Introduction

This week, I will address a topic I have never touched upon before, entitled "Is That God's Temple?" The Chinese Mingding Doctrine raises many questions: Are we doing the right thing? Is this approach good? Is this the word of God? Do we truly possess the truth? Is that God's temple?

This touches upon a very fundamental issue. I do not want everyone to come among us confused, nor do I want everyone to attend a church in a muddled state. I hope everyone can clearly understand that this is God's temple. You might say you are a new believer, but even new believers must have this attitude. Then, you will gradually discover how good this is.

You know, David and Solomon built the temple and received great grace. However, many people only saw the gold that David received, not the grace. The gold is good, but actually, I don't need 270 tons; a few hundred pounds would be fine too—that's the kind of logic. And then, you know what? Let's also build a temple. But the question is, is that your God's temple? Is it built according to God's will? Does that thing you built have God's presence? This question is too serious.

So, in the past few years, I have experienced a lot, and then I experienced it myself. At first, I built a church with enthusiasm. Why? Because I couldn't stand the churches others built. I didn't know what some pastors were talking about on stage, so by chance, I started building God's temple.

Building God's temple, oh my goodness, roast chicken, roast duck, and soy sauce beef—it was a temple of roast chicken, roast duck, and soy sauce beef. I built a cafeteria where people could eat for free, and soon many people came, a whole crowd. Believe it or not, if you put a piece of meat there, flies and mosquitoes will come in no time.

After building it, I built myself into a miserable state. God didn't come, but demons did. Then I lived under a curse. Was that God's temple? No, it wasn't God's temple. Don't mention it; this suddenly made me unemployed. I tell you, if I had truly built the temple according to God's word, I wouldn't have lost my job. But I reacted quickly and knew it was a curse. I am not Job, nor am I wronged; I deserved it.

Later, I said, if I want to build a temple, I must build it properly. From then on, I began to pray, seek, and then walk step by step according to God's word. The roast chicken, roast duck, and soy sauce beef were gone. Later, you had to pay a dollar for a bottle of mineral water in the church. Do you think this church is too stingy? Do you know my logic? I want to build a church to train people to send out. Those I attract with roast chicken, roast duck, and soy sauce beef are all selfish gluttons.

I knew early on that David built the temple according to God's revelation. God drew it with His finger and let David understand how to build it. That was God's temple, and that temple was full of God's glory. So I read the Book of Ephesians, and I knew that God's will is the church, and God wants to build a church full of God's glory. So we built a church full of God's glory step by step to this day, step by step to now.

I know a pastor whose church has a sister's mother from our church. Then, this member said to me, "Teacher, look, another cancer has been detected in my mother's church recently, about the same age as her mother. Then, a month later, Teacher, another cancer was detected in my mother's church. A month later, another cancer was detected." I said, "What do you want to do?" She said, "Teacher, is my mother next?" Possibly, it's your mother. With your mother's little spiritual appearance, she looks quite like the next one.

The question is, is that God's temple? Actually, it's not God's temple. When I first started building the church, I went everywhere to learn. I had to learn, even if it was just looking at the surface. After I arrived at that church, I sat in the last row and observed. Suddenly, the scene in front of me changed. There were many large bats hanging on the stage lights. The big bats' eyes were slyly looking at people, those big bats were half a meter long, very big. Then, in the blink of an eye, it was gone. It turned out to be a vision.

I was thinking, God, how could there be these things in this place? The Spirit of God said, "This is a church of demons, a church ruled by demons." It scared me a lot. Later, the mother of a young brother among us went to a church. Why did she go to the local church? According to him, she just went for fun.

Two years later, his mother called me. She didn't dare to tell her son that she had a minor surgery because her son was in school. Then she called me and said, "Pastor Liu, I won't hide it from you. I have breast cancer." I am now in the fourth stage of chemotherapy. My whole body is swollen, I can't eat, and I can't sleep. If I continue chemotherapy, I will die. If I don't continue chemotherapy, I will also die. Then I said, "Oh, then I will lead you in prayer."

I tell you, God also has mercy on me. Some cancer patients are very difficult to pray for every day. But his mother was healed after one prayer. After she was healed, I said, then you must believe in the Lord well. Then you follow me, anyway, we are connected online, so just follow. She said, no, I want to go back to the original church.

Usually, I don't say anything in this situation. I just let her believe in the Lord there. As a result, two years later, this young brother told me that his mother's condition was not good. Although she had survived these two years, she couldn't breathe when lying down and couldn't sleep when sitting up, so she couldn't rest well. Later, I understood why his mother didn't want to come to me? Because I require offerings here.

Actually, I may not even give her the qualification to offer, but that's how it's said, offerings are required. She gives two hundred yuan out of a monthly salary of two thousand yuan, and the money she gives to the hospital is far more than this amount. His son is under my pastoral care, so I have to care about this matter. As a result, she was healed again after I led her in prayer. This time I learned to be smart. If you want to come, come. If you don't want to come, forget it. I don't care anymore. Go wherever you want.

Later, she really came to Singapore once. She said one sentence to me in Singapore, which made me very angry. Fortunately, my emotions were relatively stable. She said, "Pastor Liu, my son believes in the Lord like this with you, how can we live like this?" I was thinking, your son believes in the Lord like this with me, how can we not live like this? Don't you want to live a blessed life? Do you just want to live a cursed life?

Later, his son and daughter-in-law both left the church, left us. But they still go to church, but the question is, is that God's temple? Actually, they are living quite well now because I can't see his mother in the circle of friends anymore. His mother should be dead. One thing I am very surprised about is, what kind of brain is this? What kind of brain is this? They also go to church, but they go to a church that causes cancer. Our brothers and sisters began to think about this matter.

Later, I was thinking, you are actually not looking for a church, you are looking for God, right? Looking for a God who can help us, a God who listens to your prayers. If God does not dwell in that place, and demons dwell there, isn't that a tragedy? So I tell everyone, if you want to build a church, build a church with God's presence, a church established as a dwelling place for God's name. This matter has always puzzled me. How can demons live in a church? Isn't it?

There is a very famous church in Singapore that is haunted, very famous. As a result, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, during the rise of the charismatic church, which was about the time I believed in the Lord, the charismatic church was very prosperous. Although traditional churches, such as Presbyterian and Baptist churches, still dominated, a charismatic church movement began in the early 1980s.

There was a famous pastor from New Zealand who pioneered a charismatic church. When he came to this church, he had the ability to see visions and saw thousands of demons hanging from the ceiling. Then he began to pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, to let these unclean spirits leave. Then he saw the demons falling from the ceiling one after another and running away.

The entire church's spiritual atmosphere also began to change, and people began to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. Later, the pastor also testified that the brothers and sisters in the church experienced unprecedented release and peace. Many people began to repent and turn to the Lord. The history of the charismatic church is actually an Anglican main church, and the church I went to was an Anglican branch church. And this Anglican branch church was the only church in that era that exorcised demons.

This church was full of miracles and wonders. Many people had problems, had issues, and had their families disturbed by demons. Before coming to this church, nothing was manifested. They went to this church and that church everywhere, and nothing was manifested, no manifestation. And many churches also said there are no demons, no demons. I tell you, there are quite a few churches that say there are no demons.

Once you hear that there are no demons, I tell you, it must be demonic talk. Remember, demons are always hiding. As soon as I came to the church I went to, oh my goodness, it began to manifest. What was manifested was the kind of wailing and screaming. Later, I understood a principle: where God is present, demons cannot hide. Demons manifest immediately.

They also manifest among us, but many people have not seen them. Actually, don't disbelieve. You must know that if demons don't manifest, they hide and corrupt people. I am quite emotional. There are many people who build churches, and there are also many people who build temples. Do you think only David and Moses built temples? No. The Bible records a very interesting story.

This story is about Moses' grandson, Gershom's son, Jonathan. That is to say, Moses had a grandson named Jonathan. He must have followed Moses in the wilderness for many years. Moses was the leader of the Israelites, the grandson of the eldest family. I tell you, do the Israelites know? They know. Moses' grandson also built a temple and became a priest. What do you think will happen? It brought a lot of disasters. He experienced a lot of disasters, and the nation of Israel also experienced a lot of disasters because of this person.

Scripture

That evening an old man was coming home from his work in the fields. He was from the hill country of Ephraim, but he was living in Gibeah, which belonged to Benjamin. The old man looked up and saw the traveler sitting in the town square. “Where are you from?” he asked. “Where are you going?”

The man answered, “We are on our way from Bethlehem in Judah to our home in the hill country of Ephraim. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and now I am returning home. But no one has offered us hospitality. We have straw and fodder for our donkeys and plenty of bread and wine for ourselves—your servants—but we don’t have a place to stay.” “You are welcome to stay with me,” the old man said. “Let me supply whatever you need. Don’t spend the night in the square.” So he took them home and fed their donkeys. They washed their feet and had supper. (Judges 19:16-21)

Prayer

God, open our minds and let us seek you with humble hearts. Let us know what is your temple and what is not your temple. God, let us know clearly that your temple must be built according to your will. God, save us from ignorance and foolishness, lead us, give us knowledge and wisdom, let us know you, and let our hearts turn to you.

Let the temple we build be a temple with your presence, and let the church we build be a church built according to your will with your presence. God, have mercy on us, be gracious to us, save us from all ignorance, and let us be filled with the revelation you have given us from heaven. May we be joyful and happy in your temple and receive your grace. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Scriptural Background

This is a long story, starting from Judges chapter 17. There was a man named Micah in the hill country of Ephraim. Micah, a man of means, took silver from his mother. How much? Eleven hundred shekels of silver. When his mother realized the eleven hundred shekels of silver were gone, she pronounced a curse on whoever had taken the silver.

As it happened, Micah was the one who had taken the silver. Having taken the silver, he was now under a curse. His mother, realizing that the one she had cursed was her own son, panicked. Then her son said, "Mother, the silver is here with me; I took it." This mother and son were perplexed. Why? Because they had little knowledge of curses and blessings; they were ignorant.

Even now, many churches lack a thorough understanding of curses and blessings. As I lead you in prayer, remember that in life, one either diligently obeys and is blessed, or disobeys and is cursed. Many assume curses are related to demons, but they are not. Curses are related to God. This matter is perplexing.

The mother said, "Son, I had set apart this silver to dedicate to the Lord." They knew the words "curse" and "blessing," and they knew the name "Jehovah." But they lacked true understanding; they only knew the terms. Micah returned the silver to his mother, and his mother gave two hundred shekels of silver to a silversmith, who made an idol, which she set up in Micah's house.

Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household gods. Then Micah appointed one of his sons as priest. Was this not acting as he pleased? At the same time, there was a shrine in that place. But was Jehovah truly there? To receive blessings and resolve the issue of a curse, they were acting rashly.

People easily engage in reckless thoughts, words, and deeds. I tell you, reckless thoughts, words, and deeds are a common phenomenon, devoid of any true doctrine. As a result, Micah prayed before the shrine, "God, grant me a Levite as priest." This prayer had unexpected consequences. Indeed, someone came. A man came. Micah asked, "Do you have a place to stay?" Micah replied, "We have room in our house." Then, "Who are you?" "I am a Levite."

Who was this Levite? He was a grandson of Moses. Why would a grandson of Moses leave Bethlehem in Judah without a good reason? Why did Moses' grandson leave that place? He was starting his own venture. "You can build temples and collect offerings; why can't I build temples and collect offerings?" This sounds quite alarming.

Years ago, a young man told me, "Teacher, I want to be a pastor in the future." I found it interesting and thought he was serious. I asked, "Why do you want to be a pastor?" He replied, "My parents told me that the pastors in our hometown all built big houses; they collected plenty of offerings."

Moses' grandson could not serve as a priest in Bethlehem of Judah because God had not appointed Moses' descendants as priests, only Aaron's descendants. He had not grasped this point. "So, I can't start a venture in Judah, right? People there consider Aaron's descendants as priests, so I'll go elsewhere."

What was his idea? He had heard that the tribe of Dan was in a dire situation, not yet having received their inheritance, living like nomads. So, this man stayed in Micah's house, and Micah offered him a price: ten shekels of silver a year. Ten shekels of silver was not a high sum, but it was not a low sum either. And so, he became the priest of Micah's shrine.

After becoming the priest of Micah's shrine, I tell you, he became quite ambitious. He prayed in the shrine, "God, it's not very meaningful for me to be the priest of Micah's household, is it? I still want to be the priest of a tribe."

Believe it or not, as he was thinking, five warriors from the tribe of Dan arrived. "You have a shrine and a priest, and he's a grandson of Moses. Calculate for us whether our upcoming battle will be successful." And Moses' grandson said, "You can go in peace; your path is pleasing to the Lord."

Is this a matter of life and death? I ask you, was their journey successful? Very successful. This success was a confirmation. Then these five men, along with six hundred armed soldiers from the tribe of Dan, returned to Micah's shrine and told Moses' grandson, "Do you want to be the priest of Micah's family, or do you want to be the priest of our tribe—the tribe of Dan?" I tell you, Moses' grandson, do you think he really cared about God? He cared about money.

Suddenly, the church would have so many members from the tribe of Dan, far more than Micah's household, right? I tell you, in building a church, you must not pursue numbers; you must only pursue God's Word and build according to God's Word. As a result, Moses' grandson thought his opportunity had come. "Now I can become the priest of a tribe."

"Jerusalem is not Jerusalem; it is the temple of Shiloh. The other tribes belong to you; this one tribe belongs to me. I have built a shrine, the temple of Jehovah." He followed them. After following them, Micah was naturally anxious. The tribe of Dan had finally found the temple of Jehovah and the priest of Jehovah. Would they let it go? This man was a grandson of Moses; they had found a treasure!

What happened? Micah watched helplessly as his shrine was taken away. What a chaotic story! Was that the temple of God? I tell you, Moses' grandson truly considered it the temple of God. Was there any miracle? There was a miracle. With one prayer, things were accomplished. "I want to be the priest of a tribe," and the tribe of Dan came, right? Micah prayed, "I want a Levite as priest," and a Levite came. What is this called? This is called confirmation.

Have you noticed that our church rarely talks about confirmation? You rarely hear me talk about confirmation; I don't talk about that stuff. Confirmation is unreliable; God's Word established in heaven is reliable! Everyone must know that we read God's Word! Seeking confirmation is too dangerous. I ask you, can demons give you confirmation? Demons can also give you confirmation because the human heart is deceitful.

Later, people did not want to mention his name, to spare Moses some face. In Judges chapter 19, it says there was a Levite. That Levite was in the hill country of Ephraim. There might have been another Levite, right? This Levite was going to the temple of Jehovah. I ask you, does this match up? It matches up; it was the priest of the tribe of Dan, Moses' grandson.

Let me explain this matter thoroughly. What happened to him in the end? His concubine committed adultery, cuckolding him. This priest of the tribe of Dan was cuckolded! As a result, the concubine left her husband and returned to Bethlehem in Judah, where she had originally come from. Then her husband, the Levite, set out to bring his concubine back from Bethlehem.

After bringing her back, they arrived at his father-in-law's house, and his father-in-law insisted he stay. He stayed for a day, and when they set out, it was already afternoon. In the afternoon, he insisted on leaving, taking his concubine and his men. They arrived at Gibeah, but no one welcomed him. So, he sat in the city street, but the thugs of Gibeah were very fierce.

An old man saw him and said, "Come, stay at my house." The two men conversed. The old man asked, "Where do you come from, and where are you going?" "I come from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to the hill country of Ephraim. Now I am going to the temple of Jehovah."

I ask you, did he really think that was the temple of Jehovah? But was that the temple of Jehovah? That was not the temple of Jehovah. Then, do you know what happened? Several thugs surrounded the old man's house and demanded to have sex with these men. Imagine, if he, a priest, were assaulted and then returned to serve as a priest, it would be inappropriate.

The thugs of Gibeah wanted to drag them out, so the old man pushed the Levite's concubine out. The thugs raped the concubine to death. The concubine crawled back to the threshold and died. It is hard for us to understand how she could have died so easily.

Then the Levite dragged Moses' grandson to the hill country of Ephraim, back to the temple of Jehovah, and cut the body into twelve pieces, giving one piece to each tribe. Does this sound like the temple of Jehovah? Is this the temple of Jehovah? Anyway, it was very tragic, very tragic.

This reminds me that our brothers and sisters must know that in the church, if we build a temple with Micah's idol, hang a cross, set up a Jesus, set up a Christianity, and set up a denomination, is that the temple of Jehovah? In that place, you will see many disputes, many struggles, and the church will be filled with strange things.

Like I said earlier, one person gets diagnosed with cancer after another, and what is evil is that these people do not leave their church. What is behind this? Behind it is an evil spirit, binding these people tightly.

So, what should we do? We must come before the Lord in prayer, rebuke these binding spirits in the name of Jesus Christ, and ask the Holy Spirit to fill us. When we pray in this way, we see the lives of those people begin to change, their hearts are released, their eyes are opened, and they can understand the truth. They can truly experience God's love and healing, and experience freedom and peace from God.

People are truly bound tightly by evil spirits. Until they die, they do not know that this is not the temple of Jehovah. This is an idol set up by Micah and his mother to resolve the issue of curses and blessings. The family had money, right? What's wrong with me spending two hundred shekels of silver to make an idol? That's quite impressive.

So, there are many tragedies in the church, to what extent? To a degree that is quite incomprehensible. Many pastors get cancer. Why? Because people do not diligently obey, and then God gives the diseases of Egypt to those who claim to be His people.

Someone asked me that he went to be baptized one year, and his wife took him to be baptized. After being baptized, a disaster occurred. Those who baptized him were quite famous pastors, very well-known in the Chinese community. Then this person was confused. "Look, as soon as I was baptized, as soon as I believed in the Lord, I had a disaster." He was confused for many years.

Once, I ministered to him because he had stomach pain, insomnia, and eye pain. He asked me to minister to him, and I said, "Let me minister to you." He asked me why he had suffered these things. I have a sharp tongue and usually don't beat around the bush. I said, "You believed wrongly!" Do you understand? You believed wrongly! Is that God's church? Is that the gospel of Jesus Christ? Even baptism is useless.

So, I must tell everyone, is that thing that Micah set up the temple of Jehovah? Later, Moses' grandson became a priest; is that the temple of Jehovah? It is not. Let us all begin to wake up. Don't believe what I say; you must study God's Word carefully and see if what I say is true or not.

I say this to tell everyone that a person who believes in the wrong Lord is cursed. Of course, those who do not believe in the Lord are already under a curse. A person who preaches the wrong gospel is also cursed. That is the problem. So I want our brothers and sisters to start becoming clever. I long for everyone to be filled with the knowledge of God in their understanding. If you do not know God in your understanding, if you do not know how powerful God is, how rigorous His words are, and then you speak nonsense, think nonsense, do nonsense, and fix nonsense, that is a lifelong tragedy.

Later, because of Moses' grandson, the tribe of Benjamin, specifically the area of Gibeah, almost faced annihilation. The Benjamites of Gibeah were nearly wiped out, leaving only a few hundred people in the entire tribe of Benjamin. Do you know what happened later? Later, after the Israelites received the corpse, they mustered 400,000 new recruits.

How many people were there in Israel in total? 400,000 new recruits were going to fight Gibeah. These few thugs in Gibeah were very influential people, and as a result, they recruited all the able-bodied Benjamites. There were about 20,000 Benjamites who could fight, and they fought against these 400,000. In the first battle, the Benjamites defeated the Israelites. Later, in the second battle, they defeated the Israelites again, with tens of thousands dying each time. Later, the Israelite army defeated the Benjamite army, killing all but a few hundred. How do you explain this?

The background of this story is that Moses' grandson committed spiritual adultery, which led to his concubine cheating on him. Spiritual adultery is very evil; it means that a person is unfaithful to God. Unfaithfulness to God is called spiritual adultery. Because of spiritual adultery, God allowed an evil spirit to mess with his concubine, causing Moses' grandson to be cuckolded.

Later, his concubine was killed in Gibeah by a spirit of promiscuity. So Moses' grandson cut the concubine's body into twelve pieces and sent them out. In the end, many people from the tribe of Benjamin in Gibeah died, and many Israelites also died. Do you think this is extremely chaotic? Extremely chaotic. So some people say, why are there so many denominations in Christianity? This denomination and that denomination make people dizzy.

With idols, with ephods, with a temple, is that the Temple of God?

I have a cross, I have a Christian sign, but is that the Temple of God? It is worth asking: Did Moses' grandson have idols? Yes, he had idols. Did he have a temple? Yes, he had a temple. Did he have an ephod? Yes, he had an ephod. But was that the Temple of God? I tell you, it was not. Do not ever think that just because there is a cross hanging and the words "Christian Church" written on top, it is the Temple of God. If you go there, you must be careful, very careful.

When I was studying theology, I knew a person, a sister, who went to New Zealand for an internship after graduation. Was that a church? Yes, it was a church. Did it have a cross? Yes, it had a cross. Did it have Christian registration? Yes, it had registration. Did it have the Lord's Supper? Yes, it had the Lord's Supper. But did it have the presence of God? That is unknown.

Because only the pastor was there in the church, and finally someone came to fill in for him, so he took his wife and children on a trip, entrusting the church to the intern during his absence. During the trip, this classmate was jumping and fell in the church, breaking her arm. Was that the Temple of God? Her arm was broken. Imagine, she was not a local, and it took quite a while to get to the hospital.

Once, when I was ministering in Taiwan, she came to see me. She said, "Look, teacher, I broke my arm there, and after returning to Taiwan, it was set, but it still hurts, it hurts a lot." Then the people in the church saw that my arm hurt and asked me to cook for the church, so I used this arm to cook for them. After hearing this, I felt sad. Was that the Temple of God? I ask you, what would God think if He saw these things? I said, "Come here, let me pray for you." Believe it or not, the pain disappeared completely in five minutes.

Actually, when we were studying theology together, she had experienced these things that I did. I had done many of these miraculous things a long time ago, constantly releasing, and then she was healed. She said to me, "The current church is full of people who defecate, but none who lay eggs." I was really very moved. How could they not even handle a simple arm pain?

Some time ago, there was a miraculous thing among us. One of our brothers was not so spiritual, and as a result, his bone fractured. Then he remembered that I had ministered to brothers and sisters with fractures. If they could be healed, why couldn't he be healed? Originally, he was going to have surgery, but he prayed and prayed, and he was healed, no longer in pain! Not only was he not in pain, but he could also pick things up!

If you can pick things up, can you still have a fracture? Can you pick things up with a fracture? This is a very miraculous thing. I think the question is, in a place where God is, can it solve problems? In a place where God is, will it create many problems? It will not!

Brothers and sisters must learn to carefully keep and follow the words of God. People must learn to fear God and carefully keep and follow His words. If you do not want to carefully keep and follow His words here, your pastor must force you to carefully keep and follow His words. You must learn to be thorough in your understanding. Do not ever think that just because there is a cross, an ephod, and a pastor wearing a large robe, whether black or white, that is called the Temple of God? No, that is not the Temple of God.

With confirmations, is that the Temple of God?

Is a place with confirmations the Temple of God? I must tell you that Moses' grandson had an ephod and idols, and there were many confirmations. The creator of that Micah idol had many confirmations. Micah had confirmations, and a Levite came when he prayed. Isn't that miraculous? Miraculous! Then, when this Levite prayed, people from the tribe of Dan came. Isn't that miraculous? Miraculous!

Then the people from the tribe of Dan asked the priest, "Can we go this time?" "Go, go in peace." As a result, they really won the battle! Extremely miraculous. Do not say that this is not the Temple of God; even temples have many miracles. But if you carefully examine it in your understanding, is that the Temple of God? No, that is not the Temple of God either.

Our church does not talk much about confirmations. Have you all noticed? Never learn that stuff, praying for a confirmation. You know, there was a sister in the church, and the pastor said that the two of you are quite suitable. As a result, there were dreams, visions, and a bunch of coincidences, and then she believed that this was the other half God had given her, and they got married.

After getting married, the husband had a bad habit: he liked to visit prostitutes. What is that? Now they are getting a divorce. I think this is the result of many confirmations back then. I do not quite believe in confirmations; I believe in God's promises. Do you understand? I only believe in promises. Because those confirmations are similar to the things of Micah, Moses' grandson, and Jonathan, they are not of much use.

Moses' grandson serving as a priest, is that the Temple of God?

Even if Moses' grandson serves as a priest, is that the Temple of God? The person who wrote the Book of Judges did not want to talk about Moses' grandson Jonathan; he did not mention his name, but described him as a Levite. Every time Moses' name was mentioned, it made Moses uncomfortable, didn't it? This Levite went everywhere saying, "I am Moses' grandson."

At that time, if a concubine was raped and killed in any place and cut into twelve pieces and sent to the twelve tribes, there would not have been 400,000 soldiers. The Israelites would not have done that. Why? Because he had no connection with Moses. But Moses' grandson wrote a letter, "I am Moses' grandson, Gershom's son Jonathan, and this is what happened to my concubine." The Israelites still knew Moses, and as a result, they raised an army of 400,000.

But they forgot one thing: Moses' grandson built a temple that incurred God's wrath? Didn't he? Never mind Moses' grandson; whose grandson it is does not matter. Do you understand? I will teach everyone a lesson: in the future, if someone suddenly says that he is the grandson of some celebrity, the grandson of the president, the grandson of the head of state, or the grandson of something else, do not believe it. Basically, you are not far from being deceived.

Once, a sister came to see me, and she talked about her former pastor. Her former pastor received a celebrity, the grandson-in-law of a very famous person, not the grandson, but the grandson-in-law. This grandson-in-law came to her church, and as a result, the pastor had to receive him. If you ask me whether I would receive him, I would not receive him. What relationship do I have with you? I do not care about princes or consorts; I do not fall for that.

As a result, this pastor took him to the mall to buy him brand-name goods and paid for him. Does that sound strange to everyone? Then this sister said that she stood up to protect her pastor, preventing him from being deceived. The key is here: protecting her pastor, preventing him from being deceived. As a result, this pastor said, "I do not need your protection; it is good enough if I do not protect you."

I was moved. What era is this? There are still such things happening? How stupid must that pastor be? You think, Moses' grandson's brand name definitely has a demonic nature. Never believe in that. Once, it sounds a bit emotional to hear and say it.

A pastor of a large church retired. Actually, he was not very old, but he retired and handed the church over to his son. A ten-thousand-member church in Singapore was handed over to his son. His son later had an accident. This sister said, "How glorious! His father started the business, and he took over, but in the end, he got cancer." So everyone, slowly ponder this matter. Never admire these celebrities.

Although people call it the Temple of Jehovah, is that the Temple of God?

I tell you, Moses' grandson said, "I want to return to the Temple of Jehovah; I want to go to the Temple of Jehovah." I tell you, Moses' grandson really thought that was the Temple of Jehovah. He absolutely did not know that it was not; he was completely confused. Why? I have many testimonies here, and there are many confirmations. How could that not be the Temple of Jehovah God?

I am Moses' grandson. I offer sacrifices and pray in that place. It has everything. But is it? It is not. Although that temple has so many things, it is useless. Everyone must be filled with the knowledge of God in their understanding and know what the Temple of God is all about. Never mess it up. Messing it up will definitely lead to a series of tragedies.

Summary

The Temple of God must be built according to God's revelation. Only by building it carefully according to God's revelation will there be God's presence. Whether it was built by Moses or by David or Solomon, it was always built carefully according to God's revelation, never according to human intentions. Moses recorded it clearly in the Bible, in the Book of Exodus: how many pegs, how many ropes, how many sealskins, sheepskins—it must be built that way.

This matter tests our rigorous attitude within. After deeply learning a lesson in building the church, I began to understand that building the Temple of God requires rigor. How God says it should be built is how it should be built. Never mess around, think nonsense, speak nonsense, or do nonsense according to your own intentions. That is a tragic ending.

I thank God that I have a rigorous heart in whatever I study. Using this rigorous heart in building God's church, we have come to this day. We have founded the Chinese Mingding Doctrine, allowing this theological system to clearly describe how people should build the church. Remember, I did not invent it; I did it according to the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul. We must strictly believe as God says and build as God says. To this day, I thank God that God is still with us.

This sermon ends here. May God bless everyone.