W. Paul Jones, 2002, The Art of Spiritual Direction, Nashville, TN: Upper Room Books
Paul Jones grew up in a United Methodist family and church community but decided to be a Family Brother of the Trappist Order in 1989. He has a deep interest in spiritual direction and believes that Methodism is a model for consideration in spiritual formation. Jones reveals a deep understanding of spiritual direction. He believes that all Christians are called to be spiritual directors. He is comprehensive in this book on the art of spiritual direction. He connects it closely with the work of John Wesley. Jones also introduces a large variety of tools that may be used in spiritual direction.
Title: Tales From Monastery; Spiritual Formation The Asian Way Author: Alex Tang
This book is a collection of humourous stories about a group of disciples living in a monastery. The stories help us to understand God and the teachings in the Bible better.
I like ‘Ah Lek Sweeps the Floor’, ‘Durian Theology’, ‘Ah Lek Inherits Heaven and Earth’, ‘The Ban’ and ‘Walking on Water’. Rebecca and I like the same stories. They are very funny.
‘The Ban’ is very amusing because the Council of the Abba had banned breathing and the use of soap for bathing. I like ‘Ah Lek Inherits Heaven and Earth’ because Abba Ah Beng told Ah Lek that he will never inherit God’s riches because heirs inherit what belongs to their fathers when their fathers die but God, however, lives forever.
I enjoy ‘Ah Lek Sweeps the Floor’ because when Ah Lek died, Jesus gave him a bigger broom to sweep New Jerusalem.
I learn that in certain parts of the Bible, they are not to be taken literally.
Susan Phillips, 2008, Candlelight: Illuminating the Art of
Spiritual Formation, Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing
Susan Phillips, an experienced and knowledgeable spiritual director shares her experience about the art and process of spiritual direction.Unlike other more technical books about spiritual direction, Phillips shares her journey with her directees. This is a collection of case studies with commentaries. A useful book for those who are curious about spiritual direction and not sure what spiritual direction is all about.
Title: Tales From Monastery; Spiritual Formation The Asian Way Author: Alex Tang
This book is about a few disciples and their teacher learning new
things all the time. The stories are very humourous and interesting yet
they teach us about God.
I like the story ‘Ah Lek Sweeps the Floor’, ‘Ah Lek Inherits Heaven
and Earth’, ‘Random Acts of Kindness’ and ‘Walking on Water’.
‘Ah Lek Inherits Heaven and Earth’ is very amusing because he was
daydreaming and he almost fell off the stool he sat on. ‘Walking on
Water’ is also very enjoyable because Ah Lek and Ah Kow tried to copy
Abba Isaac and wanted to walk on water like him. But Abba Isaac didn’t
really walk on water. He was just walking to shore in shallow water. So
it looked like he was walking on water. Many other stories are nice too,
like ‘Durian Theology’ and ‘The Ban’.
I learn that we have to be good disciples of Jesus. Ah Kow, Ah Lek
and many of Abba Ah Beng’s disciples obeyed him and God. So likewise we
should obey those in authority over us and God.
This is a letter written by my dear friend, Assoc. Prof. Wong from Monash University Malaysia in response to an inquiry by Daryl. It is reproduced here in full with his permission.
Dear Daryl,
Your aunt has asked that I share with you my thoughts on medicine and medical education today.
Let me start by saying that I am most blessed to have trained under your Aunt, Prof Florence Wang, and I recall my time in ward 12A at University hospital under her as a most formative part of my training. Thank you Prof!
It has been 3 decades since then and the world has changed. The world of Medicine and medical education has changed beyond even the most imaginative of us all had dared to dream. Some things are good and much detrimental.
I will have to ask you very honestly why you wish to pursue a career in Medicine for this is very important.
Most students simply have very little knowledge of the world of medicine and some very quickly become disillusioned in their clinical years. ALL my students come to me with FULL distinctions or stand at >97 percentile of their cohort; that they are brilliant is without a doubt but sadly many are NOT that motivated to serve humanity. They come into medical school because their results qualify them too, they sing the right well rehearsed song at the interview and because they think it is prestigious, they want to be a medical student!
But the real world of sick humans with all the smell and excrement and drains rapidly reverse all those good feelings, and harsh reality sets in. Osler a great Physician whom your aunt and I both greatly admire said that THE VERY FIRST QUALIFICATION is a Love for Humanity. I believe that that quality is far more important than all the 'A's in your result slip.
AS a GOOD doctor, You will be very important. We have plenty of doctors but not many GOOD ones. The future of many lives and families depend on what doctors do and SAY; imagine all the Good or Damage that can be done. But to be a good doctor is NOT easy. I just had a tutorial with my students and told them that the VOLUME of information that they need to read up is so MUCH that any serious student will honestly spent ALL his time doing very little but STUDY. I hope this realisation will help you understand the quality of life you will have as a medical student, or rather the lack of it.
Modern medical education has moved far beyond lecture based learning; here in the Clinical school the word 'LECTURE' is OBSCENE and students learn through SDL - Self directed learning. Its philosophy being that the advance of knowledge is so rapid that Students MUST learn to teach themselves rather than being taught formally in a Lecture Hall. This demands very matured and disciplined students for to the lazy student, SDL means Sleeping DeepLy. Are you prepared for years of being a nerd?
Please remember that Doctors are first and foremost Diagnosticians… those training under me MUST not only be skillful in diagnosis and management but also in social skills and leadership. When I was under your aunt, she demanded History taking so detailed and meticulous that 'War and Peace' looked like a short story in comparison. Today students speak in SMS like language, and do "Focused History Taking" instead of Detail History taking. Yes the Art of Clinical diagnosis is dying, and High Touch Medicine being replaced by High Tech Medicine.
In many Once Prestigious Universities which I will not name, Final Year students now teach 3rd year students Clinical Methods!!! Your aunt will tell you that 3 decades ago, only the senior consultants in UM were allowed to teach Clinical Methods as it was considered so very2 important. Osler is certainly turning in his urn!!
In your mind, do you envision yourself as a doctor spending hours talking, feeling, touching, examining the patients.... or a doctor ordering scans and more scans with nary a glance at the nameless poor sick man lying on the bed? Ask yourself that question now.
Yes, the practise of Medicine is in trouble.
Blatant commercialisation, rampant blood tests done without any doctors ordering or supervising, scans and probes of all kinds, are being conducted by laboratories and some doctors misguilded by wants rather than needs. When your aunt was holding the fort at Ward 12A, her ward rounds will start at 8am and the whole entourage of she the Professor, Dr HC Ting the lecturer, the Med Officer, The Houseman and the medical students will follow her from bed to bed. The Med Student or the Hseman will present the LONG DETAIL history and she will then TALK TO EVERY PATIENT WITHOUT EXCEPTION about aspects of the history and personally examine every patient to confirm or correct the juniors' findings. This of course was a Long tedious process and the rounds will stretch till 1pm. But it was the Art of Clinical Diagnosis at its finest. Today, I am sad to report that rounds are spent looking at scans and reports and its a RARE occasion that the Consultant lays his hands on the sick. Sadly I am not exaggerating. I wish I am.
Hope lies in every one of us doctors, present and you the future, for the sensible management of patients; YOU remain the hope for untold numbers of patients in the future. Sadly some doctors see patients not as patients but as a disease that needs treatment which provides our source of income. This is nothing new, physicians like Osler had repeatedly cautioned against not forgetting the man behind the disease, and medicine as a calling rather than a business.
“The practice of medicine is an art, not a trade; a calling, not a business; a calling in which your heart will be exercised equally with your head. Often the best part of your work will have nothing to do with potions and powders, but with the exercise of an influence of the strong upon the weak, of the righteous upon the wicked, of the wise upon the foolish”.~ Sir William Osler
Many doctors are unhappy with their work or simply too busy to talk, console or listen. Yes thats life in the 21st century where we sms instead of talk. Many just treat the disease and completely ignore the person who has it. We hear endless tales carried by patients of doctors who grunt instead of talk, who are capable only of monosylable conversation and who zip patients in and out of the consultation room with a speed that will make Superman jealous. I try my very best to teach my students the Art of Clinical Diagnosis but even I fear that its a losing uphill battle. My colleagues and I here are led by Prof Khalid who is a old school clinician, and we refuse to belittle the Clinical Art despite the advancing machinery all around us. Students are amazed and impressed by all the wizardry and sometimes to my frustration fail to practise the Clinical Skills as much as I want them to.
Ask yourself Daryl, what do you want? I do not want you to come to medical school and be disillusioned by what you see in the REAL MEDICAL WORLD as compared to the idealised world that we had projected.
Doctors must never forget why we became doctors in the first place, and the wonder of caring for fellow humans. Some may be a bit burnt out. We had in our careers, seen and taken care of more pain and misery than most people. We saw prostitutes, drug addicts, criminals and the worst of humanity. Yes, this is another point that I must raise to you. AIDS today is the TB of your aunt's era, its everywhere! Most of my students come from very privileged families or they cannot afford the fees! Hence it is a shock to many when confronted with Vagabonds, homeless, addicts, pimps and Prostitutes. All the glamour flushes away when you realise that such folks are among the many that you will encounter daily unless you are in some Beverly Hills practise.
But of course we also treated decent human beings, doting grandmothers and innocent children. No doubt, the demands on our skills and the medical-legal complexities that accompany our practise would have made even the greatest of our medical ancestors shudder. And for this your training is NOT the 5 years of medical school BUT many2 years beyond. Are you prepared for such a LONG time spend in studies and training?
You had read Dr Pagal's blog and written to him, while he may be harsh and discouraging, much of what he wrote to you with regards to THE SYSTEM has some truth to it. The system is basically dictated by our political masters, a system undeniably sick, and Dr Pagal has written frankly of much of our woes that only drastic administrative tsunamis can repair.
Yes the system only makes it more painful. Long waits for post graduate training positions is the norm now. Regulations as thick as a medical text. Pharmacies selling controlled medicines like sweets. To change that will require one of us to be the next Prof Virchow, plunging head on into politics to make a difference.
In school we rose above the hoard, we were the cream de la cream, and yes I can testify to that in my students. Some are so brilliant they frighten me. We obtained results the envy of most and we strove with pride to enter medical school. Could the same students have done well in other fields? Of course they will shine too!!
In medical school you will work like ants on a long march. You will stare at slides till you see mitochondria in your dreams and memorised volumes of facts and figures. Some of my students are NOT prepared for this; they thought that it will be a smooth passage and when they hear this old Professor here telling them to read XYZ, they simply turn off and zone away. Are you ready for a student life that has NO LIFE??
I take them for tough postings in Internal Medicine, I am among the strictest examiners, I expect the students to flourish in the drudgery of crowded wards, to work till hypoglycaemic on medicine rounds, to perform every procedure required in the book, and of course to pass their exams reasonably well. I expect them to look at X-rays until their eyes turned red. And do I have such students? Yes, I am blessed that many such students have walked the wards with me. And I am proud of them. And I know they will overcome every obstacle invented by our political masters to excel in their fields because they have the fundamental quality to be a good doctor; their love of Humanity and of the Art of Medicine.
You will finally graduate and become a houseofficer. Yes the field is as packed as sardines from Msia to UK to Australia, Dr Pagal is NOT exaggerating when he says that jobs will be difficult to come by soon. But if you are GOOD, you will be wanted! Its TOUGH I do not deny and TOUGHER as the years pass by, BUT again I emphasize, if you are good, you will be wanted for the good doctor is a rare specimen.
A few years later, you will pick a specialty, from paediatrics to surgery, family medicine to cardiology, internal medicine to radiology, and shuffled off to more clinics, rounds grand or otherwise, work and studies. And MORE EXAMs. Girlfriend? Oh what Girlfriend!!!
In the 80s, new diseases appeared. I still recall with trepidation managing the very first patient admitted to our hospital with AIDS. We knew very little but feared a lot. As registrar, it was my duty to examine him. But again we survived. And learned. Now at almost every bedside teaching, I see patients with HIV. In your generation, you will see many2 more new ones, from Avian flu number something2 to any new thing that crosses species as humanity ravish the environment. Ready for that?
Your youthful enthusiasm and dedication will push you through the initial years. As young doctors, weren’t we incredible then, if only because we came back to the wards night after night, day after day for emergencies, calls, rounds or simply a ’tissued’ drip. “Bengkak” the nurse will phone and we leave our dinner to struggle with chemo wrecked veins for IV access.
Did you know that your aunt will reprimand the ladies for coming to the wards in pants? It is NOT acceptable then but now almost all my female students come in pants! OOPs sorry Prof for leaking such old tales!
We as doctors try to hold onto our commitment to heal, that wonderful calling. Then we see another world – the realm of the business of medicine, where every disease is a “case” to be investigated.
A very senior Professor tells me she had seen doctors ordering investigations before even taking a history! Here is also the world of the grunting and monosylable doctor, the superman of 2 minute consultations and management. True, the superb rare genius of a diagnostitian may well have obtained all the data that he needed sub- 2 minutes, but the poor human called ‘the patient’ needed at least 6 minutes of compassionate conversation. (By the way, that is why the OSCE exam is 6 minutes long, or SHORT from your examinee viewpoint.. now you know how the patient will feel when the consultation is even shorter than this!). Recall that the only reason the woman in labour remembered the attending medical student is because they held her hand while she screamed.
We are the descendents of Aescalapius, the inheritors of all that is noble in the Hippocratic oath. We may fail to change the ideas of many doctors however we may preach from some illusive high moral ground. But as individuals can YOU NOT lose that ideal? If you can, welcome to the world of medicine and modern medical education. You will thrive no matter what! If not, seriously reconsider another vocation.
If we tell our students that the learning of medicine is through their apprenticeship to us their seniors, then we better be sure that we are good role models. Your aunt was a superb clinician and diagnostician and had inspired many of us.
As a future doctor, you can be the hope of the febrile, the breathless and the pregnant.
Do not let what you see in the misadventures of some doctors discourage you. Instead let them be teachers to you for you now know what you do NOT want to be like.
When a doctor have taken medicine to be a business or trade, he will ask what are his achievements — material success, cars, wealth, etc..
When a doctor has taken medicine to be a calling, he will ask what has he become — his character.
I hope we doctors can discern and reflect on what we have become in the practice of medicine, and teach all our young charges, delivering them safely through the long 5 years of protracted labour into a reasonably sane medical world. Daryl, I hope I have helped you somehow. Your aunt, Prof Florence has taught me much, this is my little tribute in return, my Bunga Emas to her.
Song - "The Midnight Cry" Recording by: John Starnes
Verse 1
I hear the sound of a mighty rushing wind
And it’s closer now than it’s ever been
I can almost hear the trumpet as Gabriel sounds the call
At the midnight cry when Jesus comes again.
Chorus
When Jesus steps out on a cloud to call his children
The dead in Christ shall rise to meet Him in the air
And then those that remain will be quickly changed
At the midnight cry when Jesus comes again.
Verse 2
As I look around me I see prophecies fulfilling
The signs of the times you know they’re appearing everywhere
I can almost hear the Father as he says "Son, go get my children"
At the midnight cry, when Jesus comes again.
Ending
At the midnight cry when Jesus comes again,
when Jesus comes again
…when Jesus comes again.
A JEWISH WEDDING
Let me invite you to a Jewish wedding.
A wedding ceremony in Israel today
Matthew 25:1-13 Amplified Bible (AMP)
THEN THE kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish (thoughtless, without forethought) and five were wise (sensible, intelligent, and prudent). For when the foolish took their lamps, they did not take any [extra] oil with them; But the wise took flasks of oil along with them [also] with their lamps. While the bridegroom lingered and was slow in coming, they all began nodding their heads, and they fell asleep.
But at midnight there was a shout, Behold, the bridegroom! Go out to meet him!
Then all those virgins got up and put their own lamps in order. And the foolish said to the wise, Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. But the wise replied, There will not be enough for us and for you; go instead to the dealers and buy for yourselves.
But while they were going away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were prepared went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut. Later the other virgins also came and said, Lord, Lord, open [the door] to us! But He replied, I solemnly declare to you, I do not know you [I am not acquainted with you].
Watch therefore [give strict attention and be cautious and active], for you know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of Man will come.
The Subject of the Parable
· Christ was referring to His second coming (refer to Matthew 24)
· He comes to reward the faithful servants and punish the unfaithful servants
· Christ’s return will be delayed
The Simplicity of the Parable
· The wedding
· The bridesmaids
· The bridegroom
· The warning
THE WEDDING
In the parable, everything was ready for the wedding to start. The bridegroom had prepared a home. He was now coming to take his bride to their new home. The bride and all the bridesmaids would be there waiting for him. He would come at night so that the procession (with torches and singing) through the village could be enjoyed by everyone. Then the wedding party would go to the couple’s house, where the celebration would continue for as long as seven days.
THE BRIDESMAIDS
Bridesmaids are called “virgins” (Gk., parthenos, refers to an unmarried girl who is a virgin) simply because bridesmaids were usually virgins in those days. So, there is nothing significant about bridesmaids being virgins. Jesus wasn’t saying that all ten virgins were moral people; their virginity was not symbolic of their spiritual state.
People married young in Bible times, and the bridesmaids were young girls who were sisters, cousins, or close friends of the bride. It is a joy and a privilege for them to attend the bride and wait in anticipation of the glorious evening when the bridegroom would come.
Ten bridesmaids was a customary number; Jewish people favoured the number ten. For example, it took ten men to constitute a synagogue.
We may interpret that the ten virgins represent Christians who are waiting for the second coming of Jesus Christ. Outwardly all ten Christians appear to have the same profession of faith in Christ. The inward reality proves otherwise; five are wise but five are foolish. Wisdom and foolishness manifests itself in how prepared you are for Christ’s return.
THE BRIDEGROOM
OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST IS THE BRIDEGROOM WHO IS COMING FOR HIS BRIDE (the Elect or God’s people). Matthew 25:13 English Standard Version (ESV)
Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
Matthew 7:21-23 English Standard Version (ESV)
I Never Knew You
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Conclusion
A parable is a story which illustrates one or more instructive principles. The general principle of interpretation is that each parable illustrates one main principle. So, what is the main message of this parable?
Be prepared in advance for the return of Jesus Christ. You cannot rely on last minute preparation. When the ‘door’ is shut, it is shut, it will not be reopened as in the days of Noah, God shut the door. There is a finality in this.
Make sure you know Jesus personally, but more importantly, make sure Jesus knows you.
Of course, Jesus knows me, you may say. He created me and He knows everything about me. Are you certain Jesus knows you personally? Is there a friendship between you and Jesus?
I am sure everyone in Australia says they know the Queen of England. They have seen her on TV, have seen her in person, have given her a ‘bunch’ of flowers, have even spoken to her. However, do you think the Queen of England knows them personally? Would she recognise them in the street? It is one thing to say ‘I know the Queen’; it is another thing to say ‘the Queen knows me’. For the Queen to know me I need to either have a relationship or friendship with her.
Similarly, we need to have a relationship or friendship with our Lord Jesus for Him to know me. Our friendship with Jesus is forged through our obedience to Him (John 14:21) and our suffering for Him, the King of Kings, the soon coming Messiah. (Phi 3:8-11).
John 14:21 English Standard Version (ESV)
Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
Philippians 3:8-11 English Standard Version (ESV)
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Knowing Jesus intellectually is not the same as Jesus knowing you. How is your relationship with Jesus? Do you think He knows you?
Footnote:
What does the ‘oil’ represent?
The oil should probably not be allegorized. Many commentaries frequently give suggestions that take it to refer to such things as good works, faith, grace, or the Holy Spirit, etc. However, such suggestions are not consistent with the parable because none of these can be purchased. The five foolish virgins managed to purchase the oil at the last minute and yet they were rejected.
We should not attempt to milk more than what the parable offers. Remember, a parable is an illustration with one main message. There are many other parables that Jesus told with different and additional messages. There is no necessity to interpret what the oil represents.
As far as this parable is concerned, let us be satisfied with the one main message that the Lord Jesus intends for us: be prepared for His return.
How to prepare?
How and what to prepare is an issue that we all need to grapple with. The way you prepare depends on whether you believe Jesus will return before the great tribulation or after the great tribulation.
A. PRE-TRIBULATION
A belief that the ‘rapture’ will occur before the great tribulation. (rapture is derived from the Latin rapio which means to seize or to snatch. At the rapture, Jesus will come to ‘snatch’ His people from this earth.
Let me consider some Bible verses used to support this belief:
1. Revelation 4:1-2 English Standard Version (ESV)
After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.
Some Bible teachers allegorize that Apostle John represents the Church and that “come up here” represents the rapture.
This interpretation is not sound. John was in the Spirit; he did not literally go up to heaven. Christian tradition holds that he outlived the remaining apostles and ultimately died of natural causes "in great old age in Ephesus" at the beginning of the second century.
2. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 English Standard Version (ESV)
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
This is a key reference for the rapture; there is no indication that it will happen before the great tribulation, except that it will happen when the trumpet sounds (it will be a noisy and visible event: a cry of command, the voice of an archangel, sound of the trumpet, definitely not silent and secret).
1 Thessalonians 1:10 English Standard Version (ESV)
and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
1 Thessalonians 5:9 King James Version (KJV)
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
The assumption made by some commentaries is that the Church (the Bride of Christ) will not go through the great tribulation; equating the great tribulation with the wrath of God. This is a mistake. The wrath of God is not the same as the great tribulation. Yes, Christians are not appointed (destined) to wrath. But, Christians will go through the great tribulation. I will support this statement with direct Bible verses as the conclusion of this chapter.
Please note that the great tribulation will be inflicted by Satan. The book of Job in the Old Testament is evident that Satan was the one who brought calamities on Job. God allowed Satan to do so.
Whereas the wrath of God will be inflicted by God on people who reject God, who do evil and destroy the earth. Christians will not suffer wrath but will be present in the last three and a half years of the great tribulation, to bear witness to Christ and to stay alive for the rapture. That is why Jesus told us to watch and pray:
Luke 21:36 Amplified Bible (AMP)
Keep awake then and watch at all times [be discreet, attentive, and ready], praying that you may have the full strength and ability and be accounted worthy to escape all these things [taken together] that will take place, and to stand in the presence of the Son of Man.
Luke 21:36 English Standard Version (ESV)
But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Luke 21:36 New Living Translation (NLT)
Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”
Luke 21:36 The Message (MSG)
So, whatever you do, don't go to sleep at the switch. Pray constantly that you will have the strength and wits to make it through everything that's coming and end up on your feet before the Son of Man."
In the above verse in 4 different translations, Jesus told us to keep awake, watch at all times, be discreet, attentive, ready, and to pray for strength, ability, and wits to escape the coming horrors. I think you would agree with me that such instructions are superfluous (needless, redundant) IF Christians will not be around to face the great tribulation.
For more than 30 years I believed and taught the doctrine of pre-tribulation. About 10 years ago, as a small part of my Doctor of Ministry degree, I was required to write a paper on the second coming of Jesus Christ. To my surprise I could not find a single verse in the Bible that states directly and clearly that the rapture will take place before the great tribulation. This was after searching through the Bible many times. I now conclude that the doctrineof pre-tribulation is unbiblical. I challenge you to find one Bible verse (or passage) that states the rapture is before the great tribulation.
Please do not send me quotations and explanations of Bible scholars or teachers. Please do not send me commentaries, books or DVDs to prove pre-tribulation. All I want is one Bible verse (or passage) from you personally, a direct verse or verses stating that the rapture will occur before the great tribulation (with no explanation or interpretation attached, it should be self explanatory). The verse must be able to stand on its own, without human interpretation or explanation.
All I need is one Bible verse, not an article by a Bible scholar, not books, not DVDs. For your own sake, find one verse for yourself. You cannot hide behind church leaders, Bible teachers, authors, and DVDS. At the midnight cry when Jesus comes again, you cannot give the excuse that you depended on certain preacher, teacher, author, leader or scholar. They cannot help you. It is your personal responsibility.
For such an important doctrine; surely there must be one direct verse (or passage), clear and simple that does not require human interpretation or allegory. For example, for the doctrine of salvation, there are many direct verses that do not require interpretation or explanation. Ephesians 2:8-9 English Standard Version (ESV) For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast., is one such passage. There are many other verses that explain the doctrine of salvation without human interpretation: John 3:16, Rom 5:8, Rom 6:23. These verses are self explanatory.
We should expect the same for the doctrine of the second coming of Jesus Christ. There should be many direct verses that support the doctrine without much explanation or interpretation.
You have to study the Bible for yourself, because your life or even your eternal life depends on the correct doctrine. One and only one doctrine is right. The rapture is either pre-tribulation or post-tribulation.
If you believe in this pre-tribulation doctrine, you will not be prepared when the ‘mark of the beast’ is enforced during the great tribulation. You cannot buy or sell anything, how are you going to survive until the rapture? You then have two options: to die of hunger or to take the ‘mark’. Taking the mark will result in horrific consequences:
Revelation 13:16-17 English Standard Version (ESV)
Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.
Revelation 14:11 English Standard Version (ESV)
And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”
Revelation 16:2 English Standard Version (ESV)
So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.
If your doctrine is right you will be prepared when Jesus comes again. I believe the Biblical doctrine is:
Post-tribulation rapture.
The rapture will occur after the great tribulation, when Jesus will return to ‘snatch’ us from this earth before the wrath of God is inflicted on the rest of mankind. Let me give you two direct passages from the Bible
Matthew 24:29-31 English Standard Version (ESV)
The Coming of the Son of Man
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
This passage is self explanatory. Another passage is:
Mark 13:24-27 King James Version (KJV)
But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
This passage is self explanatory.
Supporting verses: (with a little explanation)
1 Corinthians 15:51-52 English Standard Version (ESV)
Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.
At the rapture, the living will be changed and the dead will be raised imperishable; and this will occur at the sound of the last trumpet.
When is the last trumpet? The seventh trumpet mentioned in book of Revelation is the last trumpet. This trumpet will be sounded after the great tribulation. You should search the Bible to confirm this.
Revelation 10:7 English Standard Version (ESV)
but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets
Revelation 11:15
[ The Seventh Trumpet ] Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”
In future chapters I shall give a fuller treatment to the post-tribulation doctrine and how to prepare for the great tribulation.
Do you love His Appearing?
2 Timothy 4:8 Amplified Bible (AMP)
[As to what remains] henceforth there is laid up for me the [victor's] crown of righteousness [for being right with God and doing right], which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me and recompense me on that [great] day--and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved and yearned for and welcomed His appearing (His return).
May the Holy Spirit guide you to the truth. Pray that you may be counted worthy to be invited to the wedding. Looking forward to be there and to see you there. The wedding may be sooner than we think. Come Lord Jesus!
What Grampa likes about you is that you are transparent in all that you do. You show your true self and hollers loudly your needs. There are no pretensions in you. When you like someone or something, you smiles and squeals with delight. You show your dislikes by heart curdling screams. You have not learnt to have pretensions. That is good.
You see, pretensions are what many big people develop as they grow up from your age to theirs. For some reasons, some big people want to hide their true nature from the world. Some of them are not happy with who they are and wants to prevent the other people from knowing them. They feel vulnerable or just are discontented. Others are taught that they will be rewarded by their loved ones only if they pretend to be someone else- some one else who behave exactly as their loved ones expected them to behave. While some pretends for rewards, others pretend because of fear. Some big people will punish, use shame, or withhold their love from children if they do not behave the way it is expected. In other words, pretend to do what is expected of you and everything to be okay. Over time, these little ones pretend so hard and long in that role that they forget who they or what their true natures are.
Unfortunately for big people, these pretensions after many years become masks – a persona they show to others. That may be completely different from who they really are. Grampa calls this the real and false self. The real self is the who you started with at birth and the false self is the one you developed as you grow up. The false self seeks to gain approval, affirmation, comradeship and acceptance. However good it looks on the outside, the real self may be hurting inside. It is not real. It is not who you are.
So little one, be your true self all the time. This is who you are. This is who God has created you to be. Draw upon the strength and love of your parents and grandparents, of all those who loves you, and mostly on God who loves in the most, to remain who you are without pretensions.
Where is my Lord?
They have taken Him away.
All I see is a tomb, a place that is empty.
And just when I need Him,
and long for His voice,
even His body would not wait for my tears.
Shut away in a box, He has occupied their coffin.
Shut away in a book, He fulfils, Living Word.
Shut away in our concepts, He shatters such shackles.
No prison can hold Him; no tomb thwart the miracle.
His life is our liberty; His love changed my life.
No dying can rob me of what He has given:
once blind, now I see.
Hallelujah! His promise:
‘In the day when the hearts of men
fail them for fear, then look up, little flock,
your redemption draws near.’
Let all creation
give thanks to the Risen Lord. Give thanks to the Risen Lord!
Filled with His praises,
give thanks to the Risen Lord. Give thanks to the Risen Lord!
He is our Shepherd, and we are His sheep.
Give thanks to the Risen Lord. Give thanks to the Risen Lord!
Stepping out boldly, we claim resurrection.
Give thanks to the Risen Lord. Give thanks to the Risen Lord!
Scribbling in the Sand: The Best of Michael Card (2002)
Long ago He blessed the earth
Born older than the years
And in the stall a cross He saw
Through the first of many tears
A life of homeless wandering
Cast out in sorrow's way
The Shepherd seeking for the lost
His life, the price He paid
Love crucified, arose
The Risen One in splendor
Jehovah soul Defender
Has won the victory
Love crucified, arose
And the grave became a place of hope
For the heart that sin and sorrow broke
Is beating once again
Throughout Your life You felt the weight
Of what You'd come to give
To drink for us that crimson cup
So we might really live
At last the time to love and die
The dark appointed day
That one forsaken moment
When Your Father turned His face away
Love crucified, arose
The One who lived the died for me
Was Satan's nail-pierced casualty
Now He's breathing once again
Love crucified, arose
And the grave became a place of hope
For the heart that sin and sorrow broke
Is beating once again
Love crucified, arose
The Risen One in splendor
Jehovah soul defender
Has won the victory
Love crucified, arose
And the grave became a place of hope
for the heart that sin and sorrow broke
is beating once again
Love crucified, arose
The One who lived and died for me
Was Satan's nail-pierced casualty
Now He's breathing once again
JESUS IS LAID IN THE SEPULCHRE
Laid in a borrowed tomb, awaiting the sign of Jonah
- the only sign that would be given to His generation
- that after three days and nights in the womb of the earth,
the belly of the fish, the grave and hell,
He would come forth to do His Father’s will
- Jesus the humble Son of God, the exultant Son of Man,
the eternal contradiction, the Blessed One.
The end is not yet. Weeping endures for a night,
but joy comes in the morning.
The good news – ‘He is risen’ –
will burst on the Son-rise.
Therefore with joy shall we draw water
out of the wells of salvation.
When all is dark,
and Hope is buried,
it is hard to trust His words
that promised, before the pain:
He died that I might live. He died that I might live.
In His death is my birth.
He died that I might live. He died that I might live.
In His life is my life.
He died that I might live. He died that I might live.
My Jesus! He died that I might live. He died that I might live.
JESUS IS TAKEN FROM THE CROSS
Jesus could now feel the chill of death creeping through His tissues. And with a loud voice He cried: ‘It is finished.’ His mission of atonement had been completed. Finally, He could allow His body to die. With one last surge of strength, He once again pressed His torn feet against the nail, straightened His legs, took a deeper breath, and uttered His seventh and last cry: ‘Father, into Thy hands I commit My spirit.’ A while later, the soldier pierced a long spear into the side of the dead man, to His heart. The watery fluid and blood that flowed out show us He had literally died of a broken heart – not the usual crucifixion death of suffocation. The friends of Jesus were allowed to remove His holy body, and for a moment his mother held Him again upon her lap, cradled in her arms.
Let Him sleep now. It is finished.
See from His head, His hands, His feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet?
or thorns compose so rich a crown?
It was for me. It was for me.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast
save in the death of Christ my God.
All the vain things that charmed me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood:
It was for me. It was for me.
Why did it have to be a friend
Who chose to betray the Lord
Why did he use a kiss to show them
That's not what a kiss is for
Only a friend can betray a friend
A stranger has nothing to gain
And only a friend comes close enough
To ever cause so much pain
And why did there have to be thorny
Crown pressed upon His head
It should have been the royal one
Made of jewels and gold instead
It had to be a crown of thorns
Because in this life that we live
For all who seek to love
A thorn is all the world has to give
And why did it have to be
A heavy cross He was made to bare
And why did they nail His feet and hands
His love would have held Him there
It was a cross for on a cross
A thief was supposed to pay
And Jesus had come into the world
To steal every heart away
Yes, Jesus had come into the world
To steal every heart away
As Jesus slowly sagged down with more weight on the nails in the wrists, excruciating, fiery pain shot along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain. As He pushed Himself upwards to avoid this stretching torment, He placed His full weight on the nail through His feet. Again there is searing agony as the nail torn through the nerves. As the arms fatigued, great waves of cramps swept though the muscles, knotting them in deep relentless, throbbing pain. Jesus fought to raise Himself, in order to get even one short breath. ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’
To the thief dying at His side: ‘Today thou shalt be with Me in Paradise.’
To His mother and His closest friend: ‘Woman, behold thy son’ - ‘Behold thy mother.’
In the words of the psalm foretelling the death of Messiah, He cried: ‘My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?’
Father God, You waited
through the long hours of agony,
when He was robbed even
of the sense of Your love, Your presence,
when the sin and disease and hatred
and darkness overwhelmed Him so greatly.
He was wounded for my transgressions. He was wounded for my transgressions.
Father, what love is this of His?
What love is this of Yours
that His dying love reflects?
Your forgiveness for me,
as we gaze upon His sacrificial death,
is truly an underserved gift
as the pardon He spoke to the dying thief.
It is mine if I will only receive:
He was wounded for my transgressions. He was wounded for my transgressions.
JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS
The journey was at an end. Jesus was quickly thrown backward with his shoulders against the wood. The soldier felt for the depression at the front of the wrist; he drove a heavy, square, wrought-iron nail through the wrist and deep into the wood. Quickly he moved to the other side and repeated the action, being careful not to pull the arms too tightly. The title ‘Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews’ was nailed into place, and the crossbar lifted into position. The left foot was pressed backward against the right foot. With both feet extended, toes down, a nail was driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees moderately flexed.
The victim was now crucified.
‘Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews’
He is our peace.
Jesus, our sin put the nails in Your hands.
It was love that held You there. It was love that held You there.
Jesus, our sin put the nails in Your feet.
It was love that held You there. It was love that held You there.
The soldiers hoisted Your cross on high.
You were their prisoner;
but no one took Your life away from You.
You gave it willingly, freely.
It was love that held You there. It was love that held You there.
You were lifted high upon that cross,
even as You had prophesied when You promised;
‘I, if I be lifted up from the earth,
will draw all people to Me.’
It was love that held You there. It was love that held You there.
JESUS IS STRIPPED OF HIS GARMENTS
At the place of death the King of life is stripped of His clothes. Naked, He came into the world; naked, He is taken from the world. Vulnerable, exposed, God became man. He was a crying helpless, dependent baby. Now, vulnerable, exposed, His heart, His life, His body all bared before the world. He will be hung up to be mocked. But God is not mocked- His very nakedness is a parable, a sacrament, a picture of the Father’s hurting heart exposed in love to us.
Lord, You were stripped of the robes You wore,
but You were the same - it didn’t change You.
Things meant little to You; You never hide behind them.
You showed us the Father’s heart,
so open and broken:
may we be open to You, and to each other. May we be open to You, and to each other.
Lord, for our sake You left the riches of heaven
and became poor.
You came within our reach.
May we be open to You, and to each other. May we be open to You, and to each other.
You did not hold on to even the little
You had left to call Your own.
May we be open to You, and to each other. May we be open to You, and to each other.
The nakedness of God was exposed before the world,
Lord, O lovely Christ,
may we be open to You, and to each other. May we be open to You, and to each other.
No robe was left now upon Your tired shoulders,
just a crown of mockery on Your head.
You are still a King.
You loved, and won rejection and pain-
but You still loved.
May we be open to You, and to each other. May we be open to You, and to each other.
Jesus fell again. Oh God, how many times must I fall and pick up that cross again? As many as seven times? Or seventy times seven times? For ever; until this never-ending road is ended; until the impossible is completed, the unbearable borne through all eternity.
For the sake of My children. My sons. My loved ones. My bride. My people, I must go on. I will not, I must not, give up now. The way of sorrows, the way of pain, the way of self-renunciation, the way of My cross.
How long the road You came for us, Lord,
with Your smarting burden! O Lord.
Your love have no limits. Your love have no limits.
You picked up the weight of Your cross,
the weight of our sins,
We are Your burden, an overwhelming burden;
but that burden is sweet to You
because of the love You also bear to us,
an overwhelming love.
Your love has no limits. Your love has no limits.
Lord, I know You can forgive me:
Your love has no limits. Your love has no limits.
JESUS MEETS WITH THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM As Jesus continued, painfully stumbling along the road to Calvary, a group of women joined themselves to the procession, wailing in the manner normally considered appropriate for a funeral procession. But Jesus told them to cry out to God for themselves and their own children.
Lord, some of us are never far from tears,
and some of us have forced ourselves not to cry.
Bring our tears into Your captivity and direction,
that they respond to Your voice.
You have the words of eternal life. You have the words of eternal life.
Lord, You have the words of eternal life. You have the words of eternal life.
Christian spirituality is the interaction of my daily life, my Christian belief, my thoughts, my dealing with people, and my experience of God. Here are my random musings and reflections on life, God and all that stuff
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