WELL EARNED, WELL DONE

When we face our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on His Bema Seat one day when He will reward His people for their services, we want to hear Him say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” (Matt 25:23).

I am sure the students of the Far Eastern Bible College (FEBC) desire to hear such words of commendation when they complete their studies and receive their awards. Tonight at the 44^th Graduation Service, a total of 29 successful students will be awarded their certificates and conferred their degrees. It has been a long and arduous but worthwhile and profitable study stint for them. As Principal, I can say to all who will be getting their scrolls, “Well earned and well done.”

Tonight, we will see two who will be conferred the doctorate. FEBC offers two doctoral degrees—the Doctor of Religious Education (DRE) and the Doctor of Theology (ThD). Matriculation is by invitation only when prerequisites are met. The DRE programme seeks to develop and certify teaching and leadership abilities for those already engaged in ecclesiastical ministry or religious education. It is thus a degree pursued in-ministry. Students fulfil their degree requirements through online studies and by writing a dissertation—all this while engaging actively in full-time ministry. The ThD on the other hand is an on-campus, in-residence programme and seeks to prepare students to be scholars of the Scriptures in the original languages, and defenders of the Reformed Faith within the total spectrum of Biblical and Systematic Theology. This year the Rev Michael Koech will be conferred the DRE, and Dr Jose Lagapa the ThD. The Rev Koech submitted for his dissertation an applied commentary on the Gospel of Luke (299pp), and Dr Jose Lagapa wrote his on a theology of apostasy (246pp). (The latter already holds a PhD in Veterinary Medicine from Hokkaido University.)

I am thankful to the Lord for the faculty, for all the lecturers and tutors the Lord had appointed to serve at FEBC. Our faculty do not come and go—they stay with us for a long time. The longest serving member is our Matron Mrs Ivy Tow, wife of our late founder, the Rev Dr Timothy Tow. Mrs Tow was FEBC’s first BTh graduate in 1966 and has served in the College since then, teaching Elementary Greek. She also runs the kitchen and dining club. Another long-serving member is the Rev Dr Koa Keng Woo who teaches Bible Geography and Church Music. Know that the Rev Koa is exactly 90 years old today. We wish him happy birthday.

FEBC has added a new member to its Board of Directors—Elder Tai Mern Yee of True Life BPC. He will take the Dean Burgon Oath with the Board and Faculty tonight. Others in the Board are the Rev Dr Jeffrey Khoo (President), Elder John Leong (Secretary), the Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew (Treasurer), the Rev Dr Prabhudas Koshy, the Rev Dr Koa Keng Woo, the Rev Stephen Khoo, and Mr Wee Hian Kok.

The Dean Burgon Oath was instituted by FEBC’s founding principal in the 70s. This Oath taken by tradition every year has kept the College theologically safe and sound till this day: “I swear in the Name of the Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit that I believe the Bible is none other than the voice of Him that sitteth upon the throne. Every book of it, every chapter of it, every verse of it, every word of it, every syllable of it, every letter of it, is direct utterance of the Most High. The Bible is none other than the Word of God, not some part of it more, some part of it less, but all alike the utterance of Him that sitteth upon the throne, faultless, unerring, supreme. So help me God.” Dean Burgon is known for his defence of the good old Traditional Text and the Textus Receptus which God has providentially preserved in a most remarkable way. Burgon is required reading in our Greek Exegesis classes.

FEBC is patterned after the good old Burgon tradition. Not only do we take the Burgon Oath, we also wear the Burgon Hood—an academic hood designed by Burgon himself and used by Oxford University. Burgon’s book Inspiration and Interpretation will be presented to each graduand tonight.

Do come and rejoice with FEBC tonight at Calvary Pandan BPC, 6pm. Please join us also for the buffet dinner right after the service. JK

WHY TRUE CHRISTIANS SHOULD CONSIDER THE BIBLE’S TEXTUAL ISSUE

D A Waite, ThD, PhD

1. What Are The Bible’s Three Proper Original Language Texts? There are three languages that make up the original Texts of the Bible. The Old Testament’s original Texts are Hebrew and Aramaic. The New Testament’s original Text is Greek. All three of the Bible’s Old and New Testament Texts were verbally, inerrantly, inspired, and preserved by God for ever.

2. What Is The Bible’s “Textual Issue”? The “Textual issue” regarding the Bible is that 95% or MORE modern Bible translations in all the languages of the world are using the false, fake, and Satanic Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts that have departed from God’s verbal, inerrant, inspired, and preserved Texts. The King James Bible and only a very, very few Bibles in other languages have adopted these proper Texts that God gave us.

3. Why Are False Bible Texts Being Used? Because Pastors and other religious leaders have either been deceived by false teachers and do not know the truth about the Bible textual issues, or else they have believed the lies they have been told about the Bible’s texts and translations and have either not researched it carefully, or have rejected the truth after their search.

4. Where Are The False Bible Texts Being Taught And Believed? They are being seen and heard on radio and television programs. If Pastors have attended seminaries or Bible schools (with the exception of one or two schools that I know), they are taught to believe the lies about the Bible’s Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts and false translations of those texts. They will find the fake and false translations based on the false Bible original texts in such translation as the RSV, ASV, NASV, NIV, ESV, and many, many other modern Bible versions. I was taught the false and fake Greek text of Westcott and Hort at Dallas Theological Seminary which was based on the Gnostic Greek Text. I believed it until I read Dean John Burgon’s Revision Revised 10 or 15 years later. I praise God for one of my former college students, a young lady, who told me about this book. I found it, read it, believed it, made copies of it (and made them available in book form) and changed from the false and fake Greek text that I had been taught for five years in classes at Dallas Seminary to the sound and proper Hebrew, Aramaic, and traditional Greek texts underlying our King James Bible.

5. What Is Happening Because The False Bible Texts Are Being Taught And Used? Because of the use of these modern Bible versions, many sound doctrines have been either obliterated or changed for the worse. Dr. Jack Moorman, a faithful member of our Dean Burgon Society, ministering in England, has written two books about the errors of the false Greek text on which the false modern versions are based. He documented 8,000 changes in the Greek texts underlying these modern Bible version (in one large book). Many changes are trivial, but in another book, he lists 356 changes that concern doctrinal passages. Both these books are available at the FEBC Bookroom, 10 Gilstead Road, Singapore 309063, Tel: 62549188.

RETREAT AND PILGRIMAGE

FEBC will be heading up north for our annual retreat at the Resort Lautan Biru (RLB), Mersing. Actually RLB—the brainchild of our late founding pastor and principal, the Rev Dr Timothy Tow—is our home away from home. We have fond memories of this lovely venue facing the South China Sea, a most idyllic place for our spiritual retreat and fellowship.

FEBC will embark on its 4^th Bible Lands Pilgrimage from 19 to 31 May 2019. Tracing the steps of Apostle Paul, the 40 pilgrims will be visiting some of the places Paul once trod as he preached the good news of Jesus Christ and planted churches in Asia Minor (Turkey), Greece, and Rome. In our pilgrimage, we shall study the relevant portions of the book of Acts and the history of the Christian Church. As we visit Rome, we shall revisit the 16^th century Reformation and rediscover the reasons why we are Reformed and Protestant, and not Roman Catholic.

Please pray for us, that our faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and in His forever infallible and inerrant Word might be strengthened as we make our pilgrim journey in the steps of the Apostle Paul and our Reformed fathers. JK

Mdm Lim Kah Ting (97), mother of Mrs Janet Morante, having confessed Jesus as Lord and Saviour, was baptised on 3 May 2019 in her home.