Getting Resurrected in the Philippines is not Ideal

By Robert Clarita

Iligan City, Philippines (12.13.07) – Getting resurrected is not ideal at this point in time, especially in the Philippines. This striking assessment comes from the outspoken International Evangelist Eliseo Soriano, in his religious program Itanong Mo Kay Soriano (Ask Bro. Eli). Through satellite broadcast from the United States, Bro. Eli, the name he is most known for, answered all the queries of the audience that came in thousands to bask in his wide biblical knowledge through his interactive program.

One of the intriguing questions asked was about resurrection and its possibility of coming about presently. The evangelist answered that the resurrection of the dead will take place at a time that God destined it to be. However, if ever resurrection would come about in the country, it is not quite ideal at this point in time.

Soriano explained that a dead person raised from the dead in this country may actually be remorseful of having to live all over again. The resurrected one might even get angry about his supposed luck as he has to deal all over again with the impoverished conditions of the country which has gone from bad to worse.

Resurrection has a specific time destined by God, he said. For some who claim they are able to raise people from the dead, this is outright presumptuousness of God’s will, at the same time cruelty towards the dead who happen to be in their privileged rest, Soriano said. For resurrection to happen at this point in time in the country is indeed not something to wish for.

Currently, the Philippine economy is not showing any promise of favoring the citizens’ welfare, but rather graft and corruption abound in high places. According to the International Herald Tribune (03.13.07), the Philippines topped the list of 13 most corrupt countries from a survey conducted by Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC), based in Hong Kong. In online Asian magazine called In Asia (03.28.07), Ky D. Johnson wrote that The Asia Foundation for the Philippines and Pacific Island Nations affirmed the results of the survey done in Hong Kong by PERC.

Meanwhile, Dieter Frisch of Euforic (08.15.96), a ten-year internetworking cooperation and development European site, defined corruption as “the abuse of public power for personal ends”. In it, Frisch suggested that most of those being corrupted are finances, properties, and income privileges, which actually are critical in order for people to live in a society conveniently.

Discrepancies in social and economic development obviously come from inequality brought about by corruption. According to Rosario Bella Guzman of IBON surveys (05.19.07), in 2006 there were some 9.8 million poor households whose impoverished conditions are growing worse because of income inequalities. This news, along with organized crimes and news of famine in some parts of the country hog the headlines of any news media today, attesting to the overwhelming corruption in the Philippines today.

Soriano said that if the news of the sorry state of affairs in the country would be heard by the resurrected ones, they would understand that it will mean a life burdensome for them. He said that the privileged rest in their tomb where they were formerly placed would be a sweeter option than for them to live once again with fear of threat from destitution and the cruelty of others.

On the side, some cults in the country claim they can resurrect the dead from the grave, but this is only a claim just so they can gain followers, Soriano said. Their claim is as good as their other claims like the laying on of hands to heal the sick, giving sight to the blind, and the promise of immediate wealth. If even just one of these acts were factual, it would have been a newsworthy item worldwide, Soriano said. Through time immemorial, however, there was no data to support their claim, he said.

The sensible preacher and host of the The Old Path program can be heard and seen preaching in an international channel with the same name, covering some states in America and a number in Europe. His propagations could also be trailed internationally through his weblog www.esoriano.wordpress.com.

Judgment Day and the Society
An inquirer wondered about the absence of an exact date of the judgment day destined by God in the last days. He said he doesn’t find it in the Bible. Evangelist Soriano replied that if the exact date were written in the Holy Scriptures or could be discerned easily by people, societal status will be more risky and perilous than it is presently.

Soriano explained that most probably people will take advantage of the remaining time to do more grievous activities, knowing that the judgment day is very far yet. People might get more abusive, he said, and when the declared date is approaching, that might be the only time that people will do good, such goodness not being an honest intention at all, but a scheming and deceitful one.

The evangelist however said that there are signs before judgment day will come and that is the time that the world is clad with exceeding evil – the perilous times. He cited the book of Matthew, followed by Revelation that say the resurrection of the dead will come first so that all humanity, except the holy ones of Christ, will face the judgment day.

Scriptural Niceties
In the course of replying to an inquirer, Soriano told of some additional important details regarding the Scriptures. He said Moses had an assistant writer during his period of leading the Israel, who happened to be the one writing after Moses.

He explained that even though Moses was put to rest, the historical records of the people of God in their journey were trailed because of Joshua, the assistant writer and the appointed leader after Moses. This mode also applied to other writers of the Holy Scriptures, particularly in the New Testament.

St. Paul, known for his numerous letters addressed to churches in different parts, was also aided with assistant writers. The evangelist said that the assistant writers were even acknowledged in the corresponding letters where they had been a help to Paul while writing those, as evidences of this knowledge he shared.

Tertius was Paul’s assistant during the time he was writing letters to the Romans, Sosthenes in his letters to the Corinthians, Timothy in his letters to the Thessalonians and Colossians, and Sylvanus with the ones for the Thessalonians as well.

Bro. Eli Abroad
To the query of an aged man why the evangelist left the country, Soriano found an opportunity to explain his sudden need to go abroad. He said that he had already served 40 years in the Philippines, and it covered just a very little percentage of the world population. He said it’s about time for the international brethren and wider audiences to be attended to by him regarding their spiritual needs.

The inquirer thus wished to see Soriano in person. The evangelist said that he also misses a lot his native country and fellow countrymen but he needs to sacrifice his personal preferences for the wider and higher level of propagations, which is that of the worldwide scale.

He also pointed out that in order for him to go home it will take a million dollars for fare. On the side, he said that his possible homecoming in the future shouldn’t be a hindrance for the already established international labors and propagation of the Church of God International to continue.

He said, if ever he comes home, he should also bring along his massive television production and IT staff, so he could resume broadcasting everywhere. Yet he said that the situation is impractical to realize for now, as the possible fare if ever produced could be spent for a more worthy cause - the salvation of many souls through multiple broadcasts via international channels, the internet, and weblog.

Spirits and Insanity
“What happens to the spirit of people who get insane?” asked an inquirer. Bro. Eli explained that in the spiritual perspective, the reason for the insanity of a person is that his own spirit gets influenced by evil spirits from the spirit world. He explained that it also depends upon the form of insanity that a person has, or upon how the malady was acquired.

When a person is not using his mind anymore to think rationally in his decisions, it is evident that he is being driven by evil spirits, Soriano said. He cited the example of a drug-dependent person who knows that abusing himself with drugs is hazardous, personally and socially, yet he persists with his habit. The spirit of this person, according to the preacher, is under the influence of an evil spirit which is the cause of his insanity.

Loaves and Fishes
A doubting young man asked Soriano, “How did the loaves and fishes happen to be sufficient as told in John 6:1-22 and how were they able to feed the masses?” The evangelist replied, “You will have to understand that in this world there are normal things as well as supra- or sub-normal incidences that cannot be explained by science or any study, but by spiritual positions. Jesus performed a miracle in that event, he said. Miracles are matters that science cannot explain. This may be impossible to you and to other people, but to God it is not, Soriano said. It is a matter of faith. Jesus is God who can do these things, and whether you are a believer or not, he did all those unexplainable things as written and recorded in the Bible,” the sensible preacher and host of The Old Path program added.