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Scripture Reading: Matt. 28:19; John 14:16; Gen. 1:26; Exo. 3:14-15; John 4:24
The meaning of what we refer to as the full-time training is very broad. During the past several weeks in the training, you have received many different courses. Now I will offer you yet another course, which is different from all that you received before. Therefore, you must endeavor to enter into it. In this term of the training I hope to speak specifically on “The Revelation and Vision of God.” The messages, each of which is a spiritual weapon, can be used not only for this term of the training. After being compiled into a textbook, they can also be used in future trainings either in the form of videotapes or through the presentation of the co-workers. Moreover, they can be used not only in Taipei today but also abroad in the future.
You are familiar with these two words: revelation and vision. However, the recently saved ones who have come into the church life only a short time ago may not fully understand what revelation and vision mean. Generally, in their concept, people consider these two words as synonyms, thinking that a revelation is a vision and a vision is a revelation. Actually, they are two different things.
This is what revelation means: a scene that includes all kinds of persons, things, and matters is covered, concealed, by a veil so that the mysteries contained therein cannot be known; then one day the veil is opened, and the scene behind it is shown. This is revelation. The Chinese expression ch’i shih means “to open” and “to show.” In Greek, the word for revelation means “the opening of the veil.”
In the Bible many spiritual, divine, heavenly persons, things, and matters were hidden in God, who created all things (Eph. 3:9), and therefore became hidden mysteries. Then one day God opened the veil to us so that we were able to see the mysteries behind it. This is revelation. In the Bible there is a book called Revelation, indicating that it opens the mysteries and shows them to us. Hence, revelation is God’s opening of the veil and disclosing of everything to us.
What is vision? Literally, the Chinese expression i-hsiang means “an uncommon, special scene.” Hence, vision denotes an extraordinary scene. For example, someone may have a house with exquisite decorations. Once you enter in and take a look, you immediately sense something uncommon. To you that is an uncommon scene; that is a vision. In the Bible vision refers to the scenery we see from God. Through His Word God has opened the veil, but we must see the scenes contained in the Word. Whatever we see through God’s revelation is a vision.
The opening of the veil is a revelation; behind the veil is the mystery hidden in God. However, in the Bible throughout the ages the seekers of God, from Adam to John the Baptist, were only groping at the veil. We cannot say that they did not touch anything. Nevertheless, the things they touched were mostly fragmentary and incomplete; some were not quite accurate, and others were not quite thorough. For example, many words in the Psalms came out of the groping by the saints in the Old Testament. Hence, some of the things they said were correct and accurate, whereas other things they said were incorrect and inaccurate. This is because they were like blind men feeling an elephant, each grasping a different part and none being able to grasp the whole picture.
At the beginning of the New Testament, when John the Baptist came, it seemed that the veil was going to be opened, yet it was still not opened. In John the Baptist we still cannot see much of the mystery hidden in God. Then while the Lord Jesus was on the earth, once when He was in the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked the disciples, “Who do men say that the Son of Man is?” They said, “Some, John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” This means that those people were like blind men feeling the elephant. The Lord Jesus went on and asked, “But you, who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:13-16). What Peter saw was wonderful, yet probably only a crack was opened between the veils for him to have a peek (v. 17). This is why afterward he still said so many foolish things.
Another time that Peter spoke a foolish word was in Acts 10. While Peter was praying on the housetop, a trance came upon him. He saw a certain vessel like a great sheet descending from heaven, in which were all the four-footed animals, the reptiles of the earth, and the birds of heaven. Then a voice came to him, saying, “Rise up, Peter; slay and eat!” At that moment he spoke a foolish word: “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything common and unclean” (vv. 9-16). The vision in the region of Caesarea Philippi is like the rising sun that has not yet appeared in full; the vision on the day of Pentecost is like the sun at noontime. Nevertheless, in Acts 10, Peter, being confused again, lost the vision. Although a vision came to him, he could not take it. He received a vision, but he could not understand it.
It was in Paul that the revelation of the mystery was greatly laid open, unveiled. But as a whole, there was still a small part that was not yet unveiled. It was not until the writing of the book of Revelation by the elderly John that the revelation of the mystery was completely laid open. Revelation means “the opening of the veil.” The book of Revelation completely opens the final details; that is, it opens the seven seals (5:5) that sealed up the scroll, the mystery of God, held in the right hand of the Lord Jesus. In the record of Revelation the seven seals are opened one by one. After the opening of the seventh seal, there are the seven trumpets (8:2), which are the contents of the seventh seal. The book of Revelation first opens the veil and then blows the trumpet. To trumpet means to proclaim loudly, to make clear. It is not enough to only open the veil and break the seals; there is still the need for a loud trumpeting, a shouting. After the opening of the seventh seal, there is the blowing of the seven trumpets one after another. Furthermore, the seventh trumpet includes the seven bowls (16:1). At this time the veil is completely opened.
Today to the Lord’s recovery the veil has been completely opened, but to many of the clergy in Catholicism and the pastors and ministers in Protestantism it may still be closed. If you ask them, “What is the book of Revelation about?” They will probably answer, “It is better not to touch it or pay attention to it; otherwise, you will get into trouble.” Not only so, the Catholic Church and some of the Protestant denominations have even gone back to the Old Testament. For example, the robes that their priests wear are altogether patterned after the Old Testament. This proves that they have closed the veil again. Therefore, Catholicism is a “veiled religion,” a religion without revelation. The characteristic of the Lord’s recovery, however, is that the veil has been completely opened from the first chapter of Genesis to the last chapter of Revelation. If you have spent time to study the publications put out among us, especially in the last ten years, you will see that the veil has been fully opened among us. Take the latest publication, God’s New Testament Economy, as an example. This book has a total of forty-four chapters, the last nineteen of which are on the final scene—the New Jerusalem. I can say that the New Jerusalem, not only in its contents but even in all its details, has been fully explained and completely opened to you. This is why it is included as part of your curriculum, and I fully agree with this.
A number of times people have brought me to take a tour of manufacturing plants, showing me all the interior furnishings and machinery, but I could not understand the things I saw, nor was I interested in them. While people were explaining to me, in my heart I was probably considering the significance of Exodus 19. Since I was “absent-minded,” I could not understand one bit of what I saw. Today the Bible, including the last book, Revelation, is already in our hands. In this sense the Bible should be an unveiling, a revelation, yet many professors and students of theology as well as pastors and ministers still cannot understand the meanings in the depths of the Bible, even though they study it every day.
Last year when I returned to Taiwan, I bought a copy of the New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs appended. Westerners like to add Psalms at the back of the New Testament; the purpose of this is to teach people how to be devout as well as to instruct them how to pray, praise, and endure sufferings. The majority of the Chinese like maxims, and according to my knowledge, the best maxims in the world are found in the book of Proverbs in the Holy Bible. Therefore, the Chinese added Psalms and Proverbs at the back of the New Testament. Three days ago, having a little leisure time, I opened such a New Testament that I bought recently and discovered two pictures printed at the end. One picture shows a palace, a cobweb hanging from its wall, and a small creature crawling on the cobweb. The Scripture cited is Proverbs 30:28, which says, “The spider taketh hold with her hands, / and is in kings’ palaces” (KJV). A small creature crawls on a cobweb, yet she lives in kings’ palaces. This is man’s knowledge of the Proverbs. The other picture shows a heap of thorns and nettles and a pile of stones; the Scripture cited is Proverbs 24:31, which says, “There it was, all overgrown with thorns; / Its surface was covered with nettles, / And its stone wall was broken down.” Why was it so desolated? The following verses say, “When I looked, I considered it; / I saw it and received instruction: / A little sleep, a little slumber, / A little folding of the hands to rest, / And your poverty will come upon you like a robber, / And your want, like an armed man” (vv. 32-34). I am very familiar with these verses. Over sixty years ago a famous traveling preacher in China wrote a message, entitled, “The Evil Consequences of a Sluggard,” based upon these verses. As a newly saved one, I was deeply moved after reading that message; I felt that I should not be lazy anymore but should work diligently instead. I often asked myself, “Is there a heap of thorns or nettles on the ground of my house? Is there a pile of stones and mud? If so, clean up!” That was my condition in the first year after I was saved. Gradually, however, when I studied the Bible in a deeper way, I stopped paying attention to the thorns, nettles, and fallen stones. Instead, all I saw was the economy, the mystery, and the vision of God.
Dear brothers and sisters, please consider: You have the New Testament here, and you also have Psalms and Proverbs here, but at the end these two pictures are printed. What does this show? It shows that people have seen only this much. The vision they have received is that a small creature crawls on the wall and lives in the palace and that we should not be lazy but be diligent instead. Furthermore, in America some famous preachers are preaching on television “The Secret of Success,” teaching people how to open factories and manage banks by trusting in God and praying to the Lord that they may have a successful enterprise, become prosperous, and make a lot of money. The live audience consists mostly of businessmen in their thirties or forties. They are greatly encouraged and recognize that Jesus is believable and God is worthy of their worship. They believe that all they need is to worship and believe in God, and their business will prosper and be successful. This is the fallen and pitiful condition of today’s Christianity.
Today you are serving the Lord full time, but I would like to ask you: In your full-time work for the Lord, what do you preach to people? Do you tell people how restful it is that a small creature crawls on the wall yet lives in the palace? Or do you tell them that the evil consequences of the sluggard are thorns, nettles, and fallen stones? Or do you tell them the secret to a successful business? What do you preach when you go out to knock on doors? You need to preach the economy of God and the mystery of human life.
Not too long ago when I went back to Anaheim, I heard two testimonies on door-knocking in a Chinese-speaking meeting. One brother said that he testified for twenty minutes about how he escaped by swimming from mainland China to Hong Kong. Some were moved by his testimony and expressed their desire to believe in the Lord, but no one was baptized. Another two brothers testified that they met someone during their door-knocking. They wanted to preach the gospel to him, but he said he had no time. The brothers said, “It will take only a few minutes.” Then they opened the booklet The Mystery of Human Life and read a paragraph with him. They went on to tell him that God has an economy and that man was created with three parts—spirit, soul, and body, with the spirit being the innermost part into which God desires to enter and dwell. In less than fifteen minutes that person was baptized in a saint’s house nearby. Brothers and sisters, which one of the two testimonies would you imitate? Only the blind, due to their ignorance, would appreciate the first testimony. By this you can see that when you go into people’s homes, you should not give lengthy testimonies or speak your own words. Moreover, you should not talk about the small creature in the kings’ palaces or about not being lazy. You should present The Mystery of Human Life to people and lead them to contact the Lord’s word directly. This is the secret of today’s preaching of the gospel by door-knocking to lead people to believe, be baptized, and be saved.
My burden is not to give you lessons one after another; rather, my burden is to give you a secret so that you will have something to apply when you go out to preach the gospel by door-knocking. The secret is the revelation and vision of God. Beginning with this chapter we will use one scene after another to speak about the revelations of God and explain the visions that we have seen therein. The Bible contains God’s revelations, but you need to see them. Once you see them, they become visions.
The first scene of the revelation in the Bible is the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. When Christianity was first brought to China, the missionaries translated their biblical knowledge and some theological doctrines into Chinese. It was not an easy task in those early days. The Bible does not have the expression the Triune God; the earliest Chinese translation of the term Trinity was san-wei-i-t’i, that is, “three persons, one substance.” Hence, before we speak about the revelation of the Triune God, we need to know the history of the development of Christianity in China.
In A.D. 431 the Council of Ephesus condemned the sect of Nestorius as heretical. However, this sect gained many believers in Syria and was protected by the Persian Empire. In the seventh century, during the Tang Dynasty, Nestorianism spread into China. At the same time, it spread also to southern India and became the origin of Christianity in India. The missionaries who brought Nestorianism to China concentrated their activities mostly in the region of Sian, the capital at that time, and they preached primarily to the officials and scholars. Nestorianism was received by several emperors, and a number of temples were built. Today there is still a Nestorian tablet with an inscription that contains the phrase ch’ing feng, which literally means “clear breeze,” denoting the Holy Spirit. This implies that Nestorianism did not have much knowledge of the truth. Later, the flourishing of Buddhism influenced some of the emperors, who prohibited the activities of Nestorianism and destroyed its temples. Eventually, due to its lack in truth and life, Nestorianism vanished.
In the sixteenth century during the Ming Dynasty, Catholicism spread to China. The Catholics rendered the Holy Spirit as “the Holy God” and rendered God as “the Lord of Heaven”; this brought in some difficulties in translation. Later, the Western missionaries went to the Orient. Generally, the translations put out by the various denominations were about the same, and even some of the expressions were the same as those used in Catholicism. It was then that the term Trinity was translated into Chinese as san-wei-i-t’i, which literally means “three persons, one body (substance).” I was born, educated, and reared in Christianity, and I also memorized the doctrine of san-wei-i-t’i. Yet I did not understand what it was all about, nor did I know whether the word t’i refers to a group of people as a corporate body, to the physical body, or to a body with a shape. In 1958 while I was traveling in Greece, I saw a painting in an Eastern Orthodox Church of a man with a body and three heads who looked like a monster. When I saw that, I felt that it corresponded with the phrase three persons, one body that I read in my youth.
Until this day I still do not fully understand what the phrase three persons, one body refers to in Chinese theology. The most important statement in Chinese theology about the Trinity is that there should be “neither the confounding of persons nor the dividing of the body (substance).” The “persons” are the three persons in the Godhead—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. That there should be no confounding of persons means that the Father is the Father, the Son is the Son, and the Spirit is the Spirit; there should be no confounding of the three. Furthermore, the “body (substance)” is one and cannot be divided. This is the primary significance of the doctrine of the Trinity in Chinese theology.
Now we will go on to see the study concerning the Triune God throughout the ages. The New Testament is divided mainly into three sections: the Gospels and the Acts, the Epistles, and Revelation. The Gospels primarily recorded the ministry and revelation of the Lord Jesus. Then the apostles wrote the Epistles as a continuation of the revelation of the Lord Jesus; the most important writer among them was Paul. Last, the apostle John wrote Revelation. After the writing of Revelation was finished, the Lord’s word clearly indicates that the revelation of God has been completed and that no one should add anything to it, nor should anyone take anything away from it (22:18-19). Theologians and godly people throughout the generations have acknowledged that after the apostle John finished writing Revelation, the revelation of God was completed and nothing more can be added.
After the passing away of the apostles, there were the so-called church fathers in church history. Raised up at the end of the first century and in the middle of the second century, they were a group of people, including both Jews and Gentiles, who expounded the biblical truths. They studied extensively the writings of the apostles as well as the contents of the Old Testament and had high theological attainments. Due to their research, the term Trinity was coined. Although the Bible does not have the term Trinity, it has the Trinity as a fact.
The studies and records of the church fathers were all in Greek. In the sixth century, around A.D. 570, the papal system was officially instituted and widely recognized by the churches; thus, a catholic church was formed, which became the antecedent of the Roman Catholic Church. From around A.D. 100 to the formation of the papal system at the end of the sixth century, this period of four to five hundred years was called The Period of Councils in church history. Theological studies during this period continued to be written in Greek.
After the establishment of the Catholic Church with its headquarters in the city of Rome, where Latin was used most prevailingly, theological studies entered the second stage—the stage of the Latin language. From the seventh century to the sixteenth century, theological literature was written chiefly in Latin. Even during the Reformation, Martin Luther still used Latin in his writings, although he was German. Therefore, Latin also occupies quite an important position in theological research.
Then in the 1700s, during the time of Zinzendorf and John Wesley, theological studies gradually turned from Latin to English. In particular, in the beginning of the nineteenth century when the Brethren were raised up, their opening up of the Bible had a tremendous influence on the teaching of biblical truths. Even to the present time, the essential, fundamental theology in Protestantism, both in Europe and America, is still ninety percent based upon the Brethren theology. Then the spread of theology to China produced the Chinese theology. The language in Chinese theology evolved from Greek, Latin, and English. In Latin, the word triune is used for the Trinity. Tri means “three,” and une means “one”; hence, triune means “three-one,” being both three and one. This is why fifty years ago, based upon this, we changed the expression three persons, one body in Chinese theology into the expression three-in-one, which we used for many years. Then we felt that even adding the word in is misleading, so we dropped it; now we simply say “the three-one God,” that is, “the Triune God.” According to the pure revelation of the Bible, God is triune; He is the Triune God.
Why does the Triune God have the aspect of being three? To answer this question we have to study from the theology in the Greek language to the theology in the Latin language. In Greek theology, concerning the study of the Trinity, regardless how hard they tried, the theologians were not able to find any suitable expression from the Holy Scriptures; eventually, they found the word hupostasis (singular). Hupo means “underneath” and stasis means “a supporting substance”; hupostasis, therefore, means “a supporting substance erected underneath.” For example, the three legs of a three-legged table are the hupostases (plural) of the table. In Paul’s Epistles this word is rendered as “confidence” or “assurance” (cf. 2 Cor. 9:4; Heb. 3:14), referring to something on which one can stand firmly. The Triune God has three hupostases, three substantial, dependable supports—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. These three—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—are the three supports of the Triune God.
Concerning the aspect of the Divine Trinity’s being three, another Greek word that is used is prosopa, which is equivalent to the Latin word, personae, from which the English word person is derived. However, most people today are not clear about the meanings of these terms. This is why Philip Schaff, a church historian, was in favor of using the Greek word hupostases, supporting substances, instead of the other terms.
Hupostases refers to the aspect of the Divine Trinity’s being three. Nevertheless, the Divine Trinity is one in His essence. The Greek word for essence is ousia, denoting the essence of the substance. In Latin it is essentia, equivalent to the English word essence. The Triune God has three hupostases but only one ousia. In other words, to explain this according to the Chinese theology, we may say that the Triune God has three persons but only one essence. The persons should not be confounded, and the essence should not be divided. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are three in person, but They are one in essence.
When the theological studies entered into the Latin language, the term personae was used to refer to the aspect of the Divine Trinity’s being three. This word has three meanings: first, it was used in the ancient Roman Empire to refer to the masks put on by an actor in playing different roles; second, it refers to a role in a play, and by extension, to the role of one with an important position in a government or to the role of a significant member of a family; and third, it denotes “person.” With regard to the aspect of the Divine Trinity’s being one, the word essentia in Latin is used; it denotes “essence,” “intrinsic nature.”
Hypostases, which is the Greek word hupostases anglicized, means “substantial, dependable supports”; stasis is equivalent to the English word substance, referring to something real and substantial. Out of the Latin word personae came the word persons, and the Greek word ousia became the word essence.
When the Western missionaries came to China, they used a simple expression san-wei-i-t’i to express the concept of the Divine Trinity. Wei denotes “person,” “substance”; t’i refers neither to a physical body nor to a corporate body but to an entity, to the essence of a substance. Therefore, san-wei-i-t’i means that although the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are three in person or in substance, They are one in essence.
Fifteen years ago in Hong Kong I released some messages on the person of Christ. These messages were later compiled into a book entitled Concerning the Person of Christ. This book clearly outlines six heresies throughout the ages and one proper explanation concerning the person of Christ. This is altogether based upon the research done by the theologians in the past. Recently, a publication was put out in Hong Kong that covers exactly the same things in the same sequence. I would like to speak a word to all of you who are learning to serve the Lord: The way of the Lord’s recovery today is a way that completely repudiates the traditions of Christianity, including Catholicism. Of course, those who are in Christianity are not happy with us since we renounce what they teach. Formerly, in mainland China Brother Watchman Nee was the target of the attacks from Christianity. Afterward, when I was sent abroad, I also became a target, even though that was not what I wanted to be. In America because of our proclaiming the truth, we were libeled and slandered and were therefore forced to file two lawsuits. In one case there was a settlement, and the opposing party issued a public apology in the newspapers. In the other case the opposing party, after losing, intentionally declared bankruptcy. By presenting the truth, we have quelled the waves; now there is no more scornful reviling. However, in the East the situation is still unclear. In the future wherever you go, whether in the East or in the West, you will meet people who are in Christianity. The most important thing is that you should be able to present the truth concerning the Triune God. Therefore, I feel that I should help you to have a clear knowledge to understand the pure revelation of the Holy Scriptures.
We all acknowledge that the matter of God’s being triune is a mystery, and it is also a difficult subject. In order to speak it accurately, we must study the Scriptures in a deep and thorough way. The degree of thoroughness you have in knowing the Scriptures determines the degree of your accurateness. In studying this matter, we have stood on the shoulders of our predecessors, but we also have seen something further. Therefore, our study is more advanced, thorough, and accurate.
To know the Triune God, first we must understand the word hupostases, which refers to the three substances of the Divine Trinity. These three substances are the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. In the entire Bible, Matthew 28:19 is the only verse that clearly puts the Father, the Son, and the Spirit together. As the incarnated God, the Lord Jesus lived a human life on the earth, died on the cross, and resurrected after three days; then in resurrection He came to His disciples and said, “Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Although the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are three, the word name in Greek is singular. This means that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are three substantially, yet They are one essentially.
We dare not say that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are three persons, nor do we dare say that They are not, because this is truly a mystery. In John 14:16 the Father, the Son, and the Spirit all have Their respective pronouns. This verse says, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may be with you forever.” The three pronouns I, He, and He refer to the Son, the Father, and the Spirit respectively. Now we have to go back and look at Genesis 1:26. There it tells us that in creating man, God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” The pronouns used in this verse are plural: Us and Our. To say, based upon these pronouns, that there are three Gods becomes another extreme, which is also a heresy, since both the Old Testament and the New Testament strongly reiterate that there is only one God. Isaiah 45:5 says, “I am Jehovah and there is no one else; / Besides Me there is no God.” Also, 1 Corinthians 8:4 says, “There is no God but one.”
Moreover, Exodus 3:14-15 says, “God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM...Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob...This is My name.” Here, Jehovah denotes the Triune God. God is Jehovah; this name also means the One “who is and who was and who is coming” (Rev. 1:4), implying three periods of time. Yet, in Exodus 3:14-15 the pronoun used is not the plural We but the singular I. Therefore, we cannot say that there are three Gods; rather, we should say that God is triune. Not only so, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob also implies that God is triune, that God has the aspect of being three.
The most important thing about the Triune God’s being one is that God is one in His essence. John 4:24 says, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness.” God here refers to the complete Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit; Spirit in this verse refers to the divine essence. This is just like saying that wood is the nature, the essence, of a table. Therefore, if we want to worship God, who is Spirit, we must worship Him with our spirit, which has the same nature as His.
The foregoing fellowship only gives you some knowledge as a foundation. Although I cannot speak in detail, I hope that you will try your best to remember the various expressions used in the theological studies concerning the Trinity throughout the ages. Then, when you go to speak to others, you will have a solid foundation. During our lawsuit in America, whenever the opposing party came to depose me, I always presented the truth in a clear way; eventually, they had to concede defeat. The situation in today’s Christianity is confusing and full of all kinds of mixtures, such as Mormonism and Jehovah’s Witnesses. As you begin to learn to serve the Lord and touch His work, you must have a clear idea of some of the contents of Christianity and a thorough study of the pure truth. Only then will you be able to present the truth clearly and answer questions properly when you preach to people.
After the training in Anaheim last summer, while I was resting on a nearby mountain, I met someone who belongs to the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Although he has a regular job, he is a zealous believer; he received a two-week training by the Jehovah’s Witnesses and studied six thousand Scripture verses. When I saw him, I asked, “Among your people, do you recognize that Jesus is God?” He told me, “Jesus is not the eternal God; He is another kind of God.” Therefore, I showed him Romans 9:5: “Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever.” Eventually, he conceded defeat, but he brought another person who produced a copy of their book and said, “Yes, Romans 9:5 says that Jesus Christ is God, but this is different from the eternal God.” I did not want to waste my time to continue the debate with them, since it is obvious that there cannot be two eternal Gods.
Today, in a sense, Christianity has spread to the whole earth. Wherever you go, you will meet some missionaries and encounter some obstacles. Therefore, you must understand the truth so that you may be able to help and preserve the lambs who are under your leading. Otherwise, you will have brought people to salvation, but eventually when they are blown by any wind of teaching, they will begin to doubt and be carried away by the wind. For this reason you must be equipped in the truth so that when the need arises, not only you yourself can stand and not be carried away by any wind of teaching, but you can also protect those who are under your leading by defending and confirming on their behalf.
I am not proud; I am just presenting the facts. I challenged Christianity over twenty years ago. Until today, however, no one among them has been able to refute me. This is because the truth is the truth. Now I have passed on to you a summary of the crucial points of the truths, and I hope that you will continue to propagate what you have received. As those who serve the Lord, you must be clear about the basic truths. Ephesians 6:14 says that we should gird our loins with truth and not be loose that we may protect ourselves and preserve others as well. Therefore, I have briefly put before you the crystallization of my studies for many decades, hoping that you will be established, equipped, and perfected.
