CHINESE CHARACTERS AND THE BIBLE(Handout for students)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1.
Do you think Chinese is an easy language? Why? What do you admire most about the Chinese?
2.
Can you do Chinese calligraphy? Do you have any Chinese calligraphy? How does it make you feel?
3.
What Chinese characters do you like most? What do they symbolize? What do the mean on the surface? What is their deeper meaning?
A pastor was thinking about how to show an intelligent Chinese woman that the Bible stories were true. He remembered the similarities between the character for boat in Chinese and the creation stories in the Bible. In the character, there are 3 parts: a vessel/boat, 8, and mouths/people. In the Bible, there is a story of Noah and a flood of waters that destroyed the earth. 100s of cultures around the world have a similar story. In the story there were also 8 people in the boat. The pastor thought maybe there would be other similar words. He began writing characters down.
The first one he thought of was
“ create ” (left). In create, there were the words for dust, a mouth, life, and able to walk. It matched together perfectly with the creation story. God created the first person from the dust of the earth and breathed into him the breath of life. Adam became a living being who was walking and talking.
This is amazing. The first Chinese people also knew about creation and told the same stories as the Bible. There are 2 independent witnesses for the creation story. If you have 2 independent witnesses who agree, it ’ s the strongest evidence of truth. Researchers have found that about 70% of these ancient characters have similarities to stories of the creation in the Bible. What is stranger is that these Chinese characters existed at least 1000 years before the Bible was written.
In the creation story, God created a beautiful garden for Adam and
Eve and often talked with them. He said that everything was good, very good! He wanted people to be happy. Look at the ancient Chinese word for ‘ happiness ” . There are 4 symbols in this word happiness. What are these symbols? (God, 1 st , mouth/person and garden). This character tells us that the 1 st person/people in the garden were happy with God.
God had put 2 trees in the garden as a test of loyalty. Some people call this God ’ s voting booth. God warned them not to eat from 1 tree. But, Eve didn ’ t believe God. She was curious. In English we say
“ curiosity killed the cat ” . Curiosity killed Eve. Eve desired to eat fruit that God had forbidden. Because Eve and later Adam disobeyed and betrayed God, they had to leave the Garden of Eden and they lost their happiness.
Many selfish desires also came into human beings.
These cause much pain and suffering even today. On the left is the Chinese character for “ covet ” or “ desire ” . If you look carefully, you will see the symbol for trees and a woman. The character reminds us that desiring wrong things can make us lose the good things we have.

But, in the story, God gave Adam and Eve a 2 nd chance. Look at the word for righteousness. What symbols can you see inside this character? In this character, are the symbols for sheep, hand, knife.
“ Hand ” and “ knife ” together make the symbol for “ me ” . In the garden after Adam and Eve sinned, God told them a way to escape from sin and death. For justice, someone would have to die. God promised that His Son would die instead of them. Then they could be part of God ’ s family again. God told them to kill a lamb with a knife.
The lamb was a symbol of Jesus who would die for humanity. By killing the lamb, they showed faith in God ’ s promise. This character tells us that righteousness comes from faith in God ’ s promises.
One last thing is interesting. Many Chinese are Buddhist and Taoist now. But, before 2,000 B.C., the Chinese believed something else. They followed strict moral laws and they worshipped only ONE God and didn ’ t make idols of Him. His name was Shen or
Shang Ti. One Chinese researcher wrote this, “ [Shang Ti] was self-existent. He existed before the heaven and the earth and sun. He created them. He rules over them. His years have no end.
” 1 This Shang Ti is almost identical to Yahweh in the Bible. Shang-Ti is: “ The emperor above ” . In many countries around the world, the first and true God created all things and gives life by his power. He always existed and will live forever.
There are hundreds of cultures with the same idea about God. How can people in all different nations and different places all around the world all believe in almost the same idea of God. One good answer is because it is true and God wants to show us his truth through the Bible and through different nations and cultures and show us that he is not the God of one nation or people. He is the true creator of everything and everyone in the world!
QUESTIONS
1.
What do you think about the Chinese characters matching the creation story? Do you think the Chinese characters are good evidences for creation? Why or why not?
2.
Why did the woman think the creation story was a fairy tale? Why do you think so many scientists and professors and leaders believe in this creation story?
3.
What do you think about these quotes on happiness? Are they true? Why or why not? Have you experienced them?
 There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something.Henry Ford
 Happiness isn't something you experience; it's something you remember. Oscar Levant
 Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. - Robert
Brault
 God has so constituted our nature that we cannot be happy unless we are or think we are the means of good to others. - Erskine Mason (1805 - 1851)
 Happiness never decreases by being shared. - Buddha (B.C. 568-488)
 In making {others} happy, you will find happiness and cheerfulness of spirit. Ellen White
4.
How could eating the fruit of 1 tree produce so many problems in our world? Can you think of any little mistakes that cause big problems?
5.
Sometimes the truth is lost because of popularity as in Emperor Ch-in ’ s case (ancient people knew the sun was the center of our solar system. But, that knowledge was lost.) How can we keep the truth strong and not lose it? Is it important to keep learning truth? Why? How does this truth change your life right now?
SEE ALSO: excellent flash at: www.wbschool.org/chinesecharacters.htm
, http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/magazines/docs/v20n3_china.asp
Korean: www.kacr.or.kr/library/itemview.asp?no=1536&param=category=B05 , www.kacr.or.kr/library/itemview.asp?no=1536

DECISION QUESTIONS NAME: ________________________
1.
Have you ever heard of Chinese Characters matching the Bible before?
NO YES
2.
Did the Chinese Characters come before or after the Bible was written?
BEFORE AFTER
3.
Do these Chinese Characters match the Bible stories well?
NO YES
4.
Do you think the Chinese characters are good evidence that the Bible is true?
YES NO
5.
Do you believe the Bible stories that match the Chinese characters are true?
NO YES
6.
Do you want God
s righteousness through the lamb of God (Jesus) in your life?
YES NO
Do you have any other thoughts or questions on Chinese characters?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
DECISION QUESTIONS NAME: ________________________
1.
Have you ever heard of Chinese Characters matching the Bible before?
YES NO
2.
Did the Chinese Characters come before or after the Bible was written?
AFTER BEFORE

3.
Do these Chinese Characters match the Bible stories well?
YES NO
4.
Do you think the Chinese characters are good evidence that the Bible is true?
NO YES
5.
Do you believe the Bible stories that match the Chinese characters are true?
YES NO
6.
Do you want God
s righteousness through the lamb of God (Jesus) in your life?
YES NO
Do you have any other thoughts or questions on Chinese characters?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

EXTRA GRAPHICS