China’s Change Towards Religion
Beijing After Rain Beijing on a Normal Sunny Day
A lot has been happening in China. So much so, that the government there is apparently becoming a little more accommodating of Western religions:
Beijing holds secret talks with banned churches as 100 million defy party rules
The Times – Jan 26, 2009
A secret meeting between Chinese officials and leaders of the banned underground Protestant Church has marked the first significant step towards reconciliation in decades.
The discussions, which were held in an office in Beijing, were the first time that members of the Government and stalwarts of the outlawed “house churches” had sat down as negotiators rather than foes, The Times has learnt.
The timing was significant: this year is the 60th anniversary of communist power and the Government is keen to ensure that there are no disturbances to mar its celebrations. The Year of the Ox also begins today and Beijing is anxious to usher in a year of stability despite economic difficulties.
For three decades China has allowed officially sanctioned churches to operate within strict limits. Protestants are supposed to worship under the aegis of the official religious body, the Three-Self Patriotic Movement — standing for self-governing, self-teaching and self-supporting. Catholics can worship in churches run by the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association. Other Christian organisations are illegal.
In recent years the number of Christians has soared. Officials privately estimate the total at 130 million — far outstripping the 74 million members of the Communist Party. Most are Protestants and are affiliated with unofficial house churches…
The official Church puts the number of Protestants at about 21 million and Catholics at about 5 million. That means more than 100 million Christians are worshipping independently.
Pastor Jin told The Times: “The Government is anxious to work out the way to go forward. They have understood that the Protestant Church is not an opposition force but a force for stability and harmony.”
He added that the Government wanted to discuss the position of house churches and to evaluate whether they posed a threat to the regime. They also wanted to know why the house churches could not accept the leadership of the official body.
Even more surprisingly, they appeared to want advice. “They wanted to know our requirements when it comes to setting future policy,” Pastor Jin said, without elaborating.
In a report on the meeting, another house church pastor wrote that one of the main topics was the difficulty of keeping the unofficial church under the Government’s heel. Pastors say that raids, fines and even punishments such as re-education through labour are no longer effective; if one church is broken up new ones are started…
— The Government officially recognises five religions: Taoism, Buddhism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism. Each has a state-sponsored religious body
— Article 36 of the Chinese Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, although there are numerous restrictions including prohibitions against proselytising and other activities deemed to “disturb public order”.
Sources: Council on Foreign Relations, Times database http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article5587017.ece
It is good that the Chinese government is changing to become a little more open towards religion.
However, the time will come that the Chinese will realize that the coming Western religion that most will ulitmately embrace (cf. Revelation 13:3-4) is not truly the religion of God.
The Chinese will be part of the force in Daniel 11:44 that will trouble the European King of the North as China is one of the Kings of the East mentioned in Revelation:
44 But news from the east and the north shall trouble him (Daniel 11:44).
12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared (Revelation 16:12).
China is currently the only nation that could potentially field a 200 million man army (in 2003, it was estimated to have about 206,000,000 males between the ages of 15-49), but as scripture mentions kings (plural) of the east, it is likely that China will probably only supply the largest single part of this army (perhaps around half or maybe slightly more than that).
Now, while the Chinese flag itself is basically red and yellow, it perhaps should be mentioned that the colors of the Chinese flag for its navy and air force is military is red, blue, and yellow. Also, notice the colors of the insignia that many of its troops wear:
Why is that potentially important?
Because these are colors mentioned in the Bible. Notice some of what the Bible states about the 200 million man army:
16 Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. 17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. 18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed–by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths (Revelation 9:16-18).
Hence, presuming that China is the single leading provider of military men in this 200 million man army, it would make sense that it, and perhaps others, might march under colors like some of its military does currently.
I have long been warning readers of this page that although the Chinese will temporarily fall for the religion of the Beast and the final Antichrist, that they are a discerning people who will be among the first to realize that the religion of the Beast and the final Antichrist is NOT of God.
The positive steps that China is now taking, will sadly, end up with the Chinese temporarily being willing to accept a false religion. And thus, its current change towards Western religions is likely to set it upon the path to fulfill that aspect of Bible prophecy.
Some articles of possibly related interest may include:
China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 1: Genesis and Chinese Characters This article provides information showing that the Chinese peoples must have known about various accounts in the Book of Genesis up until their dispersion after the Tower of Babel.
China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 2: The Sabbath and Some of God’s Witness in China When did Christianity first come to China? And is there early evidence that they observed the seventh day sabbath?
Asia in Prophecy What is Ahead for China? Is it a “King of the East”? What will happen to nearly all the Chinese, Russians, and others of Asia? China in prophecy, where?
The Dramatic Story of Chinese Sabbathkeepers This reformatted Good News article from 1955 discusses Sabbath-keeping in China in the 1800s.
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”?
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