20150224- Religious buildings Again? FernvaleGate-JurongGate- PearlyGatem- Rev 13

Photo: Artist impression of the Fernvalegate -  Eternal Pure Land Pte Ltd   'temple cum columbarium'

Will our New Jerusalem look like this?

Just as the Fernvalegate had begun to wind down in the news, yet again another news popped up recently on a combined church development in Jurong.

Religious buildings on Earth. A never ending topic!
So I went back to re-read on Rev 13 . My favorite dream home.
That purity of gold that has become transparent! 
All those gems except those silly worthless diamonds made of carbon.
All those trees  
Not having a mark of the silly 666 from the beast but that of "YWHW" HIs Name  on my forehead.

In my previous blog, I talked about the White House and Istana - one that houses only the prevailing president elect. Built for the Number 1 man living and governing the land.

But a crematorium? Mmmm.. One that houses the ashes of the dead. Hell of a money making machine too which charges S$6,000 plus to house that urn.

And church buildings ? Trying to accommodate the numbers of worshippers at any one service.

And Chinese & Hindu temples ? One that allows folks to walk in and out for prayers

And Mosques ? One that houses only men who prostrate themselves , perhaps 5 times a day.

Reflection
Do we really need a religious space for 'worship' to our God? Which one would depend on your faith.In the OT, we saw Solomon who ended up building the temple, not his father David. 
And the tabernacle of worship in Moses time while he led the Israelites out of Egypt the land of slavery, was no longer relevant when Jesus Christ came. For in 2 Cor 5:1 it says that for we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Yes, houses made with hands here in red dot is indeed costly - millions required. 

But in John 4 the story of the woman at the well who spoke to Jesus "Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship the Father"

And what did Jesus reply" V21 "Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when you shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem  worship the Father"
 V23 But the hour comes, and now is, when true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeks such to worship him. God is a Spirit; and they that worship him must worship in spirit and in truth

Question:
Setting aside this earthly obsession of church and temple or mosque building craze to house 'worshippers" which is so limited in space due to the scarcity of land - are you a true worshipper that the Father seeks? Going to church every weekly does not make one more spiritual than the rest of the week, or praying in the mosque 5 times a day for the Muslims.

The day we die on earth is the day of a transfer of the citizenship status.
I won't like to see myself in urns housed at Fernvalegate
I want to worship beyond the Juronggate of mult-denomination congregation.
I want to be admitted into the PearlyGate , worshipping in spirit and in truth, meeting my Maker face to face for the first time.

How about you?
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BY MELODY ZACCHEUS (STraits Times) dated 23/2/2015

The Lutheran Church has hit a bump in the road in its bid to develop a $25 million multi-denomination hub in Jurong for small and medium-sized churches.

Some of the congregations which had initially pledged to jointly develop the complex have pulled out, citing a lack of funds.

It means the Lutheran Church, which told The Straits Times of its church hub plans last February, will now have to shoulder most of the development's cost.

Its bishop Terry Kee said the new arrangement puts more pressure on them to raise funds.

"It is a challenge for us financially, but we are pushing forward in view of the great need for religious space in Singapore, as the population and Christian community continue to grow."

There are more than 500 Protestant churches today and Christian worshippers have almost doubled from about 588,000 in 2000 to around 930,000 in 2010.

The site for the hub is currently leased by the Lutheran Church's Jurong Christian Church, with about 50 years left on the land lease.

The old two-storey Jurong Christian Church building was demolished on Jan 2. Piling works for the new five-storey complex started on Jan 26.

The hub is expected to be ready by September next year.

The Lutheran Church, which has so far raised $10 million for the project, will now act as the landlord. It will rent out the space to churches such as the Jurong Tamil Methodist Church, King of Glory Church and possibly New Life Baptist Church.

The only church contributing to the project's development cost is S-Word, a branch of the Evangelical Free Church.

It will pump $6.3 million into the development and occupy half a floor there for 30 years, with an option to renew.

Bishop Kee said the new building will have three service halls that can seat 400, 500 and 600 people.

The 60,000 sq ft hub will also have classrooms, a kindergarten, offices, multi-purpose halls, as well as a prayer chapel and garden on the rooftop.

Bishop Kee said the hub aims to address the space crunch faced by religious groups.

He has been meeting the authorities over the past four years to explore solutions to the lack of space for religious use.

Last December, the Ministry of National Development called a Request for Information to seek views and proposals on the idea of housing multiple groups of the same religion in multi-storey buildings.

The ministry said that these hubs will likely be located within or on the fringe of industrial areas.

Pastor T. Jeevanantham of Jurong Tamil Methodist Church said religious hubs make sense for small churches, which often struggle to find their own place.

"It's convenient to share the place with other churches as we are resource-tight and cannot pay large sums upfront for a new building," he said.

melodyz@sph.com.sg

BACKGROUND STORY

Unhappiness over loss of Sengkang bid

The struggle to find space is something religious groups grapple with.

Take the case of the Taoist and Buddhist bidders who lost to columbarium operator Eternal Pure Land for a plot of land in Sengkang last July.

The Taoist Peng Hong Association is unhappy about losing to the business' controversial $5.2 million bid.

It had bid $4 million - a figure it thought would secure the space, said chairman Tan Aik Hock. There were plans to build a $7 million temple which would also provide free medical consultations.

The 800-member association now uses a cramped two-storey terrace house in Geylang Lorong 3.

It is busiest on the first and 15th day of each month. It resorts to erecting tents on the road outside its building to cater to the crowds. This can be an inconvenience to others, said Mr Tan.

The Sengkang site's third bidder, Xing Guang Maitreya Society, also wants its own permanent and legal worship space.

The house temple, which is based in a two-storey bungalow in Telok Kurau, had offered $1.8 million.

While house temples like Xing Guang's are illegal, they are very common. The Taoist Federation said there are as many as 2,000 such temples in Singapore.

MELODY ZACCHEUS

- See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/25m-hub-churches-jurong-hits-snag-20150223#sthash.RbAHrrSp.dpuf




Question: "What is the New Jerusalem?"

Answer:The New Jerusalem, which is also called the Tabernacle of God, the Holy City, the City of God, the Celestial City, the City Foursquare, and Heavenly Jerusalem, is literally heaven on earth. It is referred to in the Bible in several places (Galatians 4:26;Hebrews 11:10;12:22–24; and13:14), but it is most fully described inRevelation 21.

InRevelation 21, the recorded history of man is at its end. All of the ages have come and gone. Christ has gathered His church in the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:15–17). The Tribulation has passed (Revelation 6—18). Thebattle of Armageddonhas been fought and won by our Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 19:17–21). Satan has been chained for the 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth (Revelation 20:1–3). A new, glorious temple has been established in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 40—48). The final rebellion against God has been quashed, and Satan has received his just punishment, an eternity in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7–10.) TheGreat White Throne Judgmenthas taken place, and mankind has been judged (Revelation 20:11–15).

InRevelation 21:1God does a complete make-over of heaven and earth (Isaiah 65:17;2 Peter 3:12–13). The new heaven and new earth are what some call the “eternal state” and will be “where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). After the re-creation, God reveals the New Jerusalem. John sees a glimpse of it in his vision: “The Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). This is the city that Abraham looked for in faith (Hebrews 11:10). It is the place where God will dwell with His people forever (Revelation 21:3). Inhabitants of this celestial city will have all tears wiped away (Revelation 21:4).

The New Jerusalem will be fantastically huge. John records that the city is nearly 1,400 miles long, and it is as wide and as high as it is long—a perfect cube (Revelation 21:15–17). The city will also be dazzling in every way. It is lighted by the glory of God (verse 23). Its twelve foundations, bearing the names of the twelve apostles, are “decorated with every kind of precious stone” (verse 19). It has twelve gates, each a single pearl, bearing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel (verses 12 and 21). The street will be made of pure gold (verse 21).

The New Jerusalem will be a place of unimagined blessing. The curse of the old earth will be gone (Revelation 22:3). In the city are thetree of life“for the healing of the nations” and the river of life (verses 1–2). It is the place that Paul spoke of: “In the coming ages [God] might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). The New Jerusalem is the ultimate fulfillment of all God’s promises. The New Jerusalem is God’s goodness made fully manifest.

Who are the residents of the New Jerusalem? The Father and the Lamb are there (Revelation 21:22). Angels are at the gates (verse 12). But the city will be filled with God’s redeemed children. The New Jerusalem is the righteous counter to the evil Babylon (Revelation 17), destroyed by God’s judgment (Revelation 18). The wicked had their city, and God has His. To which city do you belong?Babylon the Greator the New Jerusalem? If you believe that Jesus, the Son of God, died and rose again and have asked God to save you by His grace, then you are a citizen of the New Jerusalem. “God raised [you] up with Christ and seated [you] with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). You have “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade” (1 Peter 1:4). If you have not yet trusted Christ as your Savior, then we urge you to receive Him. The invitation is extended: “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life” (Revelation 22:17).Recommended Resources:Heaven by Randy AlcornandLogos Bible Software.

Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/new-jerusalem.html#ixzz3Sc3X17iD

20141025:WDIC#8 : White house & Pentagon.. About Earthly Presidents and Heavenly King

We have been to WHITE HOUSE!!! Oh Yeah!

And we witnessed a demonstration outside the White House...Freedom of Speech...

Just round the corner of White House

Just opposite the White House

And before we went to the White House, our Hop on and On bus took us round the Pentagon...can only see from the bus but not allowed to enter the compound...

Reflection

The White House. Mmmmm. Looks not that big from the outside. 

Perhaps one day, will drop in to our very own Istana here at Red Dot. (Which is totally shielded from the public and guarded at the gates, unlike the White House which can be seen from the fence)

Presidents reside in such places like this White House or Istana.

But presidents come and go. 

Prov21:1 The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of whater; he turns it whithersoever he will

USA is currently seeing her 44th President under Obama and his salary is less than S$600,000.

Red Dot is seeing her 7th president under Dr Tony Tan and his salary is in the region of S$4,000,000.

God - YWHW - is the Eternal King who sits on the throne. He changes not.

Ps48:3 God is known in her palaces for a refuge.

Whom would you prefer to trust? Earthly president or the Heavenly Prince of Peace?

20150212- About Rats -Rubbish-Tumors and An Infamy Speech in little Red Dot

I Samuel : From Theocracy to Judges to Monarchy 

And Modern Democracy?

To answer a question posed to me earlier by another friend few days back:   "What do u think of this AHTC saga?" 12/2/2015 Parliament sitting will
be a day to remember. The kind of leaders we have in our countries. What do you see? 

Why was this town council issue such a hot topic ?http://therealsingapore.com/content/day-infamy-parliament . (Extract below)  U know what is infamy??  {one of the most quoted infamy speech by Late Franklin Roosevelt USA president  in dec 1941 - seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infamy_Speech

I think and I see as what this photo quote presents. It is no laughing matter. It is a dark and cloudy day for red dot. Yet , it is Jubilee year for red dot this SG50. Would our lead pastor heading this Love Singapore reply the same when asked if he prayed for the MPs in this nation? Would he have replied " No, I look at the MPs in our Parliament and pray for the country?" Ummmmmm

The physical manifestation of rats and rubbish and increased tumors of cancer in our nation is coming out of a spiritual decline . Mice (though not RATS!) are mentioned several times in the Bible; Leviticus 11:29 declares them unclean. And of late, we seemed to be plagued by them in our land. Tumors and cancers too are on the increase.  Rubbish too.  Back in 2009, I have already seen it coming. Each Monday mornings were blues to me as I threaded on vomit and rubbish along the pavements of South Bridge Road.  That Boat Quay area had become a place for snookers, 'massages', bars.  Bouncers in black tees were a common sight and drunkards literally slept overnight on the pavements ! That area was a place for the elite white collared party animals.  On the other hand, Little India catered to the blue collared ones.  Some drink to celebrate their millions made while others drink to their sorrow of their meagre earnings.  So having to wash personally such vomit outside the office areas for a while back then, this ban on alcohol came a little too late.  We are being trashed from all places now.

Indeed the heart of the matter or any matters is lies in the matter of the heart. We have A-star economy , A-star education, have we not? The constant pursuit of material wants - double working parents contributing to surrogate maid parenting at home. Cleaning is left to the maids - even the basic washing of a utensil after a meal. We are also a nation of great waste of leftovers.  See the tons of food going to the garbage.  No wonder rats are making their own ratatoullie parties. And kids of today being brought up unable to be considerate or to clean their own tables after meal, let alone rubbish! And we become what we eat. No time for home-cooked meals but reliance on hawker food contributing to the 3 Highs : High Blood pressure , High Cholersterol, High Sugar level!and more cancers! Yes, we seemed to have prospered greatly in the BODY but alas losing the soul of the inner man. Prospered Nation. Soul-less nationals? Rich Country - 'Poor" Citizens.

Reflection

 It was with a heavy heart to hear the Parliamentary motion on the AHTC debate in parliament on 12/2/2015. Nations evolved over time and some are more democratic seemingly than others.  The fate of politicians can be changed overnight as history had revealed.  Like Anwar now back to his prison just like ex Taiwan president Chen Shui Bian.  Once a Prince - like a PM or President ruling over a nation - the next moment like a flip of a coin - one can become a pauper, stripped naked of all rights and freedom to a political prisoner.

The Book of Samuel
I decided to read Samuel again. More than 1000 years before Christ came, Samuel the last Judge was raised in Israel.  This book recorded the transition of how Theocracy evolved to that of Prophets - Judges and then monarchy.

Samuel - The prophet and last judge
Saul - the First King of Israel
David - The King-elect

Unfortunately, man preferred to be ruled by man rather by the Lord YHWH.

So today, we have so called voting rights. A right to vote for the man and woman we want to represent our voice in Parliament. Does our MPS really love the Nation or the Party? One wonders after seeing the sitting of yesterday 12/2/2015.  I did not know the meaning of Infamy until today as written by this blogger.  I learnt a new vocabulary. And I learnt about an infamy speech by Roosevelt in 1941. I was not even born yet! But I know about the Japanese occupation as told by my late mum in 1945 and the atrocities they committed which is as bad as the ISIS of today.

Can Red Dot be saved?
I read the  rats and rubbish and know personally of many inflicted by the cancerous tumors.  It brought anguish , pain and suffering to those afflicted and the next of kin , loved ones and caregivers.

And rats and rubbish is something we are not proud of either for a country once known to be clean and green.

In 1 Samuel4 , after the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant, they were afflicted by God with plagues of mice (rats)  and of hemmorhoids (tumors) Is the Lord saying something to us in little red dot?

Why Not??
God is still the sovereign King over the nations, including little red dot.

Just as we should de-politicise and re-prioritise our allegiance to the One who is all seeing and all looking at the hearts of men and women. We have to "come clean" before the Lord Almighty in all that we say, do and act.  YHWH shall be the final Judge one day to hold us accountable on our life on this passing earth.  MPs elect would fall in greater accountability as they hold the highest echelon office in a country. They serve the citizens who elected them into such a prestigious office - Serve and not be served. No lording over the weak and downcast. Huge responsibility. Better not play play.

The Key to Jubilee SG50
A trespass offering we shall bring. ! Sam 6:4
Perhaps not the physical tribute of 5 golden tumors and 5 golden mice! LOL.
But a repentant heart and back to worship of none other than our one and only Prophet, Priest and King - Jesus Christ.

1 Samuel 6:5
"So you shall make likenesses of your tumors and likenesses of your mice that ravage the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will ease His hand from you, your gods, and your land"

Jubilee Prayer

We have just past our 1/2 mark of Jubilee SG50 Celebration today! Life still goes on...expectancy of Jubilee among her citizens here..what is your rating? Well. well....Let us pray:

May we ask the Lord for mercy for this nation. Ichabod we want not. Let not your glory depart from our land. Ease your Hand from the cancer tumors on our loved ones.  Withhold your plagues from our land. Clean us up from inside out. Come and heal our land. Forgive us . We shall come and return to the Ark of your covenant.  In His Glorious Name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Awesome capture of this plane trail on 10/1/2015. A stunning divide! As the Sun shone on one side, this photo reminded me of standing in the gap between the living and the dead.  He who has the Son has life and he who has not the Son of God has not life.  

Extract from Blogger : Law will be amended

According to the Straits Times news report ”Parliament: Govt to withhold $7m of grants from AHPETC, change Town Councils Act, says Khaw” (Feb 12)  -  ”In  addition to amending the law to give the Government more oversight and penalty powers over town councils, it will also withhold several million dollars of grants to AHPETC until “it cleans up its mess”, he said.”

Which law allows withholding of residents’ $7 million S & CC grant?

As a resident of Aljunied – I would like to ask – since the Government has to change the law in order to take my town council to task – which law empowers it to take the residents to task – by withholding $7 million of its annual service and conservancy charges (S&CC) grant.

“Fixing” the opposition and voters?

For decades – voters were threatened with “no upgrading”, less funding, taking away the software system when they lost Aljunied, etc – and now using an excuse to fix my town council and indirectly the residents.

Isn’t this unfair and unconstitutional?

Has this Government got no shame – that it would stoop so low to maintain power?

How do the members of Parliament hold their head high when they meet Singaporeans everyday, when they belong to such a Government?

They should be ashamed of themselves. You are a disgrace to the meaning of the word “Singaporean”.

As to “Parliament: Shanmugam says WP took money from man in the street and gave it to their friends” (Straits Times, Feb 12) – Isn’t the withholding of the $7 million S & CC grant akin to the Government taking money from the man in the streets of Aljunied?

De-politicise please for the sake of Singaporeans

I agree with what Mr Low Khia Thiang said – “that in addition to strengthening the Town Councils Act, he hopes that the Government looks at the “de-politicisation of the transition process” when town councils change hands.

The large managing agents that run People’s Action Party town councils in Singapore would not take the WP’s business, he said: “it seems that the managing agents serving PAP town councils are unwilling to serve in non-PAP town councils, and the reason appears to be political rather than professional.”

Detailing the WP MPs’ task of scaling up Hougang SMC’s system for a GRC many times its size, in the face of previous Aljunied GRC contractors terminating their services abruptly – all within a stipulated 90 days transition period – Mr Low said:

“Under our current system, it seems to be that any opposition party which aspires to be elected in a GRC will have to build a town management team to train hundreds of staff officers first, (then) start shopping for an off-the-shelf accounting software.”

“If an opposition party aspires to be the next government, it may need to build an army of civil servants first,” he said. “This is a strange political situation for any functioning democracy to be in.”

Mr Low emphasised that the AGO report did not find the town council to be engaged in corrupt practices nor any money lost.” (“Parliament: WP chief Low Thia Khiang calls for town council transfer to be de-politicised“, Straits Times, Feb 12)

You may appear to be winning the battle of Aljunied now, but at this rate – you will surely lose the war at the end of the day!

Win battles lose war