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Published: Wednesday, 14 August 2019 02:29

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Beyond the limits

Formerly entitled “The Nautical Miles”

by Augusto A. Kho

West Philippine Sea (WPS)

On Board Air Asia Z2 Kuala Lumpur to Manila

July 30, 2019 (Tuesday): 11:45 am

Edited: August 4, 2019 (Sunday); 9:00 a.m.

Beyond the limits. How far can you go?

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We departed Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) on 10:50 that Tuesday morning. While cruising on the West Philippine Sea at around 11:35 A.M. when the Filipino pilot suddenly made an announcement saying:

“Welcome aboard Air Asia. flying altitude at 35,000 feet with 600 nautical miles from Kuala Lumpur to Manila.”

I do not know why the words “nautical miles” truly struck me hard that it stuck on my head. What’s nautical miles? While should the pilot limit the plane to fly within the 600 nautical miles radius?

Nautical miles defined

A nautical mile is a unit of measurement used in both air and marine navigation ( Encyclopædia Britannica ) and for the definition of territorial waters according to UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Historically, it was defined as one minute (1/60 of a degree) of latitude along any line of longitude.

Today the international nautical mile is defined as exactly 1852 metres. This converts to about 1.15 imperial/US miles. The derived unit of speed is the knot, one nautical mile per hour.

If we are flying on 600 nautical miles (from Kuala Lumpur to Manila) x 1,852 meters so that is equivalent to 1,111,200 (1.2 meters). Am right? Well, mathematics is my waterloo. Help me to get the right computation then?

Meanwhile “latitude” according to Webster is the distance north and south of the equator measure in degrees up to 90 degrees.; freedom to choose how to act or what to do.

Why should we maintain on that position alone at 600 nautical miles? Is it positioning necessary?

Because exceeding our flight beyond the limit of the Law of the Sea of UN, may violates China’s airspace then their military plane can shoot down the commercial carrier we are flying with. If not, China radar system may intercept Air Asia Z2 and can call our pilots and they would say, “Identify yourself, you are entering China’s territory. Change your course otherwise we will shoot your aircraft !!!” See, that is how dangerous it is to enter to another’s territory.

Why positioning?
Why should you maintain your position?

Why navigators are quite deadly serious in maintaining their positions while Churches at times goes beyond their territories like proselyting? Why Duterte allows China’s blatant disregard on the UN Law of the Sea?

If a nation creeps in to another country without giving a courtesy call or given the right of passage, we call that territorial invasion. If someone enters our backyard without our prior knowledge that is simply called trespassing. If someone takes our work responsibility without us being told me or you first, that is usurpation of our authority. If our subordinates blatantly disregard the limits of authority, we call that insubordination. If someone butt in our personal or professional affairs without soliciting their advice that is meddling. That is why Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 (MSG), “Stay calm; mind your own business; do your own job.” Otherwise, you can be branded as “mapang himasok or nag mamagaling. Or you can be charged as a thief by the Lord Christ in John 10:10 without passing the “the right door” (John 10:1).

Spiritual Covering and Submission

I never been to Bible School but our underground church trained us for nearly a year through Modular Approach. And I also believed I am schooled by the Holy Spirit. And I am still depending on Him even up to now. Christ Jesus has never been in a formal school so with His 12 disciples. Perhaps the only learned among the 12 was Matthew because he was a public servant, a tax collector like BIR.

But I learned submission. I believe on spiritual covering. Moses and Paul on their time of conversion were never had a spiritual covering or local temple priests to guide them yet they were schooled by the Spirit. Later Paul found covering in Antioch Church.

When God called me into full time ministry, I was literally on my own. The Bible and my personal walk with God gives me the right passage to my spiritual journey. So from there I have learned few of these things as testimonies on Spiritual Covering and Submission.

• In my first stint as missionary in 1990 all over Malaysia and Singapore, I always subjected myself to my pastor-host especially to Dr. Lim. I can only do what I am told to do. Interfering with other church’s affairs is purely not my own business.

• Darryl Baxter, Bill Hamon’s company of prophets was endorsed to me by Kuya Dan Balais and to bring him here in Pangasinan in early 1990’s. We conducted two separate 2-days Prophetic Seminar in Urdaneta City and Dagupan City. Should someone will approach and invite him, he would say to those who were inviting him, “Tell to pastor Kho please.” He knows the protocol and right ethics because I was his host then. He never gone beyond the limits of his position though he was perfectly accurate in his prophetic gifts and utterances and his attitudes is very much subdued like Christ even though he belongs to a superior race as American and member of Bill Hamon School of Prophets.

• Dr. Lim of FCT, my usual host in Malaysia once told that one Filipino pastor whom I am affiliated with solicited his advice. He said to him, “Please talk first to Pastor Kho.” In other words, he never gone beyond the limit of authority and never bypassing to anyone.

• Paul acknowledged and submitted himself to his church covering based in Antioch. He also acknowledged and submitted himself in the leadership of the apostles based in Jerusalem.

• Moses was not originally ordained or schooled in the School of Prophets like what was established by Samuel. Yet he was a prophet himself, a leader, a legislator and a priest. His conversion and his direct divine call took place through a “Burning Bush” experience in the land of Midian yet he learned submission to God and to the elders of Israel. In Exodus 4:29, Moses as escorted by Aaron sought the authority of the elders of Israel.

• When we went to Canada just recently, I can only do what I am being tasked to do. We often get out from the house of our pastor-host as early as 9 or 10am then we will come back on wee hours of 1:30 am or the most 3:30 a.m. Since it is not territory, I have to be a subject to my host. I cannot be that assuming or disrespect their authority.

That is what submission is all about. That is what spiritual covering speaks for. If you exceed to your given limit, you are already invading, coveting, rebelling.

So I was madly furious beyond description when during our Pastoral Meeting in Rosales, they confided that an evangelical organization led by several bishops are directing inviting youth leaders from our churches without our knowledge and consent. And they were organizing a province-wide youth organization at our own expense. The purpose may be noble is the process is wrong, then it is still wrong. Besides it is territorial and spiritual invasion as said by Christ on thieves who shun passing to the right door (John chapter 10).

Was it usurpation of authority, trespassing, proselyting, encroaching of whatever name you may call it… Don’t go beyond your limits. It Is pretty much dangerous.

How could bishops and pastors and Christian leaders do such a thing? They are supposedly schooled with high ethics became they were trained in a formal bible schools.

How did Lucifer fall from heaven?

Fallen state

How did Lucifer fall from heaven?

Even the end-time Church of Ephesus was sternly rebuked by Christ when He said to her, “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent,” (Revelation 2:5)

Going back to Lucifer, God said to him, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!?” (Isaiah 14;12). Then Prophet Isaiah detailed the offenses committed by this morning star angel of God.

“13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit,” - Isaiah 14:13-15

In summation, Lucifer committed insubordination, self-exaltation; hero-worship, pride and arrogance, rebellion, and others that he had gone beyond the limit of his power as created being of God.

The 5 “ I’s “ made him fall. I will ascend. I will exalt. I will sit. I will ascend. I will be like the most High.

Lucifer is 'light-bringer', a Latin name for the planet Venus as the morning star in the ancient Roman era. Lucifer did that. He override’s God power and wanted to replace God in His Highest Place. He has gone beyond the limits of his authority.

The fallen angels did that when they left their “original state or habitation.” They gone beyond the limit. Jude said, “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day,” (Jude 1:6).

Beware of spiritual zeal. It may be a counterfeit fervor.

Biblical verses on Territories

There are many biblical basis of territorial integrity and limitations which I just charged to your own God-spirited interpretations and thorough research

• “God determined the times” and “the bounds (borders) of their habitation,” (Acts 17:26).

“Determined “ Greek horizo meaning “to define; to mark out the boundaries and limits, ordain, appoint.”

“Bounds” Greek “horothesia” i.e. a setting of boundaries; laying down limits; a definite limit (Thayer). Strong: boundary line.

• Proverbs 22:28, “Remove not the ancient landmark.” Landmark in Greek , “gebul” i.e. border, territory, boundary,, bound, space, region, territory, etc).

• “Don’t think yourself more highly than you ought to think,” (Romans 12:3). Greek, “huperphroneo” i.e. overmuch, vain, arrogant.

Joshua, surveyor and geographer.

Joshua was sent first as one among twelve (12) “to spy out the land” to survey the land of Canaan in Number 13:16. The word “spy out” in Hebrew “tur” means “to seek, search out, explore, explorer; to make research.” He was also ordained to draw the boundary lines of all the tribes of Israel. Joshua 24:28 says,

“So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance.”

The word “inheritance” from Hebrew “nachalah” (nakh-al-aw) means “possession, property, heritage, inheritance, portion, share, property” according to Strong Bible Dictionary. It also means, “occupancy; estate, patrimony.”

Joshua sees to it before he dies that every tribe received his own inheritance according to the divine allotment. Why would other pastors will take your own ward and place them in their own aquarium which the call “ministry.” What a subtle, creeping invasion to your own designated area of jurisdiction?

Some mega-church pastors can look straight eye-to-eye to me yet they are completely aware and conscious that some of our home-grown brethren whom we have discipled and worked hard for are being fished out from our local church and they are being placed in their spiritual aquarium called church. I remember what Paul said. “My ambition is to proclaim the gospel where the name of the Messiah is not known, so I don’t build on someone else’s foundation,’ (Romans 15:20/ ISV). Delikadesa kasi.

Rights

On April 17, 2015, I received a text from my wife in Rosales. I was in Manila then while in a meeting with Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) authors in the House of Representatives. My wife said, that a Chinese nephew of mine came to the office with two others two Chinese-speaking nationals from mainland China. She said they came to the Philippines seeking for me and to my father who passed away 1983. My wife said they will come back again to meet me personally.

Two days later,19^th April, I met personally Buang Tin, a female nephew of mine and her son, Ban Chit, 21 years old, IT graduate who hailed from China were escorted by Edison, also my nephew based in Angeles, Pampanga. Buang Tin said her father named Alejo whose Chinese name is Co Bien Bheng, 86 years old is the only surviving first cousin of mine in my generation. My Chinese name is Co Bien Tiek. Bien speaks of kinship born on the same generation. Buang Tin said her father wanting to see me before he dies. There is one more male cousin of mine whose residence in Quezon City named Tacio (not his real name), 71 years old who belongs to my generation but refused to meet us supposedly on the next day. Tacio purposely “delisted” me so I could not claim my inheritance according to a source. A source in China said, just recently one family property somewhere in Metro Manila were sold at P100-Million yet we have not been given our share of inheritance.

By July 4th of the same year, me and my wife left NAIA one hour before midnight through Xiamen Air (MF) Flight No. 820 and we arrived at Gaoqi International Airport in Xiamen at past 1:00 in the morning, 5^th of July. From there, we travelled 2-hour drive to my father’s native land called Chinking. We were billed on luxurious Baohui Hotel in a suite class room. Chinkiang now renamed as Jinjiang. That morning at the hotel lobby, I met two other nephews named Co Bien Khua and Co Bien Thieng.together with Edison, Buang Tin and Ban Chit. From the hotel we were taken to Alejo’s residence. Alejo’s face on jubilant, anticipating looks turned red and cried when he saw me. He said according to the interpreter I looks like my father who used to nurse him when he was age 9-12 years old in San Quintin, Pangasinan.

From there, I was ushered to our ancestral house and lot since 1890’s and then to another old house built in 1914. My Chinese closest relatives there that includes Alejo, Bien Khua and Bien Thieng assured me that the ancient property are under the name of my father. In the event of his death, I automatically became the legal heir. And should I die, Isaac my son automatically become the legitimate heir. And they said my inheritance there can never be sold otherwise my name will not be remembered anymore. It is the same way like what Jewish tradition concerning inheritance that says:

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“The laws of inheritance appeared over two hundred times, mostly in Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, and Psalms. We read specific instruction in Numbers 27:5-11, when the daughters of Zelophelad requested clarification from Moses regarding the disposition of their late father’s estate.”

God us provides us the Law. And we are the given the rights of ownership. We are the rightful heir of the flocks that Christ entrusted to us. We should always be on guard on “intruders” posing in a “sheep clothing?”

Like Joshua, the surveyor, the local pastors should serve as a watchmen or bodyguards on the gullible flocks and see to their rights of allotment as their inheritance must not be trampled upon by anyone. As true sons and daughters of God, our rights should never be violated and no one should go beyond his limits encroaching our territories.