do we understand Jesus’ words? Many Christians are confused by these questions.

First, the role of the law is to introduce people to Christ and help them find Him. When a person finds Christ, the law’s role as guardian is fulfilled. After finding Christ, believers should fix their eyes on Jesus Christ Himself rather than on the law. But this is not to say that the law has lost its effect in helping people know Christ. The law is the word of God, and the word of God reveals His unchanging nature and principles. However, God's leading revealed by His word is always new and fresh. The moral law of God is unchanging, but the ceremonial law can be removed. The so-called ceremonial law mainly refers to the Jewish regulations for keeping the Sabbath. In the New Testament, Jesus demonstrated that he had set aside some of these ceremonial laws. He did not strictly observe the Sabbath; He even healed the sick, saved people, and provided food on the Sabbath.

Second, we must view the law correctly. Although many people have abandoned external laws such as observing the Sabbath, they are still psychologically restricted by the observance of the Old Testament Law. They believe that after they are saved, they must continue to obey God’s external laws: they should not have long hair, wear short skirts, use jewelry, or disobey the traditions of the church. Even though they acknowledge the New Testament, their way of thinking is restricted by the Old Testament. Let me cite a simple example. In the Old Testament, priests were the only ones who were allowed to enter the sanctuary and the Holy of Holies. Ordinary Israelites were not allowed to come close to God. However, in the New Testament, all believers have become priests. We all have access to the Holy of Holies through Jesus Christ, and we can all draw near to God. However, Catholics still believe that the members of the clergy are the only ones who can draw near to God, like the Old Testament priests. Only after Martin Luther's reformation did believers realize that everyone could read the Bible and serve God as priests.

In the same way, in the Old Testament, only prophets prophesied, but in the New Testament, Paul says that we can all prophesy (1 Corinthians 14:31). I have seen Paul’s teaching being practiced in some of the churches in the Pentecostal Movement. But many traditional evangelical churches cannot accept this. Instead, they emphasize that there are no prophets today; therefore, not everyone should prophesy. Their way of thinking has not changed from the Old Testament way of thinking. In the Old Testament, prophets could only prophesy accurately when the Spirit of God came upon them outwardly. But in the New Testament, the Spirit of God lives within us to inspire us. When He inspires us, we speak this inspiration out loud. Sometimes, we mix our own thoughts and emotions with God’s inspiration, so sometimes there may be biases. The mode of the Old Testament Prophecy is "visitational". Samuel and Saul could prophesy only after being baptized by the Holy Spirit. But the mode of the New Testament Prophecy is "habitational." After receiving the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we speak his words out loud. If there are mental and emotional obstacles that cause us to make mistakes, we need to get closer to God so that we can be a better outlet for His words.

These examples help us see that although we live in the New Testament era, we often continue to think in an Old Testament way. Similarly, although some Christians live in the New Testament age, their knowledge of God and His law may still be in an Old Testament mode. In the New Testament age, we still need the Old Testament law, but our level of knowledge of God's law needs to match the level of teaching in the New Testament. The Old Testament Law gives us the spiritual history of the Israelites. It is a rich heritage for us to inherit. But in the New Testament age, when we have the help of the victorious Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit, our knowledge of the law and our historical heritage should no longer be blind acceptance.

Third, we must recognize how Christ enables us to keep the law. Metaphorically, the law is the road, Christ is the vehicle, and the Holy Spirit is the GPS. Let's imagine that we want to get to New York from Washington DC. We have to have a road, such as I-95. But we also need to have a car. Furthermore, we need to know how to get around, so we need a GPS. The law is the road, the limits set by God. We cannot go beyond it, just like we can’t cross the shoulder of the road. But we can't get to our destination just by having the road. We must have a car, which is Christ. After God has prepared the road (the law), He provides the vehicle (Christ) at the right moment, because the end of the law is Christ (Romans 10:4). When we are born again, we enter this vehicle. Can we walk from Washington to New York? While technically possible, it would be terribly difficult. Similarly, being justified by keeping the law in the Old Testament is theoretically possible, but most people find it difficult. So, God has prepared the vehicle (Christ) to help us reach our destination. After the ascension of Christ, God also sent the Holy Spirit to guide us to our destination. Although I have the vehicle (Christ), I will not be able to reach New York if I don't know how to get there. So, the Holy Spirit guides us as our GPS.

If someone says that New Testament believers don’t need the law because Christ has come, it's like saying that once we have the vehicle, we don't need roads. No, we need roads, vehicles, and also a GPS. God (the Father) is our road, since the law is given by the Father, and the law manifests the Father’s goals and purposes. Christ is our redemption and our vehicle; no one can reach the destination (heaven) without Him. Of course, Christ is also our road, because He and the Father are one. But we still need the Holy Spirit as a Comforter or GPS to guide us throughout our lives and keep us from going astray. On a trip to New York, we need the road, the car, and the GPS every minute of our journey. This is a wonderful picture of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit working together in our sanctification.

Conclusion:

We must let go of our black-and-white conceptualization of the law. We cannot separate the law of the Old Testament from the reality of the New Testament. We must become partakers of the divine nature (revealed in the law; see 2 Peter 1:4) and be conformed to the image of Christ (see Romans 8:29). We must also be joined to the Lord in One Spirit (the guidance of the Holy Spirit, see 1 Corinthians 6:16).

[1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

Bible Study with Jairus - Acts 22

The Nature of Radical Conversion: Why Do Some People Change and Some Do Not?

Acts 22 tells us how Paul was radically converted after his encounter with the Lord. Saul had received a letter from the high priest Caiaphas, giving him permission to arrest the Christians in Damascus. But on the road, he encountered the Lord and was converted. His name changed to Paul. Saul, who formerly opposed the gospel, was now a powerful preacher of the gospel. The light of the gospel removed the veil from Saul's heart.

However, the next chapter tells us that high priest of Israel was still blinded by the veil. He ordered his servant to strike Paul on the mouth. The High Priest Ananias was not converted. His attitude toward the gospel did not change, because the legalistic religious atmosphere of his day created a veil over his heart.

Jesus commanded Paul to leave the hostile religious environment in Jerusalem and preach to the Gentiles, because his testimony would not be accepted in Jerusalem. I believe that abandoning empty religiosity and receiving the light of Christ can help us get rid of the veil that blinds our hearts. It will help us experience a wonderful transformation in our lives.

Religiosity Is Like A Veil Covering Our Hearts

In Acts, there was a new high priest. The man in charge had changed, but the attitude of the priests toward the gospel had not changed. Both the old high priest and the new high priest persecuted believers. Why is this? It is because the atmosphere of empty religiosity was so strong in Jerusalem. This type of lifeless religiosity formed a veil that covered the hearts of the Israelites so they could not see Jesus’ glory or get to know God (2 Corinthians 3:14-16). It was a stronghold of the evil one.

Paul knew this very well. He said, "For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ" (ESV, 2 Corinthians 10:4-5).[1] Such strongholds must have existed among the Jews, and these strongholds prevented them from knowing God.

Our hearts are like mirrors. Because our hearts are contaminated, we cannot reflect God’s light accurately. So it is very important to get rid of empty religiosity and remove the veil from our hearts.

This removal involves two changes. First, we need to humble our hearts. But this is often difficult to do, because we are all influenced by the environment. It is very difficult to escape its influence. The religious atmosphere is like a dusty room. If the mirror is placed in this room, dust will accumulate and eventually cover the mirror, preventing it from reflecting light. The same is true of our hearts. When our hearts are constantly influenced by empty religious teachings, the dust of legalism will eventually cover our hearts.

In Acts 28, Paul told the Jews who did not believe in the gospel, “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: ‘Go to this people, and say, “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’" (Acts 28:25-27).

Paul said that their hearts had grown dull. There was a veil covering their hearts. Paul mentioned in 2 Corinthians 3 that when the Israelites read the Old Testament, the veil was still on their hearts. But when their hearts turned to the Lord, the veil was removed (2 Corinthians 3:15-16). The same thing can happen in any Christian community. When we accept too many traditional teachings, these teachings become a hindrance to our knowledge of God's new leading and enlightened truth.

Staying Away From Empty Religiosity

In Acts 22:18, Paul said, "I saw the Lord say to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’" Why did Jesus tell Paul to get out of Jerusalem quickly?

God is very tender-hearted and merciful. He is not only merciful to sinners, but also to those who are stuck in old religious mindsets. They are trapped inside old wineskins, afraid that the new wine will burst the old wineskins. Every new movement of God is often persecuted by those involved in the previous movement. But this does not mean that God will completely abandon the people He used in His previous movement. These people tend to prefer old wineskins; they don't want new wineskins. But new wine must be put in new wineskins; otherwise the old wineskins will burst. In the same way, God will raise up new apostles and move to create new wineskins to store the new wine. This is why he asked Paul to leave Jerusalem, the place which was saturated with religiosity. He didn’t want him to be trapped in “old wineskins.”

Paul Needed To Leave Jerusalem To Receive The Light Of God

I believe that God could have appeared to Paul while he was in Jerusalem, because His light is strong enough to pass through all veils and obstacles as well as all strongholds that prevent us from knowing Him. However, I believe the fact that Paul encountered Jesus while he was on his way from Jerusalem to Damascus is very meaningful. Despite the power of God’s light, I believe the strong religious atmosphere in Jerusalem still blocked God’s light to a certain extent. Galatians 2 tells us that Peter and Barnabas were influenced negatively by the atmosphere of religiosity. Peter used to eat with the Gentiles, but after the people from Jerusalem arrived, Peter was scared. He stopped eating with the Gentiles, and even Barnabas went along with Peter’s fear-based response. Clearly, religious culture had a great influence on them.

In the same way, it is difficult to break through the grime of tradition and receive the light of God while we are still stuck in a suffocating religious environment. One of the reasons is that long-standing religious teaching covers our hearts with a layer of dust. When we are stuck in one denomination, we are unable to see the light of God’s truth shining through other denominations. The teachings we receive may be partly biblical, but also partly based on man’s tradition. Human tradition becomes a factor that prevents our hearts from being illuminated by God. It is a grueling process to separate truth from error and to clean the grime off the mirror of our hearts.

I went through such a grueling process when I left a traditional evangelical church to study at a charismatic church. My traditions told me that some of the teachings and practices of the Pentecostal Movement were wrong. My church had unknowingly instilled in me the idea that my denomination’s teachings were most biblical. But in reality, the teachings of my denomination were a mixed bag. There was truth mixed with traditions and the teachings of man. These traditions and teachings of man greatly limited my thinking and left me unable to learn from and recognize the abundance of other churches. The pride in my own denominational teaching and the fear of being influenced by the wrong teachings of others kept me from stepping out bravely, learning and accepting the abundance of others.

But I was forced by my new environment to gradually learn new perspectives. I realized that each denomination has a different kind of abundance. These are all things that I slowly learned after I left my original church and started attending a different church. To supersede the limitations of thinking that one denomination teaches us, we must dare to leave that denomination. Going to another denomination will teach us different perspectives that will help us widen our horizons. I found that many brothers and sisters who did not have the opportunity to study outside their denomination are still stuck in the same mode of thinking and cannot go beyond its limitations.

Many denominations do not encourage believers to go to other churches to learn different teachings. They mainly use intimidation to prevent this from happening. They use threats to control believers. They lock believers into their own denominational sheepfold. However, just as plants need to be interbred, believers of different denominations also need to communicate with each other. We need to break down the barriers between us and supersede our denominational limits. We can learn from the abundance that God has bestowed on other members of His body. One day, the Lord appeared to me in a dream and specifically mentioned convergence. He told me that the different denominations should converge. I personally believe that this is His work in this age.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, many believers were unable to go to in-person church gatherings. This situation made it difficult for many Christians to understand God’s will. Gradually, many believers began to turn to online gatherings and started to listen to sermons from preachers of other denominations. Many heard messages they would never have listened to if they had been busy with in-person meetings. Christians began to listen to the messages and preaching of a variety of pastors. I was saved in the Local Church movement (LCM). Several LCM believers told me that during the pandemic, they privately listened to messages from Charismatic preachers on the baptism of the Holy Spirit and tongues. They even practiced praying in tongues in an attempt to be filled with the Holy Spirit and receive more vitality. Another believer from the LCM told me to send my doctoral dissertation on convergence to a leader of the LCM, hoping that God would inspire him to accept this vision.

I believe the Covid-19 pandemic is a big reset from God. God allowed this to come upon us to break the habits and routines the church had been stuck in for many years. At the beginning of the pandemic, many churches hoped that it would end as soon as possible, so that they could get back to normal. But gradually, they discovered they would never be back to normal. Recently, I heard that a Chinese church stopped all online gatherings and asked believers to return to church in person. But many Christians had already been exposed to the teachings of many different pastors during this period. Their eyes had already been opened. Churches may be worried about attrition, but that's not what God is worried about. What God wants to do is to break down the walls between our denominations so that believers can accept convergence.

Rigid Thinking and Refusal To Change

In Acts 22:1-21, Paul testified about how Jesus appeared to him. Paul told the Jews that the Lord told him to go to the Gentiles to preach the gospel. This made the Jews very angry. They threw off their cloaks and flung dust into the air (vs. 23). The Jews rejected the idea that Gentiles could be saved. They could not receive God’s light and new leading because of their rigid thinking.

In the same way, many believers are stuck in rigid thinking patterns. If someone criticizes or goes against their beliefs, they feel threatened. They will do everything in their power to prevent this. For example, I was blessed by some concepts I learned in the Pentecostal Movement, and I shared them with a brother in the LCM movement.

He told me, “God's intention is one church, one city so it is wrong for you to leave the LCM to join the Pentecostal Movement.”

I told him, “There is much to learn from the Pentecostal Movement.”

But because of his rigid thinking, he was unable to accept my testimony. Instead, he condemned me. During my thirteen years in the LCM, I firmly believed in the “one church, one city” teaching. But upon reflection, I found that this teaching did not have the effect the LCM movement desired. The teaching of “one church, one city” did not actually lead to the unity of the body of Christ. Although this teaching is a beautiful ideal, it has not been practically effective. Yet this teaching is one of the most basic dogmas of the LCM as a Christian group. If they abandon this teaching, it may have very negative consequences for the group, and even lead to its collapse. But taking too firm of a stance on this issue will not give the believers the chance to be exposed to truths from other denominations. Such rigid thinking will greatly hinder people from accepting God’s new leading.

What God is doing in this age is convergence. Keeping the believers in the sheepfold through rigid thinking does not please Him, and will cause churches to lose the presence of the Holy Spirit. I personally think this is one of the reasons why the LCM has become more cold and spiritually dead in recent years.

In addition, some people think that "tongues are of the flesh” and that "spiritual gifts are useless". Their rigid thinking patterns prevent them from learning from the truths revealed by God throughout the 100-year history of the Pentecostal Movement. I am not saying that there are no problems that need to be corrected with regard to the teaching and practice of the Pentecostal Movement. But I must say that the root cause of the division between the Pentecostal Movement and evangelicals is that the evangelical church has not been able to recognize God's many new revelations about the Holy Spirit and his work and gifts. Some Evangelical churches are rigid in their thinking. If they systematically study the development of the Pentecostal Movement, accept the truths revealed by God through them, and then continue to critique and improve their Christian brothers and sisters, they will bring about the unity and growth of the church. Therefore, evangelical and charismatic churches must converge. The breakthrough lies in the humility of evangelical churches and their willingness to learn.

When we hear a testimony, we often have one of two reactions. If the testimony is thought-provoking, we may allow it to challenge our rigid thinking. Or we may choose to condemn and reject the testimony based on our rigid teachings. Some Jews accepted Paul’s testimony, while others rejected it because of their rigid mindsets. Although some people rejected my testimony, others took it into consideration and began to study spiritual gifts privately. God revealed to me in a series of dreams that the LCM would eventually receive the baptism and gift of the Holy Spirit. Let us pray for them to break free from rigid thinking and gain a vision for convergence.

Our Hearts Ultimately Decide Everything

All of these decisions are determined by our hearts. If our hearts are purely devoted to God, we will not be bound by fixed traditions. Instead, we will be open to bravely learning new things.

Although Paul once had a veil over his heart, he loved the Lord with all his heart, and God eventually removed the veil from his heart and brought him into His destiny. But the priests’ hearts had grown dull, so they rejected the testimony that God gave them through Paul. This reflects a heart problem.

We must test our hearts. Are we afraid of man or God? Are we afraid of going against tradition, or are we afraid of losing our share of God's work in this current age? Our hearts ultimately determine our choices. God judges us according to what is in our hearts. May every Christian bravely break through the rigid thinking patterns handed down to them by their denominations. May we bravely take steps of faith, and not miss out on the greatest work of God in this age: convergence. The great revival is coming. Don't be a part of the group who is opposing God’s work. Convergence will bring together the abundance that each denomination has to offer. It will prepare the church to be a vessel for God’s great revival. May God have mercy on us.

[1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

Bible Study with Jairus - 2 Corinthians 1

1 Corinthians Is Spiritual Milk, while 2 Corinthians Is Solid Food

The book of 2 Corinthians helps believers gain a deeper understanding and experience of God as they grow in their spiritual lives. If 1 Corinthians is spiritual milk for infants, then the book of 2 Corinthians is full of solid food that boosts spiritual growth. I believe that 2 Corinthians is a continuation and expansion of the ideas presented in 1 Corinthians.

The book of 1 Corinthians dealt with several problems of spiritual immaturity, such as overemphasis on spiritual gifts (ch. 14), overemphasis on knowledge and truth (ch. 15). People on both sides needed to become more spiritually mature. 1 Corinthians 16 talks about Stephanas, a spiritually mature man. This content bridges naturally into the content of 2 Corinthians.

The book of 2 Corinthians teaches about spiritual maturity. Chapter 3 tells us that when we turn away from the law and toward the Lord, the veil is removed from our hearts. As we learn to know the Spirit of the Lord, we gain freedom. Our hearts become like mirrors that reflect the glory of the Lord as we are transformed into his image (3:16-18). These verses speak of a Christian's deeper experience in his spiritual life.

After Paul dealt with the problems of spiritual immaturity in his first letter to the Corinthians, he began to lead believers into a deeper spiritual life and experience in 2 Corinthians. He told readers that this deeper spiritual life and experience was inseparable from the training of suffering. Paul shared his experiences of suffering many times in 2 Corinthians, telling the Corinthian church how these experiences had led him to become spiritually mature.

Summary of the Last Three Chapters of 1 Corinthians

Let's briefly analyze the link between the last three chapters of 1 Corinthians and the first chapter of 2 Corinthians.

• In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul dealt with those who were overemphasizing spiritual gifts. He encouraged them to not only pursue spiritual gifts, but also to care about others’ feelings and more importantly, to pursue love.

Of course, there were many problems presented in 1 Corinthians, but when Paul dealt with these problems one by one, he provided solutions to their problems. The solutions were unity and love, which are two important themes of 1 Corinthians. (See the studies on 1 Corinthians for an in-depth explanation of these themes.) In 1 Corinthians, Paul dealt with the believers' spiritual immaturity. The goal of 1 Corinthians was to free believers from spiritual infancy.

2 Corinthians 1 Continues the Train of Thought of 1 Corinthians

The book of 2 Corinthians continues the same train of thought. Although Paul also wrote several other letters to the Corinthian church, God sovereignly allowed them to be lost. However, the book that was preserved (2 Corinthians) continues the train of thought from 1 Corinthians.

In 2 Corinthians 1:1, we read that Paul and Timothy wrote to the church of God in Corinth and to the saints in Achaia. This verse is very interesting. As I mentioned earlier, Stephanas probably became one of the leaders of the Corinthian church. This is very important. When a church has a good leader, things go more smoothly. Since Stephanas was saved in Achaia, he probably had close ties with the saints in Achaia. Perhaps Stephanas played a very important role in bringing change to the Corinthian church.

According to the introduction of the "Comprehensive Bible Prayer Reading Website" (cmcbiblereading.com), the background of 2 Corinthians is as follows:

Paul first came to Corinth during his second missionary journey in A.D. 50-51. He worked with Aquila and Priscilla, preached the gospel there for a year and a half, and established the church (Acts 18:1-18). After Paul left Corinth in A.D. 51, he wrote the first letter to the Corinthian church, telling them to "have no fellowship with fornicators" (5:9-10), but this letter has been lost. During Paul’s stay in Ephesus on his third missionary journey, Chloe’s people brought a message that there was division in the Corinthian church (verse 11), and the church also wrote a letter to him (1 Corinthians 7:1), hoping that Paul would give them some guidance on problems. Paul may have written a second letter at Ephesus in A.D. 54, and 1 Corinthians as his answer (1 Corinthians 16:8-10; Acts 19:22). Later, the situation in the Corinthian church continued to deteriorate. Paul may have traveled directly from Ephesus to Corinth by boat (2 Corinthians 1:16), making a second brief visit to Corinth (2 Corinthians 13:2; Acts 20:2). The visit was not very pleasant at the time. Afterwards, Paul wrote a third letter that was severe (2 Corinthians 2:4; 7:8), which was delivered by Titus, but was also lost. Later, Titus brought the news to Macedonia, saying that everything was alright (2 Corinthians 7:6-7). Paul was thus overflowed with joy and wrote the fourth letter in Macedonia in A.D. 56, which is "2 Corinthians" (2 Corinthians 2:12-14; Acts 20:1). After this, Paul probably visited the Corinthian church for the third time (2 Corinthians 12:14; 13:1), and wrote the book of Galatians and Romans in Corinth in the winter of A.D. 56-57 (Acts 20:3).

This summary helps us see that although the Corinthian church had some problems, Paul worked tirelessly to help them. Through his efforts, their lives were transformed. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:1-2 "But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready.”[1] Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians were addressed to the fleshly believers who were so spiritually immature that they could only drink spiritual milk.

What is spiritual immaturity? In addition to the sins of the flesh (competition, sexual immorality and gluttony, mentioned in the first few chapters of 1 Corinthians), spiritual immaturity also includes two additional aspects.

• The first aspect is the excessive pursuit of spiritual gifts described in 1 Corinthians 14. Even today, some believers pursue spiritual gifts but neglect love and spiritual growth.

The first type of church tends not have a solid foundation in God’s word and are more are easily deceived by the winds of teaching. The second type of church is often overly concerned with knowledge and truth, which leads to dogmatism and legalism. They often are against the work of the Holy Spirit. And they easily condemn others as heretics. These two extremes cause problems in Chinese churches and American churches alike.

It may surprise you to learn that these errors are a manifestation of spiritual immaturity, not of maturity. Paul told the Corinthians that it was difficult for him to lead them into deeper spiritual life and experience since they were stuck in immaturity. But the path toward maturity was inseparable from God's training through suffering.

A Deeper Spiritual Life and Experience

After the believers’ spiritual immaturity was addressed in 1 Corinthians and the lost letters to the Corinthians, Paul could finally give the believers some solid food in 2 Corinthians. The solid food is not only obtained through suffering, but it also provides the sustenance we need to survive suffering. This concept is described in 2 Corinthians 1:3-11.

In 2 Corinthians 2, Paul says that the life of Christ within us gives off the "aroma of Christ" (2:14) to those around us. This aroma brings life to some and death to others. When we testify to others, some believe in Christ and are brought back to life, while others oppose Christ and are left to die. What a privilege it is to represent Christ in this way. Jesus told his disciples, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld." (John 20:23). This does not mean that we have the authority to forgive like God does. Rather, it means that God has given His authority to the church, and he has entrusted us with a tremendous responsibility. When we as Christians demonstrate a consistent Christian testimony to the world, others often believe in Christ as a result of our witness. When Christians do not have a testimony and do not love one another as what Jesus taught, the world stumbles and cannot see that we are His disciples (John 13: 35).

2 Corinthians 3 tells us that God can remove the veil from our hearts. When our heart turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Our hearts are like mirrors that reflect the glory of the Lord and transform us into His image. This is why Paul said believers are to imitate him as he imitates Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).

2 Corinthians 4 talks about treasure in jars of clay (4:7). Although we are weak on the outside, we have a treasure within us, the resurrection life of Christ. Regardless of the difficulties we face in in our external environment, the resurrection life of Christ can help us be victorious.

2 Corinthians 5 tells us that we are new creations in Christ (5:17). Once we are saved, we are new in Christ. Yet many people do not live in the full knowledge and experience of this truth. Instead, they continue to live in past sins. So, Paul taught them not to look at past failures, but to look at the victory that was theirs in Christ.

In 2 Corinthians 6, Paul encourages believers not to associate with idols, because believers in Christ are incompatible with idols and darkness. Instead, believers should pursue holiness (6:14-17).

2 Corinthians 7 continues to talk about the believer’s pursuit of holiness. In 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, Paul encourages believers to give generously to God’s work. In 2 Corinthians 10, Paul teaches believers to destroy strongholds (10:4). In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul tells the believers to remain pure because they are pure virgins betrothed to Christ (11:2). In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul shares his experience of being caught up to the third heaven, and uses his own experience to testify about Christ. In 2 Corinthians 13, Paul explains that Jesus was crucified in weakness, but resurrected in power. When we are weak physically, we can be strengthened spiritually (13:4-9). Paul uses his own spiritual experience to teach the Corinthian believers to enter into a deeper spiritual experience. Paul shares his experiences of suffering as well. These sufferings trained him and helped him become spiritually mature.

Suffering is an Important Ingredient for Spiritual Maturity

Suffering is an integral part of our journey toward spiritual maturity. The book of Hebrews says that even the Lord Jesus learned obedience through the things that He suffered (Hebrews 5:8). Hebrews 12 tells us that God’s discipline, though painful, bears the peaceful fruit of righteousness for those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:11).

Suffering has a positive effect on a person’s spiritual maturity, just like the storms encourage trees and vines to grow deeper roots. Once the sun comes out, we can see the benefit of these harsh weather conditions. The deeper the roots of the plant or tree, the more vigorously it can produce rich fruit.

Therefore, after a brief greeting in 2 Corinthians 1:1-2, Paul talks at length about suffering (vs. 3-11). His words about suffering are intense. Paul shares that the suffering he endured in Asia was so great that he felt that he could no longer live (vs. 8). His trust in God, who raises the dead, was the only way he was able to endure this great suffering.

Although Paul also talked about God's comfort to believers who are suffering, this chapter gave some harsh truths. This “solid food” was not easy for immature believers to accept. But the readers of 2 Corinthians had grown considerably in their spiritual lives, and they were able to handle solid food.

The more we mature, the more we are able to handle suffering. After I dedicated myself to God, the difficulties in my life increased. God sent these difficulties to help me crucify my flesh, so that I could learn to experience the cross of Christ. These trials helped me grow spiritually. They helped me become more deeply rooted in the life of Jesus.

Around 2016, I experienced a breakthrough in my personal life. Our prayers were answered by God. Not only did we give birth to a miracle baby, but I also received the baptism of the Holy Spirit that I had been longing for. I once heard Brother Derek Prince say, “The most obvious manifestation of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not prophesying or speaking in tongues, but increasing difficulties.” My experience has proved this to be true. After receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the evil spirits began to attack me even more. My own flesh and the people around me began to attack me, causing never-ending trouble. But these troubles and difficulties were actually tools in God’s hands, helping me grow spiritually and learn more humility.

The Holy Spirit Guarantees a Rich Spiritual Life

In 2 Corinthians 1:20-22, Paul tells us that all God’s promises are Yes in Christ. Because we are joined to Christ, we are given His Spirit as a guarantee. What does this mean? It means that God’s promises are more amazing than we can imagine. He can do more than we ask or think. But when we are spiritual infants, we often do not access these promises or manifest them in our lives.

God has given us many promises to enjoy in Christ. But in order to experience them, we must grow spiritually. The seal of the Holy Spirit within us is like a sample, similar to the soil sample we get when we buy land. We need to not just settle for this sample, but to dig deep into all the riches we have in Christ.

I believe that the United States' spiritual decline is a result of the church’s decline, which in turn is a result of the decline of every Christian's faith and spiritual life. The decline in Christians’ spiritual lives comes from the fact that they never matured spiritually. They lost the power of their witness; their lights did not shine and their salt lost its flavor (Matthew 5:13-14).

I believe the fundamental reason for the degeneration of American society and the church is that American believers are not mature enough. This is the reason why anti-God forces can run rampant in the United States, even though the majority of the population professes Christianity. The teachings of 1 Corinthians are very important for the spiritual growth of today's Christians, and for breaking away from the fleshly life.

Therefore, we urgently need to study these two letters, 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians. In them, Paul reveals a wealth of wisdom that helps us deal with the flesh, leave behind spiritual infancy, and enter a state of spiritual maturity. This is the theme of 2 Corinthians. As we study the rest of the chapters of 2 Corinthians, we will continue to explore how Paul's teachings can help us become more spiritually mature.

[1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

Bible Study with Jairus - 1 Corinthians 15

What is Baptism For The Dead?

First Corinthians 15:29 is a verse we don’t often study. In the midst of this popular chapter on resurrection, we read a puzzling sentence about baptism for the dead. Apparently, there were Corinthians believers who were baptized for the dead. Why did the Corinthian church baptize for the dead? Paul did not criticize this phenomenon, but simply said, “If there is no resurrection, why baptize for the dead?” What does Paul mean?

Let’s look more closely at this puzzling verse. First Corinthians 15:29 says, "Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf?" (ESV)[1].

I believe that different people in the Corinthian church lived out the experience of resurrection in different ways. Paul fully lived in the reality of the resurrection, but other believers lived without any awareness of the resurrection. They were baptized for the dead, believing in some kind of intermediate state after death. Perhaps they mentally assented to the resurrection, but they lacked Paul's real experience of the resurrection.

In addition, I believe 1 Corinthians 15 is a continuation of the themes of chapter 14. Chapter fourteen encourages believers to have balance in the use of their spiritual gifts, and not to use them in excess. Here, Paul continued to talk about balance. Those who pursue knowledge and truth in excess often lack a personal experience of the Lord's resurrection. In this passage, Paul explained his own experience of the risen Lord and encouraged other believers to get to know the risen Lord through experience.

Does Paul's Mention of Baptism For The Dead Mean That He Agrees?

This passage is confusing. Personally, I do not know of any modern church that practices baptism for the dead. One website explains, "There is a lot of controversy among bible scholars about what 'baptism for the dead' is, possibly referring to vicarious baptisms. There may be some believers in the Corinthian church who were baptized on behalf of those who died before they could be baptized. But Paul’s mention of this does not mean he agrees. The point was to use this to remind the Corinthians that if there is no resurrection, why do it?"[2]

After reading this passage over and over again, I have concluded that Paul was neutral on this subject. Although I don't see Paul supporting the practice of being baptized for the dead, I don’t see him criticizing it either. He is just saying, “If people don't believe in the resurrection, why should they be baptized for the dead?” Let's look at what verse 15:29 says: "Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf?"

Personally, I believe that Paul's attitude is at least neutral. In the very next verse, Paul goes on, "Why are we in danger every hour?" The reason Paul was in danger every hour was because of his longing for the resurrection. We see this fact in Acts 23:6, when Paul affirmed to the Pharisees, “I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” (Acts 23:6 NIV). From these verses, we see that Paul was in danger because of his hope in the resurrection. These verses place Paul’s persecution and baptism for the dead side by side, as if they are equally valid. Both relate to ways we practically live out our faith in the resurrection. This is my personal understanding.

Who Didn't Believe in The Resurrection?

The Bible clearly tells us that the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection or in spirits, whereas the Pharisees did. Matthew 22 says that the Sadducees challenged the Lord Jesus about the resurrection. They told a story about seven brothers who had successively married the same woman and then passed away.

“Whose wife will she be when she is resurrected?” the Sadducees asked.

Jesus answered, “We will neither marry nor be given in marriage when we are resurrected. Instead, we will be just like angels.” Jesus even quoted the Bible and said, "‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living." His words are very interesting. God is the God of the living. Therefore, in His eyes, whether we live on earth or in heaven after we are resurrected, we are living people.

Now we know that the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. But how did this belief spread to the Corinthian church? We have no way of knowing. Perhaps some Jewish Christians were influenced by the teachings of the Sadducees.

Judging from the passage in Matthew, the Sadducees not only disbelieved the resurrection, but they also failed to believe in the Living God, who is the God of the Living. If they had believed that God is the God of the Living, then they should have understood that people can be resurrected because God is not the God of the dead.

Perhaps the Sadducees lacked knowledge about the resurrection, just like some Christians today. Many people do not know and experience God as a Living God. They stick to dogmas, traditions, and even God’s written words, yet refuse to follow His new, living leading. They don’t know or understand that God is the Living God.

As I have explained in the past, some parts of God are unchanging. God’s words in the Bible reveal aspects of His unchanging nature: love, light, holiness, and righteousness. Yet other parts of the Bible reveal God’s circumstantial leading, which changes according to the environment and the wishes of the Living God. When we take these circumstance-dependent words of God and crystallize them into unchanging principles, we often miss His new leading. This has been the case throughout the ages. Not only Jews, but many Christian individuals and groups commit the same mistake.

Understanding the resurrection isn’t limited to believing we will one day be raised from the dead. It also means believing that God is a living God today. We cannot dogmatize the Word of God because written words—even the words of the Bible—bring death, but the Spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6). Knowing the Living God is knowing the Resurrection.

Which believers in the Corinthian church did not know about the resurrection? To whom is Paul speaking in 1 Corinthians 15? I believe 1 Corinthians 15 is a continuation of the train of thought Paul began in 1 Corinthians 14. Chapter 14 discusses those who pursue spiritual gifts. Paul exhorts believers to balance spiritual gifts and spiritual life. Chapter 15 seems to be targeting people who oppose spiritual gifts.

Why do I say that? At first, I didn’t understand why the topic of the resurrection was suddenly introduced in chapter 15. One day, while listening to the dramatized audio Bible,[i] I played 1 Corinthians 15. While praying in tongues, I sought the help of the Holy Spirit. Suddenly I thought of a question that seemed to be inspired by the Holy Spirit. This question was, "Who in the Corinthian church did not understand the resurrection? Was it those who pursued spiritual gifts? Or those who were against them?"

Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 14 that the purpose of speaking in tongues was to utter mysteries to God (14:2), and that prophecies could disclose the secrets of people's hearts, causing them to fall on their faces and declare that God was truly among them (14:25). Those who pursued spiritual gifts often focused on their experiences, so they often had better knowledge and experience of the risen Lord. But their shortcoming was that they often neglected other people's feelings and put too much emphasis on spiritual gifts. Because of this, Paul gave them some truths to bring balance to their lives. He asked them to be mindful of others’ feelings and to pursue love and life.

So why did Paul suddenly start talking about the resurrection in chapter 15? This section was probably targeted toward those who opposed tongues and spiritual gifts. Paul clearly stated that speaking in tongues should not be forbidden (14:39), so apparently there were people in the Corinthian church who wanted to do just that. Why? When believers oppose spiritual gifts and the pursuit of experience, they easily begin to place too much emphasis on knowledge. But when believers overemphasize knowledge, they often lack experiences with the living, risen Lord. So chapter 15 continued to add balance. Those who pursued spiritual gifts in excess needed to balance it with love, and those who pursued knowledge in excess needed to balance it with an experience of the living Lord.

The Word “Testimony” In Hebrew Means "Do It Again"

The word "testimony" in Hebrew means "do it again." In other words, when we share our testimony about God’s healing and resurrection, God is very willing to "do it again" in the lives of those who hear us. In other words, Jesus Christ will not only appear to the apostles but will also appear to everyone who desires to know His resurrection. When the Lord Jesus appeared to the disciples after His resurrection, Thomas was not there, so he did not believe. He said that he would not believe unless Jesus appeared to him personally. Later, when the Lord Jesus appeared again, Thomas believed. The Lord Jesus said, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29). But this does not mean that God is unwilling to appear to us. On the contrary, although Thomas did not believe at first, he longed for the risen Jesus to appear to him. And Jesus was more than happy to do so.

Paul's testimony about the risen Lord (1-11) served this very purpose. He hoped his testimony would inspire the believers in the Corinthian church so that they too could know and experience the risen Christ. We are blessed if we believe without seeing; but if we have doubts, we can ask the Lord, and the risen Christ will surely appear to us as well. The Bible shares a basic principle: we do not have because we do not ask (James 4:2). God also tells us, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." (Matthew 7:7). Why don't some people ask? Because they pay too much attention to absolute knowledge and truth and don’t accept the idea that they can experience Jesus personally.

I spent my first thirteen years as a Christian at an evangelical church that valued Bible study, and I gained a good foundation in Bible study. But this church did not focus on spiritual gifts such as healing and prophecy. Neither did it pursue dreams and visions. Therefore, though the Lord did speak to me during the first thirteen years of my Christian life, I never had the experience of being transported to heaven in a vision. Later, I left this church and went to a charismatic church to study spiritual gifts. I was very envious of the people who shared testimonies about being taken to heaven. I often prayed that God would take me to heaven and allow me a glimpse of heaven.

On the last day of 2017, the Lord Jesus appeared to me and took me to heaven. After that, I still hungered for more. I continued to pray that He would give me more experiences of heaven. I was working in Washington DC at the time. I often went out for a walk over my lunch break to pray. As I walked, I prayed in tongues, sang, clapped my hands, praised God, meditated on the words of Scripture, and sang the words of the Bible. I wanted to be in constant prayer and continual fellowship with Him.

One day at noon, as I was walking near the Potomac River, I sincerely prayed, “Lord, please take me to heaven again today.” I prayed this same prayer often, so once I was done praying, I forgot about it. But that night, I found myself in a dream, waiting in line to see the Lord in heaven. I was asked to put on a robe while I waited. My heart was pounding with excitement. Before I got to the door, a huge force knocked me to the ground. I couldn't stand up. Then I heard the powerful voice of the Lord saying, "Get up.” I instantly had the power to stand up. After I got in, I saw the Lord sitting there. He called my name, "Sean.” I heard the Lord of the universe calling my name, and my heart melted. Then Jesus pinched my chin and humorously asked, "No beard?" My meeting with the Lord was short, but it was the nearest I had ever seen Him. I saw His face and His strong muscles. Afterward, a Chinese woman (I guess she was the Holy Spirit in disguise) led me to visit other places in heaven. The whole experience got me so excited I got completely carried away.

Why did I not have the experience of being taken to heaven during the first thirteen years of my Christian life? Why have I been taken to heaven so many times in recent years? How much impact did my encounter with the Lord have on my understanding of the resurrection? Why do evangelical Christians who hyperfocus on knowledge of the Bible lack similar experiences? Why do many believers in the Pentecostal Movement have similar experiences? The differences in teaching bring different expectations to different believers. When we testify of the Lord’s resurrection through sharing our experiences, we plant seeds in the hearts of those who hear us. They will begin to long for such an experience. When they ask God, He will give them this type of experience. Such experiences will play a very important role in their understanding of resurrection.

Some believers in the Corinthian church focused too much on knowledge. They were opposed to spiritual experiences such as tongues and spiritual gifts, so gradually they stopped experiencing the Living Lord. This, in turn, affected their understanding of the truth of the resurrection, and they eventually stopped believing in the resurrection altogether.

In the same way, today's liberal churches pursue science and knowledge. They don’t even believe in the miracles in the Bible. Yet those who pursue spiritual gifts often pray in tongues and seek the gift of prophecy. They constantly utter mysteries to God and hear Him talk, so naturally, they have more opportunities to encounter the risen Lord. Our spiritual experiences are no substitute for our love for the Lord and our study of biblical truths, and Paul dealt with the tendency to hyperfocus on spiritual gifts in chapter 14. But it’s important to realize that the pursuit of knowledge and truth (even science), combined with the denial of spiritual gifts and experiences, will eventually lead to the loss of the truth. That’s why Paul reminded the Corinthian believers in chapter 15 to take spiritual experiences seriously.

Biblical truth and spiritual experience are two sides of the same coin. They are the two wings we Christians need in order to take flight. Both are indispensable; neither can be neglected. Today’s traditional evangelical churches tend towards a dead spirituality; liberal churches deny the authority of the Bible and God; and charismatic churches that over-pursue spiritual gifts often fail to balance truth and Christian experience. Doesn’t that sound a lot like the Corinthian church?

The Truth About the Resurrection of Christ and the Resurrection of Christians

Paul shared his experience of the resurrected Christ first, before he shared the truth about the resurrection. He did this because the power of testimony is so enormous. Paul mentioned that after the Lord Jesus was resurrected, He "appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” (15:5-8)

Then Paul elaborated on the truth about the resurrection. His words about the resurrection are often quoted at funerals. Since the focus of today’s devotional is not on the truth of the resurrection, we will not spend too much time talking about these truths here.

In short, resurrection is like sowing a seed. The seed we sow exists in one form, but the resurrected plant exists in another form. Therefore, we must experience the resurrection in order to know the risen Christ and break the limits of our imagination. There was a Chinese Christian who didn't believe in the resurrection. A preacher pointed to the wheat field outside the door and said to him, "The wheat you sowed is a single grain, but the wheat after the resurrection will be heads of grain.” This Christian suddenly understood the truth of the resurrection.

Perhaps the people who were baptized for the dead in the Corinthian church believed in God’s resurrection to a certain extent! They buried themselves in water for others, hoping that they would be resurrected in glory. Although they may not have had the same profound knowledge and experience of resurrection as Paul had, they may have understood the resurrection better than those who did not believe in it at all!

Knowing Resurrection Makes Us Steadfast And Abounding In The Work Of The Lord

The last verse of this chapter says, "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:58) We who serve the Lord are often discouraged, so we need to understand the resurrection and be empowered by the risen Lord. Many people who serve the Lord become exhausted from time to time. But when the Risen Lord appears to them, they will regain their strength. When we truly understand the truth of the resurrection and have experienced the risen Christ, we will abound in the work of the Lord, regardless of our circumstances.

Much of the work we do is sowing. After the seed is sown, someone else will water it; but it is God who makes it grow. As long as we do not become discouraged, we will surely reap a good harvest in the resurrection.

[1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

[2] "Comprehensive Bible Reading" (https://cmcbiblereading.com/)

[i] (https://bible.prsi.org/zh-hans/Player)

The CCP is Coming Down! God is Working in China!

In my last post on Elijah List, I shared a prophetic dream I had in March 2020, in which a political spirit in China was bound by angels. At that time, I did not mention clearly who that political spirit was. I was a little hesitant to share this due to fear of persecution. Now, I have peace revealing it. In that vision, I was told that the political spirit is the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), or in the least, the evil spirit behind it. Interestingly, God later led me to join a democratic movement whose goal is to take down the CCP and build a democratic China. This was never part of my plans, but God made it clear to me through a series of prophetic dreams that he wanted me to be part of this movement. By joining, it also opened a way for me to preach the gospel to people who are within this Chinese democratic movement. Suddenly, I found myself with options of preaching every week to thousands of people in China through five or more TV shows by way of social media outlets. With the recent Biden and Xi Jinping’s meeting in G20, it seems like everything is back to “normal,” but this is not the spiritual reality. God has a big plan for China.

Is this the CCP? The angel said, “Yes.”

Here is a brief recap of my dream:

In March 2020, I was taken into another vision. This was the most vivid 3D-type of vision I have had thus far. In it, I saw a great revival happening in China. It was bursting out all over! People were dancing, celebrating, and worshiping God all over the streets of China.

In the next scene, I was brought into a heavenly meeting where many saints in glory, including Chinese and Westerners, were meeting. There was a Chinese lady who gave me a tour of the place and she specifically told me that this revival was something she had never seen when she was on Earth.

In the end, angels had bound an evil political spirit and I saw that a great political change would come to China after this great revival. China will become a democratic nation and they will worship God.

In that dream, I was so surprised to see the evil political spirit bound. I asked the angel in great surprise, “Is this the CCP?” The angel told me, “Yes.” Now, I don’t quite know when this will happen in the present physical world, but I believe it is a reality in the spiritual realm. I’ve talked to a friend a few times now and she believes that it will be very soon that the CCP will be taken down. However, in this dream, I first saw a great revival bursting forth with people dancing on the street. Only after did I see that the evil spirit was bound. Let me revisit some other prophetic dreams I had regarding the future of China.

A Wealth Transfer and a Visit to Heaven

On the last day of 2017, Jesus visited me in a dream by disguising himself as an old Chinese lady. This lady walked with me down a mountain top on the north side of my village in China. I walked this mountain path many times when I was a child. I’ve noticed that God often speaks to me with pictorial imagery that relates to my childhood home and other memories. I understand now that he uses my village to refer to China in these prophetic dreams.

In this dream, we walked down to the end of the hill until it reached one of the main streets in my village. In the dream, we called that street “Back Street” which is comparable to the “Front Street” where I lived. They are parallel to each other. My house is located in the intersection of one small street (which has no name) and Front Street. This small street connects to the mountain trail we walked on in my dream. The place Jesus and I reached is the intersection between this small street and Back Street. In the dream, once we reached this corner, I saw Chinese people, specifically Chinese ladies, crying hysterically. Then I heard a voice say, “This is due to the wealth that is not fairly distributed in China, so people are oppressed by those who grabbed the wealth unjustly.” I suddenly saw a big truck unloading a full truck load of money. I didn’t recognize the currency. It was not USD or Chinese RMB, but a very strange currency. I did not recall the exact number of the money either, but its value suddenly surprised me. I got the impression that its value was worth two hundred million or more. I received the impression that a wealth transfer will happen in China to help believers in Christ and those who pursue social justice, to reform China.

Shortly after this encounter, on the same night, this old Chinese lady came to take me to heaven. I was struggling with her for a long time because I did not recognize her as the Lord in the beginning, but she overcame me with her power, and I started to fly with her. We flew to the top of China, and I saw that the houses that the Chinese people lived in were like matchboxes. It seemed to me that there were no ceilings. I could see the people who lived in these matchbox type of houses. Then we flew higher and higher to heaven, and I was able to see some wonderful scenes there. I felt a great force pushing me behind my lower back; it was quite a ride flying to heaven. Eventually we landed in a building. I looked in the building and discovered people gathering for a meeting. There seemed to be a preacher standing at the platform as well. Then I was led to stand in another building where I faced a glassy window. I could see through the window that people were coming to heaven one by one as if they were coming upstairs on an escalator in the mall. I was very surprised by this scene. It was at this moment I found out who the old Chinese lady was. As she stood behind me, I asked her, and she jokingly told me that her name was “Christ Lee.” She was still trying to show me her Chinese identity by giving me a Chinese last name. Finally, I recognized her as the disguise of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Once I recognized the Lord, he appeared as Jesus. Suddenly, I saw a cherub flying toward me and I exclaimed, “Is this the cherubim I read about in the Bible?” I was given a positive answer. Then the Lord spoke to me again while he presented several people in front me. It was like seeing pictures in the display of a museum window, but their pictures stood in the middle of the air. The Lord said to me, “Do you want to be like one of them?” I cannot remember who these people were, but I perceived in my spirit they were some of God’s generals from the past. I understood that the Lord was asking if I wanted to be used by the Lord like they were used in the past. I was immediately overcome by the thought, and I started to hysterically cry. I spoke back to the Lord, “I am willing in my spirit, but my flesh is weak. I still cannot overcome some weaknesses.” Then I started to hear a group of Chinese saints of glory singing in Chinese. It was the most beautiful melody I have ever heard. I can’t recall the meaning of those four stanzas of the Chinese hymn that I heard, but it was surely comforting to me.

This happened on the last day of 2017, and I perceived in my spirit that God has great plans for China’s future. A huge wave of wealth transfer, a social justice movement, and the gospel being preached will be released to China.

A Revival and Reconciliation of Chinese Society

God also often uses my former Chinese college in my prophetic dreams. One night, in a dream, I was dropped through the chimney of my former school’s kitchen. In actuality, there was no chimney in my college at all, so I think this chimney might have represented the preaching of the gospel. And my appearance could be a representation of believers in Christ. Just like Santa came through a chimney with gifts, the gospel will be preached to China as Jesus’ best gift ever of eternal life. Unfortunately, the people who were in the kitchen were so shocked by my sudden ‘dropping off’ that they strongly resisted me, and I was pushed back. In the next scene, I found a big tree near the roof, so I slid down it to the ground. When I reached the ground, fierce battles occurred, and I was tossed back and forth. Eventually, the victory was won, and I found myself laying in a reclining chair conversing in peace with two friends. One friend was a coworker of mine in China who is currently a communist party member. Another was an alumni friend who lives in the US who is also a Chinese dissident. This scene is prophetic to me as it shows that one day the Chinese society will receive reconciliation among different people. We are taking down the Chinese Communist Party and the evil spirits behind it. Most Chinese people, including CCP members, are good people.

Chinese Dissidents: Thank you for Preaching the Gospel

In another prophetic dream, I was riding a bicycle and some Chinese dissidents were chasing after me on bikes. I did not know what they wanted to do to me, so I rode faster. Eventually they reached me and stopped me. The leader of these groups of people said to me, “Thank you for your preaching and the book you wrote. These really helped us to succeed in our pursuit of a Chinese democracy.” I looked at them with astonishment. They were in their middle fifties, and I was in my middle forties. Puzzled, I said to them, “How could I have helped you since I am younger than you?” In the next scene, we were in the Christian Brother House I used to live in near the University of Southern California. It was there that I was baptized to be a Christian. Although the leader’s face in my dream resembled only one democratic leader of real life, I know this person was meant to represent the whole Chinese democratic movement. The group of them were chatting with us in a Christian atmosphere.

Later, I realized this was a prophetic dream meant to remind me that God is calling me to preach the gospel to these groups of people and be part of this democratic process in China. I represent believers in Christ in this dream. Our gospel preaching will help China to eventually become a democratic nation and the gospel will be received by many new Chinese people including political leaders.

A Cartoon Book of People Coming to Heaven

After this dream, I began to ponder what God would lead me to do with political movements. Though I worked in media in the US and often got the chance to connect with Chinese dissidents, I always kept my distance with political figures or political movements. Yet, in 2017 there arose a different political movement led by a very controversial person. I focused on my schoolwork at United Theological Seminary from 2017-2022, but like many other Chinese people, my wife became influenced by this movement and joined it. I was very much against it in the beginning because I was not sure if she was being deceived, but she insisted on joining the cause to take down the CCP. I earnestly prayed to God for His leading. On the following night, I had this dream.

I was taken into the bookroom of the leader of this movement, and I was led to read a comic book telling about how people will come to heaven. It was a vivid comic book with details for different persons going to heaven. I was scanning through it, and I heard a voice saying, “Your wife has read some pages of this book and you haven’t read it.”

In another dream, I was riding an airplane with this leader person to beautiful gold mines. In a different dream, I was conversing with this mystery man and realized God was writing a book with this man’s picture on the cover.

After praying over these dreams, I finally got it. God was telling me He is behind this political movement and that this political movement will start a platform for Christians to preach the gospel to China. As a result, the gospel preaching will produce better citizens within China which will eventually help this political movement to establish a democracy in China. After all this, I did join this movement and I started to utilize the platforms this movement creates to preach the gospel to these democracy loving people in and out of China.

The CCP’s Days Are Numbered

Due to the nature of these prophetic dreams, I did not mention the name of this movement before. I did not want people to think I was promoting this movement, but I feel I was literally chased down by them just as it was in one of my dreams, except this time through my wife. I was “chased” by my wife to eventually join this movement, and God also showed me it is of Him.

I started to share this conviction with other Christian friends, but some Christian friends asked me to rethink my decision due to the controversial nature of this movement. They also questioned the character of the leader of this movement. I prayed to God again seriously because of this. In a dream, God showed me a picture. I was walking around in very big tents that CCP officials set up. They were having a feast to celebrate the fact that they received salvation through Jesus Christ. God showed me though this dream that many CCP officials are watching our broadcast, and many will receive Him through our preaching of the gospel. This greatly encouraged me.

With Xi Jinping’s consolidation of power and the threat of war against Taiwan and other places, it seems the world is going through horrible trials. Yet, there is a different spiritual reality. The CCP’s days are numbered. God did not show me the dates or the calendar month of the change of the Chinese regime, but just as in my vision, the great revival came first and then the evil spirit behind the CCP was bound. I believe God is using these circumstances to bring a massive harvest in China. Can you imagine how China and the world will look if the CCP no longer existed in this world? This is something we will see shortly if I may be so bold. We don’t know when, but the date will suddenly come upon us.

Bible Study with Jairus - Leviticus 10

God Protects His Glory

In Leviticus 10, Aaron’s sons were put to death because they presented to God a careless, irreverent offering. This short chapter brings up some startling questions. Why were Aaron’s sons killed for such a small misdeed? Why did the Lord discipline them so severely?

Although this question is difficult to answer, I believe that Aaron’s sons were not the only ones who sinned. Aaron also had problems he needed to deal with. To back up this claim, I want to mention another Old Testament story.

In the time of the judges, we see an example of a father being judged for his son’s sins. Eli died because his sons were committing sexual immorality with the women in the tent of meeting and stealing the sacrificial meat. Eli was lenient with his sons and did not restrain their wickedness. The Bible says Eli honored his sons more than God. As a result, God sent great disaster to the Israelites. As the Chinese say, parents are to blame for their children's behavior.

In the same way, Aaron likely failed to train his sons correctly. His sons’ carelessness shows that Aaron himself had not set a good example for them. God was not only dealing with Aaron's sons but was also judging Aaron’s uncleanness through the death of his sons. The Lord clearly stated his standards: “Among those who are near me I will be sanctified” (ESV, Leviticus 10:3).[1]

God’s holiness is a theme throughout the Bible. Hebrews 12:14 says that without holiness, “no one will see the Lord." The Lord also says, “I will be glorified before all the people.” In Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve sinned, God sent cherubim and a flaming sword to block the way to the tree of life. Anyone who violated God's holiness, glory, and righteousness would be killed if they tried to come near the tree of life. God’s standard of holiness is high, and his judgment purified Aaron the priest and made him holy. Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu were burned by God as a representation of sacrifice (see Leviticus 9:23), and God’s holiness and glory were manifested.

The Responsibilities of Aaron and His Sons

Although Aaron failed to set an example for his sons, Nadab and Abihu were also responsible for their behavior. Aaron’s sons should not have offered strange fire, nor should they have entered the sanctuary without permission. Though they were responsible for their choice, they made these choices under the sinister influence of Satan himself.

The disciple Peter made a similar mistake. At one point during Jesus’ ministry, Peter made an extraordinary confession that Jesus was the Son of the living God. But later he relied on his flesh and rebuked Jesus for his self-sacrificial intention to go to the cross. As a result, the Lord bluntly rebuked him and called Peter, “Satan.” In the same way, Satan was trying to destroy God’s work in the lives of Aaron’s sons. Just like Satan influenced Peter, tempted Eve, and hardened Cain’s heart, Satan influenced Aaron’s sons’ choices.

There is a spiritual battle behind Nadab and Abihu’s choices. God’s discipline for Nadab and Abihu is not the only aspect of this story. During a shadow play, we should not focus only on what’s going on in front of the stage, but also understand the story going on behind it. In the same way, we shouldn’t just focus on Nadab and Abihu. We must see the reality of this spiritual battle behind their external conflict. Every human conflict is just a reflection of the cosmic battle between God and Satan. We should find out who's behind each struggle. It’s Satan and his deception.

Satan wanted Nadab and Abihu to challenge God and defile the holiest place on earth. This story took place near the golden altar of incense, near the entrance to the Holy of Holies. The golden altar of incense stood right in front of the veil that separated the sanctuary from the Holy of Holies. The two men were getting dangerously close to entering the Holy of Holies. If God hadn’t stopped them, perhaps they would have been even more daring next time, going straight into the Holy of Holies.

As we see the essence behind the external story, we see that Aaron’s lack of teaching and example gave Satan an opportunity to use Aaron’s sons. God sent severe discipline because this incident severely provoked him to anger. The same is true for us today. If our mind is set on the Spirit, we experience life and peace. But when our mind is set on the flesh, it brings death (Romans 8:6). When thinking about things that dishonor God, we allow Satan to use us as pawns in the cosmic battle against God, just as he did with Peter, Eve, Nadab, and Abihu.

How did the men’s death glorify God?

So the second troubling question we see in this passage is, “Why did God say that killing Nadab and Abihu would glorify his name among the Israelites?” I believe that Nadab and Abihu experienced judgment in place of Aaron. Although their sacrifice was unwilling, they died in their father’s place. This reminds us of Jesus, the only Son of God, who willingly went to the cross to be judged for our sins. Therefore, this action sanctified God’s name among those who were near to Him.

Those whom God calls to serve Him often pay a special price for that service. However, we cannot ultimately compare these men’s death with the death of God’s Beloved Son for our sins.

Christian history often talks about the suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross, but it rarely talks about the pain of the Father, who gave up His beloved Son. This needs to be addressed. No father can give up his son without suffering. Any time a father sees his son suffering, the father’s pain is often even greater than the son’s. The father yearns to suffer in place of his son.

In the same way, the pain God the Father experienced may have been even greater than the pain experienced by his son. The Father must have yearned to be able to die in his son’s place. As Jesus Christ bore our sins on the cross, the Father grieved for His Son. But because God loved us, his children, he was pleased to bruise Jesus Christ (Isaiah 53:10).

In this passage, Aaron must have had similar feelings. On the one hand, he mourned the death of his own sons. On the other hand, because of God’s judgment, Aaron knew that God’s name was being sanctified among those who were near Him, so he was content.

The fire of the Lord came down to kill Nadab and Abihu. God said that he sent fire so that His name might be sanctified among those who were near Him and so he would be glorified among the people of Israel. Fire from heaven is often related to God’s glory. Leviticus 9 says that when the Israelites offered sacrifices, fire from heaven came down and consumed the sacrifices. In this way, God’s glory was revealed (9:22-24). The willing, obedient offerings of the people were consumed by the fire of God’s glory.

But how can God’s fire reveal God’s glory when Nadab and Abihu were not willing, obedient, innocent offerings? The sacrifices in the Old Testament had to be without blemish, but Nadab and Abihu’s sacrifices were imperfect. Even though the analogy is imperfect, Nadab and Abihu’s death can still remind us of Christ’s death. David, Solomon, and others prefigured Christ, but they were imperfect people. In the same way, these imperfect men can remind us of the perfect Christ.

Jesus Christ went to the cross to save us. Did his death glorify God? Yes, Jesus Christ went to the cross to glorify God's name. So I believe that the death of Aaron's two sons glorified God by prefiguring Jesus’ death on the cross in the future.

Even though God has disciplined Nadab and Abihu with physical death, this does not necessarily mean that they will face eternal death. I believe that Nadab and Abihu will not necessarily perish eternally. Maybe they are already with God. Their death was unfortunate, but it provided a good life lesson for Aaron. Numbers 18:1 says, "The Lord said to Aaron, ‘You and your sons and your father's house with you shall bear iniquity connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear iniquity connected with your priesthood.’” Aaron and his sons bore the sins that the people committed against the sanctuary. Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu committed sins against the sanctuary, so Aaron had to take full responsibility for their sins. Their judgment taught Aaron a serious lesson. It also served as a stern warning to future generations.

Does God sacrifice others to train us?

An older brother in Christ once told me, “God sometimes sacrifices one person’s life in order to teach someone else a lesson.”

“I accept what you are saying,” I replied, “but I don’t understand what you mean.”

“Let me give you an example,” he said. “When we first started preaching the gospel as young Christians, we made many mistakes. We often did not speak well, and the people we were witnessing to often resented our attempts. Not only did we fail to convert those who were listening to us, but our ignorance may have pushed our listeners even farther from God. God temporarily sacrificed these people’s souls in order to train us.”

His explanation made sense to me. When we first learn to preach the gospel, we are often overzealous and unwise, leading others to become disgusted with Christianity. However, we need these experiences to help us learn how to preach the gospel. God loves these people and wants them to be saved. But God sees our eagerness to serve him, and he uses these circumstances to train us to preach the gospel.

Similarly, God often allows one person to suffer while another person is learning how to balance church life and family life. A zealous wife who goes to church every day may shortchange her home responsibilities. The resentful husband may oppose and persecute the zealous wife. The less-fervent spouse is sacrificed to the other spouse’s learning curve.

This exact situation played out in a family I know. Both spouses are Christian, but the wife was overly zealous about serving in the church. She called other Christians every day to remind them to read the Bible. She also attended so many church services that her husband was often at home alone, with no food to eat and no one to keep him company. Understandably, problems arose in their marriage.

Eventually, this woman learned to balance church and home commitments. She began to spend more time with her husband and serve him at home, and sacrificed some of her favorite church activities. Slowly, her husband noticed her transformation. He praised her for her growth and balance. Their marital relationship improved greatly.

At first, the wife thought that she was being persecuted because she loved the Lord. But in reality, she was causing her husband’s suffering. His needs were being sacrificed to her own learning curve. God set up a learning environment in which the wife would grow in obedience and balance. As she changed her perspective, she learned the true essence of spirituality.

On the contrary, I have also seen negative examples. These wives ignored their husband's needs and continued to prioritize church activities that they enjoyed. They ultimately did not manifest the Lord’s character to their family. When we truly live for the Lord, we obey Him in all things, even when we have to give up activities that we enjoy.

From these stories, we can see that God sacrificed Nadab and Abihu in order to teach Aaron a lesson of obedience and holiness. There must have been some areas in Aaron's life where he had disobeyed God and was not holy enough, so Nadab and Abihu paid the price to help Aaron learn these lessons.

Why didn't Aaron eat the sin offering?

After Nadab and Abihu were consumed by fire, Moses commanded Aaron and his two other sons to offer sacrifices and eat them, but Aaron did not do so. Moses couldn't find the goat for the sin offering. When he found out that it had been burned, he got angry and rebuked Aaron’s other sons. He reprimanded them for not eating the sin offering. He said, "Why have you not eaten the sin offering in the place of the sanctuary, since it is a thing most holy and has been given to you that you may bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord? Behold, its blood was not brought into the inner part of the sanctuary. You certainly ought to have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded.” (Leviticus 10:17-18).

Leviticus 6:30 reveals the reason for Moses' anger. The verse says, “No sin offering shall be eaten from which any blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place; it shall be burned up with fire." Leviticus 6:24-26 says, "The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering. In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the Lord; it is most holy. The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tent of meeting.” This is what God commanded Moses.

When Moses commanded them to eat the sacrifices in this chapter, he specifically stated, "for so I am commanded." (Leviticus 10:13). The only reason not to eat a sin offering was if its blood had been brought into the sanctuary. In that case, the animal was brought into the sanctuary to be burned up. Otherwise, the sin offering should be eaten. Since this goat’s blood had not been sprinkled in the sanctuary, it should have been eaten. But Aaron and his remaining sons had burned up the sacrifice (Leviticus 10:16). This was the reason for Moses' anger. Aaron and his two living sons had not obeyed the law that the Lord had commanded Moses.

In response to Moses’ anger, Aaron said, "Today they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord, and yet such things as these have happened to me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, would the Lord have approved?" After Aaron said this, Moses was no longer angry, and he gave his approval (Leviticus 10:20).

Why did Moses approve? We can speculate that although the goat’s blood was not brought into the sanctuary, some other blood equivalent had been offered. Perhaps the blood of Nadab and Abihu was symbolically offered in the sanctuary. Of course, the two men did not actually bleed, because they were consumed by fire. But Aaron may have regarded his two sons’ death as a sacrifice that had entered the sanctuary. As previously stated, these men’s death may remind us of the sacrifice of God’s only son, Jesus Christ.

What was Aaron feeling here? Yes, he was feeling sadness, pain, and self-reproach. Was he also angry and hateful at God? He seemed to be complaining against God himself. People often mistakenly think that Aaron was dissatisfied with God. But this is not necessarily true.

As any normal father would, Aaron felt pain, sadness, and self-reproach. That’s why he could not eat the sacrifice at that time. His sons had been sacrificed, and he had lost his appetite. If he ate the sacrifice, it would be kind of like eating his son. He just couldn't do it. He chose not to eat. Instead, he burned up the goat of the sin offering. The Bible does not tell us who gave the command to burn the goat of the sin offering. But my guess is that it was Aaron's decision. Although the blood of the goat of the sin offering was not brought into the sanctuary, Aaron probably felt that the death of his sons served as a sin offering; therefore, he could not eat the goat.

Moses, who represented God, was pleased with Aaron’s explanation. We believe that Aaron’s feelings here were not necessarily anger towards God, but rather sadness and pain for losing his sons. His feelings may be a representation of the pain that God the Father would one day experience after giving up His Son on the cross. This may be the reason why Moses approved of his explanation.

Conclusion

When our uncleanness is judged by God, He is sanctified. When our sacrifices and offerings are accepted by God, His glory is manifested in us. Nadab and Abihu were forced to represent these sacrifices. Aaron burned the goat of the sin offering, even though its blood had not been brought into the sanctuary. This small act showed Aaron’s obedience before God. He offered Nadab and Abihu as sacrifices to God and was then approved by Moses, who represented God.

When we are disciplined by God, we can choose to respond in rebellious hate or in obedient faith. When we choose to obey, the glory of God is revealed to us. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit is given to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32). Aaron's obedience to God brought glory to God by ushering in a greater filling of the Holy Spirit.

Dear friend, are you willing to give up the unholy things you love? You may love pornography, greed, or other fleshly desires. Are you willing to give these things up if the Lord removes them from your life? When God disciplines us, we can either choose to learn the lesson of obedience or become more rebellious. Nadab and Abihu’s choices represent those unclean things in our lives. When I say they are the representations of offerings, I am speaking more about our responses to them. Aaron set a good example of obedience to the Lord. His obedience, contrite heart, and lowly spirit were the true sacrifices that God valued the most (Psalm 51).

Let me end with a quote from the famous Chinese Christian Watchman Nee:

It is important for us to receive God's arrangement in the circumstances. This arrangement is the discipline of the Holy Spirit. To escape God's arrangement just one time is to lose an opportunity to have our capacity enlarged. This will prolong the time required for life to mature in us and will even require us to make up this lesson in order to reach maturity. A believer can never be the same after passing through suffering. Either he will have his capacity enlarged or he will become more hardened. For this reason, when believers are passing through suffering, they must pay attention and they must realize that maturity in life is the sum total of receiving the discipline of the Holy Spirit. People may see a person who has matured in life, but they cannot see the accumulated discipline of the Holy Spirit which that person has received secretly day by day throughout the years.[2]

[1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

[2]Witnee Lee,  Watchman Nee, A Seer of the Divine Revelation in the Present Age, (Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministries), 1991, .