Dear family, brethren, and friends,

Our classes here in Cebu City continued Friday with a full house hearing Harry’s lessons on baptism and the false doctrines of inherited sin and salvation by faith only.  After my session on the Bible doctrine of predestination verses the errors of Calvinism, it was time to open the theme of “Premillennialism.”  I discussed the so-called rapture (a silent secret coming of Christ to remove all Christians from the earth), the false claim that Israel will be restored to its land again, Christ’s present reign in the new kingdom of God on the earth which is his church, and the 1,000-year victory of the saints over the Roman Empire under Christ’s reign in Revelation 20:4.  The 1,000 years are figurative language for a total and complete victory. 

Our open forums continue to address a lot of important topics.  It is argued that if man has free will, he is more powerful than God when he does things contrary to His will.  To answer this quibble, we ask, “Does God have the power to give man free will?”  The answer is a resounding yes, and that does not make man more powerful than God.  God is in control because He assigns consequences to our actions, which we cannot escape.  

Does anything happening in the Middle East with Israel related to Bible prophecy?  No, nothing.  Jesus announced in Matthew 23:38, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.”  God withdrew His presence and protection from the temple, Jerusalem, and Judea with the result that Rome desecrated the holy land and demolished the temple.  Jews and Gentiles alike are called by the gospel of Christ to received salvation in Christ (Gal. 3:26-29).  No prophecies remain for physical Israel.  The modern nation using the name Israel has no connection to biblical Israel.

Since I taught a summary of the book of Revelation, this question was asked:  Is the bottomless pit in Revelation 20:1-3 literal or figurative?  We had studied in another lesson on figurative language that we should always consider the literal meaning first, but if it creates an impossible conclusion, that is one of the signs of figurative language.  A pit must have a bottom to form the pit.  A bottomless pit is impossible.  It is figurative language indicating Satan was cast down in utter, total, irreversible defeat when God destroyed the Roman Empire.  It can never rise up again to afflict His people.  In Revelation 1-3, John addresses his letter to the seven churches in the Roman Province of Asia – there were seven literal churches in those seven literal cities in the literal province.  We can distinguish literal and figurative language! 

Saturday concluded the six-day preacher training series on Basic Bible Doctrine with Harry’s refutation of Catholicism and of the teaching of various cults on the end time.  Jack refuted Sabbatarianism.  I preached on the deity of Christ in refuting the denial of his deity by the Jehovah’s Witnesses cult.  I also discussed the survival of the spirit when our bodies die, refuting the denial of this truth by the Sadducees and the Jehovah’s Witnesses.  This vital truth undergirds the reality of hades when we die and of heaven and hell as eternal following the final Judgment Day.

The open forum focused on our conscious existence in the hadean realm and on the eternal reward of heaven and eternal punishment in hell.  The questions revolved around our human efforts to understand the realities of the unseen world in terms of the figurative language used by God to convey those realities.  For instance, hell is conveyed as outer darkness and yet also eternal fire.  Fire produces light, but the point of Scripture is that hell is terrifying like total utter darkness and severely painful like fire.  

A common question arose about how can we rejoice in Abraham’s bosom and in heaven knowing our loved ones are not present.  The blessedness of our eternal fellowship with God will wipe away all tears.  That is hard to grasp in our physical world of earthly emotions, but the spiritual realm of our heavenly abode with God will transform all things in ways we can hardly understand now.  “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.  And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful” (Rev. 21:4-5).

We ended the series by singing, “Holy, Holy, Holy,” and with prayer in much thanksgiving for God’s great redemptive plan and His loving providence which granted us this week of Bible study.  That loving providence includes the prayers of many of you and also many who sacrificed funds to provide our study materials and other needs.

Certificates of attendance were distributed, study materials were given, and the essential custom of picture taking was fulfilled.  Our goodbyes included deep emotions of love and joy but also sadness in parting.  Harry flew to Manila this afternoon and will soon be working with Rody Gumpad in Tuguegarao, Cagayan in north-central Luzon after a short rest.  I will preach here on Cebu Island on the Lord’s Day and then Monday proceed to Negros Occidental to meet Jack Jaco and Mark Mayberry for the next segment of this trip.

On the Lord’s Day I woke up about 5:45 AM and soon met Jonathan Carino and our team to travel round trip from Cebu City about six hours to preach in two congregations.  First, we arrived in Bogo City a few minutes past 10:00 AM where 63 souls were gathered singing. I preached “The Gospel Makes Us Right with God” and “Why We Assemble” to a very attentive audience.  

Some of these saints awoke at 4:00 AM at their homes in the nearby mountains and walked 15 kilometers (about 9½ miles) to reach the service.  Rupert Ramirez has been going there to teach them but is hampered by lack of transportation because his old vehicle died.  It is souls like these that inspire me to continue coming to the Philippines and to pay very little attention to my age (79, becoming 80 on May 7, God willing).  As long as God’s providence permits it, I hope to continue preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ in the Philippines.

Driving back toward Cebu City, we stopped at the Libertad church of Christ where Gil Suico labors in the gospel.  About 30 people had assembled and welcomed us there about 2:00 PM.  After hearing the lesson on “Why Saints Assemble,” five adult ladies stepped forward to confess Christ and to submit to him in water baptism for the remission of their sins through the Savior’s blood.  Gil has been working hard to restore this congregation in recent years after its demise several years ago.

The second phase of this trip is now complete, and I will fly to Negros Island tomorrow to meet Jack Jaco and Mark Mayberry, God willing, and we will labor together in the third phase.  We praise God from whom all blessings flow for the successful completion of the work planned on Cebu Island, but these saints will continue pressing forward to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I have searched in vain to find the moon this week, but I will keep looking and thanks to all who are keeping it in sight as our iconic connection!

In Christian love,
Ron Halbrook