By Nick Dalgety
Biblical truth: There are many Chinese language characters that show that the ancient Chinese knew the Gospel message found in the book of Genesis.
In the book God’s promise to the Chinese, written by Ethel Nelson and Richard Broadberry, they reveal the mystery of the biblical significance of many of these ancient Chinese characters.
Here I show the Chinese character for forbidden or to warn which combines two radicals – God and two trees.
From this we can discern that God spoke of two trees explicitly to Adam – the Tree of Life and the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil – see Genesis chapter 2. God commanded that you can eat of every tree of the garden but not of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
China. A country steeped in a long history and culture that contrasts greatly with our own.
Here I am travelling down the Yangtze River, passing by the place on the river where two Kiwi ladies in the late 1800’s took a Chinese Gooseberry cutting that in time led to the famous Hayward kiwifruit variety!
Given the dramatic increase in social and economic contact between our two countries in recent times, I think it is well worth travelling to China to better understand their reality.
I believe that we as a country have much to offer China, founded on the belief that small is beautiful. Also, that we can forge deeper relationships with the Chinese community based on shared biblical realities.
About the Author
Nick Dalgety is a Kiwi born in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. In recent times my wife and I have made Nelson in the top of the South Island home.
My day job involves working with people making a living from land and sea. In my spare time my passion is taking pictures that celebrate what is iconic about Aotearoa New Zealand. Inevitably this involves discovering amazing people, in their special place making and doing what they do best.
When travelling overseas, I often seek out similar experiences. I created Provenance101 to share these experiences.
The Garden of Eden
The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed (GENESIS 2:8). God makes known in the first chapter of Genesis a sweeping account of the creation of the earth, the heavens, plants, animals, birds, fish and ultimately Man. God then turns His attention…
Man To Cultivate
Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it (GENESIS 2:15). Right from the start God intended that Man have real purpose in life. Here Man was to cultivate the land and care for the creatures that inhabited the Garden. There is real…
Not Good To Be Alone
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him” (GENESIS 2:18). Relationships. As a Christian I believe in one God yet three Persons in nature, namely Father, Son and Holy Spirit – a truth revealed overtime in the Bible. Therefore relationship…
Man and His Wife Hid
They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden (GENESIS 3:8). Adam and Eve are together for the scripture says they heard the Lord God.…
Enmity Between the Seeds
The Lord God said to the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel” (GENESIS 3:15). Here we witness the greatest calamity of Mankind. Adam and Eve chose to disobey an…