He also attached a link to his full statement, where we found a fascinating study into one of Christianity's most important figures — Christian martyr Paul.

Now, if you're a non-Christian reader, we'd like to show you just how important Paul is. 

Beheaded in Rome, the martyr, Paul, was featured in the Christian bible, and also personally wrote 14 books in it.

For Catholics, Paul is declared as a Saint and is prominently featured in numerous statues in Vatican City. The image above, for instance, shows St Peter's Basilica, one of the most important buildings in the Vatican.

If you look closely, at the bottom left and right of the picture above, you'll see two statues. These are of Peter (on your left) and Paul (on your right). And here's a close-up view of the statue of Paul:

In case you're wondering, he's often depicted carrying a sword because he was martyred by beheading. He carries a scroll in his left hand, which for Catholics represents the scriptures.

Now, Paul isn't important only to Catholics.

For the Protestants, it was Paul's writings that influenced Martin Luther's central doctrine of "sola fide" ("by faith alone" in Latin).

For the Italians, there is an annual public holiday in Rome on June 29 (the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul is an annual public holiday for them) that honours him.

Now, let's get back to Kong Hee.

Kong's reflections on Paul

In the three-page annotated reflection, Kong detailed how in biblical times, Paul appealed to the folks in the highest courts of Caesarea to submit his defence in response to people who accused him of treason against Rome, rioting and breaking Jewish laws, and he was allowed to.

He also cited the bible's Old Testament, where the figure Moses allowed the Israelites to appeal decisions made by the inferior judges he appointed to him directly, as scriptural evidence permitting him to submit an appeal to a higher court in Singapore.

"Was Paul defiant in his attitude toward the Roman rulers? Was he afraid to be punished for breaking the law? Paul had taught that every person must submit to governing authorities, and he was certainly not afraid to be thrown into the lion's den. However, he knew it was not time for him to die yet, because in an earlier night vision, Jesus had said to him, "Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome." Wanting to fulfill the Lord's mission for him, Paul availed himself of the civil privileges of a Roman citizen, which God had blessed him with, and appealed to the "supreme court" of Caesar. He was also convinced that the evidence was on his side, and that he had a fair chance of winning the appeal in Rome. A few days later, Paul's confidence was further affirmed when King Herod Agrippa II heard his testimony in another court hearing, and felt that Paul should indeed be acquitted.

...

In God's sovereign will, Paul was destined to be a martyr. However, before that appointed time for martyrdom, Paul exercised his legal rights within the judiciary of his day, and fought for the freedom to preach the gospel as instructed by the Lord Jesus. His courtroom advocacy and legal appeal gave him eight years of powerful ministry to many parts of Europe. He fulfilled the purpose of his life and was not disobedient to "the heavenly vision".

Paul appealed not because he was defiant toward the ruling authority. He appealed because (a) the evidence was in his favour, (b) he had a clear mission from the Lord Jesus that he still needed to fulfill, and (c) he was exercising his legal rights as a Roman citizen, a privilege that God had blessed him with.

Regarding my decision to appeal to the High Court, I sincerely need your prayers for a favorable outcome. It has been a very long and difficult journey since 31 May 2010, but I have always felt God's loving presence and your unfailing support. I am so blessed by your friendship. Thank you for loving me and my family.

Yours in Christ, as always,

Kong"

Now let's take a moment to ponder this: is Kong somehow implying his case is in any way similar to Paul's?

As we move on from Kong's reflections, we note that earlier on Friday, prosecutors said in a statement issued by the Attorney-General's Chambers that the sentence handed down by Judicial Commissioner See Kee Oon was "manifestly inadequate" for the gravity of the financial crime committed by Kong and his fellow five church leaders.

We shall see in time whose appeal will prevail — ex-CHC fund manager Chew Eng Han said he is also appealing both his verdict and sentence, by the way.

Related articles:

5 questions to chew on with the sudden influx of Chew Eng Han interviews released on the same day

Numbers that matter in the City Harvest Trial sentencing

Top photo from Kong Hee's Facebook page.

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