Preacher Ko Lingkang

 

Q&A from Church Camp

Here are some of the questions posed during the question and answer session on the last day of our Annual Church Camp this year that could not be answered during the allotted time.

 

1) When was the book of Revelation written – and on what evidence?

The book of Revelation is commonly believed to have been written at the tail end of the Apostle John’s life, while he was exiled on the isle of Patmos (Rev 1:9). This would be around AD 96, during the reign of Emperor Domitian (AD 81-96).

Some internal and external evidences that support this view are as follows:

- The description of the persecution that was experienced by the 7 churches in Rev 2-3 is consistent with the historical records of the widespread persecution of Christians brought about by the wicked emperor Domitian

- Domitian was known to have banished prominent Christians to the Isle of Patmos, as was what had happened to the Apostle John (Rev 1:9)

- The extent at which false doctrines had spread amongst the 7 churches and how many were in a state of decline also suggests a later date of the book of Revelation, as such apostasy was what was warned by the earlier epistles such as 1-2 Timothy, 2 Peter and Jude.

- The consistent testimony of the writings of the early church fathers such as Irenaeus, Eusebius and Jerome was that the Apostle John was the author of the book, and it was written during the reign of Domitian.

 

2) In Deuteronomy 18:10-13 God specifically made known necromancy is an abomination. Why then King Saul was able to raise the spirit of Samuel in I Samuel 28? Can I assume the Samuel in I Samuel 28 is an evil spirit impersonating the prophet Samuel?

There are various views as to what actually happened in 1 Samuel 28. The simplest and probably most probable interpretation is that it was actually Samuel whom God raised from the dead temporarily and allowed him to appear before Saul. This was not because of any ‘powers’ that the woman with the familiar spirit had, but because God did so as a judgment against Saul.

 

Quoting Rev Quek’s FEBC notes on Old Testament History II:

The traditional and most popular view is that this was a genuine appearance of Samuel brought about by God Himself. The LXX in 1 Chron. 10:13 says that "Saul asked counsel of her that had a familiar spirit to inquire of her, and Samuel made answer to him". Also the fact that the witch cried out in horror when she saw Samuel indicates that she was not expecting Samuel to appear in this manner. The fact that Saul bowed to the ground and paid obeisance indicates that Saul really saw Samuel.

Robert Jamieson suggests 3 reasons for God bringing him Samuel back from the dead: to make Saul's crime an instrument of punishment; to show the heathen world God's superiority in prophecy; and to confirm a belief in a future state after death (Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, Commentary on the Whole Bible, 211).

 

3) Where did the wife of Cain come from (Gen 4:17)? Additionally. Where did the wives of Adam’s other descendants come from (Gen 5:6-32) as their origins are not recorded?

The only possible explanation for the wives of Cain and all of Adam and Eve’s other sons would be that they are the daughters of Adam and Eve, as there were no other people living on the Earth at that point of time. That would mean that Cain and his siblings married their sisters – the ‘sons and daughters’ who were begotten of Adam (Gen 5:4). The later descendants of Adam would also have married their close relatives, all descending from the same line from Adam and Eve. As Acts 17:26 says, all nations are "of one blood", for we are all related to our common ancestors Adam and Eve.

 

The laws against incest were only given later on during the time of Moses (Lev 18-20), and it was therefore not a sin for Cain and the other sons of Adam to do so. It may seem repulsive or unnatural to us, but it was not so for the first people to live on this earth. Also, as Adam and Eve were created perfect and of pure genetic stock, there would not have the possibility of genetic mutation and diseases as is a common problem when close relatives marry and have children today.

 

4) Why did God not rebuke people in the OT for having multiple wives/concubines?

In the Old Testament, there are records of various men who are known two have had more than one wife, including men of faith such as Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon, and many of the kings of Judah. However, we also note that the Bible does not rebuke or punish every single sin that occurs. Just because there are records of such things happening, does not mean that God approves of such behaviour. Instead we do see many examples of the disastrous conflicts that occur within the household as a result of having more than one wife, as seen in the conflicts between Sarah and Hagar (Gen 16, 21), and between Jacob’s wives (30:1).

 

In fact, we know that it was certainly a sin to have multiple wives and concubines, for the 7th Commandment states clearly that "thou shalt not commit adultery" (Exo 20:14). Specifically for kings, God also gave the instruction in Deuteronomy 17:17: "neither shall he multiply wives to himself that his heart turn not away". This was probably given because it was a common cultural practice at that time for kings then to have many wives. God’s caution was that as the children of God, they ought not to follow the trends and be different. However it was not heeded by most of the kings, and the Bible records their disobedience.

 

Probably the clearest example that God disapproved of such behaviour, was His rebuke against the one who had the most wives and concubines – of Solomon who had 700 wives and 300 concubines. As we read in 1 Kings 11:1-3, 9: "But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; (2) Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. (3) And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart… And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice". God was angry with Solomon’s disobedience, and as a result his nation would be divided, and his son would inherit only one tribe to rule (1 Kings 11:11-13).

 

5) Is it right for congregations waiting for Sunday worship to commence, to chit chat as though they are in the coffee shop?

No that is not an appropriate way for the congregation to prepare themselves for worship. Such behaviour happens when we forget the importance and sanctity of worship, and of who we are actually gathering for. The congregation should be in a mood of reverence and contemplation, as they prepare to come before the almighty and holy God to worship Him. We would do well to remember the words of Habakkuk 2:20, which is also the hymn we sing at the beginning of worship: "But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him". That is why it is important that the congregation do not rush in hurriedly moments before the service commences, or worse still be habitually late, for it shows one’s lack of regard for the worship of the one living and true God. Rather we should come early, prepare our hearts, and participate in the pre-worship singspiration, for that is a good way to set our hearts in the right disposition for worship. The ones who have a close walk with God throughout the week will have no problem worshipping the Lord on time and with the right heart every Lord's Day.

 

6) Can we be friends with homosexuals or are we to avoid them?

In 1 Corinthians 5:9-11, the Apostle Paul lays down certain principles on how we ought to approach and understand Biblical separation and church discipline: "I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: (10) Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. (11) But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat."

 

A distinction must be made between unbelievers and those who profess to be believers. For believers, they would be held to the standards of God’s Word. If they say that they believe in Christ, and yet want to be a homosexual, we must show them their sin from the Word of God. If they chose not to listen and persist in their ways, then we must separate from them for they are wilfully unrepentant. This is to show that we do not condone their sins and wayward lives.

 

However for unbelievers, we cannot expect them to live according to God’s Word, for they do not know God, nor have any concern to obey the Word of God. Therefore it is not possible for us to avoid all homosexuals, nor should we be unnecessarily hostile towards them and not have any interaction with them. We should view them as simply sinners in need of Christ. The purpose of our friendship and interaction with them is so that we can be a good witness and testimony to them, to show them of the error of their ways. We must teach them from the Bible that they cannot live in the sin of homosexuality (or any other sin) and hope to go to heaven. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10: "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, (10) Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." We must therefore preach to them the need for repentance, and that they must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ in order to be saved.

 

7) If a young proclaimed Christian (new believer) fails to overcome his/her addiction behaviour, such as smoking, drinking, gambling, stealing, OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), drug addiction, long hours on internet/gaming etc. – should such addiction to kick off immediately or after a grace period? (if grace period, how long should it be?)

A truly born again believer is one who has repented of his sin and has accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as both his Lord and his Saviour. This means that he has acknowledged the error of his previous life of sin, and seeks to obey the Lord in all that he does. This does not come about by our own human effort, but by the grace of God through the working of the Holy Spirit.

 

The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new". A clear evidence of a person’s salvation would be his changed life. Now that he knows of God’s standards, he will struggle against sin and seek to be led by the Holy Spirit and display the fruit of the Spirit. This does not mean he immediately becomes sinless and perfect, but that he now begins his journey of sanctification. The Lord will certainly work in his life and help him overcome his previous addictions and sinful lifestyles.

 

It is not for us to determine a ‘grace period’ whereby sin is ‘permitted’, and then decree that if the sin is not dealt with within that period then he is not saved in our eyes. Everyone has his own weaknesses and sins that he will struggle with, and some sins would be more visible and evident than others. While we would expect some change in his life after he receives Christ, he must also be given time to understand the Word of God, and learn why certain behaviour is wrong and must be changed. However the signs of change must be evident and continual throughout the life of the believer, for there will always be sins to overcome.

 

The issue therefore is not how much time is permitted for the person to overcome all his addictions, or what addictions are ok and what is not ok, but whether he acknowledges his sin and if he is making any attempt at all to overcome them with God’s help.