Like a chestnut tree

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)

… you have not come to know Him, but I know Him. And if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you; but I do know Him, and I follow His word. (v. 55)

I am a stranger on the earth; Do not hide Your commandments from me. My soul is crushed with longing For Your ordinances at all times. (Psalm 119:19-20)

It is easy to think that Psalm 119 is about the law of God. Many Christians consider the Psalms irrelevant to them, saying that they live in the age of New Testament. Psalm 119 is about God’s words. And it contains 22 songs that have 8 verses each. Each song starts with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It is about the words of God.

In chapter 8, we see the stark contrast between Jesus and the Jews. The Jews claim to know God and keep the law but did not neither know God nor keep the law. Jesus is accused of breaking the law by the Jews but He knows God the Father and keep His commands. He does not glorify Himself because the Father glorifies Him. Jesus Christ and the Father are one.

I and the Father are one. (John 10:30)

Theologians and ministers have been neglecting the importance of the knowledge of God. Although I spoke of the dreams I had, my knowledge is rooted in the words of God. The dreams made me focus on His words. I believe that God has revealed Himself to the visible church over time. And the knowledge of God was studied and written for teaching. That is why I emphasize the need for learning the three Ecumenical Creeds and the Three Forms of Unity although they do not have the same authority as the Bible. They should not be interpreted literally. They are understood only when one understands the Bible. Each church must nurture their saints, but this task has been neglected. It is very strange that there are few churches who emphasize on reading the Bible every day. Many people read only a few verses a day, which is not sufficient to understand God’s will. The Bible must be understood as whole. In many ways, the Reformed churches appear to obey God. They teach their children about God using the Reformed confessions. But they have adopted the false doctrines like the Covenant theology and the Active Obedience of Christ and put emphasis on the law. Most of them are not different from the Jews who opposed Christ and accused Him of breaking the law. The law has become their lifeline.

The words of God and the law are not different. But the law has a specific purpose. The law teaches us that we need Christ. The law is only a portion of the words of God. So when one is united with the Word, he/she keeps the law because the law and the words of God are inseparable. However, keeping of the law does not make one righteous. Rather, the one who is righteous keeps the law.

The Jews and the Christians think that they keep the sixth Commandment simply because they have not murdered anyone. They consider themselves righteous. But God judges them by what is in their heart. God saves those who have the heart of flesh. God condemns those who have the heart of stone. It is God who gives us the heart of flesh to dry bones as we find in the Book of Ezekiel. King David committed murder and adultery but received mercy because he was one of the elect, saved by Jesus Christ. That does not mean that the saints walk free even when we sin. God disciplines us so that we would hate to sin against Him. Sin separates us from God. And we may feel free when we sin. But we soon learn that we are a slave of sin. God does not allow us to keep sinning because sin prevents us from having fellowship with God.

We often think that keeping the law is doing something. Keeping the law is believing in Christ. That is God’s will. Being one with Him allows us to know God and keep His word. However, faith is false if it is not connected with love. Love and faith are inseparable. Love and knowledge of God are inseparable. Love is what makes everything perfect. And God is love. Only God can truly love.

Beloved, let’s love one another; for love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. By this the love of God was revealed in us, that God has sent His only Son into the world so that we may live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we remain in Him and He in us, because He has given to us of His Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. (1 John 4:7 – 14)

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?” (vv. 31-33)

God knew exactly what we would witness in the present age. The Bible teaches us that there are false believers in churches around the world. Many Jews followed Jesus when He performed miracles. But they deserted Him when He said about Himself.

And He was saying to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins.” (vv. 23-24)

Christ knew who truly believed in God and who did not. He directly opposed to those who were not His people. Although they pretended to be obedient to God, they despised and rejected Him in their heart. Adam and Eve disdained God’s words and we do the same as we are the descendants of Adam. Unless the Spirit comes and makes us hear and understand the words of God, we are destined to fail and perish. Anyone who receives the Spirit by grace comes to know God through Christ (Word and Truth).

Christ could please many people if He wanted. Many Christians around the world try to find someone to idolize and praise. And some ministers gain much fame and praise from their followers. They have much money and influence on politics. Christ did not do as they do. Instead, He spoke only truth, and this made people angry.

But because I say the truth, you do not believe Me. Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? The one who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God. (vv. 45-47)

But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, because He knew all people, and because He did not need anyone to testify about mankind, for He Himself knew what was in mankind. (John 2:24-25)

We must not forget that God made the world to build His kingdom. God created the devil and his followers to teach and train us. The Bible testifies that there are two kinds of people: the elect and the reprobate. True Christians speak the truths of God, but we do not try to persuade or convince people by making up stories. Anyone trying to convince many people wants money and fame. When the pandemic broke out, many ministers preached that everything was going well, and that they were on the right track. Some made money by writing books about the pandemic. False Christians hear what they want to hear. They believe that their father is God. But Christ has rejected their claim.

Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies. (vv. 43-44)

If anyone claims to be Christ, do not believe him/her. Christ proves Himself by His words. Anyone who knows Christ understands His words. False shepherds can fool people by their sweet talks and miracles. We know Christ by His words. That is why the Bible is the lifeline for the saints.

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” (v. 12)

And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. (1 John 5:11)

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (John17:3)

I mentioned a few times that the Reformation heavily relied on the letter of Paul and the Reformers had limited knowledge. I am not saying that Paul and John had different understandings. They spoke and wrote the same gospel that Christ preached. But people without knowledge always take God’s words out of context and make their own stories about God. And I believe that is what happened in the seventeenth century. Theologians and ministers still discuss about which of the two – faith and works – comes first. It is a meaningless discussion. The gospel works only when one understands God. In other words, one must be united with Christ to know to have faith in God. And there is nothing that we can do on our own initiative to be united with Him. It is a free gift. Only those who have ears can hear God’s words and understand them. The most important role of a church is to proclaim God’s words. Those who are chosen will hear God’s words. They will be united with Christ. They will repent of their sins and turn away from the evil ways. Then they start to make the fruit of God. The fruit of God may not be something visible. Many Christians think that we must show good works to others. And they judge people by works. In this passage, we see the Jews judging Christ by His works and claiming that He broke the Sabbath law. Christ tells them that He does not judge people like others do. He is Truth and knows all things. He is God. And He does not need two witnesses to testify about Him because He is God. Even if He is judged by the law, He is free from sin because He and the Father testify together. But those who put all their hope in the law do not accept their testimony simply because they do not understand. God has shut their eyes and ears.

Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I am testifying about Myself, My testimony is true, because I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. (v. 14)

Our eternal life is not from the law. It is in the Son. The Son knows, understands, and loves the Father. We become like the Son. We are nothing without the Son. The cross of God is not just forgiveness of our sins. The Son redeemed us and made us the children of God through the cross. However, theologians and ministers love the theology of the Roman Catholic Church and reject this. They say that the cross is not enough. They keep saying that our eternal life is from the Son’s perfect keeping of the law. Therefore, they say that our righteousness is from the law. The gospel of John clearly refutes their claim. Our life is in the Son. He resurrected and lives forever. We, who are united with Him, lives forever. If our righteousness is from the law, we must keep the law perfectly now and forever even in the kingdom of God. One single disobedience will send us to eternal damnation. The Son came to redeem us from the curse of the conditional covenant. We simply cannot please God by works on our own initiative.

So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am, and I do nothing on My own, but I say these things as the Father instructed Me. And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” As He said these things, many came to believe in Him. (vv. 28-30)

Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written: ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.’” (Matthew 4:7)

In John 8:1-11, we read that the scribes and the Pharisees try to test Christ. Christ is the exact representation of God. He is God.

Now they were saying this to test Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. (v.6)

God is known to His people, and we do not test God. God does not need to prove Himself before His own people. Even when God showed many signs when He brought the Israelites out of Egypt, most of them did not believe in Him. Only Joshua and Caleb trusted God and entered the promised land.

But as for My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring him into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it. (Numbers 14:24)

… not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun–because they did follow the LORD wholeheartedly. (Numbers 32:12)

Faith is not from our own initiatives. Seeing miracles and signs do not make us believe in God. We live by faith given by God. Testing comes from the pride of Adam and Eve because they thought they could judge God by their own wisdom. They trusted the devil. They tested God.

When your fathers put Me to the test, They tested Me, though they had seen My work. (Psalm 95:9)

Throughout the Bible, we learn that faith in God is the most important for us to live forever. Indeed, “the righteous will live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:24) Knowing God is knowing Christ (Word and Truth). Through Christ and His works, we understand God and believe in Him. Christ made us know the Father and saved us from the eternal damnation. Obedience that does not come from faith is only false piety. It does not benefit anyone. The reprobate are satisfied with their false piety and are praised by many. They love darkness more than light.

Those who hate the Lord would pretend to obey Him,
And their time of punishment would be forever. (Psalm 81:15)

In this passage, we see a woman caught in adultery. According to the law, she had to be put to death. But Christ forgave her. The law is not above God. We judge people by their deeds and appearances. Most people will judge that the scribes and the Pharisees are righteous, and the woman is sinful. But God judges differently. Only He can judge righteously because He is God. And only He can forgive.

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.” (v. 7)

And God gives a different righteousness to His people. It is not from the law.

For I say to you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:20)

We suffer because of our sins. The law exists for us to know it. Those who do not know the law, their conscience acts as the law. Whether born under the Jewish law or not, we know that we suffer because of our sins. Therefore, salvation is for all. I do not mean God saves everyone. God saves His elect from all mankind regardless of their backgrounds. Not only God sent His Son to redeem the elect, He gave us His Spirit to overcome the temptations. When we continue to sin, God will discipline us. God does not let us dwell in agony. God’s words strengthen us.

She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on do not sin any longer.” (v. 11)

“Did Moses not give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law? Why are you seeking to kill Me?” The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill You?” Jesus answered them, “I did one deed, and you all are astonished. For this reason Moses has given you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and even on a Sabbath you circumcise a man. If a man receives circumcision on a Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry at Me because I made an entire man well on a Sabbath? Do not judge by the outward appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” (vv. 19-24)

Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God. (1 Corinthians 7:19)

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. All that matters is faith, expressed through love. (Galatians 5:6)

Circumcision does not mean anything. It is only a shadow of the new covenant. Circumcision is a shadow of the true circumcision, which is the circumcision of the heart. As the only Mediator of the new covenant, Christ brought the new covenant.

The Sabbath was not made for God. It was made for mankind. To be more precise, it was made for the church, God’s elect people. With this in mind, we conclude that all things including the law were given for us to seek Christ. But many of the Jews did not recognize Christ because God blinded them.

“Make the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes blind, So that they will not see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.” (Isaiah 6:10)

We now see that it was not only the Jews that God blinded but most people in the world. Even people who call themselves Christians are not true Christians. We know this because of their understanding. Theologians and ministers are only interested in money and fame. They preach lies to people. There are few who truly know God.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. (Matthew 23:15)

Not knowing God or His ways is the beginning of all sins. Among those who are ignorant and dull, God saves some and gives them understanding. Paul was one of those who did not know God although he received much education under the Jewish system. The knowledge of God comes from understanding the words of God through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is not about having dreams or having mysterious experiences.

In John 7, we see that the Jews emphasize the law and yet, do not understand God’s words. They do not believe in Christ, whom the prophets foretold in the OT. They circumcise babies on a Sabbath but do not know the meaning of circumcision or the Sabbath. This is still happening in the world. There are people who say that we must worship God on Saturdays. These people emphasize the Ten Commandments but do not know the meaning of the Sabbath. We must be careful not to be persuaded by them. There is no true worship without understanding Christ. Churches have been worshiping God on the day Christ resurrected, which is Sunday. So we worship God on Sundays. But worshiping God on Sundays is meaningless to those who do not know Christ. There are many people in churches who do not know God. Worshiping God is not about what we must do. It is about what we know and understand.

True Sabbath is Jesus Christ.

So the Son of Man is Lord, even of the Sabbath. (Mark 2:28)

We need to pay attention to the fact that Christ referred Himself as the Son of Man, not the Son of God, when He talked about Him being the Lord of the Sabbath. The Son of God became the Son of Man to free us from a conditional covenant. Adam was under a conditional covenant. Therefore, all the conditional covenants in the OT existed for the one and only eternal covenant, the new covenant. No one can fulfill a conditional covenant. We are slaves under a conditional covenant. We perish as slaves. But the Son is different. If the Son sets us free and makes us the children of God, we are free indeed. The Father does not make a conditional covenant with the Son because the Father does everything for the Son. It is absurd to say that Christ had to fulfill a conditional covenant when the Father and the Son are one. I have been telling you that the Son came to fulfill the law, not to keep it. Keeping is for the slaves. The Son came to perfect the law. Christ mentioned that he worked on a Sabbath like the Father. Strictly speaking, He broke the law by working on a Sabbath. He knew what the Jews were thinking and deliberately said that He worked.

Some Christians make a list of things that they must do to keep a commandment of God. That was what the Jews did in Jesus’ time. But they did not know why the law was given. They merely thought that was what God wanted and that they would get punished if they did not keep the law. Most people kept the law as a way to get prosperous. Thus, they did not see the difference between God and idols. They could not understand Christ. They were angry at Christ because He cured sick people on a Sabbath. Jesus cured people throughout the week. But it was important that He cured people on a Sabbath because He needed to show them why He came. Jesus Christ is the Lord of the Sabbath.

All the four writers of the Gospel put Christ’s death and resurrection at the end because it was the very reason why the Son of God became a man. The true Sabbath is linked to the cross of Christ. The Covenant Theology and the Active Obedience of Christ claim that the cross of Christ is not enough for us to have the eternal life. The Son became a man so that His people would become like Him. The Son died and resurrected. He lives eternally. So we, who are united with Him through the Holy Spirit, live eternally in the coming kingdom of God.

When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. (Revelation 1:17-18)

So His brothers said to Him, “Move on from here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing. For no one does anything in secret when he himself is striving to be known publicly. If You are doing these things, show Yourself to the world.” For not even His brothers believed in Him. So Jesus said to them, “My time is not yet here, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify about it, that its deeds are evil. Go up to the feast yourselves; I am not going up to this feast, because My time has not yet fully arrived.” (vv. 3-8)

He has told you, mortal one, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)

In 2020, a YouTube clip was recommended to me. The thumbnail showed a minister (I never heard of him until then) preaching before a large crowd. When I saw the thumbnail of the clip, I did not open it. I know what these Evangelical ministers are like. After a few months, I came to know that this man had done horrible crimes. To be honest, I was not surprised. But I was surprised to find out that many people in the Reformed denominations followed him. And they were shocked by the news but believed that he was a true Christian despite his crimes. In his lifetime, he attracted many Christians and made an empire. He was praised by many and had a great wealth.

When we sin, God disciplines us. When He disciplines us, we feel like we are crushed as we read in King David’s case. He disciplines us out of love because we are His children. But God lets the reprobate sin and does not forgive their sins. The reprobate have pride in their popularity, wisdom, wealth, look, and/or achievements and stay blind till the end. Concerning the reprobate’s prosperity, Psalm 73 explains in detail.

For I was envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pangs in their death; But their strength is firm. They are not in trouble like other people, nor are they tormented together with the rest of mankind. Therefore arrogance is their necklace; the garment of violence covers them. Their eye bulges from fatness; the imaginations of their heart overflow. They mock and wickedly speak of oppression; They speak from on high. They have set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue parades through the earth. Therefore his people return here, and abundant waters are drunk by them. They say, “How does God know? and is there knowledge with the Most High?” Behold, these are the wicked; and always at ease, they have increased in wealth. (Psalm 73:3-12)

We do not know who belongs to God by looking at appearance or deeds. Following a man who claims to be a Christian poses a great risk. The devil disguises himself as an angel of light. We can only judge people by the words of God and the Spirit in us. However, those who do not have the Spirit are always attracted to false shepherds and prophets.

Since we do not know who belongs to Christ, we proclaim the good news in public. We do not sugar-coat the words of God to attract people. Only those who are God’s will listen to His words and accept truth. Christ knew who belonged to Him. And yet, He still cried out in public because that is what the church must do.

Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” (vv. 37-38)

Wisdom shouts in the street, she raises her voice in the public square; (Proverbs 1:20)

I am not saying that all rich ministers are false. But it is unnatural for anyone with much wealth walking humbly with God. I also like having money. But when I want money to achieve or possess something to feel secure in this world, I ask myself, ‘Am I relying on God or money?’ God provides everything that I need. I’ve learnt this over many years. But I often feel anxious and feel that I have control over my life when I have money. So I seek more money. Then I have faith in money, not God. God has warned us not to love money many times throughout the Bible. Most of the Pharisees were against Christ. It appeared that they and their followers were concerned about the law of God. But they were not. Christ knew this.

“Did Moses not give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law? Why are you seeking to kill Me?” (v.19)

No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were ridiculing Him. (Luke 16:13-14)

Beside those ministers who openly boast of their wealth and fame, there is a different group of ministers. They boast of their much knowledge and reading in theology and philosophy. But they all together seek fame and money. They love theories that can attract many people. While they say that they teach “Reformed Theology”, they teach the ideas of Aquinas. I believe that this treachery started in the 17^th century or even before. As I mentioned before, Aquinas himself confessed that all his writings were like straws and stopped writing his book before his death. Why do people read his unfinished book when Aquinas treated it as rubbish? Aquinas may have repented and became a true Christian at the end. But he did not go through suffering that comes along with speaking truth in his lifetime. He did not openly confess that he had been wrong. He received much praise from people. It is very dangerous to study Aquinas’ theories. However, the Protestant ministers and theologians love his words. There are “Reformed” channels and podcasts that introduce Aquinas. But I advise you not to listen to them because I fear that you may lose your first love. They pretend to have knowledge, but their knowledge is not the knowledge of God. They convince people to read the Summa Theologica and say that we would agree with Aquinas on many things. They do not know that they are in a dung pit. If you are given the task of refuting their theories, then you will go through education given by the Spirit. If not, it is better to stay away.

It is obvious that the Protestant theologians and ministers have been trying to shake hands with the Roman Catholic Church. We must examine what is beyond of a theory. If a theory leads to deny 100% grace, it is false. The Roman Catholic Church loves Aquinas. What came out of the Council of Trent were based on Aquinas’ theories. Corrupt teachings always lead to money because they attract many people. Most ministers teach what people want to hear. Although they boast of much reading and studying, they cannot understand simple words spoken in the Bible. God has blinded their eyes. On the other hand, the saints, regardless of their former education, understand God’s words. God’s words are pure and simple. Only few understood Christ’s teachings. He came only for His chosen people.

You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come. (v. 34)

If you think that you can find good things from the writings of Aquinas, I have no desire of stopping you. But I will say that you have a different spirit from mine. Do not seek food from a dung pile.

“For from the least of them to the greatest of them,

Everyone is greedy for gain,

And from the prophet to the priest

Everyone deals falsely.

They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially,

Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’

But there is no peace.

Were they ashamed because of the abomination they had done?

They were not ashamed at all,

Nor did they know even how to be ashamed.

Therefore they will fall among those who fall;

At the time that I punish them,

They will collapse,” says the Lord. (Jeremiah 6:13-15)

You shall bring the choice first fruits of your soil into the house of the LORD your God. You are not to boil a young goat in the milk of its mother. (Exodus 23:19) (See also Exodus 34:26 and Deuteronomy 14:21)

They have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of Ben-hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, and it did not come into My mind. (Jeremiah 7:31)

I will make them an object of terror among all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem. (Jeremiah 15:4)

We read the sins of king Manasseh in 2 Kings 21. There were many kings in Judah and the Northern Israel. Compared to the kings in the Northern Israel, those in Judah seem to have done better. But most of them did not know God and followed the evil ways. Manasseh, in particular, did all the things that the pagans do in that region. He wholeheartedly followed the ways of the devil. All the idols invented by men demand works. People invent new ways to worship their idols. They kill others and pursue immoralities because those idols are the exact representations of themselves. Most people do not realize the evilness of the human nature in a civilized world where governments and laws exist. But people are still capable of killing their own children and justify their evilness.

Theologians and ministers find the reason of our corrupt nature in the original sin. But I do not think Adam truly loved Eve. Although the relationship between Adam and Eve represent that between Christ and the church, Adam did not love Eve as himself. If he did, he would have asked God to forgive her sin. Instead, he ate the fruit. His love for God and Eve was weak.

In John 6, we read that Christ walked on the water. Christ is the living water. And we read that the water cannot engulf Him or those with Him. True Christianity does not kill the saints by the words of God. However, pagan religions kill people. Sadly, Christianity has gone corrupt. It no longer serves God but evil people. It kills the saints. I saw in my dream that many birds were lying dead in the front yard of a house, which I interpret as a church.

The corruption is particularly obvious in the Reformed denominations. Theologians and ministers emphasize the law and God’s wrath written in the OT. The Reformation focused on the sin, punishment, and the law. They are only a half of the whole story. Many still believe that one must be beaten by the law constantly in order to seek God. Did Paul use the same method to preach the good news to the Gentiles? I don’t think so. Every Sunday, the Ten Commandments are read, and people are reminded of how sinful they are. The irony is that most of them do not keep the law. They think they keep the law because they are obedient to the church authorities and go to a church on Sundays. This is what I found (and was shown) in the Reformed church. When I spoke of justification by faith, they talked about works. When I rebuked them for not keeping the law and tolerating adultery, they spoke of justification by faith. The Bible is used by them to defend their evil ways. The law is used to oppress the saints and burden them with works while those who are in the office enjoy their power over people. They love their church order but despise the Bible. The reason they hate singing the Psalms is because the book talks about God’s enemies being many. These enemies are not just people following idols. They are the people within churches who hate God and His words. They believe that they are saved because of their works. They think most of their church members are saved. But I was shown God’s people being few in my dream. They talk about justification by faith. But they do not believe it.

The essence of the law, love, enlivens and strengthens us. Christ showed this love on the cross. After fulfilling the law, God has enabled us to love Him and His people. This love is about preaching the good news – how God sent His only Son to save us and make us His children. However, the written code under the conditional covenant kills us because we cannot meet the condition. Even if we can, our obedience does not make us the children of God. Solomon is praised for his 1000 burnt offerings to God. But God gave him the conditional covenant, not unconditional. The law was given for us to seek Christ.

Christianity is completely different from other religions. Those religions do not give us comfort. They kill us and our children. God does not kill us with His own words. The water He gave us keeps us alive. We are the fish. And fish cannot live outside the water. God does not require us of any works but faith in Him. Those who speak much of the law or works do not keep the law. They are evildoers.

Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” (v. 29)

If you have the joy of salvation through the words of God, you are truly blessed. Thank God and praise Him day and night.

Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night. (Psalm 1:1-2)