Before I talk about the sound doctrine on the Holy Communion, let's explore on one of the weird doctrine which is taught on the Holy Communion.
It teaches eating your way to health and wealth
It sounds incredible. But when it is preached with the Holy Communion elements, many hyper grace preachers and believers think that it is possible. Their spiritual 'logic' is: If Adam and Eve ate their way to hell, we can eat our way to heaven too. So, they believe that the Holy Communion is not only
1. a form (or a way) of salvation with spiritual blessing, but also;
2. a form (or a way) of prosperity with physical wealth and health too
But does it really give us all these fantastic 'benefits'? We really need to explore more on the words of God. Before we reject it outrightly, we should find out what or where is their scripture basis for such a belief first.
The Bible shows us clearly that Holy Communion is neither a form of salvation nor a form of prosperity; it is a form of remembrance. The focus is not on prosperity; the focus is on eternity:
1Co 11:24-26 KJV And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. (25) After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. (26) For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
However, the token of 'remembrance' becomes a more serious thing or controversial thing when it is coupled with the 'examination' of ourselves in the following Bible verses, and this is the thing which could make us differ from many others and it could have made many 'weak, sick, and sleep' too:
1Co 11:26-29 KJV Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. (28) But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. (29) For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body ..
The question is: How do we examine ourselves? This is the main question which has raised the following two opposing views on its interpretation:
1. The first view - Discerning the Lord's body has no self-examination Some hyper grace preachers interpret that to examine ourselves is the same as discerning rightly that Lord's body can heal and prosper us (with health and wealth), and His blood can cleanse us (with forgiveness and righteousness). So, taking the Holy Communion is THE SAME as taking the Lord's supper worthily and discerning His body rightly.
2. The second view - Discerning the Lord's body has self-examination as a separate process This is what I believe because
1. examining ourselves,
2. eating worthily, and
3. discerning the Lord's body
are mentioned clearly as three distinct activities in (v28) and (v29). Hence, the word 'discerning the Lord's body' is certainly not the same as 'examining ourselves' which requires self-examination and effort. Discerning the Lord's body do not eliminate or negate our duty or effort to examine ourselves and eat worthily too. We can say that discerning the Lord's body is possible only if there is self-examination and eating worthily; otherwise it is not discerning the Lord's body. How do we know? Paul continued and explained it with the following Bible verses:
1Co 11:30-34 KJV For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep .. (32) But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. (33) Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. (34) And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.
Notice what would Paul set in order? He would make sure (or make an effort to ensure) that they would eat worthily first by not abusing the food when they got hungry, and then he might check if they had self-examination. So, eating unworthily could be 'the way they ate' which could have made them sick, weak, and sleep. It is common sense to know that they would never examine themselves too when they ate unworthily in that manner.
Many hyper grace preachers today may emphasize on eating worthily in an orderly manner, but their emphasis to negate their duty or effort to examine themselves also put them in the danger of not discerning the body of the Lord. https://youtu.be/XgnBQ60FeGo?t=1h56m23s
What is examining ourselves?
Paul had just explained what was eating worthily and what he would set in order when he would come again in 1Co 11:30-34 above. But did he say what is examining ourselves or self-examination? And do we still need to examine ourselves? The answer is Yes:
2Co 13:5-7 KJV Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves ..
Mat 5:23-24 KJV Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; (24) .. first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Luk 11:1-4 KJV .. one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray .. (2) And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, .. (4) And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us ..
1Jn 1:9 KJV If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Jas 5:15-16 KJV .. (16) Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed ..
Notice all the highlighted words above? Self-examination is advocated by the Lord, by Paul, by John, and by James according to the Bible verses above. We can certainly do self-examination.
Actually I was not bothered whether we should examine ourselves or we should just discern the Lord's body. I thought we should not split hair and find fault. I thought we do not need to be exact in our interpretation of examining ourselves. But when I realise that the false prophets would do anything or interpret anything with Greek to promote themselves and their false doctrine, I think we'd better not only examine ourselves; but also the scriptures:
Many argue, "But do you know that we always eat the Lord's supper worthily and orderly. We can just tell the sinners or believers to come to the Lord's table in an orderly manner without the need to stress ourselves or examine ourselves like doing the 'QC checks'. We can just 'examine' by thinking positively and rightly discerning the body of Christ to make us whole, to heal us, and to prosper us. We can just ask God to examine His Son Jesus Christ; not us. Hence, nobody goes to the mental hospital and yet, do you know what? unlike other churches who are sick and weak, we have the most number of supernatural cases of healing and miracles with our type of 'examination' in the Lord." https://youtu.be/XgnBQ60FeGo?t=1h56m24s
Wow, this is a serious matter. If what they said is true, it means that all other churches who do not 'examine' like them is 'dying' slowly. I will challenge them to do an honest and objective survey to find out the actual number of the people who are weak, sick, or who die prematurely in all their churches. Of course, the most number of people getting healed is not necessarily a good sign; it means that they have the most sick people and weak people in their churches too.
I will tell them, Obviously your conclusion that those churches who do not 'examine' or 'discern' like you are dying slowly is absurd. What if they still preach confession of sin or repentance during the Holy Communion? Will all of them die because of 'wrong' discerning'? Let me give you the scenario: What if we take the Holy Communion to remember what the Lord had done for us now. But suddenly we remember the Lord's command in the gospel of Matthew (Mat 4:17): 'Repent'. Will we die for not 'discerning His body'? Will we die because we repent of stealing or cheating during the Holy Communion? No, it is absurd to tell the people not to repent, or not to remember anything commanded by the Lord:
Mat 28:19-20 KJV Go ye therefore, and teach all nations .. (20) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.
Is it biblical to examine ourselves before the Holy Communion?
Many will still argue, "Yes, of course, we believe in self-examination too. But why must we do the self-examination with a lot of stress and self-effort during the Holy Communion? It is supposed to be a time of celebration, Eucharist, or remembrance of what the Lord has done for us; not a time to cry and mourn over our sins or whatever we did in the past. We should not think of our past or whatever we did to others when we come for the Holy Communion. We should only think of our righteousness now because the Holy Spirit will never convict us of our sins in the past."
I will tell them, So, it is your time to eat, drink, play, and have party too? No, I think it is ridiculous to tell the people not to remember any of His words, commands, prayer, or doctrine when we know that the Lord had specifically said that the Holy Communion should be done in remembrance of Him. One hyper grace preacher said, ".. preaching a repentance in the area of imparting consciousness of sins is nothing more than dishonouring the work of Jesus." In another words, he said that confessing our sins or examining ourselves during the Holy Communion is nothing more than dishonouring the Lord, and therefore, many of us are made sick, weak, and dead? You can check what he said in his book "Destined to reign" and https://youtu.b/wYocdbZIwfo?t=4m10s
I will ask him, You know that Paul wrote about taking the Holy Communion in 1Co 11, but have you read what he said earlier in the previous chapter 1Co 10?
1Co 10:7-16 KJV Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. (8) Neither let us commit fornication .. (9) Neither let us tempt Christ .. (10) Neither murmur ye .. (11) Now all these .. are written for our admonition .. (12) Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall .. (15) I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say. (16) The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?
Notice all the don'ts and neithers given by Paul? Aren't those self-examination for all of us before we can take the Holy Communion? So, what's the problem if we do self-examination or self-judgement before God judge us? Many may complain, "Those are too stressful for us. They will put us into the bondage or mental hospital. That's not the style of Paul who preached grace. He would never tell us to take Holy Communion with many do's and don'ts or with those negative self-examination. Can you look into the Greek to find out if the KJV Bible has translated it wrongly?" I will tell them, If you want a more positive type of self-examination, you can go to the hyper grace preachers who can give you the Greek. But I will stick with KJV's translation. The four 'Neither' in 1Co 10:7, 8, 9, and 10 are clearly negative to all of us, but they are inevitable. If you still want to think of something more positive, you can think of what Jesus did after the supper:
Joh 13:2-5 KJV And supper being ended .. (4) He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. (5) After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded .. (14) If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet .. (17) If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them .. (20) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
Notice the seven things which Jesus did for His disciples? We can think of all these positive things that Jesus did for us too, but please remember (v14): If Jesus did all these for us, we ought to do all these for the body of Christ too. The positive lesson is: we need to take care of the body of Christ in all ways !
Hence, we need to take the positive steps to ensure that the body of Christ is always well taken care of and 'cleansed'. We do not want any unrepentant sinners or unrepentant adulterers to come to the Lord's table. Neither do we baptise anyone who does not repent too. Jesus might eat with all the sinners but not all the sinners can take the last supper with Him. Only His twelve disciples can take the last supper with Him. Jesus called everyone to repentance and to the great supper, but not everyone can go into the marriage supper:
Luk 14:16-24 KJV Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many .. (23) And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled .. (25) .. And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them .. (27) And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Mat 22:9-14 KJV Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. (10) So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. (11) And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: (12) And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. (13) Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (14) For many are called, but few are chosen.
Why do we take the Holy Communion?
I think by now we should know the purpose of taking the Holy Communion and why the Lord would repeat telling us to do it in remembrance of Him or His body. It means that we need to remember to honour and take care of His body (the church) at all cost. It was also His last command to Peter to feed His sheep, which was repeated thrice in the last chapter of John. It means that Peter must remember to take care of His body too. It is a command repeated to all His disciples. The message of the Lord is crystal clear: we take the Holy Communion to 'remember' Him or to be mindful of His body; not ourselves.
So, we know how important it is to the Lord and to His body. So, when we need to find out why many believers were sick, weak, and dead in 1Co 11:30, I suspect that they did something which is seriously wrong in the eyes of the Lord. Yes, they might have sinned terribly by eating unworthily. They became drunk and did many crazy things during the Holy Communion. They might even commit adulteries and partook the Holy Communion without self-examination. But all these might not be the real cause for them to get sick, get weak, and get dead. The real cause is that they might have
1. taken the Holy Communion unworthily,
2. taken it without examining themselves, AND
3. taken it without taking care of the body of Christ
In another words, they 'remember' only themselves. They 'took care' of themselves instead of taking care of the body of Christ. The took the Holy Communion for self-gratification. But no matter how noble it may seem, it was done for self-glory, self-advancement, self-righteousness, self-fulfilment, self-completeness, self-wholeness, and self-holiness. In another words, it was health and wealth mentality for the self-seekers. Please think, Are there believers who take the Holy Communion for self-gratification today? Yes, many. Many hyper grace preachers will argue, "No, we take Holy Communion for His body. But we do it so that we can be healthy and wealthy. Why? It is because when we are healthy, His body is healthy. When we are wealthy, His body is wealthy too. So, what's wrong if we take it for ourselves, or take it to remember our needs of healing and finance? What's wrong if we take it to take care of ourselves? What makes you think that we must take it to take care of the body of Christ instead?"
I will ask them, Do you know why the Holy Communion is called 'Holy'? I do not have time to go through the church history to find out how the Lord's supper became the Holy Communion, but common sense tells us that it is related to the communion of the cup and the bread and it is holy. Do we do it to keep ourselves holy? No, we cannot be holy by doing it. But we can do it to remind ourselves to be holy or remind ourselves to keep the body of Christ holy. Just now we read how Paul reminded us to examine ourselves before the Holy Communion in 1Co 10:7-16. If we read the rest of the chapter, we will understand why he wanted us to keep ourselves or the church holy too:
1Co 10:16-22 KJV The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? (17) For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. (18) Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? (19) What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? (20) But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. (21) Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. (22) Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?
By now, we should have read 1Co 10 and 1Co 11. We know why the believers were sick, weak, and dead (1Co 11:30) when they:
1. did not examine themselves (1Co 10:7-16),
2. did not discern the Lord's body (1Co 10:16-22), and
3. did not eat worthily (1Co 11:33-34)
In each case, Paul gave a very clear distinct illustration of why they did not examine themselves, discern His body, and eat worthily. Hence, this is the reason why I believe that they are distinct from one another, that we must still examine ourselves, and that taking it worthily with discerning of the Lord's body is not to eat our way to health and wealth.
Holy Communion is a reminder to the church to keep herself holy
Can you guess what will happen if the church do not keep herself holy? Many will get sick, get weak, and get dead. Hence, Holy Communion cannot keep you holy or make you holy, neither can it keep you healthy or wealthy. But if you keep yourselves holy, it will keep you healthy and wealthy. You don't need a rocket scientist to explain this to you, neither do you need any 'health and wealth' Holy Communion to keep you healthy.
Has it occurred to you why the Holy Spirit is called the HOLY Spirit? It is because He is holy and He can only work with the churches or the body of Christ that is holy. Are all the churches today holy? Sadly, not all are holy. How do we know? If we are all holy, Peter would not need to tell us TO BE HOLY or TO KEEP OURSELVES HOLY:
1Pe 1:14-16 KJV As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: (15) But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; (16) Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
Yes, we are imputed with righteousness or holiness. But it does not mean that we are completely holy and we can never sin; it means that we have the 'dunamai' not to sin and we are commanded not to sin. We are commanded not to sin because we are born of God.
Have you heard from the Lord that the New Wine cannot be put into the Old Wine skin?
Luk 5:37-38 KJV And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. (38) But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.
Many think that the Lord is referring to the mixing of New Covenant with the Old Covenant. But I think otherwise. I think it is more than that. Please think, Why did Jesus repeated (v38) in all the three accounts in Matthew, Mark, and Luke that the new wine must be put into the new wine skin or new bottles? It is not about the New Covenant being put into the New Covenant; it is about the new Spirit of Holiness or Holy Spirit being put into His new body. Can you imagine what will happen if the HOLY Spirit is put into an UNHOLY church? When the new wine is poured into the old wine bottles (or the unrepentant churches with their old flesh), it will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish (v37). It means that the church or the people will get sick, get weak, and get dead too.
As usual, the hyper grace preachers will argue, "If the Holy Spirit cannot dwell in an unholy church or unholy believer, He can never dwell in any true believer too. It is because none of us are holy." I will tell them, Of course, the Holy Spirit can dwell in us through Christ if we have repented and we keep ourselves holy. The Holy Spirit can also dwell among the churches who keep themselves holy too. It is because all of us who have repented will be imputed with the righteousness or holiness of God. We are holy to a certain extent or holy enough to have communion with God; but not perfectly holy yet. Do you know why Jesus used the parable of the five foolish virgins to describe the churches who did not do the will of God. They could be so foolish that they gave up, renounced repentance, and turned back to the liberal or lawless world. They became so blinded that, although they were known as the churches (virgins), they no longer know what is God's holiness, God's righteousness, and God's conviction in the end time:
Mat 25:1-4 KJV Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. (2) And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. (3) They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: (4) But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Notice that without oil, we can no longer have any light, and that without the light, we can no longer see anything? It means that without oil or the Spirit of holiness, the churches cannot see the guidance or conviction of the Holy Spirit too. Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, they cannot meet the Lord. When this happens, it does not affect only a few individuals; it affects almost the whole church that is totally blinded.
The Holy Communion is not 'the cheap escape' for our sins
Now I have heard of another teaching on the Holy Communion. The Bible text is taken from 1 Co 10:13-16. The preacher argues that Paul taught the Holy Communion as 'the' way of escape:
1Co 10:13-16 KJV There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (14) Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. (15) I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say. (16) The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
I will ask him, What do you mean when you said that the Holy Communion is 'the way of escape'? Escape from your sins, escape from God's judgement, or escape from any sin conscience? No. Please read the whole context with the Bible verses before 1 Co 10:13:
1Co 10:7-13 KJV .. (8) Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. (9) Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. (10) Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. (11) Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. (12) Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. (13) There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Notice that all of us can fall, or else Paul would not warn us not to think that we can stand. It is because we can still be tempted to sin, to commit fornication, to tempt Christ, and to murmur. But we can never be tempted beyond what we can cope with. Why? It is because, when we are tempted until it seems hopeless for us, God will make a way of escape so that we can bear or overcome it (the temptation). So, does it mean that we can tempt God and see how far we can sin or see if we can sin away our righteousness? No, God forbid. We should not tempt God or encourage others to tempt God by tempting them with the Holy Communion as a way of escape. Like the serious warning against sinning wilfully (Heb 10:26-29),
1. this is a warning to the believers; not to the non-believers, because only the believers can tempt Christ.
2. this is a warning to us not to take the grace of God, the blood of Christ, the Holy Communion, and the body of Christ for granted.
3. this is a warning to the preachers not to ignore the warning of God or take it lightly
If we do that, we ourselves can never escape. Hence, the Holy Communion could be a way of escape to many who want to tempt God (test God to see how much God can forgive them and how far they can sin). But we do not preach it as an escape; we do it as a communion with the Lord. Of course, it is a holy COMMUNION; it is not a gimmick to get what we want, to give psychological comfort to those who sin, to give lying wonders, or to promote our 'health and wealth' revolution. It cannot be mixed. It should be read with the following Bible verses together with the next chapter 1 Co 11:
1Co 10:14-22 KJV Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. (15) I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say. (16) The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? (17) For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. (18) Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? (19) What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? (20) But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. (21) Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. (22) Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?
It is an abomination to tempt God with the cup of the Lord
There are now many false prophets who teach on the Holy Communion. I am very concerned if they misunderstand the Holy Communion and preach it wrongly. It is because, like grace or any good things of God, Holy Communion can be abused to bring condemnation not only to themselves but to the whole church too. It could become a big abomination when the people take the Holy Communion without examining themselves, without eating worthily, and without discerning the Lord's body (Mat 24:14-15, Mar 13:13-14):
Dan 5:1-5 KJV Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. (2) Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein. (3) Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. (4) They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. (5) In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
Do you know that a believer can do the abomination too when he drinks the cup of the Holy Communion with an unrepentant heart or when he drinks like Belshazzar and the princes. Belshazzar and the princes did not just ate with unrepentant attitude; they ate with their pride, with their lust, with their rebellion, and with their mocking lips. Today we do not have the real kings or princes who rebel like Belshazzar, but we do have many (spiritual) 'kings' or 'princes' who eat like Belshazzar, drinks from the cup of the Lord, and speak with the spirits of the frogs. They can never be reproved by the Holy Spirit. They will feel offended and insulted when asked to examine themselves before God. They are reluctant to take the Holy Communion with self-examination, repentance, confession of sins, or conviction of the Holy Spirit (Joh 16:8). They just want to be seen as the healthy and wealthy people who reign and boast with their 'cups'. Hence,
1. They will lie and speak evil against the conviction of the Holy Spirit
2. They will congregate to challenge against the law and doctrine of God.
3. They will bring up their 'cups' and 'wines' to boast like Belshazzar
Rev 16:12-16 KJV And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. (13) And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. (14) For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. (15) Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. (16) And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
I see three different mouths speaking at different realms or speaking to our current three dimensional (3D) world:
1. one to the spiritual world (from the mouth of the dragon),
2. one to the physical world (from the mouth of the beast), and
3. one to the soul of all mankind (from the mouth of the false prophet)
When the river Euphrates starts to 'dry up', it is time to wake up. The spirits of the frogs will start going into the spirit realm, increase lawlessness in the physical world, and influence many to boast like Belshazzar. Many will boast with the cup of the Lord not discerning that they themselves are the body of Christ or the temple of the Holy Spirit. They commit a sin which only a believer can commit: ie. Tempting God with the cup of the Lord. They dare God that God can never judge them by eating and drinking unworthily from the cup (tempt God), speak abominable things against the conviction of the Holy Spirit (murmur against God), or think that God is unjust to judge them (exalt themselves above God):
1Co 10:7-12 KJV Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. (8) Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. (9) Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. (10) Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. (11) Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. (12) Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
The purpose of the Holy Communion is holy; it cannot be mixed
The purpose of Holy Communion cannot be mixed. It is sacred with ONE purpose: i.e. to remember, discern, and honour the body of Christ; to keep His body holy; and to take care of His body until He comes:
1Co 11:23-27 KJV For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: (24) And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. (25) After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. (26) For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. (27) Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
We do not need to go through the church history to know the purpose of the Holy Communion. The word 'Communion' or 'koinōnia' in Greek is taken from 1 Co10:16, which means fellowship, sharing, association, community, or togetherness. Hence, it is meaningless if we take it alone at home or even if we take it individually, to claim for the health and wealth promise of God.
Notice how the Israelites ate and drank unworthily in 1Co 10:7-12? They fornicated ('dance and play' with their idols). The word 'fornication' is mentioned twelve times in the book of Revelation too:
Rev 2:14 KJV But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
Rev 2:20 KJV Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
I do not have time to list down all the Bible verses about 'fornication' from the book of Revelation. However, the two Bible verses above suffice to tell us that it does not refer to the physical sexual communion; it refers to the unholy communion with the worldly idols or the spirit of the false prophets and false doctrine to promote worldly lusts and wicked ambitions. The body of Christ must be holy. When the Lord instituted the Holy Communion, He wanted all His twelve disciples to keep His communion holy and teach the churches to keep it holy until He comes again. Therefore, we should not mix the Holy Communion with our own selfish desires and ambitions. We should not use the Holy Communion as our 'health and wealth' gimmick to take advantage of the innocent believers too. We have been warned by the Lord repeatedly to be diligent as the body of Christ to keep His body holy, to watch and pray, to beware, to be like the five diligent virgins, to be like the wise steward with the talents, and to be like the obedient sheep who would do good by keeping His commandments (see Mat 25). The Lord would always warn the church to be diligent to keep themselves holy; however, some preachers would deliberately and boastfully argue that they should relax or be comforted to know that they can never sin away their righteousness: https://youtu.be/yhjJjGEERRs - it could be a deliberate act or doctrine to nullify and oppose the warning of Christ to the church. It is proposed subtly or craftily so that you can only either listen to him, or to Christ. If you choose to believe what he said, you may think that you are still believing in Christ. But the compromise you make to believe what he said would show that you are no longer with Christ or that you are no longer keeping the words of Christ. It is similar to the type of proposal given by the serpent to Eve. Eve might think that she only wanted to choose or believe for a better life. But she did not realise that the proposal from the serpent was actually a very subtle and crafty suggestion to nullify and oppose the command of God too:
Gen 3:4 KJV And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
The 'health and wealth gospel' was a curse in the garden of Eden
Of course, I am not against health and wealth. Of course, we can do many things to gain health and wealth. For example, we can always eat well, sleep well, work well, and exercise well to enjoy health and wealth. There is nothing wrong to enjoy health and wealth. However, there is only one thing which is wrong when we enjoy health and wealth; that is when we do it outside of the law of God or when we depart from the law of God. Adam and Eve were enjoying perfect (divine) health and wealth in the garden of Eden (in the law of God) until they did something wrong, by listening to the 'health and wealth gospel' from the serpent or the lawless one (the serpent is called the lawless one because he hates God and God's law and he will try all he can to bring lawlessness or sin to men). Similarly, we could be enjoying divine health and wealth in the law of Christ too (after we are redeemed and restored to be under the will and the law of God). But, if we listen to the health and wealth gospel from the lawless one again, his gospel does not bring health; it brings hell. If Adam ate his way to hell, we can eat our way to hell again. Why? The Bible shows clearly that if the serpent could preach the 'health and wealth gospel' by changing God's command and bring lawlessness (sin - 1Jn 3:4) into men, he can still do the same today through his lawless prophets or antinomian prophets too:
2Co 11:1-4 KJV Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. (2) For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. (3) But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. (4) For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
The 'health and wealth gospel' could become a bait which will bring more lawlessness back into the hearts of many God's people today
Obviously Paul still warned the church against the lawless one who will come and tempt the church again. Of course, the serpent will not tell us to eat any fruit again; but he will certainly preach the 'health and wealth gospel' again. He will tell us to eat something (like the Holy Communion) to show rebellion against the law of God or to eat it with his type of lawlessness or his lawless attitude. However, this time he can deceive many more to believe him because he will preach it in the name of Jesus (but another Jesus), in the name of the gospel (but another gospel), or in the name of grace (but another grace). He will raise many antinomian prophets who will try to confuse the people, make all God's commandments of none effect, and give the people their own sets of righteous rules, law, principles, confessions, or philosophies which instruct the people:
1. not to watch pornography,
2. not to commit adultery,
3. not to think of any law or command from God,
4. not to think negatively about yourselves,
5. not to worry, not to fear, and not to doubt on their teachings,
6. not to miss out the good things in life,
7. not to have negative opinion about God,
8. not to obey God with too much self-effort,
9. not to do any law, any God's command, or anything under grace,
10. not to think of your own obedience to God but Christ obedience for you,
11. not to think of doing His righteousness but only thinking about His righteousness,
12. not to confess your sins,
13. not to repent with sin conscience,
14. not to take the Holy Communion with self-examination,
15. not to stop confessing 'I am the righteousness of God',
16. not to judge or touch the anointed ones,
17. not to stop giving (to them) until you are prospered (by them),
18. not to speak against anyone who preach hyper grace or false grace,
19. not to do ..
20. and not to do ..
However, do you realise that they give you many more do's and don'ts than the Ten Commandments? Hence, if they said that it is a curse to keep the Ten Commandments because they are the do's and don'ts which will put you under the bondage, they are slapping their own mouths. They are giving you more bondages with their own do's and don'ts. They may be able to promise more health and wealth with their own do's and don'ts but they are liars who learn all the principles of their do's and don'ts from God's commandments. But they nullify, twist, and make God's laws and commandments of no effect, so that they can claim credit for their own rules. They may argue that they are preaching the words of God; however, their actions or their fruits show otherwise. Please think, Is the law of God considered as the words of God? If they preach against the law and commandment of God, aren't they preaching against the words of God too?
The 'health and wealth gospel' could become an excuse to have no more law (to be lawless)
Many hyper grace preachers will still argue that the health and wealth gospel through the taking of the Holy Communion can never bring lawlessness into the heart of a believer. I will tell them, Preaching the Holy Communion correctly will not bring lawlessness, but preaching it wrongly will certainly bring lawlessness. Have you forgotten how you preached the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as a type of the law (as a type of evil)? and how you preached that when Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree, they literally put on the law (put on nakedness) ? and how you told the people to eat the Holy Communion to be set free from the bondage of all laws (to have no more law)? The way you preach the Holy Communion and the law of God will certainly bring lawlessness into the heart of a believer. Obviously you are totally confused about the law of God and the law of Moses.
Do you know that it is the will of God for all His people to keep His laws? Hence, after Adam and Eve departed from His laws, God still had a plan to restore and put His laws into the hearts of His people. He first wrote the Ten Commandments on the two tablets of stones and gave them to the Israelites through Moses, but ultimately He will put His laws and commandments into all the hearts of His people through Christ. God showed His heart and His will by
1. Giving His law and command to the mankind (through Adam)
2. Giving His law and commandment to the Israelites (through Moses)
3. Giving His law and commandment to the believers (through Christ)
Hence, when we are under Christ, we may no longer need to obey His law and command given to Adam and Moses. But we are still under Christ to keep His law and commandment.
Many hyper grace preachers will now argue, "Ahh, haha, I agree totally. Since we are under Christ, we are no longer required to keep the Ten Commandments and the law of Moses too. But why do you still talk about the Ten Commandments?"
I will tell them, It is not just me who still talk about the Ten Commandments; it is the Lord who still talked about the Ten Commandments. If the Lord would still talk or teach about the Ten Commandments to His disciples, it means that the Ten Commandments are still His commandments, and therefore, the Ten Commandments are not obsolete. The Ten Commandments become His commandments which are written in our hearts now:
Mat 5:17-19 KJV Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. (18) For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (19) Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 22:37-40 KJV Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (38) This is the first and great commandment. (39) And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (40) On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
The 'health and wealth gospel' will create its own metaphor which is not true
Many preachers who preach health and wealth without the law through the Holy Communion still think that God put the Ten Commandments, the manna, and the Aaron's rod into the ark to 'lock' them up so that none could come out to kill because those items were a reminder of men's rebellion and curses. So, they think that the gospel or the goodnews is that they can now prosper and become more healthy without any law. I will ask them, Suppose I bought a fish from the market and I put it into the ice box to preserve it so that it will not stink. Will I be wrong if I say that God would do the same for His commandments of truth, His manna of life, and His rod of power by putting them into the ark so that it will not stink too (so that it will not become a curse to the people too)? No, of course, it is the wrong scenario:
1. Firstly, the use of the ice box to illustrate the purpose of the ark is totally unscriptural.
2. Secondly, the idea of preserving or locking up something that is as wonderful as God's truth, God life, and God's power is totally illogical
Hence, if we cannot use the metaphor of the ice box to describe God's things in the ark, we can never use the metaphor of a locked box to illustrate His holy things too.
Exo 25:21-22 KJV And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. (22) And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
2Pe 2:21 KJV For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
Rom 7:12-13 KJV Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. (13) Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.
Notice that it is not true that the commandment kills; it is sin (v13) which kills.
1. It is not true that the law killed the 3000 Israelites; it was their sin, their lawlessness, or their own transgression against the law of God that killed themselves.
2. It is not true that the Spirit alone saved the 3000 believers too; it was their repentance in Christ and turning away from their lawlessness which saved themselves. Notice that they were saved first and then they 'shall' receive the Holy Spirit: Act 2:37-41 KJV Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? (38) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost .. (40) And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. (41) Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
It is not true that the sting of death is the law; the sting of death is sin (1Co 15:56). However, the strength of sin (the strength to punish sin or to judge sin) is the law or commandment of God. Hence, if we keep the law of God, it will never bring death; it will bring life instead. It is a double-edged sword.
Obviously God did not put the commandments, the manna, and the rod into the ark to lock them up to show that His gifts were curses; but to show that they were all His divine gifts and that He is the giver of the truth, the life, and the way of righteousness.
The 'health and wealth gospel' will seduce with its own lawless metaphor
They will still argue, "But do you know that God would commune with the Israelites from ABOVE the ark, not in the ark or below the ark? The mercy seat or grace is ABOVE the ark too. It shows that God did not want Himself and the Israelites to look inside the ark and to know about the commandments, the manna, and the rod which were the curses of their rebellion. Why? They would not have rebelled without the commandments, manna, or rod."
I will tell them, Your interpretation is not only weird; it is totally out of the Bible context. Do you read your Bible?
Deu 31:9-11 KJV And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests .. (11) When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
Jos 8:34 KJV And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law.
2Ki 22:8-13 KJV And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. (11) And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes. (12) And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, .. saying, (13) Go ye, enquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.
Do you know why God wanted them to read it? It means that God did not want to hide it. On the contrary, God wanted all the Israelites to know, to remember, and to hearken to His commandments and do it. So, do you still think that God put His laws in the ark to hide it from the people? Of course, no.
Do you notice that Moses was the one wrote the book of the law (Deu 31:9)? It means that the law of Moses or the book of the law was written by Moses. It was not the Ten Commandments but it was a 'shadow' or 'backup' of the Ten Commandments which could still teach with the principles of the Ten Commandments. So, the law of Moses is obsolete; but the Ten Commandments are not.
Do you notice that there was the wrath of God kindled against Israel when the law was found and read in their presence (2Ki 22:8-13)? Does it mean that the law was the wrath of God? No, it brought the wrath of God not because it was found (It would still bring wrath and condemnation whether the law was read or not read), but because the people had forgotten about the law and done many wicked things. So, it is a wicked lie if we tell the people to cast away all the law of God and give them the false impression that whenever, we read the law, we are reading wrath into people's life. We lie when we do not say what God said.
The 'health and wealth gospel' will mock at God with its own lawless metaphor
I will tell them, You said that the ark was a metaphor which locked up all the curses in a box, and hence, God wanted the people to focus only on the mercy seat or grace which was placed above the ark. But do you know that there were two cherubim ABOVE the the mercy seat and the ark too? Will you now interpret that God wanted the Israelites to think of the cherubim only just because the cherubim were set even higher than the mercy seat? No, of course, you know that this is ridiculous. If you can't accept it based based on the interpretation of its physical height, you can't give any kind of interpretation based on your own choice too. Otherwise, we can all make fantasy movies like 'The Indiana Jones and The Raiders of The Lost Ark', 'The Superman and The Kryptonite Stone', .. and etc, and convince the people that all the laws are curses and 'stinking fish' which need to be cast away from us.
Many still argue, "What's the problem with you? What's wrong if we crack a few joke or create a few creative illustrations to attract people's attention? We are not like the repentance preachers who give only boring doctrine and commandments to the people." I will tell them, I am not against jokes or weird illustrations, but if you always do it to mock at the law of God or at those who preach His laws, you are mocking God. Your constant mocking at the Ten Commandments as something which can only fit to be locked inside an ark (instead of inside a heart) is not coincidental. You have created many other metaphors to insult those who preach the law of God too. Your metaphor of the 'amputation ward' is another metaphor which shows to us clearly that you do not love the law of God: https://plus.google.com/103386467367636094616/posts/FUg75zhD4ye Like the serpent, you may keep preaching His words or commandments; but you have a hidden mocking spirit (the spirit of the frog) against God and His commandments.
I said that I am not against joke or metaphor. But, if it is used wrongly on God, it can backfire. This is how I see it. The serpent or the false prophets may think that they can mock at God and His words, but what they said will ultimately bounce back, melt away all their beautiful cover up or 'thick make up', and reveal their true nature - a very 'ugly face':
Heb 4:12-13 KJV For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (13) Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
In that day, many who try to preach like God or like Christ will suddenly realise that all their great metaphors (or enchantments) which they throw at God's law will be ultimately defeated and 'swallowed up' by God's law.
Exo 7:11-12 KJV Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. (12) For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.
Notice that God's law cannot make bad people good, but it can make good people or God's people triumph over the bad people or bad enchantments. Good people or God's people are not saved by God's law; but when they are saved, they always have God's law and the right metaphor for God's law (which is 'a sword' in their hands and in their spirits). This is inevitable.
God can still judge His people under the New Covenant
Please think again. If a preacher gave many scenarios or illustrations on how the commandments of God can kill or curse, do you think he really love the laws and commandments of God? No, he lies. He may be able to prove that the Ten Commandments will bring curses, but he will never let you know that, when he teaches or sings about doing good and living godly life, he is actually singing or teaching something which he had learned from the Ten Commandments.
Exo 20:16 KJV Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Psa 34:13-14 KJV Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. (14) Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
1Pe 3:10-12 KJV For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: (11) Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. (12) For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
However, when he preaches one thing (against the commandment of God) and sing another (about the goodness of His commandment), he does not lie against men; he lies against God. He may learn that lying against his neighbour will be judged by the Ten Commandments; but he may not know that lying against God will be judged more severely under the law or covenant of Christ :
Heb 10:16-30 KJV This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them .. (26) For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth .. (28) He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: (29) Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? (30) For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
Notice why we should read Heb 10:16 (about the New Covenant and the law of God in our hearts) with Heb 10:26 (about sinning wilfully)? It means that the warning of Heb 10:26 is a serious warning for those who are under the New Covenant or who are sanctified and cleansed by the blood of the covenant. It is not meant for the false believers, the agnostic believers, or the people of the world who are lawless or who do not have the law of God in their hearts.
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https://youtu.be/I7E4Sn3xOqg?t=2m10s - Joseph Prince - Eat Your Way To Divine Health - 31 Jul 16 - Published on Aug 4, 2016
The pastor said, "When you partake it, say .. I am partaking His amazing brain or mind, .. see your brain being fried at the cross .. .. I am standing here to tell you this that God said, Do it because it brings Me glory .."
I will say to him, That's not what God said; that's what you said. It may sound better if you rephrased it and said "your brain becomes more hyper" instead of "your brain being fried", but it makes no difference to me. I still find it weird to take the Holy Communion for that purpose. If it is true, Paul should have told the sick Timothy to do the same too. If it is true, everyone in our church should have the perfect eye sight and the perfect belly with the 'six packs'. If it is true, all of us should think like Peter and demand that the Lord should literally wash our feet whenever we take His supper too. If I were a marathon runner, I would take it to get a pair of perfect super bionic legs to win the race. If I were a swimmer, I would take it to win the Olympic gold metal for God's glory too. If the Israelites could walk supernaturally on the Red Sea without feeble legs, surely I could also run like a superman after taking something which is more superior than their passover lambs, right?
Of course, it is ridiculous to preach or imagine that the Holy Communion should be done for that purpose. Neither should it be preached like a 'multi-purpose oil', like a self-gratification gimmick, or like an individual health and wealth promotional talk. Of course, God can tell us to do many things for His glory; but God will never tell us to do things for stupidity or brainless rituals.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyHCUwpy2BNMXsGjnnSkR2j4fyub22RemPNq2MKcl7h-uX5Ip58tSfwo5hyphenhyphenHT_rVCPtn3cuSHHr191FWIRZxM3P2CXvdL4z_jQ_50r_OyeV0yw63LvIo-8KiIg1pddvNzp0AwzSD8oQ1I8/s1600/2016-09-07+14_15_35-Joseph+Prince+-+Eat+Your+Way+To+Divine+Health+-+31+Jul+16+-+YouTube.png----------------------------
https://youtu.be/I7E4Sn3xOqg?t=2m10s - Joseph Prince - Eat Your Way To Divine Health - 31 Jul 16 - Published on Aug 4, 2016
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