Our dramatic account commences with the year 1813. It begins in a small village some little distance from the important city of Canton, China.

Here the chief character in the drama, Hong Xiuquan, was born. For ease of pronunciation, I shall call him Hong.

            Hong came from a royal family. His father and mother, as well as many other relatives, had previously fled to South China as a result of the Manchu invasion.

            By the time Hong was 16 he had become proficient in the usual course of Chinese education. At 18 years of age he was appointed schoolmaster of his native village by unanimous acclamation of the townspeople.

            Five years later he was given a set of books. Translated into English, the title of these books was “Good Words for Exhorting the Age”. At the time, the books appeared of little value to Hong .

            The next year, 1837, Hong  lost an advancement in his scholastic rank because his Manchu superiors were jealous of his ability and fearful of his ancestral background. This loss so upset him that he became quite ill.

            During the period of recuperation, Hong  had an extraordinary vision. A record of the vision is preserved in Theodore Hamberg’s booklet, “The Visions of Hung-sui-tshuen.”

Mr. Hamberg was a missionary of the Basle Evangelical Society to China (a Swiss institution).

            In the vision Hong  was seemingly transported to the presence of a great Sovereign Ruler. There he was confronted by an old woman – women at that time were regarded lower than animals – who said to him, “Thou dirty man, why hast thou kept company with yonder people and defiled thyself? I must now wash thee clean.”

Hong was then, in vision, taken to a river and washed in the water. After this he was conducted into a large building where his heart and other inward parts were removed and replaced by new ones! Then he was given a sword, a seal, and fruit to eat which he found sweet to his palate.

            Upon awakening, he was astounded at the vision, but could not determine its meaning. When Hong  fully regained his health, he began to reform his conduct as best he knew.

            Hong Xiuquan continued as a village schoolmaster for several years more, giving the vision no further thought.

            Then, one day, his cousin Le searched through Hong ’s bookcase and noted the unusual contents of the volumes marked, “Good Words for Exhorting the Age”.  In them were a number of whole chapters from the Bible, according to the translation of a Dr. Morrison; many sermon-essays on varied Bible texts; and other statements founded on scripture.

            Le told his cousin Hong  what he had found. Hong  then began to look through the books that had lain untouched on the bookshelves for seven long years. He was amazed to find that in the quoted chapters from the Bible there was a partial explanation of the vision he had received six years before.

Discovering the Bible

             In those parts of the Scripture which he possessed, Hong  found the Heavenly Father described – the great Sovereign Ruler revealed in his vision years before. Then he read of Jesus, the “elder brother of many brethren.” In our versions it is rendered: “the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29).

 He learned that Jesus was sent as Saviour and as messenger. He read that one needs to repent and be baptized to obtain the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). From these verses he understood the meaning of being washed in water and of having his heart and inward parts renewed.

            Hong  and his cousin Le then baptized one another. They prayed to God, promised not to worship evil spirits, and cast away their idols.

            After destroying his idols in the little school in which he taught, Hong  and his few friends were forced to flee into the interior of  China. He preached what little he knew as he journeyed into the south-central provinces of China. Once again he became a school teacher (between 1845 and 1846).

Visits a Missionary

             At the close of 1846 Hong  journeyed to Canton after hearing that a Christian missionary from the West resided there. He studied there under Issachar Roberts, the missionary, for almost a month, and read new portions of  the Bible.

Young missionaries from abroad, also studying under Mr. Roberts, were jealous of Hong ’s talents and earnestness. They brought about his removal! Hong  left the city somewhat saddened.

            Returning to south-central China, Hong  found that the number of villagers who listened to him and were baptized soon numbered almost 2000. They had to form congregations among themselves, and became known as “the congregations of the worshippers of God.” For short, they were dubbed “God-worshippers.”

            Continuous study of the Bible convinced Hong  that his people should not smoke tobacco or opium – which the British were selling to the Chinese – that they should refrain from intoxicating drinks except under special circumstances, and that the Sabbath should be observed on the seventh day.

 The missionaries were quite displeased about the fact that “the Sabbath is observed not upon the same day as in Europe, theirs being the Saturday of our reckoning.”

            Hong  further noticed that Jesus didn’t rise on Sunday morning, but “three days after his death”!

            Think, for a moment, of the earnestness of these gentile folk who lacked large portions of God’s revelations. How thankful we ought to be to have the entire Word of God whenever we need to use it.

And remember, most of those whom Hong  baptized could not even read Chinese! They had to be taught orally each Sabbath – and that mainly from the Old Testament.

 

The Marriage Ceremony

             The number of new converts steadily grew. Marriage ceremonies had to be performed. Hong  examined the Bible and found the answer! Here is a description of their ceremony:

            “When the bridal party are all met together, they proceed to the church…and after many prayers and a severe examination of the bride and bridegroom’s theological tenets, the minister joins their right hands together, and when each have accepted the other, pronounces a concluding benediction…Divorce is not only not permitted, but actually unknown or thought of.” (From Lin-le’s book, Ti-Ping Tien-Kwoh, page 317).

            How exactly like the marriage ceremonies God has ordained in His church today!

            Does not this demonstrate the guidance of God?

            Beside these changes, the Chinese converts of Hong  ceased to practice the binding of women’s feet, began to lay aside the custom of polygamy, ceased to deal in the slave trade, and became obedient to the laws of God as revealed to Israel through Moses.

            In order to be converted, they taught as follows:

            “They” – the converts –“must kneel down in God’s presence, and ask Him to forgive their sins.” Following baptism, the form of which Hong  did not understand perfectly, “they must continue daily to supplicate Divine favour, and the Holy Spirit’s assistance to renew their hearts, saying grace at every meal, keeping holy the Sabbath day, and OBEYING ALL GOD’S COMMANDMENTS, especially avoiding idolatry. They may then be accounted the children of God…” (From Lin-Le’s book, page 315).

 

The Next Great Step

            To begin with, Hong  and his converts were not fully acquainted with the instructions found in the New Testament.  They had to be guided mainly by Moses’ instruction found in the law. But notice what they did:

            When the prosperity and learning of the God-worshippers was noised about the countryside, many in distress sought the protection of these Sabbathkeepers. Whole families of afflicted and destitute came to them, as well as outlaws who fled from the power of the oppressive Manchu dynasty. Once again Hong  looked into the Bible. He saw the example of David. “And everyone that was in distress, and everyone that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him (David); and he became a captain over them” (I Sam. 22:2).

            Hong  therefore became a captain over his fellow Chinese, He instructed them according to Moses’ law and punished offenders accordingly. These Chinese malcontents, like those of David, were not converts, but willing to do as Hong  instructed because they disliked the Manchu overlords.

            Next, Hong  remembered the sword that he had seen in the vision. He read in the Bible of “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon” (Judges 7:14, 20). He felt responsible for his people as did the judges in Israel of old.

             “Their government is a theocracy, the development apparently of what is believed by them to be a new dispensation. As in the case of the Israelites under Moses, they regard themselves as directed by one who has been raised up by the Almighty to be the executor of His will on earth.” (Page 211 of Lin-Le’s work.)

             By 1851 the malcontents had increased by tens of thousands. They proclaimed Hong Xiuquan the ruler of a new dynasty administering a heavenly or Celestial Kingdom.

The new dynasty was entitled the “Tai – Ping,” meaning the kingdom of “our Sovereign,” the One who created heaven and earth.

            The malcontents, to protect their domain, were t first conscripted for defense. Then Hong  read in the law what Moses said: “When thou goest forth to battle against thine enemies” – the enemies of the Taipings already persecuted them for religious and political reasons – “the officers shall speak unto the people, saying: What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house…What man is there that is fearful and faint-hearted? Let him go and return unto his house” (Deut. 20:1, 5, 8).

Hong  therefore made army service a voluntary matter!

The Hand of Foreigners

            Vast areas of China were freed from the Manchu oppressors. By 1860 the movement gained such power that it attracted international recognition. Several thousands became faithful converts and upwards of 50,000,000 Chinese were living in prosperity and at peace under the Taiping administration of God’s laws.

            In abolishing the idols of the country, the Taipings naturally destroyed the images of Mary and the saints, as well as those of the Buddhists. The ire of the Jesuits was aroused. They persuaded the French forces in China to support the ruling Manchu dynasty with whom they had previously been quarreling.

            Next, the British and American missionaries – who had obtained barely 1,500 converts through years of work – were jealous of the fact that so many people were looking into the Bible without their missionary activity.

The missionaries began a deliberate campaign to malign the Taiping. They accused them of rejecting the Bible, of denying Jesus Christ, of wanton slaughter of innocent victims. The true reports of honest missionaries were squelched!

            British commercial agents, interested in selling opium to the Chinese, became fearful of the loss of revenue.

            Remember, this was the era of the Opium Wars – when foreigners, particularly the British, were seeking to dominate China by forcing them to buy opium.

            The British and other foreign elements forced the Manchus to sign treaties legalizing the opium trade. This placed the armies of the Taipings in a serious predicament.

             The British assured the Chinese revolutionists that they would remain neutral and only protect British property from destruction. In reality the British sent arms to the Manchus, and the Manchus imported arms in ships flying the American flag! (Within months of this action the Civil War – 1861-65 – began in America.)

            During all this time those who followed Hong  were publishing the Bible as best they could. Time and again they implored their Christian White Brethren across the sea to send them missionaries to instruct them better. Most missionaries refused to go.

 
A Plea Refused

            The Taiping also sought to trade with the British. They sent an army to Shanghai to open negotiations with their professing Christian white brethren. Said the leader of the Taiping regiments to the British, American, Portuguese, and other foreigners in Shanghai: “I came to Shanghai to make a treaty in order to see us connected together by trade and commerce; I did not come for the purpose of fighting with you. Had I at once commenced to attack and kill the people, that would have been the same as the members of one family fighting among themselves.” (Page 283 of Lin-Le’s work.)

            Remember that these Chinese did not know the kind of Christianity professed by the Western world!

            The extract, quoted from a longer letter, was sent to the foreign authorities in Shanghai for the following reason: When the Taiping, who assumed the British were neutral, came to Shanghai, they were fired upon by the British.

               According to a correspondent of the North China Herald, “They [the Taipings] waved the hand, begged our officers not to fire, and stood there motionless, wishing to open communications and explain their object!”

            Retreating for safety, the Taipings encountered a missionary, Mr. Milne. In order not to have him injured in any battle, they sent guards with him to the city of Shanghai. After delivering Mr. Milne safely to his white brethren, the guards were shot down by British soldiers upon the city wall!

A Great Mistake

            Hong  could not understand the action of the Christian nations across the sea. In sorrow he withdrew from all contact with foreigners, but continued to study the Bible with the faithful.

            He permitted his commanders to disperse their armies throughout the walled cities of his domain. The Manchus had been badly defeated and no attack was expected. This – plus a miscalculation of the British and French intentions – proved disastrous.

            Although the official government statements from abroad implied that England would remain neutral, the actual deeds perpetrated against the Chinese demonstrated the opposite. The British  marshaled the Manchus against the Taipings and gradually brought about their retreat and downfall.

             This article cannot contain all the information which competent historians have amassed. But, as Gladstone, the British Prime Minister once said, this action will go down as one of the blackest marks in history against Britain.

            Because of foreign intrigue, the Manchu army, and religious persecution, most of these Chinese Sabbathkeepers, including Hong, perished.

            Long after the death of those faithful Chinese to whom God revealed a measure of his truth, the malcontents who had associated with them arose again in rebellion against the Manchus. They called themselves “The Righteous Fists of Harmony” – or “Boxers.” Their rebellion – the Boxer rebellion – was aimed at the foreigners and especially missionaries.

              But the Sabbath and God’s laws had long been forgotten by them.
 

Why Communism Engulfs China Today

            We are reaping the reward of our sins in China today. To the carnal Chinese the European nations seemed unprincipled, devoid of every virtue recognized by men. From that time on the spread of the Word of God among the Chinese met with little success. By1949 communism engulfed the country.

            When thinking of the fate of those Sabbathkeeping Chinese and their ignorant comrades who sought their protection, I am reminded of Paul’s exhortation in Hebrews: “And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthea, of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness…waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of aliens…And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword…(Of whom the world was not worthy)” (Hebrews 11:32-38.)

            How unworthy the world truly is may be understood by the deliberate falsity of recorded history in describing the Taiping rebellion.

            Missionaries and politicians alike have accused them of committing acts of which the enemies of the Taipings were guilty. The Taipings were maligned just as David and his followers were.

            A most important summary of this drama of human experience – the book that is the basis for this little-known record – was written by a white man who used a Chinese name, Lin-Le. The work is entitled “Ti Ping Tien Kwoh, the History of the Ti Ping Revolution.” It was published in 1866 in London.

            Here is a lesson we must never forget.

            We ought to appreciate what we know of God’s word and realize that this drama was occurring in far-off China when God’s people in America were just beginning a new era in publishing the gospel.

            The Chinese, for 200 years in bondage to the Manchus, looked to the word of God as best they knew. “Their laws were framed and already constituted when the New Testament” – in its fullness – “came into their hands.” (page 125 of Ling-Le’s book)

            Perhaps we can now realize the full weight of our responsibility in carrying the gospel of the Kingdom of God to all nations. God has chosen us – His faithful few in an Israel filled with sin – to carry the light to those who abide in darkness.

                          -- By Herman L. Hoeh  

 

Special thanks to Katherine Rowland for editing and formatting