December 21, 2018 Bible Study Recording:

Introduction

Today, I arranged for several sisters to take measurements and draw plans, and each drew differently. Some proportions were severely out of balance, looking awkward. Everything has its principles; measuring has its principles, and studying the Bible also has its principles. Someone told me: your method of studying the Bible is very good, and your theological system is the most advanced I know, and your method of studying the Bible is also the most advanced.

My method is called looking at the theme, not interpreting scripture with scripture. There is a Chinese saying: Seeing the trees but not the forest. Different people will see different things. What does it mean to see the trees but not the forest? If this sentence is placed on studying the Bible, it means that you have read every word, but it seems that you understand but also do not understand. Clearly, you recognize every word and can pronounce every sentence, but when put together, you don't know what it means. If you are asked to come on stage to share, you dare not come up because you cannot explain it clearly.

Chinese philosophy is very interesting, There are no more than five notes, but the changes of the five notes cannot be fully appreciated. (典出《孙子兵法·兵势篇》). In music, there are seven notes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, of which two are semitones. Actually, there are five notes. Studying the Bible is like musical notes; we know all the notes, but putting them together does not make a song. It is too difficult to create a good-sounding song; the combination of five notes is infinitely varied. There are more than five thousand Chinese characters, and most people can master three thousand for a lifetime; some people master about a thousand, which is enough. The Bible uses a total of more than five thousand Chinese characters. These words are put together, and you may recognize every word, but you may not be able to understand the Bible because you only see the trees but not the forest.

Segmented Bible Study

Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man's wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed. I say: Keep the king's command because of God's oath to him. Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not stand up for an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases. For the word of a king is supreme, and who may say to him, “What are you doing?” (Ecclesiastes 8:1-4)

The first paragraph is about wisdom. The second to fourth paragraphs seem unrelated to wisdom, but they seem related. This mainly talks about how to behave before the king. If you don't follow the rules, you will lose your head. A ruler has the way of a ruler, and a minister has the way of a minister. Therefore, brothers and sisters must have the dao. Having the dao does not invite evil and one must have wisdom, which is connected to the first paragraph.

Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the time and judgment Judgement for everything has its time and its way, for man's trouble lies heavy on him. (Ecclesiastes 8:5-6)

The fifth and sixth paragraphs mention time and judgement, just like how to behave before the king, all of which are part of wisdom. All complex things are made up of simple things, so we break down Chapter 8 to look at it.

For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be? No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death. There is no discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it. (Ecclesiastes 8:7-8)

The seventh and eighth paragraphs talk about how everything has its time and judgement, and what people need to discern most is life and death.

All this I have seen while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man has dominion over man to his hurt. I have seen the wicked buried—they used to go in and out of the holy place and were praised in the city for what they had done. This also is vanity. Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set to do evil. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God. There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people to whom things happen according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom things happen according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. (Ecclesiastes 8:9-14)

Talking about dominion, the wicked and the righteous, fearing God. Reading it paragraph by paragraph like this, you will wonder why the wicked live to a hundred years old while doing evil, and the righteous do good but do not die well, and naturally you want to explain it, which connects to the first chapter: Who knows the interpretation of a thing?

I commend joy, for man has nothing better under the sun than to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun. When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on earth, how neither day nor night do people see sleep with their eyes, then I saw all that God has done, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out. (Ecclesiastes 8:15-17)

After reading Chapter 8, how should we summarize it? First part, wisdom and the interpretation of things; second part, speak and act cautiously before the king; third part, discern time and judgement; fourth part, no one can control life and death; fifth part, no one can explain the end of the righteous and the wicked. For example, in Genesis, Cain was supposed to die, but Cain killed Abel instead.

If we summarize the theme as wisdom, it seems that everything can be connected. But what is wisdom? Wisdom enables people to enjoy blessings. If a person is foolish and does evil all his life, he will not enjoy blessings. Wisdom is seeing God's actions and fearing God. The theme of this chapter can also be interpreted as obedience. String all these paragraphs together, and the summary is about the same.

Brothers and sisters should cultivate the habit of grasping the theme. I don't want everyone to see the trees but not the forest when studying the Bible. For example, blind men touching an elephant: touching the elephant's leg is like a pillar; touching the tusk is like a long and smooth radish; touching the ear is like a big fan. Anyway, whatever you touch, you think it is. Do you want to be that blind man?

When we read the Bible, we must read what God wants to tell us through this passage of the Bible. Connecting the themes of each chapter will form the theme of Ecclesiastes, and the same goes for studying Revelation and Genesis. No matter what language the translation is, the theme of the Bible will not change, and God's will is clearly known. Even if you don't read the Bible, you can clearly see God's will through the creation. I don't like interpreting scripture with scripture, nitpicking, like blind people touching an elephant, whatever you touch is what it is.

Putting God's Word into Practice

Reading the Bible is not as good as doing the Bible. After understanding God's original intention, you must live according to that intention. Today, many brothers and sisters live in vanity, and they are even seriously vain. How can they not be entangled and uncomfortable? I feel sorry for people who live in vanity with their hearts, which is a major disaster in the world.

One sister attracted a whole body of demons. She came to us, and we drove out some of the demons from her. To deal with the remaining demons, we need to change her mind and train her ability to fight. As a result, she sent a message to her pastor saying: I still have many problems and I am going to an acupuncture shop for acupuncture. Can acupuncture solve her problems?

There is another sister who I have known for many years and have a good relationship with. In these past years, she has been contaminated with a lot of filth in the secular environment. But her mind could not turn around for a while, and she had problems such as arm pain and tongue numbness, which recurred repeatedly. When I led her in prayer at the time, the spirit on her was very powerful. After only five minutes of praying, I began to feel dizzy, fell asleep, and was completely unconscious. After a while, I took her to pray again, and she told me that she was going to acupuncture, but after acupuncture, it didn't work. She wondered why our acupuncture worked. We are not released by acupuncture, we are released by God. The key to solving her problem is to change her mind.

It is a deadly thing to live seriously in vanity. After reading Ecclesiastes full of vanity, you still cannot agree with it at all, and you still say that you have to pay the electricity bill tomorrow, you have to make money, and you have to worry about your children’s studies, etc. People like this have read Ecclesiastes, but they still don’t understand.

Know that our God is full of wisdom and can see everything in the world. People in this world go their own way, do what they want, and create many tricks in vanity. God created people to be upright and simple. As long as they trust in God, they can live well. But people have to make trouble. After solving one problem, there are five more problems. After solving five problems, they create a pile of problems. Why is this? Because there is no wisdom. True wisdom is seeing God's actions and fearing God. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.

Today, you may be suffering from pain, your legs hurt, and your waist hurts. You ask me when you can be healed, and I can only answer you: it all depends on yourself, your faith will save you. If you don’t believe in God’s words and only believe in yourself, I can only say that you deserve it. If this offends you, just pretend I didn’t say anything. If you listen to it, then it will be beneficial to you. I tell you that everything is vanity, but if you are still seriously vain, you will ultimately not be blessed.

Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God. (Ecclesiastes 8:12-13)

Those who do not fear God, do not know God, and cannot see God’s actions. Acting according to their own preferences, and complaining God for many people, complaining about God, and not understanding God’s actions. We often think that we are good and good people, but in fact, we are wicked people, and in these vain years, we have created many tricks to prevent ourselves from enjoying. When we are confused and uncomfortable, we come to God, and once the problem is solved, we return to our own logical system.

What is True Wisdom

Chapter 7 talks about how people really want to explain the truth, so they keep looking and looking, wanting to seek wisdom and the reasons for everything. Why does this good person get cancer, but the bad person lives well? Seeing that there are many injustices in the world, but they just don’t understand. Everything has a reason and principle. We don't need to worry about this matter. What we do is to fear God and do what God says.

Then Chapter 8, looking for the reasons for everything. What are the reasons for everything? Because you can’t see it clearly, once things don’t fit your logical system, you will be entangled. Abraham offered Isaac, and Isaac had no opinion, but some people did, saying that Isaac should have the right to know, and that Abraham should have notified Isaac. Isaac said: Dad, where is the lamb for the burnt offering? Abraham said: God will provide. More than four thousand years have passed, and many people are still indignant about Isaac's right to know. But Isaac had no opinion, so what is your opinion?

Many times we want an explanation, so we come up with a lot of things, which is a very foolish state. In fact, there is only one explanation, which is to see that everything is God's doing.

Do Not Be a Foolish Person

Sometimes when studying the Bible, some people say that God is quite bad. He doesn’t allow people to kill, but he destroys the city of Jericho himself. This is actually not seeing God’s actions, which is not having wisdom. When I first established the church, I suffered a lot, and slowly I began to see God's actions. It turns out that God gives people extremely hard labor in order to refine the world and to extract gold, and what God wants are people of faith.

Through many seemingly unjust things in this world, to screen out those who should fall, and those who have faith will still stand. We must be people of faith and people who fear God. Because, those who trust in God will surely become God's treasures, and those who trust in God will not be ashamed.

The good or bad person in your eyes may not be what you see. Don't be self-righteous, and don't explain things that cannot be explained. I often can’t help but point out foolish things when I see them, and as a result, people keep explaining to me. What are they explaining? To prove that they are right? This kind of thing is actually foolish.

Understanding God's Actions, Seeing Through Vanity

Many things are vanity, do not care so much. One of my strengths is not being so willful. I diligently read the 《Bible》, implementing as much as I can. This, indeed, is God's will. If you want to interpret, understand all of God's actions, stand at the height of God's throne and look down, then you will understand this world:

There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity. (《Ecclesiastes》 8:14)

When we open the 《Bible》, why was Abel killed? Why didn't God protect him? Wasn't he pleasing to God? We cannot explain it; it is God's action, no explanation needed.

A gang leader who has been unable to sleep for a long time is miserable. People only think about living, but what is the use of living without blessings and joy? It is better to die. We can solve this sleep problem easily, it is actually a small demon behind it.

With wisdom, one knows God's actions. Seeing the righteous and the wicked in this world, we must know that there is a time for everything, and a principle for everything. There is a reason for those who get cancer, get depression, and live in entanglement in this world. The reason is yourself. Who asked you not to have wisdom, who asked you not to understand God's actions, who asked you to love the world, cater to the flesh, care about yourself, care about your children?

The two most important words in 《Ecclesiastes》 are ------ vanity. What is vanity? It means these things are meaningless. Working hard to make money but unable to sleep is meaningless, it is vanity. We must see things in this world clearly. What God wants us to understand most is vanity!

Today a brother said that my 《Course 201》 is well written, that people must come out of a vain life. If you stand by the side of God's throne and look down: Qin Shi Huang, Han Gaozu, Emperor Wu of Han, Genghis Khan...... These historically glorious figures are meaningful from a human perspective, but from the height of God's throne, they are vanity of vanities. Brothers and sisters, if you are going to strive, strive to be like Abraham and Isaac, understand that the only important thing in life is: To see God's actions, to fear God, so that in this temporary and light life, we may achieve God's exceedingly heavy and eternal glory!

Believing in the God of the 《Bible》 allows one to constantly enjoy what is gained from labor and to eat, drink, and be merry under the sun. Happily eating, happily working, and falling asleep as soon as you lie down after a long day of work is really good to enjoy what your hands have done.

Standing from God's Perspective to See Problems is Wisdom

If you want to interpret, interpret from God's perspective. See through everything and live realistically. Why is there rage on people's faces? Because people always think they are right and others are wrong. They have to follow their own principles, and if they don't, they get depressed and angry. It's hard to live a lifetime, can't you enjoy a little joy? Working with a frown, worrying about performance every day, and then being diagnosed with cancer, why bother! Why can't you enjoy life well when you come into this world? Enjoy the fruits of your labor, stand on God's throne, see God's actions clearly, and fear God, how good that is.

Don't be muddle-headed, always wanting to die. The world will keep turning even if someone dies. Remove those things that are not in accordance with God's will. The devil wants you to be angry, agitated, excited, and uncomfortable, but we must choose not to be agitated or uncomfortable. If your mind becomes smart, can the devil still deceive you?

Fear God, Do Not Be a Fool

Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment. Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him. (《Ecclesiastes》 8:5-6)

Whether it is the stock market or the housing market, those who rush to grab are trapped because they do not see clearly. They only think about making money and give their money to others. Why didn't they think about losing money? Everything has a principle. If you only think about yourself and think about good things, you are not far from being deceived.

Without wisdom, one cannot see God's actions clearly. Being trapped by the money of the world, one will fall into a pit. True wisdom is to see God's actions clearly and discern the times and principles. God will sift out his treasures and bring them to God's kingdom, and throw those who do not belong to him into the lake of fire and brimstone. If we love God, keep and obey his words, and see God's actions clearly according to God's words, you will surely not be quenched by many waters, nor can the sea overwhelm you. Our love with God will enter into eternity.

Brothers and sisters, remove rage and understand that all authority comes from God. Like Joseph, even if he was sold to Egypt, he could not be destroyed, and eventually became prime minister of Egypt. Even if Saul was king, he could not kill David. Do you understand? Authority cannot corrupt you, the stupidity of your superiors cannot corrupt you, but your stupidity can definitely corrupt you. If you are a person who loves God, has wisdom, and sees God's actions, God will surely protect you.

Sometimes we just can't see clearly. This person is governed by that person, and some people suffer, but this cannot corrupt those who love God. If you have wisdom, you cannot fall into that situation. Even if you fall into that situation, God is still with you, making everything go smoothly for you. Today, learn how God sees, understand that everything has a principle, everything has a time, everything has a reason, and there is no need to fight injustice.

Our God refines the hearts of people and knows the actions of our God. I used to be a senior executive. The most common thing I did as a senior executive was to recruit workers. If I couldn't recruit workers, I had to do the work myself. You hire capable people to do capable work, and you hire bad people to do bad work, so hiring people is crucial. One day, a friend introduced a PhD student who was quite smart. I had to test him to see if he understood things in front of God and if he really had wisdom. I deliberately said something unpleasant. As a result, he stood up and slammed the table angrily and said: You can't insult me like that. My subordinates and I laughed so hard that he didn't know what was going on. He didn't know that I was testing his emotional intelligence.

I told him: Young man, your interview didn't pass today. You didn't answer the interview question I just gave you well. How can you answer it well? Go back and improve your emotional intelligence.

Those among us who do not have high emotional intelligence, who get angry and use pretense to reason, must begin to learn to be wise. Know that there is a reason for everything, and know that God wants to test people in this world. People with faith and people without faith experience suffering, but people with faith experience suffering will manifest God's glory. The Apostle Paul, the author of 《Romans》, was besieged on all sides but not trapped, struck down but not killed.

You say God has chosen you, do you have any evidence? Always carrying the death of Jesus Christ on the body, so that the resurrection of Jesus may be manifested in our body. These are the people God has chosen, and they have become people whom the world is not worthy of. I long to emulate them, and I also encourage brothers and sisters to emulate them and become people who see through everything in this world.

After understanding the things of this world, will we be able to bring the effectiveness of our experienced labor and give an account before God. Experiencing suffering does not represent a person being spiritual. Spiritual people experience suffering, and unspiritual people also experience suffering, one has glory, and the other has no glory. Peace also cannot represent anything. The righteous enjoy peace, and sinners also enjoy peace. Some people do business and choose to do it because it is very peaceful at the beginning, but they end up losing a lot of money. Nothing can explain anything. There is a principle for life and death. Why can't people understand it?

Only by seeing God's actions clearly can we understand life and death, fearing God is the beginning of wisdom, and true wisdom is to see God's actions clearly, knowing what things in this world are doing. If you think that houses, cars, and money are important, then you have no wisdom, you cannot see God's actions clearly, and you do not fear God!

Summary

Today, many people are living very realistically in vanity. This reality is vanity of vanities, not the essence of things. The things of the world are just a processing plant of God. In this processing plant, God wants to refine his treasures. Gold will shine. Whether you are a treasure or garbage, you must make a choice before God. If you hold on tightly to this world and cannot see the things of this world clearly, that is your choice.

Brothers and sisters who love God, let us be good stewards of God in the world. The effectiveness of our work will follow us into eternity. Being able to see God's actions clearly, nothing is a problem.

May God bless everyone!

Scripture

Ecc 8:1 Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.
Ecc 8:2 I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God.
Ecc 8:3 Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.
Ecc 8:4 Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?
Ecc 8:5 Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment.
Ecc 8:6 Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him.
Ecc 8:7 For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?
Ecc 8:8 There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.
Ecc 8:9 All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt.
Ecc 8:10 And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also vanity.
Ecc 8:11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.
Ecc 8:12 Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:
Ecc 8:13 But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.
Ecc 8:14 There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity.
Ecc 8:15 Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.
Ecc 8:16 When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes:)
Ecc 8:17 Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.

Ecclesiastes List