 |
His
Intimate Presence |
Book One / By Ma
Rong Guang / c.1999
Forward About this book
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1 The
Mystery of God Revealed
Chapter 2 The
Mystery of a Ruined Creation
Chapter 3 The
Mystery of the "Sinless Son"
Chapter 4 The
Mystery of the Suffering Father
Chapter 5 The
Mystery of the most extreme Miracle/Sign proof
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Forward
This book was written for the Hui Chinese, many of whom are Muslim at this time.
However, it is also an open document to all seekers of the world, whether they be Chinese,
Muslim, Jewish, or anyone else who wishes to gain a better understanding of Christianity.
No matter where you are from or what you believe, this book will have something to speak
to you about our Creator, whom we are all seeking to know better. We encourage you to read
it expectantly, with an open heart.
Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will
give you rest. Take my yoke upon me and learn me, for I am gentle and
humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is
easy, my burden is light." The Holy Injil, Matt. 11: 28-30
Preface
This book is dedicated to future love, understanding, and hope
between the Christians and Muslims of the world.
Once a foolish man stood in front of a fast train and said, "If you believe, it
exists. If you don't believe, it doesn't."
The True God exists! And He wants to rescue you!
Book I
His Intimate Presence
"True gold does not fear fire"
by Ma Rong Guang
Introduction
God, the One and only True God, loves the people of
China. He is not an unknowable, mysterious Force hidden from His
creation. He is not an evil demon-like being like the gods of ancient Chinese
folklore. He is not a ideology or philosophical idea or principle of nature. He is not a
superstitious figment of peoples imaginations or fears. He is not a foreign religious
belief or a foreign idea of men. He is none of these.
God is the One Supreme, Eternal, and Heavenly Ruler of China and of all the Earth. He is
the most ancient Ruler of China. Before Buddhism, before Taoism, before Confucius was
born, before Muhammad, before dynasties, before all things, "Shang Ti" was
worshipped as the One and only True God. He is "above" the Emperor, the Heavenly
Ruler and "He is the Living God, and He endures forever; His Kingdom will not be
destroyed, His dominion will never end. He rescues and He saves; He performs signs and
wonders in the heavens and on the earth."
God is a Spirit who used His eternal Intelligence to create and design all things and how
they function and balance together. He is the Great Designer and looks with care over all
the works of His hands, if we may say He has hands. All the peoples of the earth were
created in His image; not so much any physical image but rather in His spiritual image.
We are not an object of random Chance or blind Fate. We are more than blobs with no
meaning or purpose; existing only to reproduce, consume and die like any other animal. We
are more than the dirt that we were originally created from, as seen by the ancient word, Zao:
"to create." In the word
"Zao," we see the following meanings: "dust + mouth breath =alive = to
talk= walking!" The meaning of this ancient Chinese word can trace its reference back
to Genesis 2:7 in the Bible:
"The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being."
An apple tree didn't come from a rock; it is a living thing. Non-living doesn't and has
never created any thing living. Living creates living. A Living God created a living world
and living intelligent people. An intelligent God created intelligent people.
Though lacking the history to develop today's technology of trial and error efforts,
earliest man was very intelligent. Early pyramid ruins and early inventive ideas of all
cultures attest to great intelligence far surpassing any evolutionary explanations. They
do attest to an Intelligent Source- -God. And He wants to communicate with you!
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Chapter 1
The Mystery of God Revealed
God is loving and respectful. He is like the ideal loving, wise great
grandfather. He will not force Himself on anyone. He is moved deeply in His heart when one
of His creations desires to know Him and spend time with Him. He will come to that person
and reveal Himself more fully to them!
You, His creation, will know when He becomes manifest to you, because your heart, soul and
mind will be aware just as a young child will be aware of a loving parent's presence. God
brings a deep peace and happiness to your soul. In fact, the ancient word for
"blessing" or happiness came from "Fu," which means: "God, who is
'one' or first, mouth, over the garden." The meaning of this ancient
Chinese word can trace its reference back to Genesis 2:8 in the Bible.
The world has lost the original ancient meaning of Happiness and has turned it upside
down! They have lost the Way to true happiness like an old glove on a table. The old glove
was designed by its designer to fit on his hand, and it was made for a specific purpose.
Not to fit on one's head or foot or face, it was made for the living hand to come fill it
and give it purpose, life and meaning. Is your life like a glove on the table? Is it
fulfilling its true purpose?
God wants to fill you with His life, with His purposes, and with His meaning. But, He will
not do it without your permission. God desires that you use the intelligence He gave you
to reason, to communicate, to ASK Him in complete confidence in His Existence. Do you
believe He exists? Do you believe He desires to communicate with you as His child of
creation? Do you believe that He wants to save you from a meaningless, purposeless,
selfish existence of being like a glove on a table? If you do, then you must ASK Him to
come into fill your life.
"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly
seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so
that they are without excuse." (Injil Bible - Letter to Roman 1:20)
Yes, all you need to do is consider the logical evidence for God's existence. He has not
left you without proof or logical reason. In all aspects of His creation from the awesome
paradox of the tiniest atom to the vast powers of nuclear fission when it is split; all
creation reflects like a mirror His awesome Power and Godhead. The Unseen does impact the
Seen!
What do I mean by Godhead? This means the revealed mystery of His very nature and
thoughts. This mystery is that of "the Three in One." For example, the elements
that make up "water" is H2O. This element has three forms and all Three are the
One element, water/H2O.
For those who know the Qu’ran, ask yourself this question: the Bible is
generally referred to as "The Book" i.e. singular as in the One Book, though
Three of its principal parts are also mentioned by name. These are the Taurat (Torah), the
Zabur (Psalms) and the Injil (Gospel), and in the Qu’ran, these Three are One. There
is no contradiction or poor mathematics, just clear simple reason and use of our minds.(Surah
ii. (Al Baqarah), ver. 130.) So which is correct in the Qu’ran, one Book or
Three? God is the Protector of His Word, it cannot be corrupted!
Ice is H2O, steam is H2O and liquid is H2O. Without H2O there would be no life on this
planet. H2O is one of God's reflective examples of His eternal nature. He gave it as a
logical and simple example of His intelligent Revelation to us!
In ancient China, the word "Spirit" is "Shen
Ling." This ancient word means: "Heaven+ cover + water rain, with
"Three persons" who are united in working magic/miracles." The meaning
of this ancient Chinese word can trace references back to Genesis 1:1-2 in the Bible:
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth
was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep and the Spirit of god
was hovering over the waters."
The original writing of the ancient Hebrew culture reveals this "Three in One"
nature of God! (not seen as clearly in English/Chinese translations of the Bible.)
"Hear, O Israel The Lord (plural) our God (singular) the Lord (plural) is
One (singular)."
This is the foundation for all Judaism, called the "Shema,"
which in Hebrew means "'Hear,' the declaration about God." The Jewish people
today still cannot explain this use of plural/singular in this literature. They do not
want anyone to ask them about it because they have ignored this and taught the
"One" God and not the mystery of the eternal Godhead.
The Qu'ran of the Muslim peoples was written many hundreds of years after the Jewish Old
Testament "Shema." When the Qu'ran was compiled, the writers lacked the clear
understanding of the Torah and only had the Talmud, Jewish legends, and Midrash. The only
Christian writing they had were "Apocryphal;" unaccepted heresy that was never
included in the original Bible. Therefore, though the uncorrupted Bible existed and is
even quoted in the Qu'ran, the addition of books not inspired and even contradictory cloud
the mystery of God’s revelation. These are the sources they quoted from, not
having access always to the original accepted texts of the Bible.
An average Muslim has usually never studied the facts of this history. Therefore, after
comparing the Qu'ran and the Bible (New Testament) will say the New Testament part of the
Bible had been changed or "corrupted." What they don't know is their story of
Jesus was taken from these "apocryphal" stories and not from the early true
manuscripts of the Bible all Christians use today.
God is the Protector of His Word, and would not allow the Injil to be corrupted (and only
the ignorant and unlearned would say otherwise). If the Bible is corrupted, why does the
Qu'ran quote it? (Surah 21:105/ Ps. 37:29).
The "Shema" of the Old Testament becomes a very important item for them. It
could never be allowed to change. The Jews themselves preserved the plural/singular/plural
grammar. Therefore, the Qu’ranic scholar is inconsistent with the most ancient
writings in condemning the "Three in One" mystery. (Surah IV171, 5:75-76).
They have even led people to believe a trinity of God, Mary and Jesus! This thought is not
taught by any Christians in any Bible - only by those misinformed by the
"apocryphal" writings. Regardless of this matter, the Point that needs to
be seen is the ancient Hebrew and Chinese writings support the concept of a "Three in
One" Godhead. Nature reflects a "Three in One" Godhead in H2O, and the
simple reasoning from the Qu’ran about the "One Book" supports the concept
of a "Three in One."
In the ancient book of the Old Testament (Torah/Taurat) we find God saying, "Let
us make man in Our image, in Our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and
birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that
move along the ground." (Genesis 1:26).
If God is only One, who is He speaking to when He said "Let us make
man?" Only God has the power to create by a miracle life from nothing. So who is this
"us," whose image man was to be made in? What likeness does man bear to the
One/plural image of God?
First, only Man/Woman can speak "Words" and communicate. Animals do not possess
a written language or document history. One part of the One likeness is "The
Word" of God.
Second, only Man/Woman has moral conscience, the ability to choose between right and
wrong, good and evil. Animals cannot do math, produce art, literature, musical
instruments, among many examples. Man/Woman can intelligently reason and creatively
express themselves. Man's ability to "rule" or cultivate his environment
reflects the image of God. Therefore, the ability to speak the Word is incomplete without
the Divine "Moral Conscience" to choose, to improve, to correct mistakes and
morally sin and choose evil, or choose sacrificial love.
Third, Man/Woman are more than "Word"--or the ability to communicate, more than
"Moral Conscience" and are incomplete without this third element; Spirit.
"Spirit" reflects the "unique" unseen, life of an Eternal nature in
the image of God.
Some would say we are like any other animal, like a dog. When one dies that is all - he
ceases to exist, like a dog or an insect. Some others would say we are on a revolving
"Wheel of Life" and are like the leave of a tree, for a season green, then
brown, we fall to the ground to be absorbed, to give nourishment to the roots, to enter
the life of a tree to become leaves again, or perhaps a random other form of life, a worm,
or a man.
But you are "unique!" You exist one time in all history, never to be repeated.
Why? Like each snowflake is unlike the next in design, so are you! You are "one of a
kind," unique in all history, unique in all three areas.
If one only looks at the Eternal "Spirit" of God alone, it becomes only cold,
impersonal and doesn't reflect the other two parts of His nature, namely "Moral
Conscience" and "Word."
Only when a person looks at all Three aspects of the One Image of God can the unique
wonder of God and the precious nature of man appear in a complete picture!
In Islamic theology, Al-Barkhawi comments "If all infidels became believers, He
(Allah) would gain no advantage. If all believers became infidels, He would suffer no
loss." Does this sound personal or impersonal?
The Qu'ran idea of God or Allah says man has no choice and that all is predestined by
Allah. Any moral choice is an illusion since one is pre-ordered to either obey or disobey
Allah. Man has no choice, no life to submit unless it is Allah (God) who chooses you to do
the submitting. The Qu'ran blurs the ancient image of God.
God, the One True, Living and complete God wanted to express Himself by the Eternal, Holy
Spirit; by the Father, the Moral Conscience; and third by the "Word." The
important part about the "Word," (the Greek "logos") is that God chose
two very key words to emphasize in His likeness.
The first is Love. God is not an uncaring, impersonal God! God is real love! God is a
caring and personal Creator. He seeks to be intimately involved in His creation. Not
weakness, but rather true strength, Inner Strength of character with mercy balanced yet
winning over justice.
The second is Truth. God desires to communicate with His creation in a variety of ways
they can understand as Truth.
Therefore, who is the "us" referring to in Genesis 1:26? It is the Word, the
Spirit, and the Father attributes of the One God discussing the creation of mankind. This
is the Mystery of God revealed to creation. God is a Tri-Unity, God is Tawheed.
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Chapter
2
The Mystery of a Ruined Creation
All that God created was made to work in a perfect rhythm of balance and
timing. Imagine if one day the sun decided to not come up on time or the earth went
another direction from its orbit!
All that God created was made to work according to a specific Design and Plan. The sun has
no choice, the tides have no choice, and the birds have no choice.
Yet God said, "Let us make man in our image." Man was given choice because he
alone, of God's creation was made in the image of God. Therefore, though man was made to
work in harmony with a specific Design and Plan like all the rest of creation, he could
choose to walk in that Plan or out of it. This plan is predetermined just like the Earth's
path, yet man can choose to leave the orbit of His plan, or choose to walk in harmony with
it.
The Living Godhead had choice, and this choice was made very clear to man and woman.
Harmony if they followed God's Way, and disharmony and chaos if they chose to go a
different path. Now imagine a well-designed creation and one part decided not to work!
Imagine if your stomach decided to stop working and no food would pass through.
One part affects all the rest and if it isn't fixed the entire body would die. The same
problem happened with all creation. Man and woman chose to go another path, and the entire
world began to die! Mankind "spiritually" died that day.
Could the matter be fixed if they just agreed to go back to the original path? It isn't so
easy. How can the sun be redirected back to its right path if it left orbit? How can a
body's stomach be restored to health? God had a plan; God had a cure. Only He could repair
the damage done to His creation, no one else could do it.
It wouldn't be easy at all. In fact, it would cost God the most extreme effort of His
Being to correct this problem! It could not be done quickly either, but would take
careful, specific preparation. God needed to reveal His extreme effort of love and care so
that future generations of men and women could make the right choices!
So, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that had been
made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the
darkness, but the darkness has not understood." (John /Injil 1:1-5).
Mankind had gone into darkness, off the path and out of harmony. The entire creation was
affected severely. So God decided to do His greatest miracle in order to correct the
disaster. He decided to come in the form of a human being Himself--one time--in all
history to save His creation. Can God do such a thing? Did not God appear to Moses in the
burning bush for a time? Cannot God appear in another form for a season?
God decided to come in the form of a child, born of a virgin. Never has such a thing
happened! "Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, a
young virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name "Immanuel,"
which means "God with us" (Isaiah 7:14).
"For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government
will be upon His shoulder, and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, of the increase of his government and peace there
shall be no end " (Isaiah 9:6).
Hundreds of years after this was spoken and written, it came to pass! The ancient Jewish
prophets had spoken of the coming child born of a virgin called "Mighty God,
Everlasting Father" and finally the miracle happened; the "Son of God"
miracle!
No! God had no physical relationship with the woman for she was a virgin and was pure, but
God spoke and "The Word" part of God came to dwell in this young woman. It was a
miracle to bring forth a child who would correct the sin and disaster of the first man and
woman. How?
First, the child needed to live a sinless life; and did, even though he had as many
opportunities to sin as you and I every day. Yet, every time, He chose to do what was
right. This corrected the disaster and was to be an example for all generations of how to
bring all people, all creation back into harmony with God, nature and fellowman. The only
Way! Blessed in every Way.
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Chapter
3
The Mystery of the "Sinless" Son
Buddha could not correct this, Muhammad could not correct this, no ideology or philosophy
could correct this, only one name under heaven could correct this . . . Jesus!
"And He hath made me blessed wheresoever I be," (Surah 19:31).
"Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other name
under heaven given among men, whereby we must be save" (Acts/Injil 4:12).
Let us first compare what is known about Jesus and what is know about Muhammad.
Jesus
Muhammad
His name means
His name means "praised
"Savior" - Isaiah 63:8
one."
Also "Al-Amin,"
Matthew 1:20-23 also,
trustworthy
"Immanuel" --"God is
with us!"
Born of a virgin, Mary
Born of Ammiah
No earthly Father,
Abd Allah was his father
According to Bible and
Quran.
Born about 4 B.C. in
Born A.D. 570 in Mecca
Bethlehem, Israel
Raised by Mary, his
Raised by his mother,
mother and Joseph, his
Hailima the nurse, then
adopted father.
his uncle and grandfather.
Labored as a local
Started as a shepherd then
carpenter in city of
became a camel caravan
Nazareth, Israel.
leader to Syria.
Spoke in Hebrew,
Spoke only Arabic.
Aramaic and probably
Greek.
Was literate; wrote no
Was literate; wrote the
Books.
the Quran.
Attracted multitudes by
Attracted multitudes by
his miracles and teachings.
by
his teaching and the sword.
Had to move to the city
Had to move to Medina because
of Capernaum because of
of rejection by his townspeople.
rejection by his towns-
people.
Was never married.
Married to fifteen wives.
Lived a sinless life,
Lived no sinless life, prayed according to both
according to Bible
the Bible and the Quran often for forgiveness of sins.
and Quran.
Waged no physical war.
Waged physical war by fighting
or leading in 66 battles.
Ordered the death of no one.
Ordered the death of many men
(some as old as 100 years) and
women (the first was a poetess).
Established a religion of
Established a religion of
mercy even for
fear and the sword.
one's worst enemies.
Established an eternal
Established an earthly empire.
"spiritual" kingdom.
Died by crucifixion in
Died in Medina due to affects of
Jerusalem at age 33.
pneumonia and poisoning at age 62.
.
Arose the third day,
Lingers still in his grave still
alive from the dead,
awaiting the Day of Judgment
emptying His tomb.
According to the Quran.
Quran/Suras 355 and
Suras 1933) Bible
Matthew 27:27-28:10
Old Testament predicted
No scripture predicted his coming.
his coming, His life, death,
and raising again.
Isaiah 53:1-12
Mentioned in the Qu'ran
Mentioned in the Qu'ran
(97) ninety-seven times.
(25) twenty-five times.
1,500,000,000 claim to be
800,000,000 claim to be
his followers.
his followers.
Many of His followers
Many of his followers (Muslims) are known
(Christians) are known
for their fanatic dedication to
for their dedication, love,
war and vengeance, even
and caring for others,
or killing other Muslims.
even for their enemies.
About 5000 Greek and
Four different Qu'ran
and Aramaic manuscripts
traditions existed and instead
of the New Testament exist
of the variations preserved for
in whole or in part. The
future comparison, all but one
best and most important of
was destroyed. The Hijazi
these date back to about
tradition, the Kufan tradition,
A.D. 350.
the Basran tradition, and the
Comparison of
Syrian tradition from Ubayy
these show extreme care
ibn Ka'b, one of the scribes of
given by scribes that they
Muhammad. Uthman was
not be corrupted and the
commissioned to destroy all but
original teachings faith-
his edition.
fully preserved.
Jesus taught that all
Muhammad claimed to have
revelation from God
added to the Revelation of God.
ended with Him.
(Bible/Romans 10:4
Revelation 22:18-19)
Jesus correctly predicted
Sura
30:1-4 predicts the "defeat of the age" of the Byzantines in Syria by the
the "end of the Jewish Old
Persians under
Khusran Parris (AD 615 @ 6 years before the Hergira), "in
Testament age" before "that
a small number of
years." Muhammed said a small number is just (Al-Baizanui)
generation would pass away."
Byzantines defeated Persia in AD 628, yet 12 years after Muhammed's words!
This was fulfilled in A.D.70
with the destruction of the
Temple as he spoke of in
Luke 21: 5-7, and in Luke
21: 20-33. His prophecy
came true 40 years after
Jesus spoke it forth!
My friends, why do I bring these things up? It is
because in all our short lives, the truth about God has the greatest influence on our
lives, both in this life and in our eternity.
I believe that only God knows Muhammad's heart and motives. I believe God sent true
Christians with uncorrupted Bibles to Muhammad, but I also believe Satan sent false
Christians to Muhammad with corrupted texts and Muhammad chose to believe the false
Christians teaching instead of the "true Christians." How sad! This is like
believing one of today's cults that have sprung out of Christianity, instead of true
Christianity.
Each of these cults have added another "revelation" in addition to the Bible
and/or the Qu'ran saying their teacher or prophet was the final and true prophet. The
ancient "Christian cults" who influenced Muhammad taught there was no trinity,
that Jesus was not crucified nor did he die, and that Jesus was not anything but a
glorified angel.
Oh, that Muhammad would have become a true believer in Jesus. How different his life would
have been! He would have refused to go into war or to kill any of his enemies! He would
have shown only love to Jews, idolaters and many of them would have left their former
lives to follow the Jesus he loved.
Muhammad esteemed Jesus as the highest of all prophets and reported to have said, "I
am most akin to the son of Mary among the whole of mankind," and "I am most
close to Jesus, son of Mary, among the whole of mankind in this worldly life and the next
life." (Sahih Muslim, Vol. 4, pp. 1260-1261).
If only Muhammed’s choice would have truly been to walk like Jesus! Yet you can! My
prayer is that you consider the true Jesus of the Bible!
Even with the corrupt ideas the cults had shared, Muhammad still had some truths about
Jesus. What are these in the Qu'ran?
1. Jesus was born of a virgin (Sura 19:16-35)
2. Jesus was the "Messiah" of the Old
Testament prophecies. (Sura 4:171)
3. Jesus was a Spirit from God. (Sura 4:171)
4. Jesus was the "Word of God." (Sura
4:171)
5. Jesus was faultless and sinless. (Sura 19:19) This
is the greatest "19" verse of the Qu'ran, and makes Jesus the
greatest prophet, for:
Adam sinned. (Sura
2:36, 7:22,23),
Abraham sinned. (Sura
26:82),
Moses sinned (Sura
28:15-16),
Jonah sinned (Sura
17:142),
David sinned (Sura
38:24-25),
Muhammad sinned (Sura
47:19, 48:1-2, 33:36-38),
yet
Jesus did not sin!
"But we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet
without sin."
6. Jesus is illustrious in the world and the
hereafter. (Sura 3:45)
7. Jesus was taken up to heaven by God. (Sura 4:158)
8. Jesus was to come back to earth for judgment (Sura
43:61) translation. Yusuf Ali and Mishkat IV pp. 78-80.
Why then was Jesus so hated by the Jewish religious leaders who wanted him dead?
First, Jesus healed a man who had not walked in 38 years and did this on the Sabbath day!
He would forgive peoples’ sins. (Luke 7:49)
"So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews
persecuted him. Jesus said to them, My Father is always at his work to this very day, and
I, too, am working.’ For this reason the Jews tried to all the harder to kill him;
not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making
himself equal with God." (John 5:16-18)
Surat al-Imran (The Family of Imran) 3:49 states of Jesus, "I healed him
who was born blind, and the leper, and I raise the dead, by Allah’s leave."
Again Jesus said, "I and my Father are One." The Jews took up stones
to stone Him, and Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from the
Father; for which of these do you stone me?" The Jews answered Him, "We stone
you for no good work, but for blaspheming, because you, being a man, make yourself
God." (John 10: 30-33)
Why would Jesus make such a claim? Jesus "knew no sin" (I Corinthians 5:21),
Jesus "did not sin" (I Peter 2:22), Jesus "was without sin" (Hebrews
4:15), and in Jesus "is no sin" (I John 3:5). Since both the Bible and the Quran
agree on this point, (Sura 19:19), can you see the need for the "sinless" One,
Jesus, equal with God, to forgive your sins? Jesus is ready to do this, but first you must
understand the most important mystery of mysteries!
Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me
has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."
(John 5:24)
The mystery of God that is revealed next is the one of God’s own
"Suffering" for his lost children of humanity; to set them back on the correct
path again. Have you ever loved one intimately your heart, only to watch them go a wrong
way? Then read on . .
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Chapter 4
The Mystery of the "Suffering" Father
"Let us make man in our image" (Genesis 1:26). God, in
all His mysterious fullness, is both righteous, holy, sinless, as well as loving, gracious
and merciful.
In the beginning, man and woman in the Garden of Eden were also righteous, holy, sinless,
and well as loving, gracious and merciful.
Though they were two people (male and female), God declared that they were "one
flesh" i.e.; a unity (Genesis 2:24). The relationship they had was that of a Father
and His children and God declared "it was very good" (Genesis 1:31).
But, to be made in God’s image does not mean Adam and Eve, the first man/woman was in
any way EQUAL with the Godhead! They were still "created" beings, not
"equal" to God!
Today science is able to "clone" a sheep, and perhaps in the future a man or a
woman. Then that person will be "in the physical image" of the other person much
like an "identical twin," yet are they equal to each other? No, each will have
different decisions, experiences, and histories in different times. They are not equal.
It’s amazing that Jesus therefore claimed to be "eternally equal" with God,
with the same history, the same thoughts, the same mind as God! Jesus was 100% man, born
of a virgin and 100% sinless in the true image of God! Jesus claimed to God "in the
flesh" and indeed lived a sinless life. Why?
Jesus was the only one who could eternally correct damage done by Adam and Eve. After
Adam, all mankind lost the image of the Living God except for a few individuals. Many
times throughout history, God considered destroying all mankind in His righteous justice!
During the time of Noah, only (8) eight people survived on the ark, because God was
"grieved that he had made mankind" (Genesis 6:7). God saw that all humanity had
become very wicked and every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil all
the time (Genesis 6:5).
Ancient Chinese writing stands as a memorial to the great worldwide Flood of the Bible in
the character "boat/ark" (Chuan). This
character means: a vessel +(8)eight +mouth or people! The character for "flood"
is "Hongshui" which means: "(8) eight + united + earth = total + =
flood!" Later, God had promised never to send a flood to destroy the
earth again, but His creation had grieved Him so much that He wanted to destroy all the
people He had saved from Egyptian bondage during the time of Moses.
"I have seen these people," the Lord said to Moses, "and they
are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and
that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation" (Exodus 32:10).
Moses interceded for the people, he didn’t leave God alone and in his prayers he
reminded God of His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Israel (Exodus 21:13).
Mankind all through the Old Testament Torah and Prophets continued to get worse and worse
and God would bring many judgments on the people. Yet, external punishment and judgment do
not change the heart! Fear does not change the heart!
Repetitious religions, rituals and external habits of ordered behavior did not change the
evil hearts of mankind! Was mankind lost forever, hopeless? Could mankind’s heart and
life ever reflect the true image of God again? Could the wicked downward spiral ever be
stopped for mankind? Yes!
God was allowing mankind’s out-of-control path to reach a "critical mass,"
a perfectly timed place in history to change the course of mankind by sending Jesus. He
told "that generation," "And so upon you will come all the
righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood
of Zechariah, son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. I tell
you the truth, all this will come upon this generation" (Matthew 23:35- 36).
All the generations of mankind had been overall wicked people, yet Jesus’ generation
would "fill up" the measure of evil accumulated since Adam and Eve sinned and
set the world spiritually off course.
Adam, the first sinful man brought disharmony, imbalance and death to all mankind. Only a
sinless man, Jesus could bring harmony, balance and life to all mankind.
This disobedience of sinful Adam and Eve to God’s command brought death to all
creation, therefore the "sinless" obedience of Jesus could be the only act to
rebalance creation. God needed to go one step further than "rebalancing"
creation, for God desired to "correct" the problem of sin forever.
What good is it for a "sinless man" to come in obedience to rebalance all
things, if only another "sinful man" knocks it out of balance again? A greater
change and correction to all creation needed to take place. "For since
death (spiritual, creation, death) came through a man, the resurrection of the dead (new
creation, spiritual life) comes also through a man"
(I Corinthians 15:21).
The mystery of sinless obedience of Jesus, the "new man" of a restored creation
was the degree of how extreme an obedience it would take to forever change all history.
Ali substituted once for Muhammed in hiding in his bed, one substitutes for another
at the Haj, and in the Haj an animals Blood is sacrificed, Why? Why? God wants you to see
His substitution!
Death was the haunting problem. Spiritual Death! That all mankind had veered off course on
a path away from God. Holy, righteous Justice demanded Death to all Mankind.
From Adam to Jesus, all who died under the Old Testament died separated from God. Those
righteous ones like Moses and Abraham went in death to a waiting place called
"Paradise." The unrighteous to a waiting place called "Tarturus." They
all awaited the day of history’s greatest change, but Death, this holy separation
from God due to mankind’s sin, needed to be forever corrected. None could enter into
God’s Presence after death except through one great event that would happen.
God’s heart was most grieved that mankind, His creation was not re-united with Him!
The mystery of the "suffering Father" is the Father who poured His Life into His
children only to be spurned and rejected by them because sin had blinded them to His love
for them. The "sinful" children all desired to be "equal" in every way
with God, to be their "own gods," to be worshipped as men "gods" and
women "goddesses." They choose their own standards of what is "truth"
and what is "false," killing those who did not agree with their
"godhead" and honoring those who bowed to their image of values. Spiritual
Idolatry!
Like people who rejected a great artist, yet sold and fought over his paintings, mankind
rejected the Creator only to worship His creation, even themselves.
Muhammad was a created being, Buddha was a created being, and you and I are created
beings. Muhammad is dead, Buddha is dead, Confucius is dead, and one day you and I will
face death too! Men and women die every day who have only lived lives as "little
gods." Rich or poor, if they did not live to honor the Father God, our One Creator,
and looked to His plan and miracle to restore a right relationship, they remained in
"Death" and His Heart suffers.
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Chapter 5
The Mystery of the Most Extreme Miracle/Sign Proof!
What is the most extreme miracle you know of? What is the most amazing
"Sign" in all history God could do regardless of whether people accepted it or
not?
"We refrain from sending the signs, only because the men of former
generations treated them as false" (Sura 17:59).
Regardless of whether mankind accepts miracles or not, God has a purpose in bringing forth
miracles. It is proof to those who desire to return to unity with God and His Plan for His
creation.
Jesus was born of a virgin. A miracle! Jesus was a "sinless, faultless man," a
miracle!
In the Surat av Ma’idah (The Table Spread) 5:1-10, we read, "When
Allah saith, O Jesus, son of Mary! Remember My favour unto thee and unto thy mother; how I
strengthened thee with the Holy Spirit, so that thou speaketh unto mankind in the cradle
as in maturity; and how I taught thee the Scriptures and Wisdom and the Torah and the
Gospel; and how thou didst shape clay as it were the likeness of a bird by My
permission?"
To none other that "Isa/Jesus" has God given this power, this miracle to impart
life, to bring forth life from non-life, to turn clay birds into live ones. Only God could
do such a miracle.
Surat al-Imran (The Family of Imran) 3:49 states, "I heal him who was
born blind, and the leper, and I raise the dead, by Allah's leave."
In the Holy Injil, the Bible, Jesus raised the only son of a widow in the city of Nain,
from the dead! (Luke7:11-17) "They were all
filled with awe and praised God. 'A great prophet has appeared among us!’ they said.
God has come to help his people!" Jesus healed multitudes of people,
the lepers, the blind, the deaf, the demon possessed and insane, the lame and raised many
from the dead. He turned water into wine, and even walked on water! Jesus’ word would
calm the raging storm or fill an empty net over full with fish!
After Jesus would heal, he would forgive their sins, saying, "Friend, your sins
are forgiven." The religious leaders of the Jews were furious at this, saying,
"Who is this fellow who speaks in blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God
alone!" (Luke 5:17-26)
Jesus spent much of his time with the "outcasts" of society. They asked him, "Why
do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" (Luke 5:30-31).
These people were considered low and unclean, not worth Jesus’ time. Jesus replied, "It
is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous,
but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:31-32). Jesus even raised a man who
had been dead three days!
Yet of all these wonderful miracles, signs and proofs, it was not the "most
extreme" miracle. Jesus said, "This is a wicked generation. It asks
for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah
was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of man be to this generation" (Luke
11:29-30).
What was this one special miracle beyond all miracles? Jonah was sent by God to speak to
his enemies, to turn them back to God and away from a wicked life before God’s
judgment fell on that nation. Jonah at first did not want to go to these people, his
enemies, and fled the other way.
Yet God commanded a great fish (Jonah 1:17) to swallow Jonah and
he lived inside the fish three days and three nights. When Jonah preached to the
Ninevites, he was like a man alive from the dead, bleached white from the great
fish’s stomach acid, and the entire nation heard his message and turned to God.
Jonah preached, "Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who
knows? God may yet relent (For God had declared 40 days and the city would be destroyed)
and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish" (Jonah
3:9).
Listen my friends, Jesus said "and now one greater than Jonah is here."
"Because your sins are so many, and your hostility so great, the prophet
is considered a fool, the inspired man a maniac. The prophet, along with my God, is the
watchman over Ephraim, yet snares await him on all his paths, and hostility in the house
of his God." (Hosea 9:7-8)
The religious leaders could not deny the overwhelming good miracles Jesus did all the
time. But they desired to keep what "power" and status they had. They wanted to
continue being little "gods" and didn’t give glory to God as Jesus taught
and did. Instead, they hated him more and accused him falsely.
"Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall
be raised alive! Such was Jesus, a son of Mary, (this is) a statement of the truth
concerning which they doubt." (Sura 3:55 and 19:33)
Jesus’ enemies decided to kill him by making false accusations against him to the
government. Jesus did no wrong for He was "sinless." He only spoke the Truth to
them which made them angry. He claimed to be equal to God, He claimed to forgive sins, He
did miracles daily to help others.
If they killed him, He would be gone forever, no one would be able to raise him from the
dead! Even those whom Jesus raised from the dead had only a "second chance" and
would die later in their lives, they reasoned. No one could escape death, no one could
live forever! Even the prophets who did miracles in the past had died, never to return.
Moses, Elijah, and Elisha were all dead and no longer living on the earth.
So they had Jesus arrested and put on trial. They asked him, "Are you then the Son of
God?" and Jesus replied, "You are right in saying I am." Then they
said, "Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own
lips." Finally Jesus was ridiculed, mocked, beaten, and killed with the
oversight of the government soldiers of Rome (Luke 22:47-71).
This is confirmed in the Qu'ran despite the influence of the corrupted texts that
influenced Muhammad in his writings. Jesus had to die according to the Qu'ran (Sura 4:59,
19:33; 3:55). If Jesus did not die on the cross, as the Bible clearly teaches, then WHEN
did He die?
My friend remember, Jesus promised them He would do one miracle they would never forget ?
Jesus promised that wicked, adulterous generation one sign, the sign of the prophet Jonah.
"For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge
fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the
earth!" (Matthew 12:40).
Why? Why this one sign? This is the mystery of the most extreme miracle proof that God
could show to mankind or do for all mankind!
Death, Burial for Three Days, and then . . . Eternal Resurrection! Never to die again!
This was a first!
First, what did this greatest miracle do for all mankind? It reversed the effects of
Adam’s sin and disharmony to all creation and opened the Way for all men and women
who choose Jesus to exist in harmony with God once more! It set the course of creation
straight again! Permanently! Man’s sinful nature has no more power to alter it again.
Man still has choice, but cannot alter the great Plan of Redemptive History. He has a
choice to live in the Plan or exist out of the Plan and Will of God. Only the
"sinless man" could do this "greatest miracle;" Resurrection
eternally!
Mankind can now and forever taste of the pure, holy, clean spiritual life meant for his
creation, both now in this life and eternally in the glorified resurrection body He gives
us after we faithfully honor Him in this physical body. All mankind from Adam until
Jesus’ generation were cut off from this true spiritual life.
When Jesus shed His blood and died, a man’s "sinless blood" was shed for
the first time in all creation! During those 3 days and 3 nights, Jesus preached to the
"spirits in prison" in the heart of the earth (I Peter 3:18-19).
"When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men."
"What does he ascended’ mean except that he also descended to the
lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the
heavens in order to fill the whole universe!" (Ephesians 4:8-10). Mankind
who had died under the old age were judged, and Jesus led the Righteous by Faith into the
very Presence of God out of the temporary "Paradise" of that age, and into a
Eternal place of Holy Worship! No alcohol or sex in this most Holy Place, no need! God
says, My Will on Earth as it is in Heaven!
The wicked awaited the rest of that "wicked generation" who were given an
additional 40 years to turn as a nation of Old Testament Israel before it came to an
historical End in the complete Destruction of the Temple, sacrificial system, priesthood
and nationhood in A.D.70.
I speak this to all Muslims, Jewish peoples and Christians of our day; the resurrection of
Jesus means a creation began at that time, a NEW CREATION, a new People, a New Priesthood,
a New, Holy Nation, a One People belonging to God (I Peter 2:4-10). I
look at the disharmony and death as the result of false teaching today in Israel on this
matter and my heart breaks.
What did this greatest miracle show mankind? Jesus "died for sins once for all,"
all Chinese, all Arabs, all Europeans, all Americans, all ethnic groups and peoples in the
world and in all generations-- the sinless for the sinful, to bring you to God (I
Peter/Injil 3:18). This is why after the Resurrection, the disciple Thomas exclaimed
"My Lord and my God" and Jesus accepted this Worship and said,
"Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed, Blessed are those
Who have not seen and yet have believed!" (John/Injil 20:28-29).
This Great Design, Great Plan, Great Purpose to Honor the Creator is given to you this
very moment, as your eyes follow these words and your mind ponders these ideas, and your
fingers touch these pages. God, Shang Ti, The One True and Living God is asking you this
moment to offer your spirit, body, mind, soul and heart as a "living sacrifice"
to God by accepting the reality of the gift of what God has done for you!
If you are ready and believe in your heart these things, pray
this prayer out loud to God, "Abba, God my Father, have mercy on me a sinner. I
confess that Jesus is my only Lord and Savior! I believe with all my being and heart that
God raised him from the dead and I humbly seek your saving grace as I submit my entire
life to you. I call on the mystery of your Holy Name, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to save
my soul for now and eternally. I trust in you God and your promise to never be put to
shame for this decision. Help me to stand in this pledge at all cost to honor you. Thank
you for sending Jesus to die for me. Amen" (Romans/Injil 10:8-10).
What do you need to do next? Repent (confess your sins to God, change the direction of
your life to live and honor Jesus) and be baptized (fully immersed/buried into water head
to toe, then Raised out of the symbolic grave a New CREATION).
"We are buried with Jesus into death to your old manner of life, in order
that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may
live a new life." (Acts 2:38 and Romans 6:3-4).
Every one of you in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for the
forgiveness of your sins, be immersed and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit!
Eternal Life! The fullness of the Godhead will guide you as you obey daily and live
according to the teachings of Jesus in the Bible, the Word of God. Read Colossians
2:6-4:6. Do it quickly!
To those who are now baptized followers of Jesus/Isa, prayer is now more than a daily
ritual, it will be your moment to moment Joy! The Intimate Presence of God Himself will go
with you in serving Jesus daily, by serving others in love, in sharing the life-changing
meaning of the message of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. The final mystery of
God will be revealed in you everyday of your life now.
If you have no Injil/Bible, pray that God will send you one. You can write this to website (www.BibleResources.org) and ask
for a free English New Testament (or complete Bible if available) to be sent to you. You
can also read the Bible Online
through this link: If no group of followers meet daily to sing and pray together,
pray and ask God to bring it to pass! The Holy Spirit of God will answer and guide you
into all Truth. May every Muslim village and city turn to Jesus, the Only Living Prophet
of God, never to die again! God seeks to be closer to you than the vein in your neck, He
seeks to see you become His Living Stones, built up into a Holy Community for Him
(I Peter/Injil 2:5).
"The glorious riches of this Mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of
glory. We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may
present everyone mature in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy,
which so powerfully works in me" (Colossians 1:27-29).
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