According to a report, from March 30, 2018 onward, all online shops in China are banned from selling the Bible.

The Bible and Christian Books Are All Withdrawn From Sale

On April 1, 2018, many Chinese people opened up shopping webpages ready to buy a copy of the Bible. The Bible, however, had suddenly disappeared without a trace. Not one copy of the Bible could be bought from Taobao, Jingdong, Weidian, Dangdang or Amazon. When someone searched on Amazon for “the original Bible,” they found only a book called Bible Stories; when searching for “the Bible” on Jingdong, they saw a message saying, “No product related to ‘the Bible’ was found.” A worker at Taobao disclosed to reporters that they were given notice to withdraw the Bible from sale, but that the reason was not clear. A shop owner who wished to remain anonymous said that he used to act as a buyer for copies of the Bible on the Taobao website and sell religious products, but in early April, the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission demanded that all online platforms immediately delete related products from their websites. Though it didn’t announce this clearly, it reminded the sellers: “If you do not comply with our demands, then your shop will no longer continue to exist.” He has already begun deleting purchasing links on his shop website. Some Christian books have also been banned one after another, and the shops that sold them have been closed their accounts.

Some believers say that included in this ban is the genuine version of the Bible, as well as books of spiritual devotions and books printed by Amity Printing Company in Nanjing. Some books printed by the official Christian denomination, the National Committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement, have also been banned.

These Official Actions by China Have Aroused the Indignation of Netizens

Many netizens and Christians are displeased by this official ban. Some have reproached the authorities and said, “You suppress people too much, and you don’t achieve anything good by doing this,” and some have asked the authorities, “Why do you fear the Bible so much?” There are many netizens who have successively left messages and comments online. Some have said, “By tearing down churches and banning the Bible, the authorities are actually going to war with the civilized international community.” And some have said, “Their banning of the Bible is just the beginning—a red revolution will soon begin.”

Banning Sales of the Bible Comes as No Surprise

The Chinese authorities issued the order to ban sales of the Bible, and although this attracted attention from people of all circles both at home and abroad, the authorities’ actions are actually not at all surprising. Everyone can see very clearly that, since the nation was founded, the Chinese authorities have always employed despicable means. It forces Christians to join the Three-Self Church which is controlled by the government, it suppresses gatherings held in people’s homes, it prevents Christians from establishing more churches, and it stifles new denominations which do not submit to its control. It slanders some denominations as evil cults, it arrests preachers and religious leaders, and it persecutes them and uses such means as cruel tortures, incarceration and prison sentences. Not only this, but the CCP authorities have designated the Bible as the book of an evil cult and has torn down churches and crucifixes. Before Christmas last year, the authorities banned people all across China from celebrating Christmas, and now it is using the trick of withdrawing the Bible from shops and banning its sale. These facts prove that the Chinese authorities are always finding new ways to crackdown on religion, and their behavior is shocking!

The Bible Is Withdrawn and Banned From Sale, but This Is Not the Most Terrifying Thing

The purpose of the Chinese authorities banning the sale of the Bible is to suppress the development of Christianity. But what it actually does is allow people to see that its policy of “religious freedom” is just there to fool western nations. Decades after the establishment of the nation, when its true face is revealed, people are able to see even more its wild ambitions, that it wants to be God, to take God’s place, to not allow anyone to worship God any longer but to make them worship it. No wonder a netizen has commented online saying that Xi Jinping has already become emperor, and now he wants to become God. God is the Creator, the everlasting God and, though a man can be an emperor, he is still a created being and is just an ordinary man. With a word, God created the universe and all things in it, and He created the world—what created man could achieve this? Though the authorities may ban the sale of the Bible, they cannot stop the footsteps of God, for God is not in the Bible; though the authorities may compel people to withdraw the Bible from sale, they cannot obstruct God’s deeds. God’s deeds are not restricted by time, location or space, and no one can fathom or measure the extent of His authority. Therefore, the withdrawal of the Bible is not to be feared; as long as Christians stay with God, then God shall never abandon them!

The withdrawal of the Bible is not to be feared. What is to be feared is for people to oppose God, and the consequences that will eventually come from opposing the Creator. If we recall when the Lord Jesus was performing His work and the Roman authorities opposed Him and nailed Him to the cross, we will remember that the Roman empire only lasted a little longer before it collapsed. From this, we can see that those who oppose God will ultimately encounter God’s righteous punishment!