Chinese officials entered a church in recent weeks and ordered the removal of one of the Ten Commandments – the first one – In another example of the nation’s crackdown on Christianity.
Unlike previous cases of persecution, this one took place in a government-approved “Three-Self Church” and not in an illegal, unregistered congregation.
About 30 government officials from the “patrol inspection team” took part in the November examination of the church, according to Bitter Winter, which monitors persecution in the country. An “official inspected the church thoroughly, stopped in front of the pulpit, and pointed to one of the Ten Commandments” on the wall, Bitter Winter reported.
“This must be removed,” the official said.
He was referencing the First Commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me.”
When church officials protested, the government official responded that President Xi Jinping “opposes this statement.”
“Who dares not to cooperate? If anyone doesn’t agree, they are fighting against the country,” the official said, according to Bitter Winter. He warned the church, “This is a national policy. You should have a clear understanding of the situation. Don’t go against the government.”
Church members removed the Ten Commandments sign.
“This isn’t appropriate,” one member of the church said. “They’re falsifying the words of God! It’s resisting the Lord!”
It wasn’t the first time the church was targeted. In August, a cross was taken down.
“In China, practicing your faith is difficult,” a church member told Bitter Winter. Another said, “They are trying to corrupt our faith and make us betray God.”
All religious creeds must be subordinate to the government, Voice of America previously reported.
“In other words, religious citizens must first worship the Communist Party – only then can they worship their God,” Bitter Winter’s Jiang Tao wrote.
Date published: 12/01/2019
Written by: Michael Foust
Feature image: Pixabay
Article source: www.christianheadlines.com
No, no, no, Don’t do that, rather die for your believe in the one and only true God, do not compromise – God will fight for you – Ex 14:14
Honestly, I don’t know what’s more disturbing: the state’s attempts to rule the Church as in China or the Church’s attempts to rule the state as in the USA, and as per Joy Magazine’s cheer-leading.
Let the church worship God or we will die for the sake of truth, the first church did it we will also do it in Jesus Christ amen.
1. What a pity … it just goes to show how the prophecies of Christ are being fulfilled as manifested today by the persecution of Christians in end times. This, in turn, serves to authenticate the Bible and validate the Words of Christ.
2. The second commandment on the stone- image for this article was rendered erroneously and is thus misleading. It reads, for instance, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.” The correct second commandment reads: [Exodus 20:4] “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: [Exodus 20:5] Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;”
3. The stone erroneously suggests that only in making a graven image already is sin, while there were graven images on (i) the Ark of The Covenant, as well as (ii) in Solomon’s Temple (i.e. Cherubs). Sculpting is a legitimate art-form; it was the (pagan habit of) ‘worshipping’ and ‘serving’ of graven images that was the problem.
This is unacceptable the first commandment is so essential as the scriptures say in Genesis 1:1 in the beginning God obviously the only true God Elohim. Where were other gods that time? We shall stand in prayer with the church until this is rectified.
The prophecies regarding the end times in Revelation are happening all over the world and I duplicate Marie’s reference to Exodus 14:14. God will not allow His people to suffer without a form of retribution. We should strengthen and continue our praying for the persecuted Christians in China. May Jehovah Jirah watch over and protect them all. Amen