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Hopeful Launch Of The Prison Fellowship International Ministry In Indonesia

By the grace of God, Pastor Jhonston Silitonga, Chairman of the Body of Christ Fellowship Indonesia (BOCF) welcome Sister Penny Gonnay, Asia Pacific Director of Prison Fellowship International (PFI), to grace the BOCF pastoral conference and hope to launch the PFI ministry in Indonesia, by the grace of God.

She spoke passionately about sharing the Good News and discipleship through the prison ministry on a national effort and had appointed Pastor Lukas to be the main contact in the hope that the PFI ministry can be established in Indonesia.

For 20 years, the pastors of BOCF numbering up to a thousand, obeyed the exhortation in Heb 10:24-25 to meet every month to stimulate one another to love and good works while waiting eagerly for the return of our Lord. Most do so with much personal sacrifice.

Hallelujah ! All glory and honor to Jesus Christ our Lord.

Hopeful Launch Of The Prison Fellowship International Ministry In Philippines

Ms Penny E Gonnay, the Asia Pacific Director of Prison Fellowship International has graciously turned up to grace the conference of 200 chaplains and pastors in Bangasinan, Philippines on 13th January 2017.

All praise and thanks to our Lord Jesus and God our Father for answering our prayer to have her tremendous support in selecting the National Chaplains of Philippines as possible partner in the prison ministry.

43 chaplains and pastors in Bangasinan Province have signed up for the 3 day training program to be conducted by Ms Penny personally probably in February 2017. More chaplains from other provinces will sign up very soon as well.

All glory and honor to Jesus our Lord.

Thanksgiving Night In Villasis, Bangasinan, Philippines

13th January 2017

So full of joy to join the whole town in celebrating the goodness of God our Father and Jesus our Lord. Together with the mayor, vice mayor, municipal leaders, church leaders and the whole town, we worshiped the Lord and give thanks together for His blessings for the past year.

I thanked the Lord for the honor to deliver a short message to the town. I shared about honoring the leaders who work hard for their welfare and doing good to one another while waiting eagerly for the return of our Lord. I gave the concluding exhortation in 1 Thess 5:12-22.

All thanks and glory to Jesus Christ our Lord.

Principle Of Probability

In John MacArthur’s book, How To Get The Most From God’s Word, I was excited to read about the principle of probability in validating prophecy. He mentioned that the strongest objective argument for the validity of Scripture comes from fulfilled Bible prophecy. He added that the principle of probability could objectively prove the validity of the prophecy if the event occurs exactly as prophesied with incredible odds.

John MacArthur is a well known cessationist. Though he is correct that prophecy in the primary sense has ceased¸ I believe he errs in not believing in the possibility of prophecy in the lesser sense at all. (Please see footnote.) Let me explain. I believe prophecy as in special revelation in the Bible is complete, but the gift of prophecy in the lesser sense (such as the prophecy of a global famine by Agabus in Acts 11:27-30) is still possible. This type of one-off message must not be confused with the ridiculous frequent fortune telling practiced by some.

For such message to be valid as prophecy in the lesser sense, it must have incredible odds of probability to start with. For example, if I prophesy an earthquake this year in a particular country like Japan, the probability is actually pretty high, say 50%. The odds of difficulty will be compounded if I prophesy the month, the day, the city, the exact building that will collapse and finally subsequent visions to reinforce the first vision and the message as well. By then, the odds will be so incredible that when all these details occur according to the prophecy, it is incomprehensible to deny it is not a message from God.

Just a few prophecies concerning our Lord would yield incredible odds of probability which could only proved Him to be the Messiah – born in Bethlehem, of the tribe of Judah, raised in Nazareth, betrayed with 30 pieces of silver, died on the cross, and men casting lots over his garments.

Agabus’s prophecy of a global famine will not twist the doctrine of salvation a bit and is inconsequential to Christian spiritual growth in his or her daily walk with Christ. So the significance probably was something which would affect the ordinary life of the Judea Christians at that time. In this particular case, the famine brought hardship on the Judea Christians which the Antioch Christians were able to help by preparing such relief for them upon learning of a coming global famine. They sent the relief later through Paul and Barnabas to the elders in Judea.

Footnote :

“…in the primary sense of prophets, as vehicles of direct and fresh revelation, it seems we must say that this charisma is no longer given. There is no longer anyone in the church who may dare to say, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying…” or “Thus says the Lord.” It has been argued, however, that prophets may be used in other and lesser senses. Some think there may be men today like the prophet Agabus (Acts 11:28; 21-10-11) whose function is not to add to revelation but to foretell some future event. This is possible. But both church history and personal experience make me cautious…” – John Stott, Baptism and Fullness.

All Israel Shall Be Saved

Rom 11:25-28
25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will banish ungodliness from Jacob”…28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers.

I have always wondered why the Jews do not believe in Jesus as the Messiah over the centuries. That is because they believe in only ONE advent of the Messiah to establish His glorious reign on earth which is prophesied in the OT. Even when our Lord appeared to the apostles speaking much about the Kingdom of God during the forty days after His Resurrection, the apostles still asked for the specific time that God will restore the kingdom of Israel. A clear evidence of the very consuming hope in the psyche of the Jews that one day, the Messiah will restore the Kingdom of Israel and reign in glory as prophesied in the Scriptures. Acts 1: 3-8.

(But Christians believe in 2 comings – the First Advent and the Second Coming – so that all prophecies of the initial suffering and the eventual glorious reign of the Messiah on earth are not contradicted.)

They can only believe in ONE advent of the Messiah in glorious reign. And not a crucified Messiah which is a stumbling block to them. 1 Cor 1:23.

So when the fullness of the Gentiles has come and Christ Jesus finally returns to reign on earth for 1000 years, the nation will see that the Messiah has finally come to reign and BELIEVE in Him. To them, it is the PROPHESIED COMING finally and not the first advent of a crucified Messiah.

I believe ALL ISRAEL does not mean every single Jew. It means the majority of the nation. They are still saved by faith alone in Christ Jesus.

Why Pre-Tribulation Rapture Seems More Plausible

I have always wondered why the Jews do not believe in Jesus as the Messiah over the centuries. That is because they believe in only one coming in the advent of the Messiah to establish His glorious reign on earth which is prophesied. But Christians believe in 2 comings – the First Advent and the Second Coming – so that all prophecies of the initial suffering and the eventual glorious reign of the Messiah on earth are not contradicted.

Similarly, can the post-tribulation position be holding out zealously that the Rapture and the Second Coming is one single event instead of 2 separate events ?

As I studied the different positions, I separated common argument tricks such as red herring, argumentum ad hominem, straw man and weak analogy argument from each position.

I have noticed the evidence supporting the arguments against pre-tribulation rapture in favor of post-tribulation are mostly Scriptural references that clearly state that Jesus our Lord will return after the Tribulation and that belief is also held by the pre-tribulation rapture believers since they believe in the 2 event scenario, and interpreting into the Greek text of the verses. Interpretation into the Greek text of verses should only be the last evidence as it is not as weighty as clear Scriptural references on the possibility of the 2 event scenario.

The pre-tribulation rapture seems more plausible to me after weighing the evidence, considering the main arguments against each position, and taking the position that best include all Scriptural references with the “least” contradiction. I now believe in 2 separate events – the Rapture and the Second Coming – instead of one so that all prophecies concerning these events are not contradicted.

1 Thess 4:16-17 and 1 Cor 15:51-52 clearly refer to a Rapture in the future.

I will start from the weaker evidence to the stronger evidence to explain my position in a pre-tribulation rapture.

The first evidence is based on imminency. Many Scriptural verses exhort that Christians should be looking for the Lord to come at any time. If the church has to go through the tribulation, then we cannot be looking at Christ our Lord coming at any moment. He cannot come for at least 7 years, since we are not in the Tribulation now, and when it comes, it will last for 7 years first.
The Church is not mentioned in Rev 6 to Rev 19 as being on earth. It is strange that Apostle John did not mention the church as he described the tribulation of Daniel’s 70 weeks and the church’s role. Instead the 144,000 Jews from the 12 tribes were mentioned.
The Epistles have no specific warning and advice for the church to prepare for the kind of tribulation found in Rev 6 to 18. They have vigorous warning on spiritual apostasy, calamities and present persecution unlike that of the Tribulation but strangely silent on such traumatic event.
Several verses promising believers that they will be kept out of God’s wrath will be contradicted as many martyrs die during the Tribulation. Rev 3:10; 1 Thess 1:10.
(2 Thess 2: 7-9. the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders…) The Holy Spirit who now restrains lawlessness will be out of the way before the Lawless One is revealed. That implies the true church in which the Holy Spirit indwells has to be out of the way as well.
If the Rapture and the post-tribulation coming of our Lord is one event just prior to the start of the Millennium, coinciding with all the goats being removed and all sheep given glorified bodies in the judgment of sheep and goats, then who will populate the earth and rebel with Satan against our Lord at the end of the Millennium ? It only make sense if the Rapture happens before the Tribulation and there are new believers during the Tribulation who survive it when the Lord returns with His saints with glorified bodies to reign at the start of the Millennium, and their future descendants are still capable of sin during the Millennium. (Isa 65:20; Rev 20:7-10).
The events at Christ’s post-tribulation coming differs completely from that of the Rapture. The most detailed texts in Matt 24 and Rev 19 do not mention Rapture at all.

	Rapture 1 Thess 4:13-18	Christ’s Post-tribulation Coming 1 Cor 15:50-58
Scenario of coming	Christ comes in the air and returns to heaven. 1 Thess 4:17	Christ comes to the earth to dwell and reign. Matt 25:31-32
Gathering of believers	Christ gathers believers. 1 Thess 4:16-17	Angels gather the elect. Matt 24:31
Reward or Judgment	Christ comes to reward. 1 Thess 4:17.	Christ comes to judge. Matt 25:31-46.
Resurrection	Resurrection is prominent. 1 Thess 4:15-16.	Resurrection is not mentioned.
Departure of believers and non believers	Believers depart from the earth. 1 Thess 4:15-17.	Unbelievers are taken away from the earth. Matt 24:37-41.
Believers and non believers remaining on earth	Unbelievers remain on earth while believers are raptured and resurrected.	Believers remain on earth. Matt 25:34.
Christ’s Kingdom on earth	Not mentioned during Rapture	Christ came to set up His kingdom on earth. Matt 25:31-34.
Glorified bodies	Believers receive glorified bodies. 1 Cor 15:51-57	No one receive glorified body at this second coming.

*Evidence is mostly gleaned from the article “Why A Pretribulation Rapture ?” by Richard Mayhue and the Believers’ Bible Commentary on 2 Thess 3.

Regardless of holding whichever position, it is inconsequential to our common salvation. Our Lord only wants us to stay watchful, eagerly await His Return and care for His people meanwhile.

The 7 Year Tribulation period will be unprecedented in terms of terrible distress. Escaping this wrath does not mean we will not face many lesser tribulations, which will increase exponentially in intensity, from the beginning of birth pains to the arrival of Antichrist on center stage.

Postscript 1 : For further reading

https://faith.edu/faith-news/the-inhabitants-of-the-millennium-and-the-timing-of-the-rapture-part-1/

Postscript 2 : Another piece of evidence supporting the pre tribulation rapture.

In Rev 6:9, we read that the martyred saints are still souls and in Rev 4:4 and 4:10, we read that there are 24 elders before the throne of God. It is only after rapture do saints have glorified bodies. The plausible explanation is that the elders, who are resurrected saints, will be able to appear before the throne with glorified bodies while the martyred saints during the Great Tribulation are still souls waiting for the second coming of our Lord to avenge them.

Postscript 3 : More explanation by eminent professors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANUhVvtW08k

Stretching The Dollar During Recession

Prov 6: 6-8. Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.

Prov 27:12. The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

As mentioned in earlier articles on wisdom nuggets, there were 6 recessions in the last 30 years – 1985, 1991, 1997, 2001, 2008 and 2015 – with an average period of 6 years between recessions. Getting lower prices for the big expense items such as an apartment and a car during a recession should be obvious as long as we are willing to wait out the 6 expansionary years between recessions. But it is predictably irrational that many will still buy such big expense items during the expansionary years than the recessionary years.

Residential Apartment

2 of the largest expenses in life are an apartment and a car which most will take a mortgage loan and a hire purchase loan for 30 years and 10 years respectively. If one could save up and buy at the next recession, one would have saved so much as to pay up such loans earlier than the stipulated loan tenure.

Allow me to share my personal experience as an example. My peers and I started our career in 1985. Most bought the public housing apartment in 1987 and paid up the mortgage loan by 1992. Most then upgraded to private apartment in 1994 or 1995 at the peak of the housing prices after surviving the recession in 1991. I decided to continue saving and skip the 1997 recession till the next recession in 2001 before considering upgrading. Following is the comparison of our different financial status.

Year	My Peer	Myself
1992	Owned HDB apartment worth $ 350,000	Owned HDB apartment worth $ 350,000
1994	Bought 120 sq m private apartment for $ 975,000. Took 25 year loan of $ 600,000 and paid monthly installment of $3500.	Continued to save $3500 per month and skip buying apartment in 1997 recession.
2001	Principal loan is still between $ 500K to $ 600K with 18 years’ loan repayment remaining.	Had saved up $ 320,000 with compounded interest instead of paying monthly mortgage.
2002	Principal loan is still between $ 500K to $ 600K with 17 years’ loan repayment remaining.	Bought a 210 sq m apartment for $ 800,000 with a 40% discount from 1995 prices. With the HDB apartment sold at $350,000, $ 320,000 saved up and some CPF balance, I could almost pay up the apartment without taking any bank loan.

Car

During the good years between recession, the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) will be very high. If we can change our cars during the recession, we will save much by paying less for the COE and the depressed car price as well. Allow me to share my experience. I traded in my 5 year old Mitsubishi Lancer in 2009 for a brand new Suzuki Swift and a 7 seater APV without forking out any money. I was paying a HP installment of about $ 800 per month for the Lancer and when I took out both brand new cars at a total cost of $ 85,000, I continued to pay the same $800 plus installment for the next 10 years. The COE during the first 6 months of 2009 and the car price were so depressed that the COE offered by the car distributor was practically zero.

Travel

During recession, you can get very cheap airfare, hotel and food during vacation travel. For one vacation travel destination during the good economic years, you can enjoy up to 3 vacation destinations.

Home Necessities

During recession, you can stretch the dollar so much for home renovation and repair, replacement of necessary old home appliances and furnishing, and purchase of new clothing. Depleting inventory becomes a top priority for all manufacturers faced with excess manufacturing capacity and you can expect very good discounted prices.

Offers Galore

Shopping and dining offers will be in abundance during recession. Time to bless your family with treat to the finest restaurants but paying the price in fast food restaurants normally.

There is apprehension to spend during recession for fear of losing the job. To me, it is irrational fear. As there is a recession every 5 to 7 years, you still have to worry at the next recession when you have already bought a high priced apartment and a car during the good years anyway. So instead of spending during the good years, save up this money till the next recession in a separate bank account. This account should not have existed if you have spent this money away during the good years, and so you cannot treat this account as a rainy day savings account which is another separate account.

Dogs As Mentioned Degoratorily In The Bible

Matt 7:6
Do not give what is holy to DOGS, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

Phil 3:2
Beware of the DOGS, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision;

Isaiah 56:11
They are DOGS with mighty appetites;
they never have enough.
They are shepherds who lack understanding;
they all turn to their own way,
they seek their own gain.

2 Pet 2:22

Of them (false prophets and false teachers) the proverbs are true: “A DOG returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”

As described above in Isaiah 56:11, these dogs are “shepherds” who lack understanding and they seek their own gain with mighty appetites. They peddle the gospel for financial gain and are swindlers in every sense (2 Pet 2:3,14).

They will bring the way of truth into disrepute and many will follow them surprisingly. 2 Pet 2:2. Because of greed for financial gain using God’s name for ministry, they will exploit undiscerning believers with fabricated stories. 2 Pet 2:3. Another clear recognizable trait of such dogs is their boldness and arrogance in heaping abuse on demons and the devil, which even more powerful angels do not blaspheme so at all, in their “slain in the spirit” practice of driving out demons. 2 Pet 2:10-12.

They are better off not knowing the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 2 Pet 2:21. The proverb – a DOG will return to its own vomit – is true of them as they have returned to sinful ways after knowing the way of righteousness. 2 Pet 2:22.

Their fate is spelt out in Rev 22:15 : Outside are the DOGS and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.

Here are some clear commands from our Lord and His Word concerning tares (evil workers) and dogs in the church. And every genuine believer has to decide if he or she wants to obey such clear commands from our Lord to disassociate with them or risk being torn apart by them later.

Do not give what is holy to the DOGS or they will turn to tear you apart. Matt 7:6.
Treat the unrepentant so-called brothers as tax collectors after exhausting the due process of correcting them. Matt 18:15-17.
Avoid people who have a form of godliness but deny its power. 2 Tim 3: 5-6; 2 John 1:10-11
Do not fellowship with so-called brother who is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler. 1 Cor 5:11-12.
Do not welcome false teachers and give them credibility out of your good reputation. 2 John 1:10-11.

King Saul kept the good spoils of the Amalekites and offered sacrifice to God. Though his intention seemed good apparently but God was angry over his disobedience to carry out His command to annihilate the Amalekites. 1 Sam 15. Because King Saul showed mercy to some Amalekite children, they grew up to harass Israel and kidnapped King David’s family later. 1 Sam 30.

Likewise, if we show magnanimity to dogs against our Lord’s clear commands, firstly we have disobeyed a clear command and secondly, we will face adverse consequence of these dogs turning around to tear us apart.

Though Scripture is clear on such church discipline and even mentioned that a DOG is likely to return to its own vomit (2 Pet 2:22), we are still exhorted to welcome recalcitrant believers back into church fellowship when they repent.

Training In Righteousness

James 1:2-4 NASB

2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Heb 12:7-11 NIV

⁷Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? ⁸If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. ⁹Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! ¹⁰They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

When we face hardship or trials, we are exhorted to endure. We are to treat such trials as divine discipline and to expect them if we are sons of the living God. If we endure, eventually we will gain peace and a harvest of righteousness having trained by it.

God’s Revealed Will for us is to conform us to be like His Son (Rom 8:28-29). And so His discipline trains us in this manner to bear fruit of the Spirit :

Personal Trials. Train us in love, peace and joy.
Our Neighbor’s Trials. Train us in gentleness, kindness and goodness towards them.
Testing and Temptation. Train us in patience, faithfulness and self-control.

Testimony (12)

After God gave me such a earth-shattering vision in Sep 2001, I knew He was giving me a message. And in hindsight now, I could understand the purpose of the message for it paved the way for the mission God would give me. I was called to galvanize churches to prepare for the end times and also to encourage doubling effort to share the gospel both in word and in deeds.

But since I have not enrolled for theological studies in any local seminary, I have no alumni network to call on to embark on this God-given mission. I did not serve in any office or ministry in any denominational church for which the church could send me out. I did not join any para-church organization as well. Unless God opens the door for me, it is apparent that I cannot get off the ground at all.

What a journey of faith in seeing how God opened doors for me miraculously! Not one, not two but three in a relatively short period of time. Against all these odds, doors were opened for me in China, Indonesia and Philippines.

“…God led me to know two senior pastors from Guangzhou and Shenyang through a brother who was serving as a missionary in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. They were overseeing a few dozen home churches with some few thousand members in these cities and were part of an alliance of thousands of churches across China with a Baptist background. They invited me to come and share in their churches in China. In late 2007 I made it to share in a pastoral conference in a village in a small town situated one hundred and fifty kilometers from Shenyang. That was to be my first missionary trip. About a hundred and fifty pastors and ministry workers attended. As the churches were unregistered, that conference was considered to be illegal. In the last evening of the conference, I shared the prophetic word that the financial crisis would happen just after the China Olympics in September 2008…The fulfillment of this prophetic word cemented our bonding and led to further mission collaboration in the future.

In 2011, God opened doors for me in a big way to share in the regional mission movements in Indonesia and Philippines also. It was nothing short of the miraculous.

One evening in early 2011, a brother brought an Indonesian businessman to my home. I took the opportunity to share about my visions and the coming financial collapse. He was so intrigued that he invited me to share in the church pastored by his younger brother in Indonesia…On March 10, 2011, I went to Batam to share in a prayer meeting. Some one thousand people attended that evening. And, to my surprise, a radio crew was present to record my message…I learned later that the senior pastor of the church is the chairman of the Body of Christ Fellowship, which is an alliance of some one thousand churches belonging to more than sixty denominations. As I was sitting in a café lounge waiting for my ferry ride back home the next day on March 11, 2011, I saw the breaking news on TV of a tsunami that had just happened in Japan. Over the next 7 days, with my sermon being played on air to an audience estimated to be a million listeners, the sermon – with the mention of signs such as exponential increase of earthquakes and calamities – captured the attention of the churches. I was subsequently invited regularly to share in pastoral conferences across several cities in Indonesia.

Two weeks later, a Filipino pastor walked into our Sunday worship service. We thought he walked into the wrong church, as there was another Filipino worship service in the same premises. He told us that he felt led by God to attend our service. I was preaching that day…He invited me to share with his church in the Philippines. Two months later I travelled to the Baptist church. I did not know it was actually a pastoral conference, or rather, a conference to commission chaplains. As the leaders are mainly pastors of evangelical churches, they invited mostly pastors of evangelical churches to serve as chaplains in the Philippine government across over 80 provinces in the provincial, city and county level today… “

– extracted from my book, The Coming Economic Flood.

1 Cor 1:26-29

²⁶For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; ²⁷but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, ²⁸and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, ²⁹so that no man may boast before God.

What a humbling experience to see how God opened the doors for a person like me with no network, church or resources to call on except just for the grace of God. All thanks and glory to God in the highest !

Chaplain Commissioning Ceremony in Bangasinan.

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