The Heavenly Man: The remarkable true story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun

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In recent years soldiers fighting in Iraq have used a new expression to describe the very worst kind of way to die or be injured in battle. They explain that if they were killed or wounded by an enemy bullet they would consider it a great honor, but the worst insult they could experience is to be wounded by 'friendly fire'. It is a terrible feeling to be shot by fellow soldiers whom you thought were on the same side! And so I have come to the end of my "Open Letter". I thank you for spending the time reading about what is happening to a servant of God whose love for God and people is larger than anyone I have been privileged to spend time with. Unfortunately, and tragically, 'friendly fire' is alive and well among God's people today. Christians like Brother Yun would consider it a great honor to be shot dead by a Muslim or speared by a tribesman while they are preaching the gospel in some far-flung corner of the earth. But to come under fire from fellow Christians, who are meant to be fighting on your side, is a miserable and terrible thing to have to cope with. The many thousands of people around the world who have spent time with Brother Yun have found him to be a good man, humble, loving, and always eager to bless and build up others in Christ. Those who have attended a meeting where he has spoken have made up their own minds whether this man is someone who loves Jesus Christ, or a deceptive con man out for personal gain. Strong's 3634: Probably akin to ho, hos, and hosos; such or what sort of; especially the neuter with negative, not so.

As is the earthy one, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly one, so also are those who are heavenly. Brother Yun is a millionaire, living like a king in the West." The truth is that Yun and his family live a modest life in Germany. A mission called AVC for years has provided housing for Yun and his family, and taken care of them. German Pastor Waldemar Sardaczuk shed light on Yun's lifestyle earlier this year: "I can shed some light on the daily life of Brother Yun and his family... Neither he nor any of his family members drive or own a car. They are totally focused on ministering for the Lord, and have little concern for material things. His manner of life, his conduct, and his family are in accordance with the Bible. We are deeply impressed and also appreciate brother Yun's reaction to all the lies, slanders and accusations told about him... He has always endeavored to help the persecuted Christians in his country without any desire for personal gain or glory." this book is powerful. it's probably the most single, powerful story i've ever come across. it has challenged me more than any other book i've ever read.

As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.

as [is] the earthly, such [are] also the earthly; and as [is] the heavenly, such [are] also the heavenly; For those who would like more information to complement this biography, I would also recommend Randy Alcorn's historical fiction work "Safely Home" and David Aikman's non-fiction exploration of the Church in China, published as "Jesus in Beijing". Finally, it seems the main concern you have is with the miraculous accounts in the book. I've read the book before and happen to be taking another turn through it, and I don't see any bad theology being taught, but I do find myself challenged by the miraculous, as you seem to be. Is it possible that the God of the universe would CHOSE to intervene in countries in which the gospel is oppressed through methods he is not regularly using in open countries? After all, don't most generals bring their most powerful weapons to the front lines of the battle? "

Like the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; like the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. Released in early 2002, the book is co-written and translated by Paul Hattaway and published by Monarch Publications. Even the secular world doesn't listen to such testimony. Can you imagine the scene in court where one person is accusing the other of some horrible crime? The judge leans forward and asks the accuser, "How long have you known this man?" The accuser, red-faced, whispers, "Ah, actually I have never met him before your honor..." This situation is no less ridiculous, but many believers have immediately assumed the accusations against Brother Yun are true because of the weight of these three men's reputations. Such as is the earthly, such also are the earthly: and such as is the heavenly, such also are they that are heavenly.

This book was recommended to me by a Christian friend who was reminded of it after we started discussing the connection that suffering has with true spirituality. Not being, at all, familiar with such deep persecution for Christ's sake that Brother Yun experienced, my mind was telling me that what I was reading was fabrication, not an account of God's many promises that tell us that one man can put ten thousand to fight, that He is a very present help in time of trouble, and that no evil will come nigh thee. Those who belong to the earth are like the one who was made of earth; those who are of heaven are like the one who came from heaven.

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I first read this soon after becoming a Christian in college and was very moved at the time. Having done mission work in China for over ten years now, I decided to revisit it, and my opinion of Brother Yun is even higher now. As is the earthly man [the man of dust], so are those who are of earth; and as is the heavenly [Man], so are those who are of heaven. Jennifer Lee (5 August 2005). "The Author of The Heavenly Man Releases an Open Letter on Controversy". The Gospel Herald . Retrieved 10 January 2020. From my vantage point, the whole debate that has raged among many parts of the Church has divided into two main camps - those who don't personally know Brother Yun and those who do.

Perhaps David I. Hong, one of the reviewers of The Heavenly Man book, sums it up best when he says, "I am appalled at anyone who attempts to slander this brother and his testimony. Their accusations are pharisaical at best... or are part of another ministry that does not agree with Brother Yun's supernatural accounts. May the LORD deal with all of you ever so severely, all who testify falsely against this brother. He is a man who has tasted heaven and the very One Who created it. He is indeed a heavenly man in love with Jesus and I highly recommend this book. Please do not believe the false accusations surrounding this man. Please pray in the Spirit and test these things for yourself. He is genuine. Praise the Lord!" For practical reasons the consideration of the subject of Adam Ḳadmon in the Cabala has been reserved for the end of this article. Before discussing the subject it will be well to revert to the ancient rabbinical sources already referred to. There is a fundamental theosophical statement by Akiba in the Talmud relative to this topic to which no reference has yet been made. He says, in Abot, iii. 14, "How favored is man, seeing that he was created in the image! as it is said, 'For in the image, made man'" (Gen. ix. 6). That "in the image" does not mean "in the image of God" needs no proof; for in no language can "image" be substituted for "image of God." There is, moreover, another difficulty in this passage: the verse quoted is not that of Gen. i. 27, wherein the creation of man in the image of God is primarily stated. Gen. ix. 6 treats only secondarily of man's creation. The selection of a secondary quotation in support is not a little surprising to those familiar with the usual rabbinical mode of quotation. In point of fact Akiba does not speak only of the image ( ) according to which man was created, but also of the likeness ( ; Gen. R. xxxiv. 14). really has no other signification than "after the image." Akiba, who steadfastly denies any resemblance between God and other beings—even the highest type of angels—teaches that man was created after an image—that is, an archetype—or, in philosophical phrase, after an ideal, and thus interprets Gen. ix. 6, "after an image God created man," an interpretation quite impossible in Gen. i. 27. Compare the benediction in Ket. 8 a, , wherein God is blessed because "He made man in His image [ ], in the image of a form created by Him." The concluding explanatory words of this benediction intimate, in Akiba's style, that Adam was created after the image of a God-created type ( ). Zohar. There was a deeper process going on for me. How much do I believe? The story relates the occurrence of miracles in the life of Yun – almost like a modern day Acts of the Apostles. Do I believe these? Or do I root around for rational explanations? In places where practicing your faith means life or death, doesn’t it make sense that the astonishing can occur? When this man shares his excruciating tales of physical and emotional desolation, where do I see myself in my commitment, or better, in my comfort? Miracles don’t come cheap and the most wondrous miracle is a life transformed. How far am I willing to let the Spirit take me?Part of the problem is that around the world the Chinese house churches are usually presented in all their glory, as great men and women of God who live in perfect harmony. It is thought that some leaders have suffered in prison for so long that they are practically sinless! The reality is a little more down-to-earth. It has been said "The Chinese Church has a New Testament kind of Christianity." I agree! But in the New Testament we read not only of miracles and revival, but also of personal conflict, jealousy, opposition, and "false brothers." A glance at the messages the Risen Christ gave to the seven churches in the early chapters of Revelation will soon reveal the early Christians were just like us - with many weaknesses and failings. The various philosophical (Gnostic) views concerning the original man are, in spite of their differences, intimately related, being a compound of Oriental mythology, Greek philosophy, and rabbinical theology. The first to use the expression "original man," or "heavenly man," is Philo, in whose view the γενικός, or ουράντος ἄνθρωπος, "as being born in the image of God, has no participation in any corruptible or earthlike essence; whereas the earthly man is made of loose material, called a lump of clay" ("De Allegoriis Legum," I. xii.). The heavenly man, as the perfect image of the Logos, is neither man nor woman, but an incorporeal intelligence purely an idea; while the earthly man, who was created by God later, is perceptible to the senses and partakes of earthly qualities ("De Mundi Opificio," i. 46). Philo is evidently combining Midrash and philosophy, Plato and the rabbis. Setting out from the duplicate Biblical account of Adam, who was formed in the image of God (Gen. i. 27), and of the first man, whose body God formed from the earth (Gen. ii. 7), he combines with it the Platonic doctrine of ideas; taking the primordial Adam as the idea, and the created man of flesh and blood as the "image." That Philo's philosophic views are grounded on the Midrash, and not vice versa, is evident from his seemingly senseless statement that the "heavenly man," the οὐράνιος ἄνθρωπος (who is merely an idea), is "neither man nor woman." This doctrine, however, becomes quite intelligible in view of the following ancient Midrash. The remarkable contradiction between the two above-quoted passages of Genesis could not escape the attention of the Pharisees, to whom the Bible was a subject of close study. In explaining the various views concerning Eve's creation, they taught ('Er. 18 a, Gen. R. viii.) that Adam was created as a man-woman ( androgynos), explaining (Gen. i. 27) as "male and female" instead of "man and woman," and that the separation of the sexes arose from the subsequent operation upon Adam's body, as related in the Scripture. This explains Philo's statement that the original man was neither man nor woman. Midrash.