Sunday, February 01, 2009

Thought-Provoked!

It was such a silly assumption.

But one that went unchallenged for the longest time.

Come to think of it, it really IS silly.

When it comes to the Bible – yes, it is the Word of God. There is no disputing there.

But I just assumed that that was it. That the Word of God isn’t captured anywhere else. Oh scratch that. Not that the God’s words aren’t captured anywhere else NOW (I mean… look at the number of books in any Christian bookstore! All the revelations God has given to the authors are there!)… but when it came to Bible times, I guess I never considered the possibility that the words of God will be captured anywhere else.

Which, like I said… is quite a silly assumption, to “box up” the voice of the Holy Spirit and limit him to a geographical location.

Pastor Kong gave me a thought-provoker this week. That the ancient Chinese had captured the story of Genesis through the intricate Chinese characters, but more than that, poems and astronomical records point to the birth, crucifixion and resurrection of Christ! It was mind-blowing to me!

One of the things that struck me the most, are this poem, written personally under the hand of Emperor Kang Xi. Kang Xi was one of the greatest emperors China has ever known. And he was a believer of Christ!

kangxi-poem

(tip: read from top to bottom, right to left)

Do you see it? Do you see it?

Haha! Well, if you are like me and you can’t really read or understand this and you’re getting a migraine, I found a website that has this poem loosely translated into English as follows:

The Treasure Of Life

The treasure of heaven is comprised of Sun, Moon and Stars;
The treasure of earth consists of crops, gold and silver.
The treasure of a kingdom is to have righteous officials;
The treasure of a family is to have descendents with piety.
Yet, Gold, silver and jade are not as precious as one's life.
Hundred years of age is nothing compared to eternity.
Coming and going in life is like a dream.
The best food and clothing don't mean a thing.
It's no exception for someone born in a royal family.
The most important thing in the world is life.
Something that white jade, gold and silver can't buy.
Even plain porridge can be satisfying;
No cloth is fit to wear for a thousand years.
The heaven's gate was closed due to the first man's sin;
The path to salvation is through the Son only.
I would like to accept God, the Son and the Holy Spirit;
And receive from thee my free gift of eternity.

He wrote another poem called “十架七言” or “The Poem of the Cross

功成十架血成溪,百丈恩流分自西。
身列四衙半夜路,徒方三背两番鸣。
五千鞭挞寸肤裂,六尺悬垂二盗齐。
惨动八垓惊九品,七言一毕万灵啼。

Here is the English translation:

When the work was accomplished, blood formed a creek
Grace from the west was thousand feet deep.

He who lowered himself for us stepped on the midnight trip.
Before the rooster crowed twice, betrayed thrice was He.
Five hundred slashes torn every inch of his skin.
Two thieves at six feet high hanged besides him.
The sadness was greater than anything seen by anyone.
This poem is for You, the Holy one.

3 comments:

Cheeky Kitchen said...

Oh! Such a lovely post. I think this blog is incredible unique and ever-so precious.

THANK YOU for stopping by my blog (and leaving such a nice comment) so that I could find you!

Happy Monday!

The Me/ The Wife/ The Mom said...

Wow..fantastic post! I'm falling in love with your blog - it's one stop fabulous blogging...something for everyone! :)

Karen, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry" said...

Pretty interesting.

Congrats on your SITS day!