Like a chestnut tree

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:11)

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. (Romans 6:8-9)

The Lord’s Supper represents our union with Christ. And it is done regularly in every visible church. I understand the Reformers debated hotly over what it means and how it should be done. I do not think that the ceremony has some spiritual power to change people. Unless it is supported by the knowledge of God, it is a mere ceremony. The Lord’s Supper is a daily reminder that our Lord died to make us live forever along with Him.

In this passage, there are two things that I want to talk about. One is that the Lord’s Supper happened before Christ’s death. And the other is that the washing of the disciples’ feet explains to us that our salvation is the work of Truth and Spirit (v.10).

Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet; otherwise he is completely clean. And you are clean—but not all of you.” (v. 10)

The Lord’s Supper could have happened after Christ’s resurrection. But it happened before because we had to die just as God warned Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:17:

… but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for on the day that you eat from it you will certainly die.  

Some people misinterpret this and say that God did not kill Adam and Eve because He loved them. Adam and Eve became separated from God because of their rebellion. Being separated from God is death. Indeed, all human is born dead and enslaved to sin. Although one may say that he/she did not commit a crime that brings punishment, the absence of the knowledge of God is sin. Those who rely on their good works remain dead to God.

Although it was not us who died, God considers that we died because Christ, our representative, died because of our sins. Therefore, anyone who is not united with the Son through the Holy Spirit is still a rebel. Those who reject the Son will receive eternal damnation. We claim that Jesus is our Lord because we are united with Him. We believe not only Him but also the One who sent Him. No one can have faith in God without the power of the Spirit. I mentioned that the feet represent the work of the Spirit in my previous post “Ezekiel 1”. Anyone who received the Spirit preaches the Gospel. We are all disciples of Jesus Christ. The disciples wash people with the Word and prepare them to receive the Holy Spirit. We read that verse 14 is fulfilled in the Book of Acts.

So if I, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example, so that you also would do just as I did for you. Truly, truly I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. (vv. 14-17)

One may attend the Lord’s Supper over 100 times and yet it means nothing if he/she does not have the Spirit. This person may talk about God and quote Bible verses as if he knows God, but his unfaithfulness will eventually be revealed through his own words. It is not a church ordinance that changes people. It is the Word and the Spirit who make us perfect. We are now the children of God.

We received punishment and have been pardoned forever because Christ died and resurrected with us. God did everything alone.

“Comfort, comfort My people,” says your God. “Speak kindly to Jerusalem; and call out to her, that her warfare has ended, that her guilt has been removed, that she has received of the LORD’S hand double for all her sins.” (Isaiah 40:1-2)

“Now My soul has become troubled; and what am I to say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” (vv. 27-28)

For I did not speak on My own, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. And I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me. (vv. 49-50)

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (John 17:3)

Our adoption as the children of God, Christ’s death and resurrection, the knowledge of God, and our eternal life were fulfilled through one event – the crucifixion of Christ. And all the blessings from God are rooted in our union with Christ through the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that gives us faith and strengthens it. Theologians and ministers believe that our eternal life is from the perfect keeping of God’s commands (the law). I repeatedly mentioned this is not true. They believe that Adam could have obtained eternal life if he had kept God’s command during the probation period. The Bible never talks about Adam’s probation period. And anyone who understands the redemptive history of the church knows that their theory does not make any sense. I can only conclude that their idea is from the devil who wants to take us back to slavery. We know that Adam is different from Christ. They want to believe that Adam was holy and righteous. Adam was born upright but did not have the knowledge of God as the Son does. Adam was bound to fall by his own wisdom. His fall happened for us to seek Christ. There is no hope in Adam. Only through Christ, we obtain eternal life.

In chapter 12, we understand that Christ came not only for the chosen Jews but also for the chosen Gentiles. In verse 27, Christ clearly tells us that He became a man to die for the church. Our righteousness is from faith in the triune God. All the saints understand the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We know what God has done and will do through the Bible.

The Covenant Theology and the Active Obedience of Christ have been criticized by many theologians and ministers throughout history. Yet, the followers of the devil are more numerous than the saints. Their words prevailed over God’s own words. God sent many prophets, but they did not listen. They kept their stubborn ways and taught false doctrines to others. They preach that their eternal life is rooted in obedience to the law. They say it is Christ who kept the law for them. But it is still the same. Christ fulfilled the law. But they say that Christ fulfilled it by keeping it perfectly. Thus, they add to what Christ said. Anyone who puts hope in the law will be judged by the law.

So having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now proclaiming to mankind that all people everywhere are to repent, because He has set a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all people by raising Him from the dead. (Acts 17:30-31)

He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. (Colossians 1:18)

So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify about Him. For this reason also the people went to meet Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign. (vv. 17-18)

During His life on the earth, Jesus resurrected a few dead people. It may appear to many that Jesus was not the first person resurrected. But Jesus is the firstborn from the dead because those who believe in Him escape the wrath of God on the last day through His death and resurrection. The righteous God did one righteous act to make us righteous.

So then, as through one offense the result was condemnation to all mankind, so also through one act of righteousness the result was justification of life to all mankind. (Romans 5:18)

This act of righteousness is Christ’s death on the cross outside Jerusalem. Only Jesus could satisfy the Father’s demand. And it was the very reason why the Father sent His only Son.

But Jesus answered them by saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. (vv. 23-24)

The Father did not want a man who was sinless as a sacrifice but His only Son with the Spirit so that the Son could be the head of the church. Christ’s work on the earth is focused on the kingdom of God.

Theologians and ministers often separate Christ’s two natures. Many understand that Christ became inferior to the Father when He became a man. The Gospel of John refutes the idea. Whether in heaven or on the earth, Christ has always been equal to the Father and has the same authority. He does not speak on His own initiative but speaks what the Father tells Him because they are one. We do not worship only the Son but the triune God. Theologians and ministers often praise Jesus separate from the Father. When we praise Jesus, the Father also receives the praise. But it is the Father who ordained Jesus’ death for His kingdom. As Psalm 22 tells us, Jesus is both on the receiving end and the giving end of worship.

From You comes my praise in the great assembly; I shall pay my vows before those who fear Him. (Psalm 22:25)

The Father accepts only the praise from His Son. Therefore, the saints who are one with Christ are accepted as the children of God. Our worship and prayers are accepted. Although we were born dead, God made us alive through faith that He gave us. Even in the OT, Abel was a saint because of his faith in God. He believed in the blood of Jesus Christ and therefore, he gave the sacrifice of the firstborn of his flock.

By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he was attested to be righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. (Hebrews 11:4)

In this passage, we read that God’s salvation has always been for people from different tribes and nations. God does not show favoritism. But God made the Israel nation so that we learn from their history. Their history in the OT tells us God’s will in all His creation. But His people reject just as Christians reject Christ at present by following false teachings. Theologians and ministers will continue to follow the Covenant Theology and the Active Obedience of Christ even though the Bible rebukes them. There is no hope without knowing the meaning of the cross of Christ.

Mary then took a pound of very expensive perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. (v. 3)

Christ is from the Greek word christos, which means “the anointed one”. It is the same as the Hebrew word messiah. In the OT, three groups of people got anointed: priests, kings, and prophets. Anointing their heads with oil symbolized that they were set apart from the rest for the will of God. Jesus Christ is the Christ because of the specific task given to Him. No one other than Jesus Christ was given the task. That task was dying for His people.

Therefore Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial.(v.7)

I mentioned before that Mary understood this through the Holy Spirit. The disciples of Jesus did not understand it until his resurrection. Mary represents the church in this passage. She knows that she is sinful and does not deserve grace. Yet, she received grace and was grateful for God’s love. Later we will read in chapter 20 that Mary was concerned about Jesus’ body missing. I think that she was worried that Jesus would need the body to resurrect because that was a common belief of the Jews. Jesus’ body was very important for Mary because her life (the church’s life) depended on His resurrection. I am not saying that we must preserve our bones to resurrect on the last day. Jesus’ body needed to be preserved so that His disciples could see the resurrected Jesus and be the witnesses.

Mary’s anointing of Jesus is important because we understand why the Son of God became the Son of Man through it. Jesus died for His people to free them from slavery. Jesus was the one and only sacrifice to God to redeem His people. Although many Jews accused Him of breaking the law, He was sinless and was the law itself. He, who is one of God, saves His people by making them the children of God. God’s only begotten Son could do this. There is no one who can satisfy God except Himself. No human can satisfy God by works. We understand this clearly by looking at Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden.

I do not believe that Adam and Eve were holy and righteous. I know it is a common belief in the Protestant churches. Adam and Eve were upright but did not understand God as the Son does. They were mere slaves to God although they thought they were wise and great. They wanted to become like God. The devil knew this, and it was easy for him to tempt them. Adam and Eve rebelled against God and trusted the devil because of their lack of knowledge. They did not know God. Therefore, the saints need the Son to be free from the curse of the conditional covenants. There are only blessings for the children of God because of the Son. The Son is obedient to the Father and equal with Him. Only the Son can free slaves because the Father has decided before creation to give the church to the Son. The reason why I strongly oppose to the Active Obedience of Christ is because it leads us back to salvation by works. Jesus came to die for His people. By believing in the one and only Son of God, we are the children of God. Christ did not gain righteousness by works of the law. Christ’s death and resurrection is the reason why we are righteous. Anyone who says that the cross of Christ is not enough will be cursed eternally.

But far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Galatians 6:14)

If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let’s follow other gods (whom you have not known) and let’s serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken falsely against the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to drive you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall eliminate the evil from among you. (Deuteronomy 13:1-5)

Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen now, Hananiah: the Lord has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie. Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘Behold, I am going to remove you from the face of the earth. This year you are going to die, because you spoke falsely against the Lord.’” (Jeremiah 28:15-16)

Caiaphas and Hananiah may seem different from each other. Caiaphas spoke truth and Hananiah spoke lies. But both were false prophets. In Caiaphas’ case, he prophesied truth but had a wrong understanding of the prophesy.

But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, nor are you taking into account that it is in your best interest that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish instead.” Now he did not say this on his own, but as he was high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation;and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they planned together to kill Him. (vv. 49-53)

There are many false prophets in the world. Most of them do believe what they say and lead people astray. Those without the Holy Spirit are bound to disobey God. The distinct feature of false prophets is that they speak what most people want to hear.

Hananiah spoke about what the Israelites wanted to believe. He opposed to Jeremiah’s prophesies. Therefore, he gave people false hope and assurance. We believe that the reprobates go as destined. But the false prophets and teachers will receive more severe punishment than those who sin in ignorance.

Caiaphas knew that Jesus would die for the children of God. But he misinterpreted it and believed what he wanted to believe. He made the Jews reject Jesus Christ.

Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was in their best interest for one man to die in behalf of the people. (John 18:14)

His interest was to guard his position and wealth. So were the interests of the chief priests and the Pharisees.

Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council meeting, and they were saying, “What are we doing in regard to the fact that this man is performing many signs? If we let Him go on like this, all the people will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take over both our place and our nation.” (vv. 47-48)

The sins of these false prophets and leaders are written in Matthew 23:13-36. Even now, the false prophets and teachers are doing the same things. We must be careful when hearing their messages because they always use Bible verses to promote false teachings. There are two things that we must avoid: legalism and antinomianism. I think it is not wrong to say that all false teachings promote either legalism or antinomianism. Legalism is no better than antinomianism. Both deny the total grace of God and what it does to one’s life.

But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter it yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. (Matthew 23:13)

Now they were all weeping and mourning for her; but He said, “Stop weeping, for she has not died, but is asleep.” (Luke 8:52)

This He said, and after this He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going so that I may awaken him from sleep.” (v. 11)

In the two different occasions written in Luke 8 and John 11, Jesus described the dead people as sleeping. It is not that He considered every dead person as sleeping.

But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:60)

God considers the death of His saints as sleep because they are to be resurrected to eternal life on the last day. We think that everyone dies. From God’s point of view, physical death means nothing. The saints already live eternal life at present because God always keeps His promises. Our resurrection to eternal life is already completed because of Christ. The kingdom of God is in our midst because Christ and we are united by the Holy Spirit.

Now He was questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, and He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (Luke 17:20-21)

Many Christians think that we must do something to get saved and we can lose salvation if we disobey. Many Christian cult groups believe that. Their leaders oppress their followers and make them unable to question their authority. But the Bible clearly tells us that it is the faith in God that gives us the eternal life. And this faith cannot be separated from the knowledge of God. We cannot believe in someone whom we do not know. But we do know God because of the Word and the Spirit. Moreover, God gave us the Bible so that we can meditate on His words every day.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in Me will live, even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (vv. 25-26)

So they removed the stone. And Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. But I knew that You always hear Me; nevertheless, because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.” (vv. 41-42)

I heard that the Roman Catholic church and the Jews believe that people must be buried when dead so that they can be resurrected. It is believed that the Roman Catholic authority dug out Luther’s bones and burned them. This is from misunderstanding the Bible. The saints are already living the eternal life. God made the world to build His kingdom. He will carry out His plan without any changes.

Then there was given to me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, “Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. (Revelation 11:1)

Christ came to us to preach the kingdom of God. Those who are His listened to Him. Our salvation is not from our free will. Anselm believed that all people have free will. That is why the Active Obedience of Christ leads people to slavery. We do not choose to believe in God. It is God who chose us. Fearing God is the beginning of wisdom.

And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)

Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep. My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.I and the Father are one.” (vv. 25-30)

Many Christians focus on the miracles that Christ performed such as healing the sick. We must be careful when interpreting the miracles because they must be accompanied with the truth of God. God does give the power to perform miracles to false prophets to test and train us. Deuteronomy 13:1-5 explains that.

If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let’s follow other gods (whom you have not known) and let’s serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken falsely against the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to drive you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall eliminate the evil from among you. (Deuteronomy 13:1-5)

Many false shepherds around the world claim that they can heal the sick and that they are sent by God. But they do not understand the Bible. They speak lies about God. There are many Christians who say that they became reborn when they heard the words of a preacher, a Christian book, or a hymn. I do not think they are truly reborn because one must be changed through the words of God, not by a man’s words. The distinct feature of a reborn Christian is that they understand the words of God. The Jews in chapter 10 failed to understand that Christ was the Son of God because they judged Him by their own standards. Therefore, Christ told them that they were blind. Anyone who misunderstands the old covenant and the Israel history cannot understand why the Son of God became a man. Not knowing Christ leads to death because we understand the Father only through Him. That is why Christ is the Word and Truth.

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (John 17:3)

The Jews did not condemn Jesus for His works but for His words. They did not see that His words and works were in harmony. Christians need to be trained to recognize the false Christians. However, the churches have gone corrupt and are unable to educate people. I do talk about my dreams but do not believe me if my words speak lies about God. But I do speak about the common Christian beliefs. Didn’t the Reformers preach Sola Gratia? But many have turned away. They have accepted the false teachings of the false theologians and ministers who infiltrated into leadership. The Protestant churches have been heading downhill since the 17^th century. But it is also God’s will because they were given limited knowledge. The demise of visible churches is God’s will because false Christians occupy them.

In chapter 10, Christ leaves Jerusalem and goes away beyond the Jordan. And we read that many people came to Him and believed in Him there.

And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He stayed there. Many came to Him and were saying, “While John performed no sign, yet everything John said about this man was true.” And many believed in Him there. (vv. 40-42)

However, a stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus told them this figure of speech, but they did not understand what the things which He was saying to them meant. (vv. 5-6)

The Jews put all their hope in the law because of the old covenant. But most of them did not understand that the law was given to them to seek Christ who would free them from the old covenant. Paul mentioned that it is the law that makes one sinful because it reveals one’s sins.

I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin came to life, and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me;for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it, killed me. So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. (Romans 7:9-12)

Under the law, no one is free from punishment. Even if one is not born under the law of God, he/she is condemned because they are Adam’s descendants. In Adam’s case, God’s command concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was the law. And Adam and Eve received death according to the command. They lost fellowship with God. Therefore, all people sin against God. They have no shame when they sin. They deny the existence of God. That is what we see inside and outside churches around the world. Every descendant of Adam and Eve is to be destroyed. However, the Son came and freed His elect by being one like them and with them. As I mentioned before, this is the very purpose of all creation – the kingdom of God. He paid for our sins and moved us from the land of the dead to the land of the living by making us the children of God. This right is given to us through faith. Since no one deserves grace, we conclude that faith is the gift of God.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; (Ephesians 2:8)

During his public ministry, Jesus used the parables when explaining the kingdom of God.

And the disciples came up and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” And Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. (Matthew 13:10-13)

There are Christians who think we are not born totally corrupt and therefore, can seek God on their own initiative. They think anyone can enter the kingdom of God by doing good deeds. If they were true, Jesus would not have used the parables. Understanding the parables does not require an intellectual brain or training. Hearing and recognizing my Owner’s voice does not require an intellectual brain or training. There are people in each church who are God’s children. They are often despised and considered uneducated and poor. But they simply believe what the Bible teaches them. However, many Christians praise people with wealth, fame, intellectuality, beauty, etc. Many ministers and theologians are praised because they look good and sound clever.

The Jews did not understand Christ. The Son of God became the Son of Man to redeem His elect. He became the Son of Man to fulfill the law. But ministers and theologians insist that Jesus came to keep the law perfectly. Keeping and fulfilling the law is different. Keeping the law is for the slaves. Fulfilling it is the Lord’s work.

I see why God wants to correct the theology concerning the imputation of righteousness. Our righteousness is not tied to the law. But the Active Obedience of Christ teaches us that our righteousness is tied to the law. Many Christians misinterpret the OT. The turmoil we see and hear in the world is from misunderstanding of Christ and what He did. All pagans including the Jews, the Muslims, Dispensationalists, etc. have the wrong understanding of Christ. The old covenant exists for Christ, not Christ for the old covenant. That is why I have been emphasizing the importance of knowing the Trinity.

The end is coming near. And the message is clear. Do not get persuaded by lies. Hold onto the truth.

Nevertheless what you have, hold firmly until I come. (Revelation 2:25)

And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” Those who were with Him from the Pharisees heard these things and said to Him, “We are not blind too, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now that you maintain, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.” (vv. 39-41)

John 9 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. Whenever I read it, I get fascinated by the story. Here we see a man born blind. This man is different from the man who appeared in John 5. His blindness is not because of his sin.

Afterward, Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.” (John 5:14)

Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. (v. 3)

We need to be careful when interpreting verse 3 because this blind man is not born sinless like Christ. He is one of the dry bones that appear in Ezekiel 37 just like any of us. Verse 3 tells us that his blindness is not because of a sin he committed. When a disaster strikes us, it can be interpreted as God’s wrath or His love towards His saints because He brings good out of bad. The blindness became a blessing to him and his parents because he came to know Christ through this event. For this reason, I do not believe those Christians who boast about their wealth, children, social or political status, their position in their church, health, and/or beauty. I do feel sorry for these people because they think they are doing well in this world. They say that they are blessed by God and that is why the world praises them. God’s blessing is in suffering. And this suffering is not self-inflicted.

Being born as the descendants of Adam is a curse but it becomes a blessing to the saints because of Christ. There is no doubt that this blind man became a disciple of Jesus and preached the good news to others during his life. Therefore, he was washed at Siloam, which is translated as Sent. (see verse 7) Christ was sent by God and this man, united with Christ through the Holy Spirit, undoubtedly did exactly what Christ did after his eyes were opened. Here, we understand the mystery of the union with Christ and the kingdom of God.

… but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life. (John 4:14)

Christ who is the water that gives us the eternal life lives in each saint. We preach the good news as the Holy Spirit instructs us. With that in mind, it is not wrong to say that the church ministers on the earth just as Christ did while He was living on the earth. However, the church I am referring to is the saints, not the visible churches. The saints can belong to a visible church, but the visible church is not equal to the invisible church. It is the Word that gives us the eternal life. Therefore, if a visible church preaches lies about God, it is a church of the devil. God still saves the saints in the false church who mourn over the abominations happening within. In this evil and adulterous generation, the saints suffer within the visible churches they are in because they speak the truth of God. Others block their ears and try to kill the saints because they hate God. They claim that they see and know God. But Christ simply says that they will perish because of their sins. Unless the Spirit comes and opens their ears and eyes, they remain slaves to sin.

For My people have committed two evils: They have abandoned Me, The fountain of living waters, To carve out for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That do not hold water. (Jeremiah 2:13)

(This post was delivered to my subscribers yesterday, but I made some modifications. So I upload it again.)

Out of all the chapters of the Gospel of John, I consider chapter 8 extremely important. It explains the Trinity, the two natures of Christ, the law, and the predestination. It contains the knowledge of the three Ecumenical Creeds and the Three Forms of Unity. Of course, one must understand the Bible as a whole to understand chapter 8. I cannot say that I have all the knowledge, but I do understand the knowledge given to me by God. So far, I’ve written things that I understood from reading the Bible, experiences in life, and my dreams. Before moving to chapter 9, I’d like to talk about pornography because it was a major issue in the Reformed church I went to, and I recently heard that it is still a major issue. Someone told me that it is a pandemic in all churches.

When I was in the Reformed church, I was given the three tasks I mentioned before (see my previous posts “2018” and “2019”). Three things that I questioned the elders – the treacherous Puritanism, the hymn (men-made songs) sung during public worship, and the sexual immorality being tolerated within the church community. The issue with the Puritan teachings is not about pursuing a morally good life. The issues lie in the errors of 17^th-century Protestant theology, which deny Sola Gratia. They include worshiping of Adam, the Covenant Theology, and the Active Obedience of Christ.

Earlier I mentioned the lady in a yellow dress, whom I saw in a dream on the night I moved to the town. And I met the lady in the church. She often wore a yellow dress on Sundays. And later I realized that God sent me to meet her. We became close. I found out that she was in great distress due to pornography addiction within her household. She suspected that her husband watched pornography regularly. And her son was suffering from pornography addiction. There was another lady who suffered from the same issue. She left her husband who allegedly was a porn addict and also committed physical adultery. I was told by her family that she struggled a lot with the elders of the church. It sounded like the elders took a strange position in dealing with the lady’s case.

The reason why I want to talk about pornography is that God loathes it. It is a form of adultery. It is adultery. And it is one of the reasons why God rejects all churches. The churches are not dealing the issue correctly. I realized then that God gave them three chances to repent. But they did not repent of the sins they openly committed. Through what I saw and heard in the church, God answered my question – “Aren’t the Reformed churches doing well?”. When my tasks were done, God gave me incurable blood cancer. Then I realized that my dream was fulfilled. I won’t repeat the Bible verses where God told the Israelites that their wound was incurable. As I left the church, I took the dust off my feet and cursed the church. However, I do care about all the Protestant churches because it is my body shown in my dream. They all have incurable blood cancer. Christ is our blood, but they worship the devil. On Judgement Day, Christ who lives in me will testify against them. He will judge them. And that is another reason why the Son of God became the Son of Man.

Adultery is closely related to spiritual adultery. Church authorities tolerate sexual immoralities just like what happened in the church of Corinth. The law says there should be two people to testify about one’s sin. It is not easy to know if one commits adultery. The lady in a yellow dress was asked to show evidence before the elders that her husband was guilty. Even if she could show evidence, she still needed another person to testify. It was obvious that the elders were on the husband’s side because he was one of them. When it comes to adultery, we must understand that God is the one who testifies. God knows all things. The Father and the Son testify together even if a person’s sin is not witnessed by anyone. So if one watches pornography and denies it, he/she makes God a liar. There is one who says God is a liar. That is the devil. He always lies and is the father of lies. Many in churches are the children of the devil.

The issue with the elders in the church was that they used ‘justification by faith’ to tolerate the pornography problem that many households had. One Sunday evening, one of the elders preached at the pulpit instead of the minister. The minister permitted him. I knew what the elders (including the minister) were trying to do. I did not want to attend the service, but I knew I had to go there and be a witness. He read a minister’s sermon on justification by faith. Before that, I openly said that pornography is adultery. While he was reading the sermon, I locked eyes with him. I could see clearly that he was angry at me. I was angry too because it was clear that he was against God. They misused ‘justification by faith’ to justify their sins. To cut the story short, I made the elders confess that pornography is a violation of the seventh Commandment. They admitted that pornography is adultery and a violation of the seventh Commandment. However, they said that it could not be a reason for a divorce. Sexual immorality is the only reason for a divorce as we read Matthew 19:9.

And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery. (Matthew 19:9)

By saying that pornography cannot be a reason for a divorce, they deny that it is sexually immoral. Pornography has become permitted adultery within churches. That was one of the reasons why God was very angry with the elders in the church. I saw in my dream that a fireplace was about to break and the whole building was going to be consumed.

but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depths of the sea. (Matthew 18:6)

I would like to remind you how God thinks about adultery.

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Now if your right eye is causing you to sin, tear it out and throw it away from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand is causing you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell. Now it was said, ‘Whoever sends his wife away is to give her a certificate of divorce’; but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. (Matthew 5:27-32)

Anyone who looks at a woman/man with lust is guilty of adultery. Then the rebellious and evil people quote what Christ said in John 8.

When they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Now when they heard this, they began leaving, one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman where she was, in the center of the courtyard. (John 8:7-9)

They quote verse 7 and say that they cannot be condemned because everyone is a sinner. They also mention King David and his sins concerning Bathsheba. They try to get away with their sins and promote adultery within their churches. God knows their hearts and will make them suffer eternally.

The elders in the church kept saying that they did everything they could. But it was clear that they sinned against God. And God was very angry. The issue was not about what they did according to their stupid church order. The issue was in their heart. Then I knew that the dream I had before joining the church was about this church. The seven men were laughing at me. If I was truly sent by God to rebuke them, it showed that they laughed at God.

… and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who live on the earth?” And a white robe was given to each of them; and they were told that they were to rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were to be killed even as they had been, was completed also. (Revelation 6:10-11)

All those experiences were for me to know God and His will. God answered my question. And I understood what God was about to do. I do not trust anyone who thinks they are doing well, and they are prosperous because of their good deeds. All churches need to repent. The Bible is there for them, but they do not read. The wound is incurable, so the judgment has started with the white horse. As we read in Ezekiel 9, those who groan over all the abominations that are being committed in its midst receive the mark of God. Those who think their churches are doing well are not the saints. But how can a person recognize own sins and repent if God does not tell him/her?

I’ve been telling you that our righteousness is from Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice. Christ did not need to keep the law to gain righteousness either for Himself or the church. He is righteousness itself. Christ did not come to abolish the law. We, who are one with Christ, uphold the law because the law is also the words of God. Keeping God’s commands is from knowing Him. That is the difference between Adam and us. We may still be vulnerable, but we have the Spirit of God, who saves us from all temptations.

Adultery is tolerated within churches because the majority have not received the Spirit. They do not know what is right or wrong. They think that they know God and keep His commands. But they do not and disdain God’s words. Sometimes the saints undergo temptations. I know very well what pornography does in one’s life. At the appointed time, God makes us leave our sins just as we find in Augustine’s case. Augustine struggled with his sins. But he turned away from his sins when he heard “Tolle lege”. And the verse in the Book of Romans changed him. If you are sinning against God, I hope you turn away from your sins by the power of the Spirit. The words of God have the power. But you won’t be able to repent if you have not received the Spirit. It is the Spirit who makes us understand God’s words. Others can only misinterpret and misunderstand the Word.

I am coming quickly; hold firmly to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. (Revelation 3:11)