In 2003, Hong Kongers stood up against the HKsar regime’s Article 23 legislation bill, managing to have it shelved for an unspecified later date. In 2014, we took on the cops with nothing but umbrellas and goggles, ‘ate’ their tear gas and violent assaults, took on the underground gangs employed to harass the demonstrators into dispersing, slept on the road for 79 days come rain or shine, all the while demanding that Hong Kongers to be able to nominate and elect their own leader through universal suffrage. In 2015, we learnt from the failures of the 2014 Umbrella Uprising and had our Reclaim movement that succeeded in forcing china to change the chinese multiple entry visa to only one entry per week. In 2016, all these lessons climaxed into the Mongkok Uprising and the fomenting of Hong Kong independence. Yet, in 2017, Hong Kongers would rather submit to a china-friendly John Tsang and the revival of the Article 23 legislation, saying that this “lesser evil” is much preferable than further oppression under Carrie Lam, and that anyone who spoke against Tsang are labelled as selling out Hong Kong democracy.

In the Book of Exodus, decades after Joseph had led his family into ancient Egypt to escape a region-wide famine, their descendants the Israelites found themselves under Egyptian oppression. After their decades of moaning and bitching, some thinking that the famine would have been better than this hellish existence, God decided that it was time for His rescue operation. He sent Moses to confront Pharaoh, equipped with an arsenal of miracles and miraculous disasters to convince the Egyptian ruler to let the Israelites go, and after multiple times of convincing the Pharaoh and the Israelites of God’s resolution, the Israelites finally were released from bondage and go back to the Lord’s Promised Land in Canaan.

You would think that, after the plagues and the events of Passover, the Israelites would have been convinced that they were under God’s protection, that they were finally free to re-establish themselves as their own nation…. You would think so. Instead, the first obstacle they faced – cornered by a vengeful Egyptian army against the coast of the Red Sea – the Israelites complained and almost rebelled against Moses, saying that they would have been better off under Egyptian rule than getting killed by the Pharaoh’s army. Fine! God is slow to anger so instead of smiting the ungrateful Israelites, He parted the Red Sea and had Moses led his people across the seabed to Sinai, then drowning the entire Egyptian army.

Now the Israelites were faced with thirst and hunger, they bitched again, saying life was better in Egypt where they had food and water, even if life was hell under the Egyptian whip. Here, I can see God taking a deep breath, counted to three, and said “Fine! I will give you water and Manna so that you **** Israelites will not starve or thirst to death; but wait, there’s more! I will also throw in the pillar of fire and cloud so that you **** Israelites can be reassured that I am with you.” You would think with a deal as such, the Israelites were convinced to trust in the Lord’s plan. Nope. 

Having reached Mount Sinai, Moses told the Israelites to stay put while he went up to God’s office to receive His commandments, but after months of not seeing Moses, the people decided to erect a golden cow to worship and possibly go back to Egypt. Fortunately, at this moment Moses finally came back from the boss’s office and saw the idolatry. Holy cow (pun intended), did the Israelites cop it! Moses in his quick thinking and bargaining saved the Israelites from total annihilation by God, but unfortunately some Israelites had to be executed for their transgressions and the rest suffered from a plague.

You would think the Israelites finally learnt their lesson, but damn were these people thick in the head! The Promised Land was just beyond the ridge, so Moses sent scouts ahead to assess the inhabitants of the land, and they came back confirming the fertility of the land but the majority of the scouts were afraid of the people living there; so they decided to spread lies to deter their fellow Israelites from marching onward to Canaan. The Israelites bought their false testimonies, lamenting that they had left Egypt only to die in the desert, some even attempted to stone Moses, Aaron and Joshua when they begged the Israelites to believe in the Lord and take the land promised to their forebears. It was here that God finally lost His cool! He blasted the Israelites for their doubts, condemned the scouts responsible for spreading rumours and lies, and for the Israelites’ punishment, God proclaimed that the Israelites will be cursed to wander the desert of Sinai for forty years before they are allowed to enter Canaan, and they will be annihilated should they attempt to enter before the forty years are done. As for the lying scouts, they were struck dead. 

Coming back to 2017 Hong Kong, our cries against china’s oppression of Hong Kongers have been heard by the Lord, our God, and He wants to deliver us from bondage! He was there in 2003 when Hong Kongers managed to force china to lay aside Article 23, He performed miracles amongst us in 2014 during our Umbrella Uprising, He was there encouraging the demonstrators during the 2015 Reclaim Movements against chinese colonisers, and He was there protecting demonstrators during the 2016 Mongkok Uprising. Yet, time and again Hong Kongers were like the ancient Israelites in Exodus! Even after the Lord has demonstrated that He is here amongst us, helping us to defeat the chinese leviathan, you Hong Kongers doubted and insulted Him!

After the victory in 2003, all you Hong Kongers were content to just march every first of July, hoping that it would be enough to replicate the miracle in having Article 23 shelved! In 2014, when the Lord’s Holy Spirit moved amongst us, with many people demonstrating generosity that isn’t characteristic of Hong Kongers, showing uncharacteristic courage in the face of overwhelming forces of darkness, liars amongst the pan-democrats and the leftards spread false testimonies, sowing fears amongst demonstrators to disband the occupation, and you Hong Kongers who should have known better actually believed them instead of joining forces and marched upon our oppressors! In 2015 and 2016, you Hong Kongers were cowards, lambasting those blessed by the Spirit to act for the Lord when you people were not willing! Now in 2017, you Hong Kongers demonstrated what the Israelites did all those centuries ago, suggesting that being subservient to china, allowing some sort of Article 23 to pass, would be much better than fighting against the seemingly undefeatable chinese leviathan! You Hong Kongers erected your own golden cow in idolising John Tsang, despite knowing him to be nothing more than a false prophet, simply because you Hong Kongers believe it’s better to live in slavery under Tsang, than take a chance in crossing the wilderness into the Promised Land by taking on china!

The writing is on the wall, you unfaithful and stubborn Hong Kongers! The Lord has proclaimed that like the Israelites of old, you Hong Kongers shall also wander in the wilderness for a time, until the old generations dies and passed away, while seeds of God’s choosing will remain to nurture the new generations! You Hong Kongers will suffer in the wilderness, and your cries shall be of no avail as the Lord turns His face away from you ***** Hong Kongers!

 

So shall it be written, so let it be done!