THE PHILIPPINES : Is It In The Bible?
By Bro Nathan
As many Filipino Latter Day Saints ay nakakaencounter na ng mga Filipino cults with a taste ng Pinoy pride na nagclaclaim na totoo ang church nila at fulfillment "daw" ng isang prophecy, of course, they will misuse Deutero-Isaiah passages for that. one example ng mga cults na ito ay ang Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) at ang Members Of The Church Of God International (MCGI) na nagclaclaim na meron ang Pilipinas sa Bible at na meron daw sila na isang Filipino church sa Bible. one of the many misused proof textes nila ay ang Isaiah 24:14-16, 59:19 at ang Zechariah 8:6-7—specially when it mentions islands and eastern regions. in this article ay titingnan natin kung paano ba nila ina-out of context ang verses na ito sa Neviim (i.e the Prophets - Isaiah-Malachi).
Isaiah 24:14-16
"They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea. Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea. From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously." (Isa 24:14-16) KJV
The Hebrew reads :
הֵמָּה יִשְׂאוְּקֹולָם יָרֹנּוְּבִּגְאֹון יְהוָה צָהֲלוְּ מִיָּם עַל־כֵּן בָּאֻרִים כַּבְּדוְּ יְהוָה בְּאִיֵּי הַיָּם שֵׁם יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִכְּנַף הָאָרֶץ זְמִרֹת שָׁמַעְנוְּ צְבִי לַצַּדִּיק וָאֹמַר רָזִי־ לִי רָזִי־ לִי אֹוי לִי בֹּגְדִים בָּגָדוְּ וְּבֶגֶד בֹּוגְדִים בָּגָדוְּ (BHS)
We begin exegeting the following verses by recalling na ang context is always na importante. one cannot fully know the truth kung wala ang perspective nito sa kabuuan ng mga bagay bagay. dito ay ginamit ng Philippine cults ang verse na ito because of the word na "isles", na because sa islands sa Philippines ay dito na daw nagrerefer. it ignores however na puwedeng maging option ang islands ng Cyprus at Milleta. It is completely eisegetical. first, in Isa. 24:14-16 ay dinedescribe dito ang mga nagbibigay ng praises na mga scattered surviving remnants ng Israel as can be seen sa v. 13 (cf. Isa. 10:20-22; 17:6)—in which they give praises dahil sa niligtas sila ni Lord mula sa kapahamakan kagaya ng sa niligtas sila mula sa pagiinvade ng Babylon. Jewish survivors glorify him from both east and west (cf. Mal. 1:11). Dito ay isang parallel ang Jer. 25:22 which uses the same Hebrew word :
"Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts [אוּר] of the earth." (Jer. 25:32) KJV
Na kung saan ay sa vv. 25:9-23 ay iniistate si Nebuchadnezzar ay iinvade ang particular na Region dito at na kanyang sasakupin ang lands dito. this begs us the question, if the Philippines ba ang nandito, nasakop ba na ng Babylon ang Philippines under kay Nebuchadnezzar? They glorify Him from the following places :
a. The sea — מִן (min) ang Mediterranean sea
b. In the fires — אוּר (‘uwr) in the regions of morning light
c. The isles of the sea — אִי (iy) Mediterranean coast
d. Uttermost part of the earth — מִכְּנַ֨ף הָאָ֜רֶץ (kanaph ‘erets) beyond Euphrates i.e distant east
And also, as for b, they ignore na ang Hebrew word translated as "islands" is אִי (iy) ay specific na in reference sa coast and sa coastal regions sa west ng Israel. ang verse na ito has completely nothing to do with the Philippines, but instead ay sa Israel.
Isaiah 59:19
"So they shall fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come like a rushing stream, which the wind of the LORD drives." (Isa. 59:19) NKJV
Sa isang passage na ito na tinatake out of context ng mga naniniwalang nasa Bible ang Philippines ay hindi nito sinasabi na may mga worshippers sa Philippines (na kung saan ay ginagamit din ng ilang cults para isupport ang kanilang church. the context tells us about sa pagpaparusa ng Diyos sa mga masasamang tao at sa pago-oppose ng Diyos sa mga enemies ng Israel (cf. Jer. 46:7-8), at may parallels sa ibang places sa scriptures na kung saan ay naggather ang Israelites sa Israel at nathreathen ng kanilang mga enemies na sila ay atakihin. God's annihilation of the invading force will terrorize the whole earth. ang lahat ng tao mula sa iba't ibang dako ng mundo ay matatakot sa Panginoon. wala itong connection sa anumang churches na nagclaclaim na sila ang fulfillment ng prophecy na ito (e.g INC, MCGI).
Zechariah 8:6-7
"Thus says the LORD of hosts: If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the LORD of hosts? Thus says the LORD of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country," (Zech. 8:6-7) ESV
First of all, ang ".......my people from east country and from the west country" ay hindi ito nagrerefer to Filipinos but to Israelites, specially mga Jews (v. 23). isa itong prophecy sa mga last days na kung saan ay ang Diyos will physically dwell sa Jerusalem (vv. 1-3) at kanyang igagather ang kanyang people mula sa east hanggang sa west at kanya silang binigyan ng blessings for them to prosper more and to set back to their own. dito ay may mga gusto talaga na makapunta sa Jerusalem para sambahin ang Diyos (vv. 4-5, 20-23) at na dito ay dinedescribe na hahawakan ng 10 na tao ang kasuotan ng isang Jews at na kanilang sasabihin na kanya na "sumama kami sayo, dahil nalaman namin na Ang Diyos ay sumasainyo" (v. 23). ang prophecy na ito however ay hindi pa nafulfill sa mga Filipino religious groups that claim such. they are not even Jews! Furthermore, Roy A. Welker commented :
“Like Joel, and the other prophets, Zechariah vigorously condemned Israel’s sins, yet he foresaw a restoration of God’s favors as a reward for repentance and adherence to His laws. … He was an optimist who loved to linger on the bright and beautiful things of life, though not afraid to recognize and make known the ills that needed to be corrected. He liked to think of Jerusalem restored to her one-time glory, filled with many families of happy children and with prosperity and peace abounding all around; with hate and selfishness banished and God’s tender care and love guiding His children. …
“Too often are people prone to consider the gloomy side of the messages of the prophets. A little care will lead to the realization that the bright side overshadows the darker one and reveals a hope for the future in which God and right will triumph and the world emerge in righteousness as He wills. Zechariah was one whose visions of light excelled many others.” (Roy A. Welker, Spiritual Values of the Old Testament, pp. 308–9.)
In conclusion ay hindi sinasabi ng mga mostly common used verses na ito na ang Philippines ay nasa prophecies sa Bible—nor any Filipino groups ay ang fulfillment ng mga prophecies na ito. these verses specially talk about God's covenant people, Israel at hindi mga Filipino groups. the Philippines and Filipino religious groups has nothing to do with the context of these text.
Like and support our Facebook page : fb.com/ldswarriors2000
Visit our blog : ldswarriors2000.blogspot.com
