Mount Taishan is the most famous sacred mountain in China. It has temples known and several sacred trees: cypress, Sophora japonica, and Pine planted several hundred years ago. There are eleven gates, fourteen archways, fourteen kiosks, and four pavilions, which are scattered along the flight of 6,660 steps. The Palace of Heavenly Blessings is located inside one of the temples. In a recent video, The viral clip shows people’s legs, transforming into wobbly noodles, protesting with every step. People Regret Climbing the steps. (NDTV 19 April 2024)
Steps to heaven? There are hundreds of shrines that have had access to several steps to the sanctum. A person has to come and reach one step per year until he reaches the last step.
Tower of Babel: The Bible records an attempt by humans after floods during Noah’s time to build a city and a tower that reaches the heavens. The quest to reach the heavens is ingrained in every human being. (Ecclesiastes 3:11) God has placed eternity in the hearts of men. The tower structure at Babel was never completed as God confused their language and threw them in disarray, which caused global migration. (Genesis 11:1-9)
Martin Luther: In Medieval Europe, many pilgrims traveled to the Vatican, the seat of the Papacy. There, they climbed the steps to the shrines built in honor of the disciples including Peter and saints of the Roman Catholic church. As a young monk, Martin Luther also followed the traditions, and visited Rome in 1510, but became more disillusioned and desperate. Later as he studies the Scripture, the light of the gospel dawned in his heart while reading the book of Romans. The Just or the righteous shall live by faith. (Romans 1:17) The righteous God not only punishes the wicked, but He also imputes righteousness (or declares a sinner as righteous) by faith. The faith is upon the person of the Lord Jesus Christ who took upon Himself the Wages of Sin, i.e. death on the cross of Calvary, buried and rose again on the third day.
Do I live as righteous by faith?