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1995-01-09
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CONTENTS
GENERAL INTRODUCTION (P.1)
PART I
1. PRINCIPLE OF CREATION (P.19)
SECTION I The Dual Characteristics of God and His World of
Creation (P.20)
1. Dual Characteristics of God (P.20)
2. Relationship between God and the Universe (P.25)
SECTION II Universal Prime Energy, Give and Take Action, and the
Four Position Foundation (P.27)
1. Universal Prime Energy (P.27)
2. Give and Take Action (P.28)
3. The Four Position Foundation: Three Objective
Purposes through Origin-Division-Union Action (P.31)
(1) Origin-Division-Union Action (P.31)
(2) Three Objective Purposes (P.31)
(3) The Four Position Foundation (P.32)
(4) The Status of Existence of the Four Position
Foundation (P.32)
4. The Omnipresence of God (P.39)
5. The Multiplication of Physiological Bodies (P.40)
6. The Reason Every Being Consists of Dual
Essentialities (P.40)
SECTION III The Purpose of Creation (P.41)
1. The Purpose of the Creation of the Universe (P.41)
2. Object of Goodness for the Joy of God (P.42)
SECTION IV Original Value of Creation (P.46)
1. Determination of the Original Value of Creation and
the Standard of Value (P.46)
2. Original Intellect, Emotion and Will and Original
Truth, Beauty and Goodness (P.48)
3. Love and Beauty, Good and Evil, Righteousness and
Unrighteousness (P.48)
(1) Love and Beauty (P.48)
(2) Good and Evil (P.50)
(3) Righteousness and Unrighteousness (P.50)
SECTION V The Process of the Creation of the Universe and the
Period of Growth (P.51)
1. The Process of the Creation of the Universe (P.51)
2. The Period for the Growth of the Creation (P.52)
(1) The Three Orderly Stages of the Growth Period
(P.52)
(2) Indirect dominion (P.55)
(3) Direct Dominion (P.56)
SECTION VI The Invisible Substantial World and the Visible
Substantial World Centering on Man (P.57)
1. The Invisible Substantial World and the Visible
Substantial World (P.57)
2. Position of Man in the Universe (P.58)
3. The Reciprocal Relationship between the Physical Man
and the Spirit Man (P.60)
(1) The Structure and Function of the Physical Man
(P.60)
(2) The Structure and Function of the Spirit Man
(P.60)
(3) The Human Mind Seen from the Relationship
between Spirit Mind and Physical Mind (P.63)
2. FALL OF MAN (P.65)
SECTION I The Root of Sin (P.66)
1. The Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of
Good and Evil (P.66)
(1) The Tree of Life (P.67)
(2) The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
(P.69)
2. The True Nature of the Serpent (P.69)
3. The Fall of the Angel and the Fall of Man (P.71)
(1) The Crime of the Angel (P.71)
(2) The Crime of Man (P.72)
(3) The Act of Adultery between the Angel and Man
(P.73)
4. The Fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and
Evil (P.74)
5. The Root of Sin (P.75)
SECTION II The Motivation and Process of the Fall (P.76)
1. The Creation of the Angel, His mission, and His
Relationship to Man (P.76)
2. The Spiritual Fall and the Physical Fall (P.77)
(1) Spiritual Fall (P.78)
(2) Physical Fall (P.79)
SECTION III The Power of Love, the Power of the Principle, and
God's Commandment (P.80)
1. The Human Fall Seen from the Viewpoint of the Power
of Love and the Power of the Principle (P.80)
2. The Purpose of God's giving Man the Commandment
(P.81)
3. The Period Necessitating the Commandment (P.82)
SECTION IV The Result of the Human Fall (P.83)
1. Satan and Fallen Man (P.83)
2. Satan's Activities in Human Society (P.84)
3. Good and Evil Seen from the Nature of Purpose (P.85)
4. The Works of Good Spirits and Evil Spirits (P.87)
5. Sin (P.88)
6. The Original Nature of the Fall (P.89)
SECTION V Freedom and the Fall (P.91)
1. The Significance of Freedom Seen from the Viewpoint
of the Principle (P.91)
2. Freedom and the Human Fall (P.92)
3. Freedom, the Fall, and Restoration (P.93)
SECTION VI The Reason God Did Not Interfere with the First Human
Ancestors' Fallen Act (P.95)
1. For the Sake of the Absoluteness and Perfection of
the Principle of Creation (P.95)
2. In Order that God alone Be the Creator (P.96)
3. In Order to Set up Man as the Dominator of All
Things (P.97)
3. CONSUMMATION OF HUMAN HISTORY (P.99)
SECTION I The Fulfillment of God's Purpose of Creation and the
Fall of Man (P.102)
1. The Fulfillment of God's Purpose of Creation (P.100)
2. The Fall of Man (P.102)
SECTION II The Providence of Salvation (P.103)
1. The Providence of Salvation is the Providence of
Restoration (P.103)
2. The Purpose of the Providence of Restoration (P.105)
3. Human History is the History of the Providence of
Restoration (P.105)
SECTION III The Last Days (P.111)
1. Meaning of the Last Days (P.111)
(1) Noah's Day Was the Last Days (P.112)
(2) Jesus' Day Was the Last Days (P.112)
(3) The Day of the Lord's Second Advent Is Also the
Last Days (P.113)
2. Biblical Verses Concerning the Signs of the Last
Days (P.113)
(1) Heaven and Earth Destroyed (II Peter 3:12, Gen.
6:13) and a New Heaven and a New Earth Created
(Rev. 21:1. II Peter 3:13, Is. 66:22) (P.114)
(2) Heaven and Earth Judged by Fire (II Peter 3:12)
(P.114)
(3) The Dead Rise from Their Tombs (Matt. 27:52, I
Thess. 4:16) (P.116)
(4) Earthly Men Caught Up to Meet the Lord in the
Air (I Thess. 4:17) (P.117)
(5) Sun and Moon Darkened, Stars Fall from Heaven
(Matt. 24:29) (P.117)
SECTION IV The Last Days and the Present Days (P.119)
1. The Phenomenon of the Restoration of the First
Blessing (P.120)
2. The Phenomenon of the Restoration of the Second
Blessing (P.122)
3. The Phenomenon of the Restoration of the Third
Blessing (P.127)
SECTION V The Last Days, the New Truth, and Our Attitude (P.129)
1. The Last Days and the New Truth (P.129)
2. The Attitude We Should take in the Last Days (P.133)
Chart: The World of Creation and Providence of
Restoration through the Substantial Development
of the Word (P.137)
4. ADVENT OF THE MESSIAH (P.139)
SECTION I The Providence of Salvation through the Cross (P.140)
1. The Purpose of Jesus' Coming as the Messiah (P.140)
2. Was the Providence of Salvation Fulfilled through
Redemption by the Cross? (P.141)
3. The Crucifixion of Jesus (P.142)
4. The Limit of Salvation through Redemption by the
Cross, and the Purpose of the Lord's Second Advent
(P.147)
5. Two Kinds of Prophecy Concerning the Cross)
6. Biblical Verses Written as if Jesus' Crucifixion
Were Inevitable (P.151)
SECTION II The Second Advent of Elijah and John the Baptist
(P.153)
1. The Trend of Jewish Thought Concerning the Second
Advent of Elijah (P.153)
2. The Way of the Jewish People (P.155)
3. The Disbelief of John the Baptist (P.157)
4. The Reason that John the Baptist Was Elijah (P.162)
5. Our Attitude Toward the Bible (P.163)
5. RESURRECTION (P.165)
SECTION I Resurrection (P.166)
1. Biblical Concept of Life and Death (P.166)
2. Death Caused by the Fall (P.167)
3. Meaning of Resurrection (P.170)
4. How does Resurrection Change Man? (P.171)
SECTION II Providence of Resurrection (P.172)
1. How is the Providence of Resurrection Accomplished?
(P.172.)
2. The Providence of Resurrection for Earthly Men
(P.173)
(1) The Providence for the Foundation of
Resurrection (P.173)
(2) The Providence of Resurrection in the Formation
Stage (P.174)
(3) The Providence of Resurrection in the Growth
Stage (P.174)
(4) The Providence of Resurrection in the
Perfection Stage (P.175)
(5) Heaven and Paradise (P.176)
(6) Spiritual Phenomena Occurring in the Last Days
(P.177)
(7) The First Resurrection (P.180)
3. The Providence of Resurrection for Spirit Men
(P.181)
(1) The Reason and Method of the Spirit Man's
Resurrection through Second Coming (P.181)
(2) Resurrection through Second coming of Spirit
Men Who Were Christians in Their Lifetime
(P.182)
(i) Resurrection through Second Coming in the
Growth Stage (P.182)
(ii) Resurrection through Second Coming in the
Perfection Stage (P.183)
(3) Resurrection through Second Coming of Spirit
Men Outside of Paradise (P.184)
4. The Theory of Reincarnation Viewed from the
Standpoint of Resurrection through Second Coming
(P.187)
SECTION III Unification of Religions by Resurrection through Second
Coming (P.188)
1. Unification of Christianity by Resurrection through
Second Coming (P.188)
2. Unification of All Other Religions by Resurrection
through Second Coming (P.189)
3. Unification of Non-Religious Men by Resurrection
through Second Coming (P.190)
6. PREDESTINATION (P.193)
SECTION I Predestination of the Will (P.195)
SECTION II Predestination for the Fulfillment of the Will (P.197)
SECTION III Predestination of Man (P.199)
SECTION IV Elucidation of Biblical Verses Which Justify the Theory
of Predestination (P.201)
7. CHRISTOLOGY (P.205)
SECTION I The Value of the Man Who Has Attained the Purpose of
Creation (P.206)
SECTION II Jesus and the Man Who Has Attained the Purpose of
Creation (P.208)
1. Jesus and Perfected Adam as the Restoration of the
Tree of Life (P.208)
2. Jesus and the Man Who Has Attained the Purpose of
Creation (P.209)
3. Is Jesus God Himself? (P.210)
SECTION III Jesus and Fallen Man (P.212)
SECTION IV Rebirth and Trinity (P.213)
1. Rebirth (P.214)
(1) Jesus and the Holy Spirit from the Standpoint
of Rebirth (P.214)
(2) Jesus and the Holy Spirit Seen from the
Standpoint of the Dual Essentialities of Logos
(P.215)
(3) Spiritual Rebirth through Jesus and the Holy
Spirit (P.216)
2. Trinity (P.216)
PART II
INTRODUCTION (P.221)
I The Principle of Restoration through Indemnity (P.222)
1. Restoration through Indemnity (P.222)
2. The Foundation to Receive the Messiah (P.227)
(1) The Foundation of Faith (P.228)
(2) The Foundation of Substance (P.229)
II The Course of the Providence of Restoration (P.230)
The Ages in the Course of the Providence of Restoration
(P.230)
III Division of the Ages in the Course of the Providence of
Restoration (P.232)
1. Division of the Ages from the Standpoint of the
Providence According to the Word (P.232)
2. Division of the Ages from the Standpoint of the
Providence of Resurrection (P.233)
3. Division of the Ages from the Standpoint of the
Providence of Restoration through Indemnity (P.234)
4. Division of the Ages from the Standpoint of the
Extent of the Foundation to Receive the Messiah
(P.235)
5. Division of the Ages from the Standpoint of their
Respective portions of Responsibility (P.236)
6. Division of the Ages from the Standpoint of
Providential Time-Identity (P.237)
IV The History of the Providence of Restoration and "I"
(P.237)
1. PROVIDENTIAL AGE FOR THE FOUNDATION OF RESTORATION (P.239)
SECTION I The Providence of Restoration Centering on Adam's
Family (P.239)
1. The Foundation of Faith (P.240)
2. The Foundation of Substance (P.243)
3. The Foundation to Receive the Messiah in Adam's
Family (P.246)
4. The Lessons Learned from Adam's Family (P.250)
SECTION II The Providence of Restoration Centering on Noah's
Family (P.251)
1. The Foundation of Faith (P.252)
(1) The Central Figure to Restore the Foundation of
Faith (P.252)
(2) The Conditional Objects to Restore the
Foundation of Faith (P.252)
2. The Foundation of Substance (P.257)
3. Lessons Learned from Noah's Family (P.260)
SECTION III The Providence of Restoration Centering on Abraham's
Family (P.261)
1. The Foundation of Faith (P.262)
(1) The Central Figure to Restore the Foundation of
Faith (P.262)
(2) The Conditional Objects to Restore the
Foundation of Faith (P.264)
(i) The Symbolic Offering of Abraham (P.264)
(ii) Abraham's Offering of Isaac (P.271)
(iii) The Position of Isaac from the Standpoint
of the Will, and His Symbolic Offering
(P.274)
2. The Foundation of Substance (P.276)
3. The Foundation to Receive the Messiah (P.279)
4. Lessons Learned from Abraham's Course (P.283)
2. PROVIDENCE OF RESTORATION CENTERING ON MOSES AND JESUS (P.285)
SECTION I Pattern for the Subjugation of Satan (P.286)
1. Why God Set Up Jacob's Course and Moses' Course as
the Pattern for Jesus' Course (P.286)
2. Moses' Course and Jesus' Course, After the Pattern
of Jacob's Course (P.287)
SECTION II The Providence of Restoration Centering on Moses
(P.291)
1. The General View of the Providence of Restoration
Centering on Moses (P.291)
(1) The Foundation of Faith (P.292)
(i) The Central Figure to Restore the
Foundation of Faith (P.292)
(ii) Conditional Objects to Restore the
Foundation of Faith (P.294)
(2) The Foundation of Substance (P.295)
(3) The Foundation to Receive the Messiah (P.296)
2. The Course of Restoration of Canaan on the National
Level Centering on Moses (P.297)
(1) The First Course of Restoration into Canaan on
the National Level (P.297)
(i) The Foundation of Faith (P.297)
(ii) The Foundation of Substance (P.298)
(iii) The Failure in the First Course of
Restoration into Canaan on the National
level (P.300)
(2) The Second Course of Restoration into Canaan on
the National level (P.301)
(i) The Foundation of Faith (P.301)
(ii) The Foundation of Substance (P.302)
(iii) The Providence of Restoration Centering
on the Tabernacle (P.311)
a) The significance and the purpose of
the tablets, the tabernacle and the
ark of the covenant (P.312)
b) The foundation for the tabernacle
(P.317)
(iv) The Failure in the Second Course of
Restoration into Canaan on the National
Level (P.322)
(3) The Third Course of Restoration into Canaan on
the national level (P.323)
(i) The Foundation of Faith (P.323)
(ii) The Foundation of Substance (P.323)
(iii) The Foundation to Receive the Messiah
(P.338)
3. Lessons Learned from Moses' Course (P.339)
SECTION III The Providence of Restoration Centering on Jesus
(P.342)
1. The First Worldwide Course of Restoration into
Canaan (P.343)
(1) The Foundation of Faith (P.343)
(2) The Foundation of Substance (P.345)
(3) The Failure in the First Course of Restoration
into Canaan on the Worldwide Level (P.346)
2. The Second Course of Restoration into Canaan on the
Worldwide Level (P.347)
(1) The Foundation of Faith (P.347)
(i) Jesus Succeeds the Mission of John the
Baptist (P.347)
(ii) Jesus' Forty-day Fast and Prayer in the
Wilderness and His Three Great
Temptations (P.348)
(iii) The Result of Separation from Satan by
the Forty-Day Fast and the Three Great
Temptations (P.354)
(2) The Foundation of Substance (P.355)
(3) The Failure of the Second Course of the
Worldwide Restoration of Canaan (P.357)
3. The Third Course of the Worldwide Restoration of
Canaan (P.357)
(1) The course of the Spiritual Restoration of
Canaan, Centering on Jesus (P.357)
(i) The Spiritual Foundation of Faith (P.359)
(ii) The Spiritual Foundation of Substance
(P.361)
(iii) The Spiritual Foundation to Receive the
Messiah (P.361)
(iv) The Spiritual Restoration of Canaan
(P.362)
(2) The Course of the Substantial Restoration of
Canaan Centering on the Lord of the Second
Advent (P.363)
4. Lessons Learned from Jesus' Course (P.370)
3. FORMATION AND LENGTH OF EACH AGE IN THE HISTORY OF PROVIDENCE
(P.373)
SECTION I The Age of Providential Time-Identity (P.373)
SECTION II The Formation of the Number of Years and Generations in
the Providential Age for the Foundation of Restoration
(P.376)
1. Why and How Is the Providence of Restoration
Prolonged? (P.376)
2. The Vertical Condition of Indemnity and Horizontal
Restoration through Indemnity (P.378)
3. Horizontal Restoration through Indemnity Carried Out
Vertically (P.379)
4. The Mathematical Period of Indemnity to Restore the
Foundation of Faith (P.381)
5. The Period of Time-identity Centering on the Number
of Generations (P.388)
6. The Providential Period of Horizontal Restoration
through Indemnity carried Out Vertically (P.390)
SECTION III The Formation and Length of Each Period in the
Providential Age of Restoration (P.392)
1. The Four Hundred Year Period of Slavery in Egypt
(P.392)
2. the Four Hundred Year Period of Judges (P.393)
3. the One Hundred and Twenty Year Period of the United
Kingdom (P.394)
4. The Four Hundred Year Period of the Divided Kingdoms
of North and South (P.396)
5. The Two Hundred and Ten Year Period of the Jewish
People's Captivity and Return (P.396)
6. the Four Hundred Year Period of Preparation for the
Coming of the Messiah (P.397)
SECTION IV The Formation and Length of Each Period in the
Providential Age of the Prolongation of Restoration
(P.398)
1. The Four Hundred Year Period of Persecution by the
Roman Empire (P.398)
2. The Four Hundred Year Period of Christian Churches
Under the Patriarchal System (P.399)
3. The One Hundred and Twenty year Period of the
Christian Kingdom (P.400)
4. The Four Hundred Year Period of the Divided Kingdoms
of East and West (P.400)
5. The Two Hundred and Ten year Period of Papal
Captivity and Return (P.401)
6. The Four Hundred Year Period of Preparation for the
Second Advent of the Messiah (P.401)
Chart: The Age of Providential Time-identity (P.403)
4. PROVIDENTIAL AGE OF RESTORATION AND AGE OF THE PROLONGATION OF
RESTORATION FROM THE STANDPOINT OF PROVIDENTIAL TIME-IDENTITY
(P.405)
SECTION I The Period of Slavery in Egypt and the Period of
Persecution by the Roman Empire (P.408)
SECTION II The Period of Judges and the Period of Christian
Churches under the Patriarchal System (P.410)
SECTION III The Period of the United Kingdom and the Period of the
Christian Kingdom (P.411)
SECTION IV The Period of the Divided Kingdoms of North and South
and the Period of the Divided Kingdoms of East and West
(P.415)
SECTION V The Period of Jewish Captivity and Return and the
Period of Papal Captivity and Return (P.418)
SECTION VI The Period of Preparation for the Coming of the Messiah
and the Period of Preparation for the Second Coming of
the Messiah (P.421)
SECTION VII The Development of History from the Standpoint of the
Providence of Restoration (P.425)
1. The Development of History in the Providential Age
of Restoration (P.426)
2. The Development of History in the Providential Age
of the Prolongation of Restoration (P.430)
(1) The Providence of Restoration and European
History (P.430)
(2) Mutual Relations Between the History of
Religion, History of Economy, and History of
Politics (P.431)
(3) The Clan Society (P.434)
(4) Feudal Society (P.435)
(5) Monarchic Society and Imperialistic Society
(P.437)
(6) Democracy and Socialism (P.441)
(7) The Principle of Coexistence, Co-prosperity,
Common-cause and Communism (P.444)
Chart: The Development of History from the Standpoint
of the Providence of Restoration (P.447)
5. PREPARATION PERIOD FOR THE SECOND ADVENT OF THE MESSIAH (P.449)
SECTION I The Period of Religious Reformation (1517-1648) (P.450)
1. The Renaissance (P.455)
2. Religious Reformation (P.456)
SECTION II The Period of Struggle among Religions and Ideologies
(1648-1789) (P.458)
1. The Cain-type View of Life (P.459)
2. The Abel-type View of Life (P.461)
SECTION III The Period of Maturity of Politics, Economics, and
Ideology (1789-1918) (P.464)
1. Democracy (P.464)
(1) Cain-Type Democracy (P.466)
(2) Abel-Type Democracy (P.467)
2. The Significance in the Principle of the Separation
of Three Powers (P.468)
3. The Significance of the Industrial Revolution
(P.471)
4. The Strengthening of the Powers, and the Partition
of Colonies (P.472)
5. The Revolution of Religion, Politics and Industry
Following the Renaissance (P.473)
SECTION IV The Great World Wars (P.475)
1. The Cause of the Great World Wars Viewed from the
Providence of Restoration through Indemnity (P.475)
2. The First Great World War (P.478)
(1) Summary of the Providence for the First World
War (P.478)
(2) What Decides the Heavenly Side and the Satanic
Side? (P.479)
(3) The Cause of World War I Viewed from the
Providence of Restoration (P.480)
(4) Result of World War I Viewed from the
Providence of Restoration (P.482)
3. The Second World War (P.483)
(1) Providential Outline Concerning World War II
(P.483)
(2) What is Totalitarianism? (P.483)
(3) Nations on the Heavenly Side and Those on the
Satanic Side during World War II (P.484)
(4) The Reason the Heavenly Side and the Satanic
Side Confronted, with Three Great Powers on
Each Side (P.485)
(5) The Cause of World War II Viewed from the
Providence of Restoration (P.487)
(6) Result of World War II Viewed form the
Providence of Restoration (P.489)
4. The Third World War (P.490)
(1) Is the Third World War Inevitable? (P.490)
(2) Providential Summary of the Third World War
(P.493)
(3) The Cause of the Third World War Viewed from
the Providence of Restoration (P.493)
(4) Result of the Third World War Viewed from the
Providence of Restoration (P.495)
6. SECOND ADVENT (P.497)
SECTION I When Will Christ Come Again? (P.498)
SECTION II In What Manner Will Christ Come Again? (P.499)
1. Viewpoint Concerning the Bible (P.499)
2. The Lord's Second Advent Will Be Realized by His
Birth on the Earth (P.502)
3. What Does the Biblical Passage Saying Christ Will
Come on the Clouds Signify? (P.512)
4. Why Did Jesus Say That the Lord Would Come on the
Clouds? (P.515)
SECTION III Where Will Christ Come Again? (P.516)
1. Would Christ come Again Among the Jewish People?
(P.516)
2. Christ Will Come Again to an Eastern Nation (P.519)
3. That Nation of the East is Korea (P.520)
(1) This Nation Must Lay the Nationwide Foundation
for the Restoration by Indemnity (P.521)
(2) This Nation Must Be God's Front Line and
Satan's Front Line (P.523)
(3) This Nation Must Be the Object of God's Heart
(P.525)
(4) This Nation Must Have Prophetical Testimonies
Among the People (P.527)
(5) All Aspects of Culture and Civilization Must
Bear Fruit in This Nation (P.530)
SECTION IV Jesus' Day and Today from the Standpoint of Time-
identity (P.532)
SECTION V The Cause of the Confusion of Language and the
Necessity for its Unification (P.535)
Everyone, without exception, is struggling to gain happiness. The first
step in attaining this goal is to overcome present unhappiness. From
small individual affairs to history-making global events, everything is
an expression of human lives, which are constantly striving to become
happier. How, then, can happiness be attained?
Every person feels happy when his desire is fulfilled. The word "desire"
however, is apt to be misinterpreted. This is because everyone is now
living in circumstances which can drive desire in the direction of evil
rather than in the direction of goodness. The desire which results in
unrighteousness does not <Page 1>come from the "original mind of man";
that is, one's inmost self which delights in the law of God. The path to
happiness is reached by overcoming the desire which leads to evil and by
following the desire which pursues goodness. Man's original mind knows
that evil desire will lead only to unhappiness and misery. This is the
reality of human life: man gropes in the shadow of death as he searches
for the light of life.
Has any man, by pursuing evil desire, been able to find the happiness in
which his original mind could take delight? The answer is no. Whenever
man attains the object of evil desire, he feels conscience-stricken.
Would parents teach their children to do evil, or a teacher instruct his
students to pursue unrighteousness? Again the answer must be no. It is
the nature of man's original mind to hate evil and to exalt goodness.
In the lives of religious men we can see an intense and relentless
struggle to attain goodness by following the desire of the original mind
only. Yet, since the beginning of time, no man has completely followed
his original mind. For this reason the Bible says, "None is righteous,
no, not one; no one understands, no one seeks for God." (Rom. 3:10-11).
The apostle Paul, who was faced with such wretchedness of heart, said in
lamentation, "For I delight in the law of God, in my inmost self, but I
see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making
me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members. Wretched man
that I am!" (Rom 7:22-24).
There is a great contradiction in man. Within the same individual, the
power of the original mind, which desires goodness, is at violent war
against the power of the wicked mind, which desires evil. All life, all
matter is doomed to destruction as long as it contains such a
contradiction. Every man who contains such a contradiction within
himself lives on the brink of destruction. <Page 2>
Can it be that man was created with such a contradiction? The answer
again is no. Nothing could ever have been created with such an inherent
contradiction. The contradiction, therefore, must have developed in man
after the creation. In Christianity, we call this development the "Fall
of Man".
Due to his fall, man is always near the point of destruction. For this
reason, he makes a desperate effort to remove the contradiction by
following the good desire of his original mind and repelling the evil
desire of his wicked mind.
To the grief of mankind, the ultimate solution to the problem of good
and evil has not yet been reached. Regarding the doctrines of theism and
atheism, if one of the two should be judged good, the other must be
evil. Yet we have not reached a theory of an absolute nature concerning
the problem of good and evil. Moreover, men and women remain entirely
ignorant of the answers to many fundamental questions, such as: What is
the original mind, the source of good desire? What was the origin of the
wicked mind, which caused evil desire? What was the fundamental cause of
the fall which permitted man to embody such a contradiction? Before
being able to lead a good life by following the good desire of the
original mind and repelling evil desire, it is necessary to overcome
ignorance and be able to distinguish between good and evil.
Seen from the viewpoint of knowledge, the human fall signifies man's
descent into the darkness of ignorance. Since man consists of two
aspects, internal and external, or spiritual and physical, there are
also two aspects of knowledge, internal and external, and two aspects of
ignorance, internal and external.
Internal ignorance, in the religious sense, means spiritual ignorance;
that is, ignorance of the answers to such questions as: What is man's
origin? What is the purpose of his life? Do God and the next world
exist? What are good and evil? <Page 3>
External ignorance is ignorance of physical reality; that is, ignorance
concerning the natural world, which includes the human body; also,
ignorance of such questions as: What is the basis of the material world?
According to which natural laws do all physical phenomena occur?
From the earliest dawn of history to the present, men have constantly
and earnestly searched for the truth with which to overcome this
ignorance and restore the light of knowledge. Man has struggled to
discover internal truth through the way of religion. Science has been
the path taken toward the discovery of external truth.
Religion and science have been the methods of searching for the two
aspects of truth, in order to overcome the two aspects of ignorance and
restore the two aspects of knowledge. The day must come when religion
and science advance in one united way, so that man may enjoy eternal
happiness, completely liberated from ignorance and directed toward
goodness, which is what the original mind desires. Then, mutual
understanding will occur between the two aspects of truth, the internal
and the external.
Man has been approaching a solution to the fundamental questions of life
by following two different courses. The first course is to search for
the solution within the material world. Those who take this route think
it to be the sublime path. They yield to science, taking pride in its
omnipotence, and seek material happiness. However, can man enjoy full
happiness when he limits his search to external material conditions
centered upon the physical body? Science may create a pleasant social
environment in which man can enjoy the utmost in wealth, but is such an
environment able to satisfy the spiritual desire of the inner man?
The passing joys of the man who delights in the pleasures of the flesh
are nothing when compared to the happiness <Page 4> experienced by a
devout man of God. Gautama Buddha, who left the glory of the royal
palace, was not the only one who has taken the long journey of life in
pursuit of the Way. His goal was man's lost home--his status before the
fall, his permanent domicile--although he did not know where it was.
Just as a man becomes whole and sane when his mind is in harmony with
his body, so it is with joy. The joy of the body becomes whole and sane
when it is in harmony with the joy of the mind.
What is the destiny of science? Until now, scientific research has not
embraced the internal world of cause, but only the external world of
result; not the world of essence, but only the world of phenomena. Today
science is entering a higher dimension; it is no longer concerned
exclusively with the external world of result and phenomena, but has
begun to examine the internal world of cause and essence as well. Those
who have taken the path of science are concluding that, without the
truth that relates to the spiritual world of cause; that is, the
internal truth, man cannot attain the ultimate purpose of science; that
is, the discovery of the external truth, which pertains to the external
world of result.
A sailor making a voyage on the sea of the material world under the sail
of science in search of the pleasures of the flesh may reach the coast
of his ideal, but he will soon find it to be nothing more than a
graveyard to hold his flesh. But when the sailor who has completed his
voyage in search of external truth under the sail of science comes into
contact with the sea-route to internal truth, under the sail of
religion, he will be able to end his voyage in the ideal world, which is
the goal of the original mind's desire.
The second course of human endeavor has been directed toward solving the
fundamental questions of life in the essential world of "cause".
Philosophy and religion, which have gone this way, have made substantial
contributions. On the other hand, <Page 5>both philosophy and religion
have been saddled with many spiritual burdens. In their own times,
philosophers and saints have pioneered the way of life, but their deeds
have often resulted in placing added burdens on the people of the
present era.
Consider the matter objectively. Has there ever been a philosopher who
was able to end human misery? Has there ever been a saint who has
clearly shown us the way of life? The principles and ideologies
presented to mankind so far have given rise to skepticism; they have
created many themes which need to be untangled, and numerous problems to
be solved. The lights of revival with which the great religions
illuminated their respective ages have faded out with the ebb of the
age, leaving only dim, sputtering wicks glimmering in the falling
darkness.
Let us study the history of Christianity. For nearly 2,000 years
Christianity grew, professed the salvation of mankind, and established
worldwide dominion. But what has become of the Christian spirit which
cast forth such a brilliant light of life that, even in the days of
persecution under the Roman Empire, Romans were brought to their knees
before the crucified Jesus? Medieval feudal society buried this
Christianity alive. Yet, even in its grave, the torch of Christian
religious reformation still shone out against the engulfing darkness of
that age. It could not, however, turn back the tide of those dark days.
When ecclesiastic love expired, when the surging desire for material
wealth swept the society of Europe and countless millions of starving
masses shouted bitterly in the industrial slums, the promise of
salvation came not from heaven but from earth. Its name was communism.
Christianity, though it professed God's love, had turned out to be in
reality a dead body of clergy trailing empty slogans. It was then only
natural that a banner of revolt would be raised against a seemingly
merciless <Page 6>God. Christian society became the hotbed of
materialism. Absorbing fertilizer from this soil, communism, the
foremost materialist ideology, has grown rapidly and unchecked.
Christianity lost its capacity to surpass the practice of communism and
has not been able to present a truth which overcomes communist theory.
Christians watch communism grow within their own midst, expanding its
dominion over the world. Although they teach and believe that all men
are descendants of the same parents, many Christians do not like to sit
with brothers and sisters of different skin color. This is a
representative example of today's Christianity, which is deprived of the
life force needed to practice the word of Christ.
There may come a day when such social tragedies will end, but there is
one social vice which is beyond the control of many men and women today.
That is adultery. Christian doctrine holds this sin to be the greatest
of all sins. What a tragedy that today's Christian society cannot halt
this degradation, into which so many people today are rushing blindly.
What these realities mean to us is that Christianity today is in a state
of confusion. Split by the chaotic tide of the present generation, it is
unable to do anything for the lives of the people who have been drawn
into today's whirlpool of immorality. Is Christianity unable to achieve
God's promise of salvation for the present era of mankind? Why have men
of religion thus far been unable to fulfill their missions even though
they have struggled desperately and devotedly in pursuit of internal
truth?
The relationship between the essential world and the phenomenal world is
similar to that between mind and body. It is the relationship between
cause and result, internal and external, subjective and objective. Since
man can attain perfect personality only when his mind and body become
harmonized <Page 7>in perfect oneness, the ideal world can be realized
only when the two worlds--one of essence, the other of phenomena--have
been joined in perfect unity.
As it is with the relationship between mind and body, so there can also
be no phenomenal world apart from the essential world and no essential
world apart from the phenomenal world. Neither can there be a spiritual
world apart from a physical world, nor spiritual happiness apart from
true physical happiness. Religion has until now de-emphasized the value
of everyday reality; it has denied the value of physical happiness in
order to stress the attainment of spiritual joy. However strenuously man
may try, he cannot cut himself off from reality, nor can he annihilate
the desire for physical happiness that follows him always like a shadow.
In reality, the desire for physical happiness persistently takes hold of
men of religion, leading them into the depths of agony. Such a
contradiction exists even in the lives of spiritual leaders. Many
spiritual leaders, torn by such contradictions, have met a sad end.
Herein is a principal cause for the weakness and inactivity of today's
religions; the weakness lies in the contradiction which has not yet been
overcome.
Another factor has fated religion to decline. Modern men, whose
intelligence has developed to the utmost degree, demand scientific proof
for all things. However, religious doctrine, which remains unchanged,
does not interpret things scientifically. That is to say, man's
interpretation of internal truth (religion) and his interpretation of
external truth (science) do not agree.
The ultimate purpose of religion can be fulfilled only by first
believing in and then by practicing the truth. But true belief cannot
come about today without knowledge and understanding. We study the Bible
to confirm our belief by knowing the truth. Jesus' performance of
miracles and his revelation of signs were to let the people know that he
was the Messiah and <Page 8>enable them to believe in him. Knowledge
comes from cognition, and man today cannot cognize anything which lacks
logic and scientific proof. To understand something, there must first be
cognition. Thus, internal truth also requires logical proof. Religion
has been moving through the long course of history toward an age in
which it must be explained scientifically.
Religion and science began with the missions of dispelling,
respectively, the two aspects of human ignorance. In their courses,
these two areas of thought and exploration came into apparently
uncompromising conflict with each other. In order for man to attain the
good purpose of the original mind's desire, there must come a time when
there is a new expression of truth, enabling mankind to bring these two
matters together under one unified theme. These two matters are
religion, which has been coming closer to science, and science, which
has been approaching religion.
It may be displeasing to religious believers, especially to Christians,
to learn that a new expression of truth must appear. They believe that
the Bible, which they now have, is perfect and absolute in itself.
Truth, of course, is unique, eternal, unchangeable, and absolute. The
Bible, however, is not the truth itself, but a textbook teaching the
truth. Naturally, the quality of teaching and the method and extent of
giving the truth must vary according to each age, for the truth is given
to people of different ages, who are at different spiritual and
intellectual levels. Therefore, we must not regard the textbook as
absolute in every detail (cf. Part I, Ch. 3, Sec. V--129).
Religion came into existence as the means to accomplish the purpose of
goodness in following the way of God according to the intention of the
original mind. The need for different kinds of understanding compelled
the appearance of various religions. Scriptures of different religions
varied according to the mission of the religion, the people who received
it, and the age in which <Page 9>it came. Scripture can be likened to a
lamp which illuminates the truth. Its mission is to shed the light of
truth. When a brighter light appears, the mission of the old one fades.
Today's religions have failed to lead the present generation out of the
dark valley of death into the radiance of life, so there must now come a
new truth that can shed a new light.
Many passages in the Bible say that new words of truth will be given to
mankind in the "Last Days". What will be the mission of the new truth?
Its mission will be to present the internal truth that religion has
pursued and the external truth searched for by science under one unified
theme. It should also seek to overcome both the internal and external
ignorance of man and offer him internal and external knowledge. It must
eliminate the contradiction within man, who is receptive to good and
evil, by helping fallen man resist the way of evil and attain the
purpose of goodness. For fallen man, knowledge is the light of life and
holds the power of revival; ignorance is the shadow of death and the
cause of ruin. No feeling or emotion can be derived from ignorance, no
act of will can arise from ignorance. Thus, when knowledge, emotion and
will do not function properly in man, life is no longer worth living.
If man is created to be unable to live apart from God, how miserable
life must be when he is ignorant of God. Yet, can man know God clearly,
even though he may diligently consult the Bible? Furthermore, how can
man ever know God's heart? The new truth should enable us to know God as
a reality. It should also be able to reveal His heart and feeling of joy
at the time of creation, and His broken heart and feeling of grief as He
struggles to save fallen man who rebels against Him.
Human history, woven of the lives of men who are inclined toward both
goodness and evil, is filled with the story of struggle. These struggles
have been external battles over property, land, and men. But today the
external fighting is <Page 10>diminishing. People of different nations
live together without racism. They strive to realize a world government.
War victors seek to liberate their colonies, giving them rights equal to
the rights of the great powers. Once hostile and disharmonious
international relations are harmonized around similar economic problems
as nations move toward the formation of common market systems all over
the world. Meanwhile, culture is freely circulating, the isolation of
nations is being overcome, and the cultural distance between East and
West is being bridged.
One final war is thus left before us; that is, the war between the
ideologies of democracy and communism. These internally conflicting
ideologies are now in preparation for another external war, and both
sides are equipped with dreadful weapons. The external preparations are,
in reality, geared toward waging a final, decisive internal (spiritual)
war. Which will triumph? Anyone who believes in the reality of God will
answer "democracy". Yet democracy today is not equipped with a theory or
practice powerful enough to conquer communism. Therefore, in order that
God's providence of salvation might be completely fulfilled, the new
truth must bring all mankind into a new world of absolute goodness by
elevating the spiritualism advocated in the democratic world to a new
and higher dimension, finally assimilating even materialism. In this
manner, the truth should be able to unite into one absolute way all the
existing religions as well as all the "isms" and ideas which have
existed since the beginning of human history.
Some people do, indeed, refuse to believe in religion. They disbelieve
because they do not know the reality of God and of the next world. But,
however strongly they deny spiritual reality, it is the nature of man to
accept and to believe that which is proven in a scientific way. It is
also the inherent nature of man to feel empty, void, and uneasy with
himself if he has set his ultimate purpose of life in the external world
of every-<Page 11>day things. When one comes to know God through the new
truth, he learns about spiritual reality and comes to realize that the
fundamental purpose of life is to be found not in the external world of
matter, but in the internal world of spirit. Everyone treading this one
way will meet one day as brothers and sisters.
If all men will thus meet as brothers and sisters at one destination
through this one truth, what would the world founded on this basis be
like? It would be a world in which all men form one big family under
God. The purpose of truth is to pursue and to achieve goodness, and the
origin of goodness is God Himself. Therefore, the world attained through
this truth would be one in which all men would live together in
wonderful brotherly love under God as our Parent. When man realizes that
if he makes his neighbor a victim for his own benefit, he suffers more
from the pangs of conscience than he profits from unrighteous gain, he
will find it impossible to harm his neighbor. Therefore, when real
brotherly love arises from the bottom of man's heart, he cannot do
anything to cause his neighbor to suffer. How much more would this be
true of men who live in a society in which they experience the actual
feeling that God is their own Parent, transcendent of time and space,
who watches their every action, and that this Parent wants us to love
one another every moment? The new world, which will be established by
the new truth, will usher in a new age when the sinful history of
mankind has been liquidated. It must be a world in which no sin is
possible. So far in human history, even those who have believed in God
have committed sins. Their faith in God has taken the form of a concept
rather than the form of living experience. If man could feel the
presence of God and know the heavenly law that sinners are sent to hell,
who then would dare to commit sin? <Page 12>
The world without sin could be called the "Kingdom of Heaven", the world
which fallen man has long pursued. Since this world will be established
as a reality on earth, it may well be called the "Kingdom of God on
earth".
Thus, we can conclude that the ultimate purpose of God's providence of
salvation is to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. It was already
made plain in previous discussion that man fell from grace, and that the
human fall came after the creation of man. From the standpoint of the
reality of God, the answer to the question of which world God originally
intended at the creation becomes evident (cf. Part I, Ch. 3--99). We can
say at this point, however, that this world is the Kingdom of God on
earth, in which God's purpose of creation is realized.
Because of the fall, however, mankind has not been able to realize this
world. Instead, man has brought about a world of sin and has fallen into
ignorance. Therefore, fallen man has struggled unceasingly
to restore the Kingdom of God on earth, which God originally intended.
He has done this by seeking to overcome internal and external ignorance
and pursuing ultimate goodness through all the periods of human history.
The history of mankind, therefore, is the history of the providence of
God through which God intends to restore the world in which His purpose
of creation is fulfilled. To restore fallen man back to his originally
intended state, the new truth should be able to reveal to him his
ultimate destiny in the course of restoration by teaching him the
original purpose for which God created man and the universe. Many
questions must be answered by this truth.
Did man fall by eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good
and Evil as the Bible literally says? If not, then what is the actual
cause of the human fall? How could the God of perfection and beauty
create man with a possibility of falling? <Page 13>What was the reason
for God's inability to prevent man from falling while He, being both
omnipotent and omniscient, must have known the fall would take place?
Why could God not save sinful man in an instant with His almighty power?
These and many other questions have troubled the minds of deep thinkers
and should be resolved by the new truth.
When the scientific nature of the world is observed, it can be concluded
that God, the Creator, is the very origin of science. If human history
is God's providence to restore the world to His original purpose of
creation, it must be that God, Master of all laws, has manipulated
providential history according to a plan and an order. Therefore, it is
our most urgent task to discover how the sinful history of mankind
began, what course it must follow, in what manner it will be concluded,
and into what kind of world Providence will ultimately lead man. The new
truth, then, should be able to resolve all the fundamental questions of
life. With all these questions clarified, the reality of God as an
absolute being who plans and guides history cannot be denied. When the
truth is known, all will come to understand that the historical events
which man has seen and experienced are the reflections of God's heart,
struggling to save fallen man.
In addition, the new truth should be able to explain lucidly all the
difficult problems of Christianity, since Christianity plays a major
role in the formation of the world cultural sphere. Intellectual people
cannot be satisfied by merely hearing that Jesus is God's son and the
Savior of mankind. Many controversies have arisen in theological circles
in an effort to understand the deeper significance of Christian
doctrines. Thus, the new truth must be able to clarify the relationships
among God, Jesus, and man in light of the principle of creation.
Furthermore, the difficult questions of the Trinity should be
elucidated. The question of why God's salvation for mankind has <Page
14>only been possible through the crucifixion of His son must be
answered. When it is seen that no parent has been able to give birth to
a sinless child entitled to the Heavenly Kingdom without redemption by a
savior, is this not a sound proof that parents still pass on the
original sin to their children even after their own rebirth in Christ?
This inquiry leads to yet another question: What is the extent of
redemption by the cross?
A vast number of Christians throughout the 2,000 years of Christian
history have been confident that they have been completely saved by the
blood of Jesus' crucifixion. Yet, in reality, not one individual,
home or society has existed free from sin. The Christian spirit has
actually been on the path of decline day after day. Therefore, there
remain many difficult problems leading to a central contradiction
between the present reality of Christianity and the belief in complete
redemption by the ransom of the cross. The new truth which we are
looking for should be able to explain all of these questions clearly and
completely. There are more questions such as: Why will Christ come
again? When, where and how will he come? In what manner will the
resurrection of fallen men take place? What is the meaning of the
Biblical prophecy that heaven and earth will be destroyed by fire and
other natural calamities? The new truth should provide a key to all
these difficult Biblical mysteries which are written in parables and
symbols, and do so in plain language which everyone can understand, as
Jesus promised in John 16:25.
Only through these answers and plain truths will all the denominations
be united, as the divisions caused by differing interpretations of
Biblical passages are broken down.
This new, ultimate, final truth, however, cannot come either from any
man's synthetic research in the scriptures and in literature, or from
any human brain. As the Bible says, "You must <Page 15>again prophesy
about many peoples and nations and tongues and kings." (Rev. 10:11).
This truth must appear as a revelation from God Himself. This new truth
has already appeared!
With the fullness of time, God has sent His messenger to resolve the
fundamental questions of life and the universe. His name is Sun Myung
Moon. For many decades, he wandered in a vast spiritual world in search
of the ultimate truth. On this path, he endured suffering unimagined by
anyone in human history. God alone will remember it. Knowing that no one
can find the ultimate truth to save mankind without going through the
bitterest of trials, he fought alone against myriads of Satanic forces,
both in the spiritual and physical worlds, and finally triumphed over
them all. In this way, he came in contact with many saints in Paradise
and with Jesus, and thus brought into light all the heavenly secrets
through his communion with God.
The Divine Principle revealed in this book is only part of the new
truth. We have recorded here what Sun Myung Moon's disciples have
hitherto heard and witnessed. We believe with happy expectation that, as
time goes on, deeper parts of the truth will be continually revealed. It
is our earnest prayer that the light of truth will quickly fill the
earth. <Page 16>
PART I <Page 17><Page 18>
CHAPTER 1. PRINCIPLE OF CREATION
Throughout history, man has been struggling to solve the fundamental
questions of life and the universe. Yet no one has been able to give
satisfactory answers, for no one has known the original plan for the
creation of man and the universe. Furthermore, there remains a
fundamental question to be settled, a question not so much about the
facts of existence as about the cause of existence. Questions about
life and the universe, of course, cannot be solved without
understanding the nature of God. The "Principle of Creation" deals with
these fundamental questions. <Page 19>
SECTION I--THE DUAL CHARACTERISTICS OF GOD AND HIS WORLD OF
CREATION
1. DUAL CHARACTERISTICS OF GOD
How can we know the characteristics of God, who is an invisible being?
We can know them by observing the world of His creation. For this
reason, Paul said:
Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely,
his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things
that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Rom. 1:20)
Just as the work of an artist is a visible manifestation of its maker's
invisible nature, every creation is a substantial object of the
invisible deity of God, the Creator. His nature is displayed in each
creation. Just as we can sense an author's character through his
works, so we can perceive God's deity by observing His creation.
In order to know the nature of God's deity, let us examine the common
factors which can be found throughout His creation. A creation,
whatever it may be, cannot come into being unless a reciprocal
relationship between positivity and negativity has been achieved,
not only within itself but also in relation to other beings. For
example, particles, which are the essential components of all
matter, have either positivity or negativity, or a neutrality which is
caused when the positive and negative elements neutralize each other.
When the two characteristics enter into a reciprocal relationship,
these particles form an atom.
Each atom assumes either positive or negative characteristics, and,
as the dual characteristics within each atom enable that atom to have
reciprocal relationships with other atoms, they <Page 20>proceed to
form molecules of matter. Matter, which is formed in this
way--according to the reciprocal relationship between these two
characteristics--becomes nourishment for animals and plants when it is
absorbed by them.
All plants exist and multiply through a relationship occurring
between the stamen and pistil, while the same process occurs in the
animal world through a relationship between male and female.
As for man, God created a man (male), Adam, in the beginning; then,
seeing that it was not good that man should be alone (Gen. 2:18), He
made a woman (female), Eve, as Adam's object, and for the first time
God saw that His creation was "very good" (Gen. 1:31). Just as a
positive or negative ion, even after dissociation, is found to be the
combination of a proton (positive) and an electron (negative), the
stamen or the pistil of the plant and a male or female member of the
animal kingdom can also exist only through a reciprocal relationship
between their dual essentialities of positivity and negativity.
Also, there is a female characteristic dormant in every man, and a male
essence in every woman. The aspects of each thing in the creation exist
on a reciprocal basis, such as: inside and outside, internal and
external, front and rear, right and left, up and down, high and low,
strong and weak, long and short, wide and narrow, east and west, south
and north. This is because all things are created to exist through
a reciprocal relationship between their dual essentialities.
As we have seen, all things exist through a reciprocal relationship
between the dual essentialities of positivity and negativity. We
must also know the reciprocal relationship between another pair of dual
essentialities, which is even more fundamental than that of positivity
and negativity. Anything in existence has both an external form and an
internal character. The external form is visible and reflects the
internal character, <Page 21>which is invisible. Though the internal
character cannot be seen, it assumes a certain form, so that the
external form resembles the internal character as its visible form.
"Internal character" and "external form" refer to the two characters
which are the two relative aspects of the same existence. In this
relationship, the external form may also be called a "second
internal character", so together we call them "dual characteristics",
or "dual essentialities".
We can take man as an example. Man consists of body, or external form,
and mind, or internal character. The visible body resembles the
invisible mind. The body assumes a form resembling the form projected
by the mind. This is the reason one can perceive things about a man's
invisible character and destiny by his outward appearance.
We call the mind "internal character" and the body "external form".
Here again, since our mind and body are the two relative aspects of the
same man, the body may be called the "second mind", or a duplication
of the mind. We call these two together "the dual characteristics of
man". Now we can understand the fact that everything exists through a
reciprocal relationship between the dual characteristics of internal
character and external form.
What then is the relationship between internal character and
external form? The invisible internal character is the cause and is in
the subjective position, while the visible external form is the result
of the former and stands in an objective position to it. Accordingly,
the reciprocal relationship which exists between the two is one of
internal and external, cause and result, subject and object, or
vertical and horizontal.
Let us again use man as an example. Since mind and body correspond to
character and form, the body is a copy of the mind and should be
completely under its command. Thus man can direct his life according to
his will and purpose. The mind <Page 22>and body also assume a
reciprocal relationship of internal and external, cause and result,
subject and object, or vertical and horizontal.
Likewise, all the things of creation, though they may vary in
dimension, have an invisible internal character which corresponds to
the mind; since this is the cause and subject, it manipulates the
external form, which corresponds to the human body. This
relationship between mind and body enables the individual creation to
maintain its existence as a being with a certain purpose. Animals
have an aspect which corresponds to the human mind; since this is the
subject and cause which directs towards a certain purpose, the animal
body is able to live according to the purpose of its individual being.
A plant also has an internal character which enables it to maintain
its organic function.
Men can be united because the mind is common factor in every person.
Similarly, positive and negative ions are united to form a certain
material because within each ion there are aspects of both internal
character and external form which tend to unite, thus forming a
molecule. Again, when an electron revolves around a proton to form an
atom, it is because each contains an aspect of "character" that directs
it toward the purpose of constructing an atom.
Modern science tells us that the particles forming the atom all consist
of energy. We know that within energy itself there must also be an
attribute of "character" which strives toward the goal of constructing
a particle. Even beyond this, we must seek an absolute being as the
ultimate cause of the entire world of reality. This cause, with its
ultimate and unique character and form, brought all energy into
existence. This ultimate being must be the First Cause of all beings,
containing the absolute and subjective character and form. This First
Cause of our existing world we call God. We call God's subjective
character <Page 23>and form His "essential character" and "essential
form". As Paul indicated, when we examine the factors which all
creation have in common, we finally come to understand the God is the
First Cause of the world of creation, and He exists as the absolute
subject, having characteristics of both essential character and
essential form.
We have already clarified the fact that everything in the creation
exists only because of a reciprocal relationship between its dual
characteristics of positivity and negativity. We naturally conclude
that God, being the First Cause of all creation, also exists because of
a reciprocal relationship between the dual characteristics of
positivity and negativity. Genesis 1:27 says: "So God created man in
his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he
created them.". This, too, explains to us that God is the absolute
subject, who exists with His dual characteristics of positivity and
negativity.
What is the relationship between the dual characteristics of
character and form and the dual characteristics of positivity and
negativity?
Fundamentally, God's essential character and His essential form
assume a reciprocal relationship with His "essential positivity" and
"essential negativity". Therefore, God's essential positivity and
essential negativity are the attributes of His essential character
and essential form. So, the relationship between positivity and
negativity is similar to that which exists between character and form.
Accordingly, positivity and negativity also have a reciprocal
relationship existing between internal and external, cause and
result, subject and object, vertical and horizontal. This is the reason
it is written in the Bible that God created the woman Eve as an object
by taking the rib from the man Adam, who was the subject (Gen. 2:22).
Here we call the positivity and negativity of God "masculinity" and
"femininity", respectively. <Page 24>
The universe which was created with God as the center is similar to a
man who has been created with his mind as the center. The universe is a
perfect organic body created completely in accordance with God's
purpose of creation. For this reason, the universe as an organic body
has its own internal character and external form, with God as its
internal character, while the physical universe is its external
form. This is why God said that man, who is the center of the universe,
was made in His own image (Gen. 1:27). Before creating the universe,
God existed as the internal masculine subject, and He created the
universe as His external feminine object. I Corinthians 11:7 says that
man "is the image and glory of God", which testifies to this theory.
Since God is the masculine subject of internal character we call Him
"Our Father", emphasizing His masculine nature.
In brief, we know that God is the subject who consists of the dual
characteristics of essential character and essential form. At the
same time, He is a subject consisting of the dual characteristics of
masculinity and femininity, the former representing His essential
character and the latter representing His essential form. In
relationship to the whole creation, God is the masculine subject
representing its internal character.
2. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOD AND THE UNIVERSE
We have learned so far that each and every creation is God's
substantial object which is the manifested form of the invisible
essentialities of God. Every substantial object is called an
"individual truth incarnation". Man, being the substantial object of
God who was created in His image, is called the "individual truth
incarnation in image". Since all creation, other than man, is the
symbolic object of God created in His indirect image, it is called the
"symbolic individual truth incarnation". <Page 25>
Any individual truth incarnation, since it is a substance which
manifests God's dual essentialities, can again be divided into a
positive element and a negative one, the former resembling masculinity
as the essential character of God and the latter resembling
femininity as the essential form of God. Also, each individual truth
incarnation is a substantial object of God; therefore, each not
only reflects God's dual essentialities of character and form in the
individual self, but each also has within itself the dual
essentialities of positivity and negativity.
To sum up the relationship between God and the universe as seen from
the viewpoint of its dual characteristics, the universe is God's
substantial object consisting of individual truth incarnations. These
are the manifestation of God's dual characteristics both in image and
in symbol according to the principle of creation. That is, man is
God's substantial object with His dual characteristics manifested as
"direct image", while all things of the universe are the substantial
objects of God with His dual characteristics manifested as
"indirect image" (symbol). The relationship between God and the
universe and the relationship between character and form is the same as
the relationship between internal and external, cause and result,
subject and object, and vertical and horizontal.
Let us examine the fundamental theory of the "Book of Changes (I
Ching)", which is the center of Oriental philosophy, from the
viewpoint of the principle of creation. This book emphasizes that the
foundation of the universe is Taeguk (ultimacy) and from this comes
Yang and Yin (positivity and negativity). From Yang and Yin come the
"O-haeing" (five elements: metal, wood, water, fire and soil). All
things were created from O-haeing. Positivity and negativity
together are called the "Tao". The "Tao" is defined as the "Way", or
"Word". That is, Taeguk produced the word (creative principle) and the
Word produced all things. Therefore, Taeguk is the first <Page 26>and
ultimate cause of all existence and is the unified nucleus of both
positivity and negativity.
By comparing this with the Bible (John 1:1-3), "The Word was
God...and all things were created through him", we can see that Taeguk,
the subject which contains positivity and negativity, represents
God, the subject who contains dual essentialities.
According to the principle of creation, the word (Logos) also
consists of dual essentialities, and so the universe which was created
by the Word contains dual essentialities. Consequently, the assertion
in the "Book of Changes" that "positivity and negativity together
is the Word", is valid.
However, the "Book of Changes" which observes the universe only from
the viewpoint of positivity and negativity, does not explain the fact
that all things have an internal character and external form within
themselves. Accordingly, it has only verified the fact that Taeguk
is the subject containing positivity and negativity and has not
explained that Taeguk is originally the subject containing the dual
characteristics of essential character and essential form. Therefore,
the "Book of Changes" does not reveal that Taeguk is a God of
personality.
Here we have learned that the foundation of Oriental philosophy
contained in the "Book of Changes", can ultimately be elucidated only
according to the principle of creation.
SECTION II--UNIVERSAL PRIME ENERGY, GIVE AND TAKE ACTION, AND THE FOUR
POSITION FOUNDATION
1. UNIVERSAL PRIME ENERGY
God is the Creator of all things. He is the absolute reality eternally
self-existent, transcendent of time and space (Ex. <Page 27>3:14).
Therefore, the fundamental energy of His being must also be absolute
and eternally self-existent. At the same time, He is the source of the
energy which enables all things to maintain their existence. We call
this energy "Universal Prime Energy".
2. GIVE AND TAKE ACTION
When a subject and an object are engaged in give and take action within
a being, after having established a reciprocal relationship between
themselves through the Universal Prime Energy, the energy necessary
to maintain the existence of that being is produced. This energy
provides power for existence, multiplication and action. The process
which generates the necessary energy is called "give and take
action". Therefore, Universal Prime Energy and the power of give and
take action form a reciprocal relationship of cause and effect,
internal and external, and subject and object. Consequently,
Universal Prime Energy is a vertical power, while the power of give
and take action is a horizontal power.
Let us further investigate God and His creation from the standpoint of
Universal Prime Energy and give and take action.
God contains within Himself dual essentialities which exist
forever. Through Universal Prime Energy, these two form a mutual or
reciprocal relationship which develops into an eternal give and take
action. The energy produced through this process is the force of give
and take action. Through this force, God's dual essentialities
establish a reciprocal base. This results in the "foundation of
existence" upon which God, Himself, exists forever.
Each and every creation enters into give and take action between the
dual essentialities that form an individual self by forming a
reciprocal relationship through Universal Prime Energy. Through the
force of give and take action, the dual <Page 28>essentialities produce
a reciprocal base, which in turn produces a foundation of existence in
an individual self; then upon this foundation, the individual self
can stand as God's object and receive all the power necessary for
its own existence.
For example: an atom comes to exist through the give and take action
between a proton and an electron. This is the action of fusion. A
molecule comes into being through the give and take action between a
positive ion and a negative ion which causes a chemical reaction.
Electricity is produced through the give and take action between
positive electrical charges and negative electrical charges, which
causes electrical action. All plants multiply through the give and
take action between the stamen and pistil.
Animals maintain their existence and multiply through the give and
take action between male and female. Between the animal kingdom and
the plant kingdom, co-existence is made possible through give and
take action. Plants give oxygen to animals and animals return carbon
dioxide to plants. Flowers offer nectar to bees and bees pollinate
flowers.
When we study the heavenly bodies, we find that the solar system exists
through the give and take action between the sun and the planets. The
earth and moon are also able to maintain their orbital movements
through give and take action.
The human body maintains its life through the give and take action
between arteries and veins, inhalation and exhalation, sympathetic
and parasympathetic nervous systems. An individual is able to achieve
his purpose of existence through the give and take action between mind
and body.
There is give and take action between husband and wife in a home, among
individuals in a society, between government and people in a nation,
and among nations in the world. Give and take action governs all
relationships within man and all relationships among men.
<Page 29>
However evil man may have been through all ages and in all places, he
at least has the power of conscience remaining in his inmost self. This
conscience is always at work, influencing him to live for
righteousness. No one can prevent this power from operating within
himself. It causes him to feel conscience-stricken at the moment of
committing evil. If there were no conscience left in fallen men,
God's providence of restoration would be impossible. Where does this
power of conscience originate? Since all power comes from give and
take action, the conscience must be no exception. The conscience is
able to operate because it stands as an object to a certain subject,
thus performing the action of give and take on a reciprocal base formed
between the two. We know that the subject of the conscience is God.
The human fall signifies that through some act, man was cut off from
having a give and take relationship with God, thus failing to unite
into one body with Him. Instead, man entered into a give and take
relationship with Satan, forming a reciprocal base with him. Jesus,
having become one with God through the relationship of give and take,
came to this world as His son. Therefore, if and when fallen man unites
with Jesus in a perfect give and take relationship, he will be able to
restore his original nature, thus entering again into a give and take
relationship with God and becoming one with Him. Therefore, Jesus is
called the "mediator" for fallen man, being the way, the truth and the
life. He came to serve mankind with love and sacrifice, giving even his
own life. If we turn to him with faith, we "should not perish but have
eternal life" (John 3:16).
True Christianity is a religion of life, through which men can restore
the vertical give and take circuit with God by establishing, through
love and sacrifice, the horizontal give and take circuit between men
centering on Jesus. The teachings and deeds of Jesus were solely for
this purpose, as he indicated on numerous occasions: <Page 30>
Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you
pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the
measure you get. (Matt. 7:1-2)
So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for
this is the law and the prophets. (Matt. 7:12)
So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will
acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven. (Matt. 10:32)
He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a
prophet's reward, and he who receives a righteous man because he is a
righteous man shall receive a righteous man's rewards. (Matt. 10:41)
And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold
water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not
lose his reward. (Matt. 10:42)
3. THE FOUR POSITION FOUNDATION; THREE OBJECTIVE PURPOSES THROUGH
ORIGIN-DIVISION-UNION ACTION
(1) Origin-Division-Union Action
When, through Universal Prime Energy, the dual essentialities of God
enter into give and take action by forming a reciprocal
relationship, the force of give and take action causes multiplication.
This action causes the dual essentialities to separate into two
substantial objects centered upon God. The substantial subject and
object pair then enter into another give and take action by forming a
reciprocal relationship, through Universal Prime Energy. By forming
one pair they become an object to God. In this manner, God, as the
origin, is divided into two separated substances, after which these two
again unite to form one body. We call this process
"origin-division-union action".
(2) Three Objective Purposes
When, according to origin-division-union action (O-D-U action), the
origin has divided into two separated substances of subject and object
which have again united into one body, four positions are formed. One
takes a subjective position while the remaining three stand as
objects, thus producing three objective bases. When they enter into
give and take action among them-<Page 31>selves, one of the four
positions assumes the role of subject, while the other three fulfill
their objective purposes respectively.
(3) The Four Position Foundation
When, according to O-D-U action, the origin is divided into two
substantial objects, they assume the roles of subject and object
respectively, and finally unite into one body. Thus three objective
positions are fulfilled. Since these three objective positions are
centered on the origin, four respective positions are formed
altogether. This creates "the four position foundation".
The significance of the number "four" is derived from this four
position foundation. And since this is the result of the fulfillment of
the three objective purposes, the significance of the number "three" is
also found here. The four position foundation is manifested as God,
husband and wife, and their offspring. With God as the origin,
husband and wife as the manifested subject and object, and their
offspring as the result of their unity, one can see three distinct
stages. Thus the four position foundation becomes the basis of the
three stages because it is fulfilled in three stages according to O-D-U
action. This is also the basis of the significance of the number
"twelve", because each of the four positions will take three objects,
thus bringing about a total of twelve objects. The four position
foundation is the base for the fulfillment of God's goodness and is the
ultimate goal of His creation. This is the base through which God's
power is channeled to flow into all of His creation in order for the
creation to exist. Therefore, the formation of the four position
foundation is ultimately God's eternal purpose of creation.
(4) The Status of Existence of the Four Position Foundation
Whenever a creation has formed a four position foundation by
fulfilling its three objective purposes through O-D-U action, <Page
32>it begins to perform global spherical movement in order to maintain
its three-dimensional existence. Let us now investigate the reason for
this.
When God's dual essentialities are divided and manifest into two
substantial objects, one serving as subject and the other as object,
they enter into a relationship and produce a reciprocal base. The
object enters into give and take action by centering itself on the
subject through centripetal force and centrifugal force. Consequently,
the object begins to revolve around the subject, and thus they form
one unit. According to this same principle, the subject, in turn,
becomes an object to God, revolving around Him to form one unit with
Him. When the object forms one unit with the subject, together they
become a substantial object to God, since they reflect His dual
essentialities. For this reason, any object must first unite with its
subject before it is able to stand as an object to God. This
substantial object to God has within itself the dual essentialities of
subject and object which perform continuous circular movement
respectively, due to the give and take action between the two.
Therefore, this circular movement forms a specific orbit on a
horizontal level according to the particular motion of the subject and
object. However, since this movement is generally performed with the
angles of the orbit constantly varying, centering on the subject,
this circular movement will eventually become spherical movement,
making the manner of existence three-dimensional.
Let us look at the example of the solar system. With the sun as the
subject, all the planets act as its objects by forming a reciprocal
relationship with the sun, through the action of give and take. Through
the action of centripetal force and centrifugal force, each planet
consequently revolves around the sun. During this process of
revolution, the sun and the planets <Page 33>become one unit, thus
creating the solar system. The earth, which in itself is a complete
body of dual essentialities, is not the only body which rotates on its
axis. The sun and the planets around it, which are complex bodies of
dual essentialities in themselves, also rotate upon their own axes.
The circular movement of the solar system which has been caused by the
give and take action between the sun and the planets does not always
occur on a single plane, but constantly changes its angle of orbit
around the sun. Thus the solar system, by performing the spherical
movement, becomes three-dimensional. In this manner, all the
heavenly bodies exist in three dimensions, through either circular or
spherical movement. The entire universe, which consists of numerous
heavenly bodies, exists as one unit through give and take action, and
moves spherically under the same principle, thus existing
three-dimensionally.
When a proton and an electron, by forming a reciprocal base, enter
into give and take action with the proton as the center, there occurs a
circular movement which makes the two into one unit, and thus an atom
is produced. The proton and the electron also have dual essentialities
which are engaged in continuous individual movement. Therefore, the
circular movement caused by the give and take action between the
proton and electron does not occur on a horizontal level alone, but
constantly changes its angle of movement so that it becomes spherical
movement. Thus the atom, too, exists on the three-dimensional level.
The magnetic force occurring between the positive and negative poles
of electricity also exists in spherical movement by the same
principle.
Let us take man as an example. The body is the object to the mind,
which is the subject. When the body forms a reciprocal relationship
with the mind, it performs circular movement centered on the mind, thus
forming one unit. If and when the mind becomes the object of God, and
revolves around Him, becoming <Page 34>one unit with Him, and the
body unites with the mind, the individual then becomes the substantial
object to God, since he reflects God's dual essentialities. In this way
he becomes a man in whom the purpose of creation is accomplished. The
body and mind each contain a dual essentiality which continues to
move individually; and so, the circular movement occurring through the
give and take action between such a body and mind finally becomes a
spherical movement by revolving around God, constantly changing its
angles. Therefore, the man in whom the purpose of creation is
accomplished is a three-dimensional being, always living in a
spherical existence centered upon God. In this way he will be able to
dominate even the invisible world of spirit (cf. Part I, Ch. 1, Sec.
VI--57).
Similarly, when the circular movement between a subject and an object
occurring on a horizontal level becomes a spherical one through a
three-dimensional orbit, the wonders of creation come into existence.
That is, the beauty of the things of creation exists in infinite
variety, and this is due to their varied orbit, form, state,
direction, angle and speed of individual give and take action.
Every existence has it own internal character and external form, and
naturally its spherical movement also contains that same aspect of
character and form. Accordingly, there are both the center of
character and center of form, even in the center of movement. What
would the ultimate center of this spherical movement be? Man is the
center of all creation, which was created to be the symbolic
substantial objects of God's dual essentialities. God is the center of
all men, who have been created to be His substantial objects in His
image. Therefore, the ultimate center of the spherical movement of the
whole universe is God.
Let us further investigate this matter. Every substantial object of God
contains a subject and object within itself, and the subject is the
center in their relationship. Therefore, the <Page 35>center of the
unified body of subject and object also lies in the subject. The
ultimate center of the subject is God, and the ultimate center of the
unified body is also God. Therefore, when God's three objects form a
respective basis of reciprocation, and their three centers (subjects)
enter into give and take action, centering upon God in complete oneness
with Him, fulfilling their three objective purposes, the four position
foundation is complete for the first time.
Consequently, the ultimate center of the four position foundation is
God. Every individual creation, having thus fulfilled the four position
foundation, is an individual truth incarnation. As mentioned
before, this exists in two forms: the truth incarnation in image (man)
and the symbolic truth incarnation (all creation except man).
The universe consists of countless such individual truth incarnations,
mutually related in good order, from the creature of the lowest grade
to the highest, with man as the highest truth incarnation. Again,
every individual truth incarnation moves spherically with the lower
individual truth incarnation in the objective position to the higher
ones. The center of the spherical movement of this objects is in the
individual truth incarnation which is in the position of subject, on
a higher level. Likewise, the centers of countless such symbolic
individual truth incarnations are connected with one another from the
lowest to the highest. Man, the individual truth incarnation in image,
is the highest and central created being.
Let us illustrate this with an example. Today's science states that
atoms are made of elementary particles which are composed of energy.
Observing the purpose of existence of the individual truth
incarnations at different stages, we can understand that energy
exists in order to form elementary particles. The elementary particle,
in turn, exists to form an atom, an atom to form a molecule, a molecule
to form any type of matter, and all matter to form the whole universe.
<Page 36>
For what purpose, then, does the universe exist; and what is its
center? The answer is none other than man himself. That is why God,
after creating man, told him to subdue the earth (Gen. 1:28). If
there were no men to see and appreciate the universe, the universe
could be compared to a museum without any visitors. The articles
exhibited in the museum can display the value of their existence only
when there is a man to appreciate, love, and take delight in them. Man
is able to form a close relationship with them, and in this way, they
assume value. If there were no man to appreciate them, would they have
any significance?
The same applies to the case of the whole universe with man as its
center. Only through man are they mutually related in a united
purpose. The relationship becomes apparent when man clarifies the
source and the nature of all materials which form the whole creation.
Man alone studies and classifies the true characters of all the
animals and plants, including everything on the earth and sea as well
as the constellations which form the whole universe. As the center and
subject of the creation, man enables the things of creation to have an
organized mutual relationship with each other. Materials absorbed by
the human body are changed into elements which maintain the
physiological function of man, while the whole creation provides the
material to make a pleasant living environment for him.
On the basis of external form, these are man's relationships to the
universe, with man as the center. But there is still another
relationship, with man as the center, on the basis of internal
character. We may call the former a "physical relationship" while the
latter we may call a "spiritual relationship".
The physiological elements of man, which consists of material
substance, respond to the intellect, emotion, and will of the mind.
This indicates that materials have certain elements through which they
can respond to man's intellect, emotion, <Page 37>and will. Such
elements form the internal character of matter so that every creation
is able to respond to human intellect, emotion, and will, though the
degree of response may vary. It is because man is the center of the
internal character of creation that he can become intoxicated with the
beauty of nature, and experience the mystery of being one in harmony
with it. Man was thus created to be the center of the whole creation,
and so the point where God and man become one united body is where we
find the center of the macrocosm. Let us discuss man's being the
center of the macrocosm from a different aspect. We call the two
worlds, the visible and invisible, the "macrocosm", with man being the
substantial center of this total macrocosm. Every creation forming the
macrocosm is divided into a subject and an object element.
Here we may reach the conclusion that if Adam, who was the first human
ancestor, had been perfected, he would have become the substantial
embodiment of all the subject elements in the creation; and if Eve had
been perfected, she would have become the substantial embodiment of all
the object elements in the creation. If Adam and Eve together had
grown wholesomely to the perfection stage--one becoming the lord of all
the subjects in the creation and the other becoming the lord of all
the objects--and had they joined into one body as man and wife, they
would have become a central body dominating the whole universe, since
God created man to have dominion over the creation.
Man was created to be the center of harmony with the whole macrocosm.
Thus, if Adam and Eve had become husband and wife after perfection,
thus joining into one body as the substantial center of the dual
essentialities contained in every creature, the macrocosm, which was
created to have dual essentialities as an individual being, would also
move in harmony <Page 38>with Adam and Eve as the nucleus, Likewise,
the point at which Adam and Eve join into one body as a husband and
wife is also the point at which God, the subject of love, and man, the
object of beauty, become one unit, thus establishing the center of
goodness. Here, for the first time, the purpose of creation is
accomplished. God, our Parent, is able to abide with perfected men as
His children, and peacefully rest for eternity. At that time, this
center would become the object of God's eternal love, and through this,
God would be stimulated with happiness for eternity. Here God's Word
would be physically incarnated for the first time in human history.
Therefore, this point would become the very center of the truth and
also the center of man's original mind, which has been directing man to
attain the purpose creation. Consequently, the whole universe will
perform a spherical movement of unified purpose, centered on the
four position foundation, when a perfected man and woman become husband
and wife, with God at their center. However, the universe lost this
center when men fell; consequently, all of creation has been groaning
in travail, waiting for the children of God--that is, men whose
original nature of creation is restored--to appear and take their
position as the macrocosm's center (Rom. 8:19-22).
4. THE OMNIPRESENCE OF GOD
Our understanding is thus increased, and we know that the four position
foundation, having completed the three objective purposes through the
O-D-U action, becomes one body with God through spherical movement
centering on Him. This creates the basic foundation of both the
power within every existing being, through which God may work, and the
power which enables all beings in creation to maintain their
existence. Likewise, God is omnipresent in the creation. <Page 39>
5. THE MULTIPLICATION OF PHYSIOLOGICAL BODIES In order for a
physical body to continue to exist, it must multiply, and this
multiplication occurs through the O-D-U action caused by the action
of give and take. For example, seeds of plants are produced through a
give and take action between stamen and pistil. They will again
multiply themselves, repeating the same course. In the animal world
too, the male and female grow to have give and take action with each
other, thus breeding and multiplying. The cell division of animals and
plants also occurs through the give and take action.
If the body obeys the mind's desires, according to a certain purpose,
it enters into the action of give and take with the mind, and they
become companions. Whenever friends have give and take action
wholesomely between them, their friendship will increase. Seen
from this aspect, the universe is the substantial manifestation of the
invisible God, occurring through the give and take action between His
essential character and form, centered on the purpose of creation.
6. THE REASON EVERY BEING CONSISTS OF DUAL ESSENTIALITIES
Everything, in order to exist, needs energy--and this comes
through give and take action. However nothing can perform give and
take action by itself. Therefore, in order to generate the energy to
exist, there must be a subject and object who can perform give and
take action.
Any movement that goes in a straight line will finally come to an end,
and no being performing such movement can exist eternally.
Consequently, in order to exist eternally, everything moves in
circular motion. In order for revolution to occur, the action of give
and take between a subject and an object must take place. Therefore, in
order to exist eternally, God has dual essentialities. If His creation
is to be an eternal object, it must <Page 40>reflect God's dual
essentialities. In this way, "time" also maintains its perpetuity by
going through periodic cycles.
SECTION III--THE PURPOSE OF CREATION
1. THE PURPOSE OF THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE
Whenever God made a new species of creation, He saw that "it was good"
(Gen. 1:4-31). This indicates that God wanted all of His creation to be
good objects. This is because He wanted to feel happiness whenever He
looked at His creation.
What, then, should His creation be like in order to make God happiest?
After having created the universe, God finally created man in His
image, after the pattern of His own character, with tremendous
potential. Man was intended to enjoy and appreciate his position as
an object to God. Therefore, when God created Adam and Eve, He gave
them three great blessings: to be fruitful, to multiply and fill the
earth, and to subdue it and have dominion (Gen. 1:28). Had man followed
the words of this blessing and become happy in the Heavenly Kingdom of
God, God also would have felt much happiness.
How should God's three great blessings have been fulfilled? This could
have been possible only when the four position foundation, the basic
foundation of creation, had been fulfilled. God's purpose in
creating the universe was to feel happiness when He saw the purpose of
goodness fulfilled in the Heavenly Kingdom, in which the whole creation
including man could have established after completing the four
position foundation centered on God and fulfilling His three great
blessings.
Consequently, the purpose of the universe's existence centered on man
is to return joy to God, the Creator. Every being has a dual purpose.
As already explained, every existence has <Page 41>both character and
form; accordingly, its purpose is two-fold. One purpose pertains to
internal character and the other to external form. The relationship
between the two is exactly the same as that between character and form
in any individual being. The purpose pertaining to the internal
character is for the whole, while the purpose pertaining to the
external form is for the individual. In other words, the former and
the latter relate to each other as cause and effect, internal and
external, and subject and object. Therefore, there cannot be any
purpose of the individual apart from the purpose of the whole, nor any
purpose of the whole that does not include the purpose of the
individual. All the creatures in the entire universe form a vast
complex linked together by these dual purposes.
2. OBJECT OF GOODNESS FOR THE JOY OF GOD
In order to understand more precisely the questions concerning God's
purpose of creation, let us first examine how joy is produced. Joy is
not created by the individual alone. Joy comes when we have an object,
whether invisible or visible, in which our own character and form are
reflected and developed, thus enabling us to feel our own character
and form through the stimulation derived from the object.
For example, man feels joy as a creator only when he has an object;
that is, when he sees the product of his work, whether it be a painting
or sculpture, in which his plan is substantiated. In this way, he is
able to feel his own character and form objectively through the
stimulation derived from the product of his work. When the idea itself
remains in the objective position the stimulation derived from it is
not substantial; therefore, the joy derived from it cannot be
substantial either. God's joy is produced in the same manner as man's.
Therefore, God feels joy when He feels His original character and form
objectively through the stimulation derived from His substantial
object. <Page 42>
We have explained that, when the Kingdom of Heaven is realized through
the fulfillment of the three great blessings on the foundation of
four positions, the perfect object through which God can feel joy is
formed. Let us study how the perfect object for God's joy is formed.
God's first blessing to man was the perfection of his individuality. In
order to man to perfect his individuality, his mind and body, which are
the divided form of God's dual essentialities, must become united
through the give and take action between them. Thus they form an
individual four position foundation centered on God. The man whose mind
and body have formed a four position foundation of the original
God-centered nature becomes God's temple (I Cor. 3:16) and forms one
body with Him (John 14:20). This means that man attains deity.
Feeling exactly what God feels and knowing God's will, he would live as
God would want. A man with his individuality thus perfected would have
perfect give and take between his mind and body. In uniting together,
his mind and body would form a substantial object to God. In that
case, God becomes happy because He can feel His own character and form
objectively through the stimulation coming from such a substantial
object. Man's mind as subject feels the same way in relationship to his
body. Therefore, when man has realized God's first blessing, he
becomes a good object for the joy of God. A man with perfected
individuality feels all that God feels, as if God's feelings were his
own. Consequently, he cannot do anything which would cause God grief.
This means that such a man could never fall.
In order for man to realize God's second blessing, originally, Adam
and Eve, the divided substantial objects of God, after having
perfected their respective individualities and thus fully reflecting
God's dual essentialities, should have become husband and wife,
forming one unit. They should have multiplied through having children,
and established the four position foundation <Page 43> on a family
level centered on God. Any family or society in which such a four
position foundation centered on God is established would resemble a man
of perfected individuality. Thus, a family or a society becomes the
substantial object of man centered on God, and man and his object
together become the substantial object of God. God and man would then
be happy, for they would feel their own dual essentialities reflected
in such a family or society. When man has actualized the second
blessing, this also becomes a good object for God's joy.
Let us now learn why man becomes a good object for God's joy when he
has actualized God's third blessing. First, we must discuss the
relationship between man and the universe from the viewpoint of
"character and form".
Before creating man, God made all things in the image and likeness of
man's character and form. Therefore, man is the encapsulation of
all things.
God began His creation with animals of a lower order, then created
animals with a more complicated function; and finally He created man,
who has the highest function. Therefore, man contains the structure
elements and essential qualities of animals. For example, man's vocal
cords are so sophisticated that they are able to imitate the sounds of
all the animals. The human shape and line are the most delicate and
graceful, so that they often become a trying subject for student
artists to draw.
Men and plants are of different structures and functions, but are
similar in that they both consist of cells. Man contains the
structure, elements, and essential qualities of plants, also. For
example, a plant's leaf, seen from its function, corresponds to the
human lung. Just as a leaf absorbs carbon dioxide from the air, the
human lung absorbs oxygen. The trunk, stem, or branches of a plant
correspond to the human heart in supplying nutriments to the whole
body. The root of a plant cor-<Page 44>responds to the stomach and
intestines of a man, which absorb nutriments. Further, the shape and
function of the xylem and the phloem of a plant correspond to that of
the human artery and vein.
Man is also composed of earth, water, and air; consequently, he also
contains mineral elements. The structure of the earth, too, is similar
to that of the human body. The earth's crust is covered with plants,
underground waterways exist in the substrata, and beneath all this lies
molten lava surrounded by rocks. This closely corresponds to the
structure of the human body: the skin is covered with hair, blood
vessels exist in the musculature, and still deeper lies the marrow
within the skeleton.
God's third blessing to man signifies man's qualification to
dominate the whole creation. In order for man to actualize this
blessing, he must first establish the four position foundation with
the universe as his object, centering on God. Then, with man as the
visible object in the image of God and the universe as the symbolic
object in His indirect image, man's love and the beauty of creation
perform give and take action to form one body in unity centering on
God (cf. Part I, Ch. 1, Sec. V, 2.3--56).
The universe is the object in which man's character and form are
manifested in substance. Therefore, man whose center is fixed upon
God, would feel immense joy when he objectively feels his own character
and form through all things as his substantial objects. In like
manner, God would enjoy utmost happiness by feeling His essential
character and form through the world of His creation, which consists of
man and all things in harmonious oneness. When man has thus
actualized God's third blessing, this also becomes an object of good
for God's joy. If God's purpose of creation had been actualized in this
way, an ideal world, in which no trace of sin could be found, would
have been established on this earth. We may call this world the <Page
45>Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Man was created in the beginning to live
in the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. At the moment of his physical death,
he was to automatically transmigrate into the spirit world where he
could enjoy an eternal life in the spiritual Kingdom of Heaven.
From all the facts explained thus far, we can understand that the
Kingdom of Heaven is the world resembling a man with his individuality
perfected in accordance with the essential characteristics and form of
God. Just as in man, where the mind's command is transmitted to the
whole body through the central nervous system, thus causing the body
to act toward one purpose, so in the Kingdom of Heaven, God's command
is conveyed to all His children through the True Parents, causing all
to work toward one purpose.
SECTION IV--ORIGINAL VALUE OF CREATION 1. DETERMINATION OF THE
ORIGINAL VALUE OF CREATION AND THE STANDARD OF VALUE
How can we determine the original value of things? The value of an
object, according to the common standard, is determined by the
reciprocal relationship between the purpose of the object and man's
desire for it. The original value of an individual body is not latent
in itself as an absolute. It is determined by the reciprocal
relationship between the purpose of the individual body (as a
particular kind of object centered on God's ideal of creation) and the
desire of man (as the subject) to pursue the original value of the
object. Accordingly, in order for an object to realize the original
value of its creation, it must unite with <Page 46>man through give and
take action, thus forming the original four position foundation by
becoming the third object to God.
Then what is the standard of original value? Original value is
determined when an object and a man, as subject, establish the four
position foundation centered on God. The standard of value is God, the
absolute being, because the center of the four position foundation is
God. Therefore, the original value of an object, which is decided
relative to the standard of God as the absolute reality, must be an
absolute one.
For example, how is the beauty of a flower determined? Its original
beauty is determined when God's purpose in creating the flower and
man's spontaneous desire to pursue the flower's beauty are in accord
with each other--when man's God-centered desire to find its beauty is
fulfilled by the emotional stimulation he receives from the flower.
This brings him perfect joy. In this way, the beauty of the flower will
become absolute when the joy which man feels from the flower is
perfectly centered upon the purpose of creation.
Man's desire to pursue the beauty of creation is the desire to feel his
own character and form objectively. When God's purpose of creating the
flower and man's desire to pursue its value are found to be in accord,
the subject and object form a state of harmonious oneness. Therefore,
in order for anything to possess original value, it must, with man as
the subject, establish the four position foundation by becoming God's
third object in a state of harmonious oneness centered up Him. Then,
the original value of all things, determined by their relative
relationship with God, is also absolute. Hitherto, the value of an
object has never been absolute but only relative, because the give and
take between the object and fallen man has not been centered on God but
on Satanic purpose and desire. <Page 47>
2. ORIGINAL INTELLECT, EMOTION AND WILL AND ORIGINAL TRUTH, BEAUTY
AND GOODNESS
The human mind has three basic functions, constantly in action:
intellect, emotion and will. Man's body acts in response to his mind's
command. From this, we may conclude that man's body responds to his
mind--and thus to his intellect, emotion and will. Therefore, man's
every act should be a pursuit of truth, beauty, and goodness. God, who
is the subject of the human mind, is also the subject of human
intellect, emotion and will. When man responds with his mind to God's
original intellect, emotion and will, his body acts according to the
will of God. Therefore, man's conduct would display the values of
original truth, beauty and goodness.
3. LOVE AND BEAUTY, GOOD AND EVIL, RIGHTEOUSNESS AND UNRIGHTEOUSNESS
(1) Love and Beauty
When the two substantial bodies which result from the division of God's
dual essentialities establish a four position foundation by performing
give and take action on a reciprocal base, emotional forces work
between the subject and object to unite them as the third object to
God. Love is an emotional force given by the subject to the object;
beauty is an emotional force returned to the subject by the object. The
power of love is active and the stimulation of beauty is passive.
In the relationship between God and man, God gives love as the subject,
while man returns beauty as the object. Between man and woman, man is
the subject, giving love while woman is the object, returning beauty.
In the universe as a whole, man is the subject, who gives love to the
rest of the creation, the object which responds in beauty. However,
when the subject and <Page 48>object become united, there comes into
being a love which is latent even in beauty and a beauty latent even in
love. This is because when the subject and object unite in circular
movement, the subject is able to stand in the position of the object,
and the object in that of the subject. Between men, the beauty which
a junior returns in response to the love of a senior is called
"loyalty"; the beauty which children return in response to the love of
their parents is called "filial piety"; the beauty which a wife returns
in response to the love of her husband is called "virtue". The purpose
of love and beauty is that the two separate substances divided from
God's dual essentialities may become one through the action of give and
take, thus establishing the four position foundation, and, as God's
third object, fulfilling their purpose of creation.
Next, let us investigate the nature of God's love. The purpose of God's
creation of man will be fulfilled only when Adam and Eve, after
reaching perfection as the substantial objects of God's dual
essentialities, unite and bear children. Thus they experience the three
kinds of love which are given to their respective objects--parental
love (the first type of love given to the object), conjugal love (the
second type of love given to the object), and children's love (the
third type of love given to the object)--in order to fulfill the three
objective purposes and finally form the four position foundation. In
relationship to each of the three objective loves in the four position
foundation, God's love is subject. Therefore, God's love is
manifested in the three objective loves and becomes the fundamental
power for the establishment of the four position foundation. The
four position foundation is a perfect object of beauty upon which we
may receive and enjoy God's love perfectly; it is also the fundamental
foundation of goodness in which God's purpose of creation may be
fulfilled. <Page 49>
(2) Good and Evil
When a subject and an object fulfill the purpose of creation by
becoming one through the action of give and take, the action or its
result is called "good". When the subject and the object go against
God's purpose of creation by establishing the four position foundation
centered on Satan, such an action or its result is called "evil".
For example, when an individual fulfills God's first blessing to man by
uniting his mind and body through the give and take action of love and
beauty, and thus establishes the four position foundation of the
individual level, this individual or the actions which produce such an
individual are called "good". If Adam and Eve had become husband and
wife through the give and take action of love and beauty in the
respective positions of subject and object centered on God, and had
established the four position foundation on the family level with their
children, they would have created a family in which the purpose of
creation was fulfilled, thus realizing God's second blessing to man.
This family or the actions which establish such a family are called
"good". Further, when a man, having perfected his individuality,
places the creation in the objective position as his second self and
becomes one with it, he produces God's third object. He then
establishes the four position foundation under his control, thus
realizing God's third blessing to man. This state or the actions to
attain it are also called "good". On the other hand, when a man
fulfills a purpose contrary to God's three great blessings by
establishing the four position centered on Satan, this act or the
results of it are called "evil".
(3) Righteousness and Unrighteousness
In the course of fulfilling the purpose of goodness, the elements which
bring about a life of goodness are called "righteousness". In the
course of fulfilling the purpose of evil (Satan), the elements which
cause a life of evil are called "un-<Page 50>righteousness". Thus, it
is natural that we need to live a life of righteousness in order to
attain the purpose of goodness. This is why righteousness always
pursues the purpose of goodness.
SECTION V--THE PROCESS OF THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE AND THE PERIOD
OF GROWTH
1. THE PROCESS OF THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE
It is recorded in Chapter 1 of Genesis that the creation of the
universe commenced with the creation of light out of the chaos, void,
and darkness upon the face of the deep. God first created water and
then separated the waters which were under the firmament from the
waters which were above the firmament. Then He separated the waters
from the land. After having created the plants, fish, birds, and
mammals, He then created man. All this took a period of six days.
Through this, we can see that there was a six-day period involved in
the creation of the universe.
The process of creation as it is written in the Bible is in accord
with the evolutionary sequence of creation known to modern scientists.
In the beginning, the universe was in a gaseous state. Out of the
chaos and void of the anhydrous age, the heavenly bodies were formed.
After a spell of rainfall the world entered the aqueous age with a
firmament of water. Then, due to volcanic eruption, land appeared out
of the water, and was thus separated from the sea. Next, all the lower
plants and animals came into existence. Then came fish, fowl, mammals,
and finally man, in that order. Scientists calculate the age of the
earth to be some thousand million years. When we consider the fact that
the course of the creation of the universe described in the Bible,
which was written thousands of years ago, coincides with the findings
of scientific research, we are reassured that this record in the Bible
is an actual revelation from God. <Page 51>
The universe did not suddenly come into being without a lapse of time,
but it took considerable time for the generation of the universe to
take place. Therefore, the six days until the completion of the
creation of the universe are, in fact, not six days as calculated by
the repetition of sunrise and sunset, but an indication that there were
six periods in the course of creation.
2. THE PERIOD FOR THE GROWTH OF THE CREATION
The fact that it took six days--that is, six periods--to complete the
creation of the universe indicates that a certain amount of time is
necessary to complete the creation of any individual body in the
universe.
We read in Chapter 1 of Genesis the story of the creation of the
universe, in which each day's creation is described and each day is
designated by a number. By this, also, we can understand that a period
of time was necessary for the completion of each creation. The Bible
states that, after the creation on the first day, "there was evening
and there was morning, one day" (Gen.1:5). Somewhere in the period from
the evening, through the night, and until the next morning, the second
day should begin; but the Bible states "one day" or "the first day",
because any created being can realize the ideal of creation only in the
new morning, after its perfection through the night, which is the
period of growth.
Likewise, every phenomenon occurring in the universe brings about a
result only after the lapse of a time interval. This is because
everything made in the beginning was meant to be perfected through a
certain period of time.
(1) The Three Orderly Stages of the Growth Period
The universe is the representation of God's essential character and
form, substantially developed according to the principle of <Page
52>mathematics. We may infer that God is, in fact, mathematical. God is
the absolute reality, the existing neutral center of the two
essentialities; therefore, He is the reality of the number "three".
Every created being, which is an image or symbolic likeness of God
(Gen.1:27), is created to go through the course of the number "three"
in its existence, movement and growth.
Accordingly, the four position foundation, which was God's purpose of
creation, was to be established through the course of three stages:
God, Adam and Eve, and children. In order to establish the four
position foundation and enter into circular movement, one must
perform the three-stage origin-division-union action, accomplishing
the three objective purposes, serving as object to three subjects
and subject to three objects. In order to stand in a stable position, a
thing needs at least three points to support it. Therefore, in
order for any creature to be perfected, it must grow to maturity
through the three orderly stages of "formation", "growth" and
"perfection". The number "three" appears throughout the natural world
which consists of minerals, plants and animals. For example: matter
exists in three forms--gaseous, liquid and solid; a plant consists
basically of three parts--root, trunk or stem, and leaf; an animal
consists of head, trunk and extremities.
Let us next draw examples from the Bible. Man, having fallen before
completing the three stages of the growth period, could not fulfill
the purpose of creation. Therefore, in order to attain this
purpose, he must first go through those three stages. In the providence
of restoration, God has worked to restore the number "three". As a
consequence, there are many records in the Bible of the providence
centered on the number "three": the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy
Spirit), the three stages in Paradise, the three archangels, (Lucifer,
Gabriel and Michael), the three decks of Noah's ark, the three
flights of the dove from the ark, Abraham's three offerings, the three
days before the <Page 53>offering of Isaac, the three days of
calamity during the period of Moses, the three-day period of separation
from Satan in preparation for the Exodus, the three forty-year
periods of restoration into Canaan, the three-day period of separation
from Satan centering on Joshua before crossing the Jordan, Jesus'
thirty years of private life and three years of public ministry, three
wise men from the East with their three gifts, three major disciples of
Jesus, three temptations of Jesus, the three prayers at Gethsemane,
Peter's three denials of Jesus, the three hours of darkness during the
crucifixion, and Jesus' resurrection after three days.
When did the first human ancestors fall? They fell during their growth
period, while they were still immature. If man had fallen after he had
achieved perfection, we could not believe in the omnipotence of God.
If man could fall after he had become a perfect embodiment of
goodness, then goodness itself would be imperfect. Accordingly, we
would have to reach the conclusion that God, the absolute subject of
goodness, is also imperfect.
In Genesis 2:17, God warned Adam and Eve that in the day that they ate
the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they would
surely die. From the fact that they had two choices, either to continue
to live by obeying God's warning or accepting the way of death by going
against it, we can imagine that they were still in an immature state.
All things were created to reach perfection after they had grown
through the three stages. Man could not have been created apart from
this principle.
In which of the stages of growth did man fall? We can see that he fell
at the final level of the growth stage. This can be logically proven by
examining the various situations surrounding the fall of the first
human ancestors, and by the details of the history of the providence of
restoration. This will be further clarified by studying the first and
second parts of this book thoroughly. <Page 54>
(2) Indirect dominion
During the period of growth, each being in creation grows autonomously
by the power of the Divine Principle. Therefore, God, as the author
of the Principle, relates to the creation indirectly, dealing
directly only with those results of its growth which are in
accordance with the Principle. Therefore, we call this period God's
"indirect dominion" or His "dominion over the result in the Principle".
All things reach their perfection through the dominion and autonomy of
the Principle itself, by going through the period of growth (indirect
dominion). However, man is created to attain his perfection not only
through the dominion and autonomy of the Principle itself, but also
by accomplishing his own portion of responsibility in passing through
this period. That is, when we study God's Word, which says, "...in the
day you eat of it you shall die." (Gen. 2:17), we can understand that
man's fall was his own fault and not God's. The first human ancestors
were to become perfect by believing in the divine Word and not eating
of the fruit. However, in their disbelief, they ate of it, thus
causing the fall. In other words, the perfection or non-perfection of
man depended not only on God's power of creation but also upon man's
response. Therefore, man was created to reach his perfection by passing
through the period of growth (indirect dominion), accomplishing his
portion of responsibility, while God would fulfill His part as the
Creator.
God created man so that man could reach his perfection only by
accomplishing his portion of responsibility. God does not interfere
with man in this regard. Man should inherit God's creatorship and
participate in His work of creation. Thus, man may also enjoy the
authority of a master, enabling him to rule all things from the
position of the creator, just as God, man's Creator, has dominion over
man (Gen. 1:28). This is the difference between man and the rest of
creation. Thus, man <Page 55>reaches perfection only after having
acquired the ability to rule the rest of creation, including the
angels. He accomplishes this by going through the period of indirect
dominion, fulfilling his own portion of responsibility, and inheriting
God's creatorship. Therefore, man, who lost his qualification as the
ruler because of the fall, can never fulfill the purpose of creation
unless he goes through the indirect dominion. Thus, he may restore his
dominion over all things, including Satan, by accomplishing his
portion of responsibility in accordance with the principle of
restoration. God's providence of salvation has been prolonged for so
long because the central figures in His providence of restoration have
repeatedly failed to accomplish their portions of responsibility,
with which even God cannot interfere.
However great the grace of salvation through the cross of Christ may
be, the providence of salvation calling at man's door will be nullified
unless man himself has faith, which is his own portion of
responsibility. God granted the benefit of resurrection through the
crucifixion of Jesus, as His portion of responsibility, but it remains
man's responsibility to believe (John 3:16, Eph. 2:8, Rom. 5:1).
(3) Direct dominion
What is God's "direct dominion" and what is its purpose? Man enters
the direct dominion of God when husband and wife fulfill the purpose of
goodness through the perfect give and take action of love and beauty
between them according to the will of the subject, in perfect oneness
with God's heart, having established the four position foundation by
becoming one united body. Therefore, direct dominion is the realm of
perfection. We are destined to bring into being this direct dominion
of God because it must exist in order for the purpose of creation to be
fulfilled. What significance does the direct dominion of God have for
man? <Page 56>
If Adam and Eve had perfected themselves, centering on God,
becoming one united body to form the four position foundation on the
family level, and then had lived a life of goodness in perfect oneness
with the divine heart, we would call this state the "direct dominion of
God". A man in such a state can put into practice the will of God by
understanding it and by experiencing God's heart, which underlies it.
Just as each section or nerve of the body is set into action by the
command of the human mind, which is invisible, man would act out the
will of God in obedience to His command, thus fulfilling the purpose of
creation.
Next, let us discuss how man assumes direct dominion over all things.
When perfected man as subject, and the physical world, as his object,
become one united body centered on God and establish the four position
foundation and when man thus fulfills the purpose of goodness
through the perfect give and take action of love and beauty with the
physical world according to his will, in perfect oneness with God's
heart, man attains direct dominion over all things.
SECTION VI--THE INVISIBLE SUBSTANTIAL WORLD AND THE VISIBLE
SUBSTANTIAL WORLD CENTERING ON MAN
1. THE INVISIBLE SUBSTANTIAL WORLD AND THE VISIBLE SUBSTANTIAL WORLD
Since the universe was created after the model of man, who is in the
image and likeness of God's dual essentialities, every existence,
without exception, takes after man's basic form, which consists of mind
and body (cf. Part I, Ch. 1, Sec. I--20). Thus, in the universe there
exists not only the visible substantial <Page 57>world, which
resembles the human body, but also the invisible substantial world,
which is modeled after the human mind. We call the latter the
invisible substantial world, because we cannot perceive it with our
five physical senses; however, we can perceive it with our five
spiritual senses. The invisible world, like the visible world, is a
world of reality. It is actually felt and perceived, through the
five spiritual senses. The two substantial worlds together are called
the "macrocosm".
Just as the body cannot act without a relationship with the mind, the
original man of creation cannot act without a relationship with God.
The visible world cannot enjoy its original value of creation without
relating to the invisible world. In the same manner that we cannot
understand a man's behavior without knowing his mind, we cannot really
know the fundamental significance of human life without knowing God.
Without understanding the invisible world, we cannot perfectly know
the visible world. Thus, the invisible world is the subjective world;
the visible world is the objective world, the latter operating like a
shadow of the former (Heb. 8:5). Man, upon his death, after his life in
the visible world, goes to the invisible world in a spiritual body,
having taken off his "clothes of flesh" (Job 10:11), and lives there
forever.
2. POSITION OF MAN IN THE UNIVERSE
First, God created man to be the ruler of the universe (Gen. 1:28).
The universe, except man, does not have internal sensibility to God.
That is why God does not dominate the world directly; but by creating
man to have complete sensibility to the universe, God lets him rule the
universe directly. In creating man, God created his flesh with
ingredients from the water, earth, and air, which are the main
elements of the visible world. God did this to enable man to be
sensible to and to have dominion over this world. He created the spirit
man with spiritual elements to enable him to be sensible and have <Page
58>dominion over the invisible world. On the Mount of Transfiguration,
Moses, who had died nearly 1600 years before, and Elijah, who had died
nearly 900 years before, appeared to Jesus (Matt. 17:3). These were
actually the spirits of Moses and Elijah. Only man, who consists of
both flesh and spirit, which enable him to dominate the visible and
invisible worlds, can rule the two worlds.
Second, God created man to be the mediator and the center of harmony
of the universe. When man's flesh and spirit, by becoming one through
their give and take action, stand as the substantial object of God, the
visible and invisible worlds also become the object of God by uniting
through give and take action centered on man. Thus, man is the mediator
and center of harmony between the two worlds. Therefore, man is like
the air which enables a tuning fork to resound. Since man is created to
communicate with the invisible world, he is meant to reflect
everything happening in the world of spirit.
Third, God created man as the substantial microcosm of the whole. God
first created the universe by developing, in substance, man's character
and form. Thus, the spirit man is the substantial encapsulation of
the invisible world, since God created the invisible world as the
substantial development of the character and form of the spirit man.
Likewise, the physical man is the substantial encapsulation of the
visible world, since God created the visible world as the substantial
development of the character and form of the physical man.
Consequently, man is a microcosm, the encapsulation of the whole
macrocosm.
Because of the fall of man, however, the whole creation lost its ruler.
We read in Romans 8:19 that the creation waits in eager longing for the
revealing of the sons of God (restored men of the original nature).
Romans 8:22 continues with, "the whole creation has been groaning in
travail together". This is because the give and take action between the
visible and invisible worlds has been cut off due to the fall of man,
rendering <Page 59>them unable to unite, since man was to be their
mediator and center of harmony.
Jesus came as a perfect man in flesh and spirit. Therefore he was the
substantial microcosm of the whole. That is why the Bible says that
God has put all things in subjection under the feet of Christ (I Cor.
15:27). Jesus is our savior. He came to the world in order to perfect
fallen men by striving to have them unite with him.
3. THE RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PHYSICAL MAN AND THE SPIRIT
MAN
(1) The Structure and Function of the Physical Man
The physical man consists of the dual essentialities, flesh mind
(subject) and flesh body (object). The flesh mind enables the flesh
body to multiply and provide protection. The instinct of an animal
corresponds to the flesh mind. In order for the physical man to grow in
good health, it must absorb air and light, which are invisible
nourishment of a positive nature, while also taking in material
elements, which are visible nourishment of a negative nature. All these
must perform a perfect action of give and take through the circulation
of blood.
The goodness or evil in the conduct of the physical man influences his
spirit man to become either good or evil. This is because the physical
man provides a certain element to the spirit man, which we call the
"vitality element". In our everyday life, we know that our mind
rejoices when our body performs a good deed, but feels anxiety after
evil conduct. This is because the vitality element, which can be good
or evil according to the deed of man, is infused into our spirit man.
(2) The Structure and Function of the Spirit Man
The spirit man, which exists as an invisible substantial being, was
created to be the subject to the physical man and to be felt and
perceived through our spiritual senses. Through the spirit <Page
60>man we can communicate directly with God and have dominion over the
invisible world, including the angels. Our spirit man is identical
in appearance to our physical man, and it lives for eternity in the
invisible world after leaving the physical body. Man desires to
live forever because he has within himself a spirit man, which has an
eternal nature.
The spirit man consists of the dual essentialities of spirit mind
(subject) and spirit body (object). The spirit mind is the spirit man's
central part, where God may abide. Our spirit man grows through the
give and take action between the "life element" (positive) coming
from God, and the "vitality element" (negative) coming from the
physical man. The spirit man not only receives the vitality element
from the physical man but also sends a certain element in return
which we call the "living spirit element". We have seen that a man,
influenced by another higher spirit, could feel infinite joy and new
strength swelling up in him, even making it possible to heal a chronic
disease. Such instances occur because the physical man receives the
living spirit element from the spirit man. Further, the spirit man can
grow only in the soil of the physical man. Therefore, the relationship
between the spirit man and the physical man is like that between fruit
and tree. When the physical mind responds to desires of the spirit
mind, the physical man acts in accordance with the purpose of the
spirit mind. Then the physical man receives the living spirit element
from the spirit man. This brings good feelings and energy to the
spirit man. Accordingly, the physical man, when it returns a wholesome
vitality element to the spirit man, influence it to grow normally, in
the direction of goodness.
The truth teaches us what it is that our spirit mind desires. When man
comes to understand, through the truth, what our spirit mind desires,
and why by putting it into practice he accomplishes his portion of
responsibility, then the living spirit element and the vitality element
enter into give and take <Page 61>action for the purpose of goodness.
The relationship between the living spirit element and the vitality
element corresponds to the relationship between character and form.
Because the living spirit element is always at work in every
individual, the original mind always inclines toward goodness, even in
an evil person. However, unless a man leads a good life, the
living spirit element cannot provide anything for the betterment of the
physical man. Also, it cannot enjoy normal give and take action with
the vitality element. Likewise, our spirit man can be perfected only
through our physical life on earth.
Our spirit man should perfect itself by gradually growing through the
three orderly stages in conjunction with our physical man, centering
on the spirit mind, in accordance with the principle of creation. A
spirit man which is in the formation stage is called a "form spirit",
in the growth stage, a "life spirit", and in the perfection stage, a
"divine spirit".
When our spirit man and our physical man establish the four position
foundation by performing perfect give and take action centering on
God, thus forming a united body, the spirit man becomes a divine
spirit. At this level, the spirit man can feel and perceive everything
in the invisible world. Since all the spiritual phenomena thus
perceived by the spirit man are reflected and echoed in the physical
man, presenting themselves as physical phenomena, man finally comes to
feel spiritual phenomena even with his five physical senses. The
Kingdom of God in heaven is the place where spirits go to live forever
after leaving their physical bodies, when they have ended their
physical life in the Kingdom of God on earth. The Kingdom of God in
heaven can be realized only after the realization of the Kingdom of
God on earth.
The sensibility of our spirit man is to be cultivated through its
reciprocal relationship with our physical man during physical life
on earth. Therefore, man should be perfected and experience <Page 62>
God's perfect love on earth in order for his spirit man to experience
God's perfect love in the invisible substantial world after his
physical death. Thus, the character and qualities of the spirit man are
formed during our earthly life. The aggravation of evil in the spirit
of a fallen man is due to his sinful conduct during his earthly life.
Likewise, the betterment of a fallen spirit man comes about only
through the redemption of his sin during his physical life on earth.
This was the reason Jesus came to earth in the flesh to save sinful
mankind. Thus, we must lead a good life on earth. Jesus gave the keys
to the Kingdom of Heaven to Peter (Matt. 16:19), and said that whatever
is bound on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever is loosed on
earth shall be loosed in heaven (Matt. 18:18), because the primary
purpose of the providence of salvation must first be realized on the
earth.
The destination of the spirit man is decided by the spirit man himself,
not by God. Originally, man was made so that after his perfection, he
could breathe God's love perfectly. If a spirit man is unable to
breathe this love perfectly, because of his sinful conduct, he feels
pain when standing before God, who is the subject of perfect love.
Consequently, such a spirit would automatically go to hell, which is
the state farthest removed from the love of God. In addition, the
multiplication of spirit men occurs at the same time as the
multiplication of physical men through man's physical life, because the
spirit man was created to grow only in the soil of the physical man.
(3) The Human Mind Seen from the Relationship between Spirit Mind and
Physical Mind
The relationship between spirit mind and physical mind is like that
between character and form. When these two become one through give and
take action centered on God, the spirit man and the physical man
naturally become one harmonious unit. <Page 63>The give and take
action between the spirit mind and the physical mind produces a
united body, the human mind, which directs the individual toward
the accomplishment of the purpose of creation. Man became ignorant of
God because of the fall. Thus, he became ignorant of the absolute
standard of goodness. But, according to the original nature of
creation, the human mind always directs man toward what it thinks is
good. This directing power is called human conscience. However,
fallen man, being ignorant of the absolute standard of goodness,
cannot set up the absolute standard of conscience. As the standard
of goodness varies, so does the standard of conscience, and this
causes frequent contention even among those who advocate a
conscientious life. The part of the human mind which corresponds to
character and always directs man toward the absolute standard of
goodness is called the "original mind", and that which corresponds to
form is called the "conscience".
Therefore, when man, due to ignorance, sets up a standard of goodness
different from that of the original nature of creation, the human
conscience directs toward that standard; however, the original mind
rejects it and tries to turn the direction of conscience toward the
standard of the original mind. When the spirit mind and the physical
mind which are under the bondage of Satan become one unit through the
action of give and take, man's development in the direction of evil is
accelerated. We call this unit the "evil mind".
The original mind and conscience of man repel this evil mind and direct
man toward goodness by helping him to separate himself from Satan and
to face God. <Page 64>
CHAPTER 2. FALL OF MAN
Men, without exception, are inclined to repel evil and to pursue
goodness. But men, unconsciously driven by an evil force, repel the
goodness desired by their original minds and perform evil acts which
they do not really want to do. In Christianity, this evil force is known
as "Satan". Because man does not know the real nature and origin of
Satan, he has been unable to liquidate the force of Satan. In order to
eradicate the source of evil, end the sinful history of mankind, and
establish an era of goodness, we first must clarify the motivation of
Satan and the nature of his being. In order to do this, we must study
the "Fall of Man". <Page 65>
SECTION I--THE ROOT OF SIN
Until the present era, not a single man has known the root of sin.
Christians have believed that Adam and Eve, the first man and the first
woman, ate the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and
that this act was the root of sin. There are a number of believers who
assume that the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is
the fruit of an actual tree, while others believe that the fruit is a
symbol. Such diverse opinions lead to differing interpretations and,
hence, to confusion.
1. THE TREE OF LIFE AND THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL
Many Christians to this day believe that the fruit which caused Adam and
Eve to fall was literally the fruit of a tree. But how could God--the
Parent of man--make a fruit so tempting (Gen. 3:6) that His children
would risk falling in order to eat it? How could He have placed such a
harmful fruit where His children could reach it so easily?
Jesus said, "Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes
out of the mouth, this defiles a man." (Matt. 15:11). Then how could the
food which man eats cause him to fall? The original sin of man has been
inherited from the first man and the first woman. How could something
edible be the source of that sin or the cause of transmitting that
original sin to the children? That which is inherited is passed on
through the blood lineage. What a man has eaten cannot be transmitted
from one generation to the next.
There are many who believe that God created the fruit of the Tree of the
Knowledge of Good and Evil and commanded man <Page 66>not to eat of it
in order to test man's obedience to Him. We must ask: would a God of
Love test man so mercilessly by a means that could cause his death? Adam
and Eve knew they would die when they ate the fruit, for God had told
them. Yet they ate it. We cannot understand why Adam and Eve, who were
far from starvation, would disobey God's command at the risk of their
lives. The fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil must have
been so extraordinarily stimulating and so ardently desired that fear of
punishment--even death--could not deter them from eating it.
If the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was not a
material fruit, but a symbol, what does this symbol represent? To answer
this question let us begin with an examination of the Tree of Life,
which grew in the Garden of Eden along with the Tree of the Knowledge of
Good and Evil (Gen. 2:9). When we grasp the true character of the Tree
of Life, we will also know the nature of the Tree of the Knowledge of
Good and Evil.
(1) The Tree of Life
According to the Bible, the hope of fallen man lies in the Tree of Life,
that is, in becoming a Tree of Life. Israelites of the Old Testament
looked toward the Tree of Life as their ultimate hope (Prov. 13:12). The
hope of Christians from Jesus' day to the present time has been directed
toward the Tree of Life (Rev. 22:14). Since the ultimate hope of fallen
man is the Tree of Life, we can conclude that the hope of Adam before
his fall was also the Tree of Life.
Why can we conclude that the hope of Adam was to attain the Tree of
Life? Genesis 3:24 says that after Adam committed sin, God placed
cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the Tree of Life. Due to his fall,
Adam was driven from the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:24) without having
attained the Tree of Life. Ever <Page 67>since then, fallen man has set
his hope upon attaining what Adam failed to attain--the Tree of Life.
What must Adam have hoped while he was in the process of growing to
perfection? He hoped to reach perfect manhood without falling and thus
fulfill God's ideal of creation. So we can now understand the importance
of the Tree of Life as "manhood fulfilling the ideal of creation", as
perfected Adam. The Tree of Life represents perfected Adam.
Had Adam attained the Tree of Life, all his descendants also could have
attained the Tree of Life and thus they could have realized the Kingdom
of Heaven on earth. But Adam fell and God placed the flaming sword at
the entrance of the Garden to guard it. So the Tree of Life remains the
hope of fallen man, who is trying to restore the ideal of creation.
Why is the quest to attain the Tree of Life so difficult that none have
attained it? Fallen man, burdened with original sin, cannot achieve that
goal by his own ability alone. A man who has fulfilled the ideal of
creation on earth must come and draw all fallen men to himself in
harmonious oneness (Rom. 11:17). Such a man must come to show fallen men
the way. Jesus came as the Tree of Life to fulfill the hope of the Old
Testament saints, who had waited for his advent (Prov. 13:12).
Acts 2:4 states that the saints, on the day of Pentecost, could receive
the Holy Spirit, through whom all mankind might come to Jesus, the Tree
of Life, and be joined with him. This would happen only after the
distribution of the "tongues as of fire", that is, the sword of fire,
which guards the way to the Tree of Life. In this way only are
Christians spiritually joined with Jesus. Thus, no matter how devout
their faith in Jesus, parents cannot but give birth to sinful children,
who are required to undergo the redemption of sins. We know that even
the most pious saints have not been able to remove the original sin;
there-<Page 68>fore, even they must transmit this sin to their children
(cf. Part I, Ch. 4, Sec. I--140).
Therefore, Christ must come again on earth as the Tree of Life to carry
out the providence of the redemption of mankind from original sin by
grafting men to himself. This is the reason that the saints of the New
Testament Age wait for the Tree of Life recorded in Revelation 22:14,
which is, in fact, the Lord of the Second Advent.
We can understand that the purpose of God's providence of salvation is
to restore the Tree of life which was lost in the Garden of Eden (Gen.
2:9), to the Tree of Life mentioned in Revelation 22:14. Because of the
fall, Adam could not attain the first Tree of Life. Therefore, Christ
must come again as the last Adam (Rev. 22:13) in order to save fallen
man. It is for this reason that Christ is called the "last Adam" (I Cor.
15:45).
(2) The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
God created Adam, and He also created Eve as Adam's spouse. Thus, when
we find in the Garden of Eden a tree symbolizing manhood, we know there
must be another tree symbolizing womanhood. The Tree of the Knowledge of
Good and Evil, which was described as standing with the Tree of Life
(Gen. 2:9), was thus the symbol of Eve.
The Bible refers to Jesus as the vine (John 15:5), or the olive tree
(Rom. 11:17). Likewise, Adam and Eve are represented by two trees.
2. THE TRUE NATURE OF THE SERPENT
In the Bible we read that the serpent tempted Eve to sin (Gen. 3:4-5).
What does this serpent signify? The answer is found by studying the true
character of the serpent in the third chapter of Genesis. <Page 69>
The serpent described in the Bible could converse with man. Moreover, he
caused the fall of man, who is a spiritual being. Therefore, the serpent
also must have been a spiritual being. He knew God's intention to
prohibit man from eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good
and Evil. This tells us decisively that the serpent was spiritual.
In Revelation 12:9 we read further that the "great dragon was thrown
down, that ancient serpent", who is called the devil by some, and Satan
by others. This "ancient serpent" was the same one which tempted Adam
and Eve in the Garden of Eden. This serpent is called the devil and
Satan who, as we know, has constantly directed the human mind toward
evil. Therefore, Satan must be a spiritual being. If the devil is
spiritual, the serpent symbolizing the devil also must be spiritual. So
we are assured that the serpent which tempted the first man and the
first woman was not an animal but was a spiritual being.
A question we must resolve, then, is whether the serpent existed before
the time of the creation or was formed at the creation. If this serpent
was a being in existence before creation with a purpose contrary to that
of God, the struggle between good and evil in the world would be
inevitable and eternal. God's providence of restoration, then, would
come to naught; and monism, the belief that all things were created by
one God, would be disproven. We cannot avoid the conclusion, therefore,
that the spiritual being, likened to a serpent, was a being originally
created for the purpose of goodness who later fell and was degraded to
become Satan.
What kind of spiritual being could have conversed with man, known God's
will, lived in heaven (the world of spirit), and could dominate the
human soul, transcendent of time and space, even after this being's fall
and degradation? There is no being endowed with such characteristics
except an angel. The <Page 70>serpent, then, must have been a figurative
term for an angel. We read in II Peter 2:4 that God did not spare the
angels when they sinned but cast them into hell. So we must conclude
that the true nature of the serpent, which tempted man to sin, was that
of an angel.
The serpent's tongue is split in two. This symbolizes a man or being
which utters two different things with one tongue, a being which lives a
double life with one heart. The serpent is also the symbol of one who
induces others to sacrifice themselves for his own benefit. The serpent
twists its body around the prey, and then devours it. For these reasons,
the Bible likened the angel which tempted man to a serpent.
3. THE FALL OF THE ANGEL AND THE FALL OF MAN
Now we know that the serpent which tempted man to fall was an angel, and
that this angel, having fallen into sin, became Satan. Let us further
investigate what kind of sin the angel and (the) man committed.
(1) The Crime of the Angel
Jude 1:6-7 reads:
And the angels that did not keep their own position but left their
proper dwelling have been kept by him in eternal chains in the nether
gloom until the judgment of the great day; just as Sodom and Gomorrah
and the surrounding cities, which likewise acted immorally [committed
fornication] and indulged in unnatural lust, serve as an example by
undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
From this we can reason that the angel fell as the result of an immoral
act of unnatural lust, and that act was fornication.
Fornication is a crime which cannot be committed by one person alone.
Therefore, we must know with whom the angel committed fornication in the
Garden of Eden. In order to know <Page 71>that, let us first investigate
what kind of crime was committed by man.
(2) The Crime of Man
In Genesis 2:25 we read that Adam and Eve were naked, and were not
ashamed of their nakedness. But, after the fall, they became ashamed of
their nakedness and sewed fig leaves together into aprons to cover their
lower parts (Gen. 3:7). If they had committed sin by eating an actual
fruit of a "tree of the knowledge of good and evil", they would have
concealed their hands and mouths instead. It is the nature of man to
conceal an area of transgression. They covered their sexual parts,
clearly indicating that they were ashamed of the sexual areas of their
bodies because they had sinned through them. From this we know that they
committed sin through the sexual parts of their bodies.
In Job 31:33 it is written: "If I have concealed my transgressions from
men, by hiding my iniquity in my bosom...". Adam concealed his
transgression by covering the sexual part of his body after the fall.
This again indicates that the sexual part of Adam's body was the area of
transgression. Thus we must conclude that Adam's sexual part became the
place of transgression, because Adam committed sin through that part.
In the world before the fall of man, what act could man have performed
at the risk of his life? It could be nothing else but an improper act of
love. From the viewpoint of God's creation, love should be the most
precious and holy act in the world. Nevertheless, men since the fall
have often regarded the act of love as despicable, because love was the
very cause of the human fall. This further demonstrates that man fell
because of fornication. <Page 72>
(3) The Act of Adultery between the Angel and Man
Thus far, we have clarified the fact that man was tempted by an angel
and fell. Both man and the angel fell because of fornication. In the
world of creation, men and angels are the only spiritual beings capable
of having a relationship of love. From the above, we can conclude that
there must have been some act of adultery between man and the angel.
John 8:44 says, "You are of your father the devil, and your will is to
do your father's desires.". Again, Revelation 12:9 clarifies that the
devil is Satan, and that Satan is the "ancient serpent" which tempted
man. From these Biblical verses we can assert that man is the descendant
of the devil and, naturally, the descendant of Satan; and thus, he is
the descendant of the serpent. What were the circumstances surrounding
the affair which made man the descendant of the fallen angel, Satan?
These circumstances are related to the fact that adultery was committed
between the first human ancestors and the angel. From this act, all men
came to be born of Satanic lineage, apart from God's. In Romans 8:23, it
says: ...we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan
inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
In Matthew 3:7, John the Baptist reproached the faithless people,
calling them a "brood of vipers"--sons of Satan. Again, in Matthew 23:33
Jesus rebuked the Jews, saying, "You serpents, you brood of vipers, how
are you to escape being sentenced to hell?".
From these Biblical references we can ascertain that there was an
adulterous relationship between the angel and man, and this became the
cause of the fall of man. <Page 73>
4. THE FRUIT OF THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL
We have previously clarified the fact that the tree of the Knowledge of
Good and Evil is Eve. What then does the fruit of the tree symbolize? It
symbolizes Eve's love. Just as a fruit tree multiplies by the fruit
which contains its seed, Eve should have multiplied children of goodness
through her love centered on God. But instead, Eve multiplied children
of evil through her love centered on Satan. Eve was created to become
perfect through the period of growth she could bear either good fruit or
bad fruit through her love. Consequently, her love was called "the fruit
of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil", while she herself was
called "the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil".
Then, what did the act of eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge
of Good and Evil signify? When we say we eat something, it means that we
make it into our blood and flesh. Eve should have multiplied children of
good lineage through her blood and flesh of goodness derived from the
good "fruit" she ate in her love centered on God. Instead, she produced
a sinful world by multiplying children of bad lineage through her blood
and flesh of evil derived from the evil "fruit" she ate in her love
centered on Satan. Accordingly, Eve's having eaten the fruit of the Tree
of the Knowledge of Good and Evil signifies that she had a blood
relationship with the angel (Satan) through her evil love centered on
him.
Genesis 3:14 states that God cursed the fallen angel, saying he should
go upon his belly and should eat dust all the days of his life. "Upon
your belly you shall go" means that the angel becomes a miserable being,
unable to function properly according to the original way of creation.
To have to "eat dust" means that he has to live by receiving evil
vitality elements from the sinful world, deprived of the right to have
elements of life from <Page 74>God, since he was thrown down from heaven
(Is. 14:12, Rev. 12:9).
5. THE ROOT OF SIN
According to what has been elucidated by the Bible, we have come to
understand that the root of sin is not that the first human ancestors
ate a fruit, but that they had an illicit blood relationship with an
angel symbolized by a serpent. Consequently, they could not multiply the
good lineage of God, but rather multiplied the evil lineage of Satan.
Furthermore, there is another fact which demonstrates clearly that the
root of man's sin stems from adultery. It is because the root of sin
began by a blood relationship that the original sin is transmitted from
generation to generation. Every religion which teaches how to eliminate
sin has called adultery the greatest sin, and has emphasized an ascetic
life in order to prevent it. This also demonstrates that the root of sin
lies in adultery. The Israelites were circumcised as a condition of
redemption to become God's elect, because the root of sin lay in having
received evil blood because of adultery, and they wanted to sanctify
themselves to make a condition that the evil blood be removed from their
flesh as fallen men.
The principal cause of the downfall of numerous nations, national heroes
and patriots, was adultery, because the urge to commit adultery, the
root of sin, was always at work in the mind of man without his being
conscious of it. We may be able to eradicate all other sins by elevating
the ethics and the morality of man through religion, education, and
improvement of the economic and social system. But in present conditions
no one can prevent the crime of adultery, which has become increasingly
prevalent as the development of civilization makes human life easier and
more indolent. Therefore, we can never expect the ideal world to be
established unless we can eradicate <Page 75>the source of this crime.
Accordingly, the Lord of the Second Advent must be able to solve this
problem completely. All these facts prove that the root of sin lies in
adultery.
SECTION II--THE MOTIVATION AND PROCESS OF THE FALL
We have already clarified in Section I the fact that the serpent was an
angel who caused Eve to fall. Since the motivation of the human fall lay
within the angel, we must know something about the angel before we can
really know the motivation and process of the fall.
1. THE CREATION OF THE ANGEL, HIS MISSION, AND HIS RELATIONSHIP TO MAN
All beings were created by God. The angels were no exception. God
created the angelic world before anything else. Genesis 1:26 records the
story of creation: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness",
putting the first person in the plural. This is not because He was
speaking as a trinity, as many theologians have interpreted, but because
He was speaking to the angels, who had been created before man (Gen.
1:26).
God created the angels as servants who were to assist in the creation of
the universe, and in His dispensation for it (Heb. 1:14). The angels
conveyed to Abraham the important words of blessing from God (Gen.
18:10), heralded Mary's conception of Christ (Matt. 1:20, Luke 1:31),
and unchained Peter and led him out of prison (Acts 12:7-11). We can
find numerous examples in the Bible of the angels working for God. In
Revelation 22:9 the angel calls himself a "servant", while in Hebrews
1:14, angels are said to be "ministering spirits". Again, we may <Page
76>find in many biblical verses solid proof of the angels having been
created to honor and praise God (Rev. 5:11-12, 7:11-12).
Let us now investigate the relationship between man and angels,
according to the principle of creation. Since God created men as His
children, giving them dominion over all creation (Gen. 1:28), man was
supposed to dominate the angels, too. I Corinthians 6:3 says that man
has the authority to judge the angels. Many who communicate with the
spirit world frequently see angels ministering to the saints in
Paradise. This, too, is a good example illustrating that angels minister
to men.
2. THE SPIRITUAL FALL AND THE PHYSICAL FALL
Since God created man in spirit and flesh, the fall also took place in
spirit and flesh. The fall through the blood relationship between the
angel and Eve was the spiritual fall, while that through the blood
relationship between Eve and Adam was the physical fall.
How could there be a sexual relationship between the angel and man?
Feelings and sensations are felt and responded to in the invisible, or
spirit world. Contact between a spirit and earthly man (who has a
spirit) is not very different from contact between two earthly human
beings. Therefore, sexual union between a human being and an angel is
actually possible.
We can understand what has been said here even more clearly through the
following stories. There are recorded instances in human society of an
earthly man leading a married life with a spirit. There is the story of
the angel who, in wrestling with Jacob, touched the hollow of his thigh
and put it out of joint (Gen. 32:25). Still another story is about the
angels who appeared in Abraham's home and ate the meat and other food he
had prepared for them (Gen. 18:7-8), and the two angels visiting Lot who
ate the unleavened bread he baked for them. <Page 77>The men of the
city, excited in sexual desire upon seeing them, surrounded the house
and called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring
them out to us, that we may know them." (Gen. 19:5). These incidents
illustrate the possibility of contact between men and angels.
(1) Spiritual Fall
God created the angelic world (Gen. 1:26) and put Lucifer (signified by
"Day Star, son of Dawn", Is. 14:12) in the position of archangel.
Lucifer was in a position to monopolize God's love as the mediator
between God and the angelic world, just as Abraham was the channel for
God's blessing to the Israelites. However, God, after creating men as
His children, loved them much more than He loved Lucifer, who had been
created as His servant. In fact, Lucifer received the same amount of
God's love as he had before the creation of man, but when he saw that
God loved Adam and Eve more, he felt that God loved him less than
before. This situation is similar to the biblical story of the laborers
who had begun working early in the morning; seeing that those who were
hired late and worked little received the same wage as they, they felt
underpaid, although they received the promised amount (Matt. 20:1-15).
Lucifer, who felt a decrease of love, tried to tempt Eve to submit to
him in order that he might enjoy the same position in human society that
he did in the angelic world. This was the motivation of the spiritual
fall.
All things were created to receive God's dominion through love.
Therefore, love is the source of life and the essence of happiness; love
is the ideal of all creation. Accordingly, the more one receives God's
love, the more beautiful he or she becomes. So it was very natural that
Eve looked most beautiful in Lucifer's eyes. Moreover, when Eve was
susceptible to his temptation. Lucifer was strongly stimulated by an
impulse of love toward Eve. At this point, Lucifer dared to seduce Eve
at <Page 78>the risk of his life. Lucifer, who left his position due to
excessive desire, and Eve, who desired to have her eyes opened like
God's through a sexual relationship before she was ready for it, thus
formed a reciprocal base and had sexual intercourse with each other
through their give and take action (Gen 3:5-6). Since the power of love
derived from their give and take action was not based on the Principle,
they fell into an illicit relationship of spiritual love.
According to the principle that men were created to exchange elements
with the objective being with whom they have become one body through
love, Eve received certain elements from Lucifer when she joined into
one body with him through love. First, she received from Lucifer the
sense of fear, which came from his guilty conscience because of their
violation of the purpose of creation. Second, she received wisdom
enabling her to perceive that her intended spouse in the original nature
of creation was not Lucifer but Adam. At that time Eve was still in the
period of immaturity. Therefore, she was immature in her wisdom compare
to the archangel, who had already reached a certain level of maturity.
Thus she received the wisdom of the archangel.
(2) Physical Fall
Adam and Eve should have become husband and wife, eternally centered on
God, after their perfection. However, Eve joined with Adam after she had
the illicit relationship with the archangel in her period of growth.
Adam, too, fell in his growth period. The premature conjugal
relationship thus established between Adam and Eve was centered on Satan
and caused the physical fall.
As mentioned above, Eve obtained, from the spiritual fall with the
archangel, the sense of fear arising from the pangs of her guilty
conscience, and the wisdom to understand that her intended spouse was
not the archangel but Adam. Eve then <Page 79>seduced Adam in the hope
that she might rid herself of the fear derived from the fall and stand
before God by becoming, even then, one body with Adam, who was meant to
be her spouse. This was the motivation behind the physical fall.
Eve, having become one body with the archangel through their illicit
sexual relationship, was in the position of the archangel to Adam.
Therefore, Adam, whom God loved, looked very beautiful to her. Adam was
Eve's only hope for returning to God. Feeling this, Eve tempted Adam,
just as the archangel had tempted her. Adam and Eve formed a reciprocal
base, and through their give and take action, the power of love drew
them closer. This powerful love made Adam leave his original position
and finally caused Eve and him to have an illicit sexual relationship.
Adam, by becoming one body with Eve, inherited all the elements Eve had
received from Lucifer, in the same manner she did. These elements were
then transmitted to their descendants. Despite Eve's fall, if Adam had
reached perfection without forming a reciprocal base with the fallen
Eve, he as the perfected subject would have remained intact, and the
providence to restore Eve alone would have been much easier. However,
Adam also fell, and mankind has multiplied in sin to the present day,
thus perpetuating the lineage of Satan.
SECTION III--THE POWER OF LOVE, THE POWER OF THE PRINCIPLE, AND GOD'S
COMMANDMENT
1. THE HUMAN FALL SEEN FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF THE POWER OF LOVE AND THE
POWER OF THE PRINCIPLE
Man was created to live in accordance with the Principle. Therefore, it
cannot be that the power of the Principle would cause the fall, and
throw man off the track. We can compare <Page 80>this to a train which
cannot run off the track by itself. For a train to run off the track,
there must be a breakdown in the engine or the rail, or an external
force stronger than its own running force must collide with it, coming
from a different direction. Likewise, man can fall when a certain power,
stronger than that of the Principle which makes him grow, and with a
different purpose, collides with him. The power which is stronger than
that of the Principle is nothing else but the power of love. Therefore,
man, in an immature state, could fall because of the power of love, if
it was not centered on the Principle.
Why, then, was the power of love stronger than the power of the
Principle, such that man fell when he met with love headed for a
different purpose?
According to the principle of creation, God's love is the subjective
love, manifested through the four position foundation, which is
established by having perfected the three objective purposes through the
three objective loves. Therefore, love is the source of man's life and
happiness, because without God's love, the four position foundation,
which is the purpose of man's creation, could never be established. God,
through love, should have dominion over man, who is created through the
Principle. Therefore, in order that love may have the greater value, the
power of love must be stronger than that of the Principle. If the power
of love were weaker than that of the Principle, God's love would not be
able to dominate man, who was created through the Principle. Rather, man
would be concerned with the Principle more than with God's love. This
was the reason that Jesus wanted to raise his disciples with the truth
and save them with love.
2. THE PURPOSE OF GOD'S GIVING MAN THE COMMANDMENT
What could have been the purpose God's giving Adam and Eve the
commandment not to eat the fruit? If Adam and Eve, <Page 81>who were not
in God's direct dominion of love due to their immaturity, should enter
into a reciprocal relationship with the archangel based on unprincipled
love, they could fall, since the power of love was stronger than that of
the Principle. But, however strong the power of the archangel's love
was, if they had followed God's commandment without responding to the
angel, performing the action of give and take with God alone, they could
not have fallen. In that case, the power of unprincipled love could not
have any effect. Since they formed a reciprocal base with the archangel
and performed give and take action with him, against God's commandment,
the power of illicit love made them deviate from the Principle.
It was not simply because He wanted to prevent him from falling that God
gave such a commandment to man while he was yet immature. God also
wanted man to enjoy dominion over all creation by having him inherit His
creative nature. Thus, Adam and Eve should have perfected themselves
through their faith in the Word, as their own portion of responsibility
(cf. Part I, Ch. 1, Sec. V, 2.2--55).
God gave this commandment not to the archangel but to man; He sought to
exalt man's dignity and qualification in the principle of creation so
that man might dominate even the archangel from the position of God's
son.
3. THE PERIOD NECESSITATING THE COMMANDMENT
Would God's commandment not to eat of the fruit have been necessary
forever? Seen from the viewpoint of love, the fulfillment of God's
second blessing is that Adam and Eve enter into God's direct dominion
through His love by becoming husband and wife, centering on God's love,
and multiplying their children (Gen. 1:28). Therefore, man was created
to be allowed, by the Principle, to eat the fruit after his perfection.
<Page 82>
Since the power of love is stronger than that of the Principle, Adam and
Eve could not have fallen if they had become husband and wife after
their perfection, and entered into God's direct dominion through their
absolute love. (In this case, no man nor any other power could break the
power of the absolute conjugal love. Moreover, the power of the
archangel's love, which is supposed to be lesser and weaker than man's
could by no means have severed their reciprocal love centered on God.
Therefore, God's commandment not to eat of the fruit would have been
necessary for Adam and Eve only in the period of their immaturity.
SECTION IV--THE RESULT OF THE HUMAN FALL
What was the result brought about in the world of creation, including
man and the archangel, by the spiritual and physical fall of Adam and
Eve? Let us examine this important question.
1. SATAN AND FALLEN MAN
We have previously mentioned that Lucifer, the fallen archangel, was
called Satan. Man fell, becoming Satan's child, because he formed the
four position foundation centered on Satan, thus becoming one body with
him through their blood relationship. Therefore, Jesus said that fallen
men are of their father the devil (John 8:44), and on many occasions
called them the brood of vipers, that is, sons of Satan (Matt. 3:7,
12:34, 23:33). Romans 8:23 says, "...not only the creation, but we
ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we
wait for adoption as sons...". This is because man could <Page 83>not
inherit God's lineage, but inherited Satan's instead, due to the fall of
the first human ancestors.
If Adam and Eve had established the four position foundation centered on
God after having perfected themselves, the world under the sovereignty
of God could have been established at that time. However, they fell in
the period of immaturity, thus forming the four position foundation
centered on Satan. Therefore, the world came under Satanic sovereignty.
John 12:31 says that Satan is the "ruler of this world", while in II
Corinthians 4:4 Satan is called the "god of this world". This is the
manner in which Satan came to dominate man, who had been created to be
the dominator of the whole creation, and thus came to dominate the
creation as well. Therefore, Romans 8:19 says that the creation waits
with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. This signifies
that all creation, being now under the dominion of Satan while it should
be dominated by perfected men, is anxious to repel Satan and to see the
revealing of the men of the original nature of creation, who are
entitled to dominate all creation in love.
2. SATAN'S ACTIVITIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY
Satan is constantly accusing men before God, just as he did with Job
(Job 1:9-11), in order to put them into hell. However, even Satan cannot
perform this kind of evil action without having an object with whom to
form a reciprocal base for give and take action. The objects of Satan
are the evil spirits in the spirit world. The objects of these evil
spirits are the spirit men of evil men on earth. The objects of the
spirits of evil men on earth are their own physical bodies. Therefore,
Satanic power, conveyed by evil spirits, results in the evil physical
activities of earthly men. Therefore, we read in Luke 22:3 that Satan
entered into Judas Iscariot. Again in Matthew 16:23, Jesus called Peter
<Page 84>"Satan". In the Bible, evil spirit men are called "angels" of
the devil (Matt. 25:41).
To restore the earthly Kingdom of Heaven (Part I, Ch. 3, Sec. II--103)
means to realize the world in which Satan can never act, by man's
severing completely his reciprocal base with Satan and restoring his
reciprocal base with God, thus entering in give and take action with
Him. That God keeps Satan in a bottomless pit in the Latter Days
signifies that Satan will be unable to act since he will have lost his
object with which to work. In order for man to be able to cut off his
reciprocal base with Satan and be rightfully able to judge him (I Cor.
6:3), he must know the true character of Satan's crime and accuse him
before God. However, God in creating angels and men, gave them freedom;
and so He cannot restore them by force. Therefore, man should be able to
make Satan come to a natural surrender by exalting the Word, through the
accomplishment of his own portion of responsibility by his own volition,
before he can be restored to the status of a man of the original nature
of creation. The history of the providence of restoration has been
prolonged for such a long time because God is developing His providence
according to such principles.
3. GOOD AND EVIL SEEN FROM THE NATURE OF PURPOSE
We have already defined good and evil in the "Original Value of
Creation" (Part I, Ch. 1, Sec. IV--46). Let us now investigate good and
evil, seen from the nature of purpose. If Adam and Eve had established
the four position foundation centered on God through the love with which
they were originally endowed, they would have realized the world of
goodness. But they realized a world of evil because they had established
the four position foundation centered on Satan through their love which
had a purpose contrary to goodness. Therefore, good and evil <Page
85>can result from the same action, but have a different direction and
purpose. There are many examples illustrating that human nature,
considered evil, would be good if it pursued the purpose of God's will.
For instance, human desire or ambition, usually considered evil, is part
of the original nature of creation endowed by God in the beginning. This
is true because the purpose of creation was to obtain joy, and joy can
be attained only when desire is fulfilled. If man had no desire or
ambition, he could have no joy. If man had no desire or ambition, he
would have no ambition to receive God's love, to want to live, to
perform good deeds, nor to develop. In this way, neither God's purpose
of creation nor the providence of restoration could be fulfilled. The
maintenance and development of human society, too, would be impeded.
The original desire of man, being the original nature of creation, comes
to realize goodness if it is fruitful for the purpose of God's will. On
the contrary, if it is fruitful for the purpose of Satan's will, it
results in evil. From this principle, it is self-evident that even the
world of evil, when turned toward the purpose of goodness centered on
Christ, will be restored to perfect goodness, thus realizing the Kingdom
of God on earth (cf. Part I, Ch. 3, Sec. II, 2--105). Accordingly, the
providence of salvation is to change the direction of the fallen world,
heading toward the purpose of Satan, to the direction of the Kingdom of
Heaven on earth, in order to realize God's purpose of creation.
The standard of goodness upheld in the course of this providence is not
absolute but relative. This is because, during a specific age, it may be
considered good to follow the purpose of the sovereign's ideology, while
it is considered evil to go against his purpose. But once the age and
the sovereign change, bringing a different ideology, the purpose also
will change, and with it the standard of good and evil. In any religion
or ideology, it is "good" for the adherents to follow the purpose
defined by the <Page 86>doctrine, while to go against it is "evil". But
for those of a different religion or ideology, or those who change their
beliefs, the standard of good and evil would naturally differ according
to the difference in purpose.
The principal cause behind the conflicts and revolutions which
constantly take place in human society is the change in the standard of
good and evil which occurs, as the purpose sought by men varies. The
standard of goodness in the course of restoration is thus not an
absolute one but a relative one. However, when the sovereignty of Satan
is expelled from the earth, and God, the eternal absolute Being
transcendent of time and space, restores His sovereignty with His
absolute ideology, the purpose determined by the ideology, and the
resultant standard of goodness, will also be absolute. This will be the
world of macrocosmic ideology which will be established by the Lord of
the Second Advent. In fact, human history has been the struggle in
pursuit of the absolute goodness of our original mind's desire,
constantly undergoing conflicts and revolutions. Accordingly, the
conflicts and revolutions which take place in human society will
continue until the world of absolute goodness is established.
4. THE WORKS OF GOOD SPIRITS AND EVIL SPIRITS
"Good spirits" is the collective name for God, good spirit men on His
side, and angels. What we call "evil spirits" are Satan and all the evil
spirit men on his side. The works of good spirits and evil spirits, as
in the case of good and evil, start at the same point in the same manner
but are directed toward different purposes.
Those who are involved in the works of good spirits enjoy an increasing
sense of peace and righteousness; even the physical health of the
individual will improve. The works of evil spirits <Page 87>make
individuals feel an increasing sense of insecurity, fear, and egoism,
even hindering the physical health of the obsessed. Those who are
ignorant of the Principle find it very hard to discern the good or evil
of the spiritual works. With the lapse of time, the results will reveal
the nature of the spirit. However, fallen man, situated halfway between
good (God) and evil (Satan), may sometimes cooperate with the work of
both good and evil spirits. In many cases, even the works of evil
spirits may combine with the works of good spirits after a certain
period. So it is very difficult for people who are ignorant of the
Principle to discern between them. It is a pity that in this age, many
ministers and other religious workers condemn, from ignorance, the works
of good spirits as those of evil spirits, thus going against God's will
without being aware of it. No one in the present day of such increasing
spiritual phenomena can guide men in spiritual communication unless he
can discern between the works of good spirits and evil spirits.
5. SIN
Sin is the act of violating the heavenly law by establishing a condition
in which one forms a reciprocal base with Satan, and enters into the
action of give and take with him. We can classify human sin into four
kinds. First is man's "original sin", which is the sin derived from the
spiritual and physical fall of the first human ancestors. Original sin
is the root of all sins.
Second is man's "hereditary sin", which is the sin of the ancestors
transmitted to the descendants through blood lineage. The Ten
Commandments state that the sin of the parents will be conveyed through
several generations (Ex. 20:5).
Third is the "collective sin". This is the sin for which everybody is
collectively responsible, even though it is neither his own sin nor a
hereditary sin. An example of this kind of sin <Page 88>is the
crucifixion of Jesus. The chief priests and scribes of the people had
Jesus crucified; therefore, all the Jews have undergone God's
punishment, taking the responsibility as a whole. Likewise, all mankind
has had to suffer and will bear common responsibility until the Second
Advent of the Lord.
Fourth is the "individual sin" which everyone commits himself. As
mentioned above, we call original sin the root of all sins. Hereditary
sin corresponds to the trunk, while collective sin and individual sin
correspond respectively to the branches and leaves of a tree. All sins
come from original sin, which is the root of all sins. Therefore, man
cannot fundamentally liquidate all sins without getting rid of original
sin. However, no one has been able to uncover this root of sin. Only
Christ, the True Parent, who comes as the root of life, can uncover the
root of sin(s) and liquidate it.
6. THE ORIGINAL NATURE OF THE FALL
Eve inherited from the archangel all the characteristics that came about
when the archangel committed a sexual act with Eve against God's will.
Then Adam, who entered into a blood relationship with Eve--who in turn
was in the position of the archangel to him--came to inherit the same
characteristics. In this manner, these characteristics gave rise to the
fallen nature of man. We call these the "original nature of the fall".
The basic motivation that thus caused the original nature of the fall
lay in the jealousy the archangel felt toward Adam. How could there be
any such thing as jealousy in the archangel, who had been created for
the purpose of goodness? Originally, the archangel was endowed with
wisdom and desire, as the original nature of creation. He could compare
and discern that God's love toward men was greater than that toward
himself. It was quite natural for him to entertain the hope of receiving
greater <Page 89>love than anyone else because he possessed a
spontaneous desire for the greatest love. Such a desire was
automatically conducive to jealousy. Therefore, jealousy was a
by-product of the original nature of creation, like the shadow of a
thing produced by the light.
However, after perfection, man could never fall due to such incidental
desire. He would not dare commit such a crime, because he would know
that the torment he would experience in fear of self-destruction, after
fulfilling such a desire, would be far greater than the momentary
satisfaction he would enjoy by fulfilling it.
The world after the accomplishment of the purpose of creation should be
a systematic society, resembling a man in its form, in which all men
have an integrated relationship with one another. So, the harm which
comes to an individual is felt by the whole. Therefore, the whole body
would keep the individual members from destruction. Similarly, in the
world in which the purpose of creation is fulfilled, any incidental
desire occurring from the original nature of creation would be used for
the development of human society; it could never cause man to fall.
We may roughly divide the original nature of the fall into four aspects.
The first is the failure to take the standpoint of God in loving others.
The motivation of the archangel's fall lay in his jealousy of Adam; he
did not love him from the same standpoint as God. This led him to defile
Eve. The nature by which a courtier feels jealous of a King's favorite,
instead of loving him from the standpoint of the king, is another
example of the original nature of the fall.
The second is to leave one's own position. Lucifer fell by leaving his
position because of an unrighteous desire to enjoy the same position of
love in human society as he did in the angelic world, and due to his
attempt to receive more love from <Page 90>God. Any act that is
performed apart from one's own position and limit, out of an unrighteous
desire, is without exception, a manifestation of this original nature of
the fall.
The third is to reverse the dominion. The angel who was supposed to be
under the dominion of man, dominated Eve, reversing the principled
order. And Eve, who was supposed to be under the dominion of Adam,
dominated him instead. This resulted in the fall. Human society was
thrown out of order by those who left their positions and reversed their
dominions. This resulted because of the third original nature of the
fall.
The fourth is to multiply the criminal act. If Eve had not multiplied
her crime in Adam before her fall, Adam would have remained intact. To
restore Eve alone would have been easy. However, Eve caused Adam to
fall, multiplying her crime in him. The desire of evil men to induce
their colleague to commit crimes with them also comes from this original
nature of the fall.
SECTION V--Freedom and the Fall
1. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FREEDOM SEEN FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF THE PRINCIPLE
In discussing the nature of freedom in light of the Principle, we must
first understand that there is no freedom apart from the Principle.
The word "freedom" expresses collectively both free will and free action
which accompanies it. Because the former and the latter are in the
relation of character and form, perfect freedom is only possible when
these two are combined. Naturally, where there is no free will, there is
no free action. <Page 91>
Free will not followed by free action cannot be perfected. Free action
comes from free will, and free will is the manifestation of one's
original mind. The minds of men of the original nature of creation
cannot operate apart from the Principle, which is the Word of God.
Therefore, there can be no free will apart from the Principle, and
naturally no true free action can follow. We can conclude that, for men
of the original nature of creation, there is no freedom whatsoever apart
from the Principle.
Secondly, there is no freedom unaccompanied by responsibility. Man,
created according to the Principle, is to perfect himself by
accomplishing his portion of responsibility through his own free will
(cf. Part I, Ch. 1, Sec. V, 2.2--55). Accordingly, man, in pursuit of
the purpose of creation, always tries to accomplish his responsibility
according to his free will; therefore, there can be no freedom
unaccompanied by responsibility.
Thirdly, there is no freedom without actual results. The purpose of
man's attempt to accomplish his own portion of responsibility is to
attain the purpose of creation, and thus bring about actual results by
which he can make God happy. Accordingly, freedom always seeks actual
results in the accomplishment of God's purpose of creation. There is no
freedom whatsoever without actual results.
2. FREEDOM AND THE HUMAN FALL
As previously explained, freedom cannot exist apart from the Principle.
Therefore, in accordance with the principle of creation, freedom is
always accompanied by responsibility and it is always in pursuit of
actual results to make God happy. Consequently, free acts according to
free will should always result in goodness. Therefore, it cannot be that
man would fall because of freedom. That is why in II Corinthians 3:17 it
is <Page 92>stated, "The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the
Lord is, there is freedom.". We call this kind of freedom "the freedom
of the original mind".
Since Adam and Eve had been advised by God not to eat the fruit of the
Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they should have kept the
commandment in accordance with the freedom of their original mind,
without God's intervention. When Eve was about to deviate from the
Principle, the freedom of her original mind, seeking the actual results
of goodness and responsibility in the Principle, apparently worked to
keep her from going off the track by arousing a sense of insecurity and
fear within her. Even after the fall, this freedom of the original mind
surely worked to have man return to God. Therefore, man could not have
fallen due to the freedom of the original mind. On the contrary, the
human fall had its fundamental cause in the fact that the power of the
non-principled love was stronger than the directive power of the freedom
of the original mind. After all, man lost his freedom because of the
fall. However, God can work His providence of restoring man's freedom
because man, though fallen, still has a remainder of his original nature
which seeks freedom in God. It is sound proof of man's progress toward
restoring this freedom, long lost due to Satan, that, as time goes by,
man's zeal for the pursuit of freedom grows, and he seeks it even at the
risk of his life. Therefore, the purpose of man's search for freedom is
to accomplish the purpose of creation by bringing about actual results,
and to accomplish his responsibility in the Principle through his free
action in accordance with his free will.
3. FREEDOM, THE FALL, AND RESTORATION
Angels were created to minister to men. Thus, men were free to deal with
the angels. However, Eve, at the time of her <Page 93>temptation, was
still immature both in wisdom and in heart, Thus, when Eve was blinded
in wisdom (knowledge) and confused in heart (feeling) by the temptation
of the angel, she was forced to go beyond the line of fall even though
she felt anxiety due to the freedom of her original mind, which was in
pursuit of actual results and responsibility. This is because the power
of love with the angel was stronger than the freedom of her original
mind. However free Eve may have been to deal with the angel, she should
have believed in God's commandment not to eat the fruit, thus
restraining herself from responding to the temptation of the angel. Had
Eve restrained herself, she would not have fallen. In that case, the
power of the non-principled love with the angel could not have been
generated. Despite the fact that freedom allowed Eve to respond to the
angel, leading her to the line of fall, it was by no means freedom but
the power of non-principled love that made her overstep the line of
fall.
Since man was created to deal with the angels in freedom, Eve came to
deal with Lucifer. By Eve's performing give and take action with him on
a reciprocal base, they fell into non-principled love, and the power of
this love caused them to fall. On the contrary, fallen man can also
stand in the objective position to God in freedom. Therefore, if man
performs the action of give and take with God on a reciprocal base
according to the truth, he can restore the original nature of creation
by the power of principled love. Man came to cry for freedom because of
the directional nature of the freedom of his original mind, which seeks
to restore the original nature of creation.
Man, due to the fall, became ignorant of God and of His heart.
Therefore, human will, due to ignorance, could not take a direction with
which God could be pleased. However, in fallen man the "heart-and-zeal"
for the freedom of the original mind directed toward the purpose of
creation has been renewed, as spirit (internal knowledge) and truth
(external knowledge) <Page 94> have developed according to the age in
the providence of restoration. Subsequently, man's heart-and-zeal toward
God has also been restored, heightening his desire to live in accordance
with God's will.
As man's volition for the restoration of freedom is cultivated, he
naturally seeks to create the social circumstances in which he can
realize freedom. Social revolution is unavoidable when the circumstances
of the age cannot satisfy the desires of the men belonging to the age.
The French Revolution in the 18th century is a representative example.
Revolution will continue until the freedom of the original nature of
creation is restored completely.
SECTION VI--THE REASON GOD DID NOT INTERFERE WITH THE FIRST HUMAN
ANCESTORS' FALLEN ACT
God, being omniscient and omnipotent, foresaw the possibility of the
fallen act of the first human ancestors. He did not lack the power to
prevent Adam and Eve from committing the act. Why, then, did God not
intervene to prevent the act of the fall when He foresaw it? This is one
of the most important questions, but has been left unsolved throughout
human history. We can give the following three points as the reasons God
did not interfere with man's fallen act.
1. FOR THE SAKE OF THE ABSOLUTENESS AND PERFECTION OF THE PRINCIPLE OF
CREATION
According to the principle of creation, God created man so that, by
inheriting His creative nature, man might dominate all things even as
God dominates mankind. However, man must perfect himself by
accomplishing his portion of responsibility in <Page 95>order to inherit
God's creative nature. We call this period of growth the "sphere of
indirect dominion", or the "sphere of dominion over the result of the
Principle". While men are in this sphere, God does not dominate them;
instead, He seeks to have them fulfill their portion of responsibility.
God is to dominate men directly only after their perfection. If God
should interfere with their acts during the growth period, it would
amount to God's ignoring man's portion of responsibility. In that case,
God Himself would be ignoring the principle of creation, in which He
exalts man as the dominator of all things by giving him a creative
nature. If the Principle should be ignored, the absoluteness and
perfection of the Principle would be lost. Since God is the Creator,
both absolute and perfect, the principle of creation which He set forth
should also be absolute and perfect. Therefore, God could not interfere
with the act of the fall while men were in the period of growth, for the
sake of the absoluteness and perfection of the principle of creation.
2. IN ORDER THAT GOD ALONE BE THE CREATOR
God intervenes with beings or acts only within the Principle, but He
does not interfere with beings or acts outside the Principle and thus
not of His creation. Therefore, if God interferes with any such being or
act, that being or act becomes recognized as part of the Principle.
When viewed from this standpoint, if God had intervened in the fallen
act of the first human ancestors, it would have meant that even the act
of the fall would have been given the value of creation, and that this
sinful act would have been recognized as part of the Principle. If so,
it would have caused God to set up a new principle which would have
called for His recognizing the sinful act as an act of the Principle.
Since Satan initiated this process, this means that Satan would have
created a new principle, making himself a creator along with God. In
order <Page 96>that God alone be the Creator, He could not interfere
with the act of the fall.
3. IN ORDER TO SET UP MAN AS THE DOMINATOR OF ALL THINGS
God created man and blessed him, and set him up to be the dominator of
all things (Gen. 1:28). In order for man to dominate all things as God
desired, he should have possessed certain qualifications as a lord
because he could only dominate others from a position superior to
theirs.
Just as God was qualified to dominate all men because He was the
Creator, man had to have the creativity of God in order to be qualified
as the dominator of all things. Therefore, God made man to perfect
himself by accomplishing his own portion of responsibility through the
period of his growth, in order to qualify him as the dominator of all
things. Therefore, man should possess the qualities of dominion that can
be obtained only by perfecting himself through such a course in the
Principle, before he can dominate all things. If God directly dominated
and interfered with man in the period of his immaturity, it would result
in making him the dominator of all things when he was not yet qualified
to be a dominator, for he did not have the creativity of God, and had
not accomplished his portion of responsibility. It would be a
contradiction to deal with an immature man and a perfect man on an equal
basis. More than that, this would ignore the principle of creation which
He set up in order to make man dominator of all things by giving him
even His power of creativity. Therefore, God, who made the world
according to the Principle, could not interfere with the act of the fall
of the immature man, who was still in the sphere of indirect dominion,
in order that He could later set man up in the position of dominator
over all things. <Page 97>
CHAPTER 3. CONSUMMATION OF HUMAN HISTORY
Man has lived through all the centuries without knowing in what manner
human history started and where its goal lies. We remain ignorant of the
problems concerning the consummation of human history.
Many Christians believe literally what is written in the Bible, in which
it is stated that in the Last Days the heavens will be kindled and
dissolved and the elements will melt with fire (II Peter 3:12); that the
sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light and the stars
will fall from heaven (Matt. 24:29); and that with the archangel's call
and with the sound of the trumpet of God, the dead in Christ will rise
first, and those <Page 99>who are alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (I Thess.
4:16-17).
It is one of the most important problems for Christians to decide
whether everything will be realized literally, as the Bible says, or
whether it has been stated in symbolic terms, as has proven to be the
case in many parts of the Bible. In order to solve this problem, we
should first answer certain questions about God's purpose for creating
all things, the significance of the human fall, and the purpose of the
providence of salvation.
SECTION I--THE FULFILLMENT OF GOD'S PURPOSE OF CREATION AND THE FALL OF
MAN
1. THE FULFILLMENT OF GOD'S PURPOSE OF CREATION
As has been discussed in the "Principle of Creation", God's purpose in
creating man was to feel joy upon seeing His goal realized. Therefore,
the purpose of man's life is to return joy to God. In what manner, then,
can man return joy to God and manifest perfectly the original value of
his existence?
All creation was created to be the object of God's joy. However, man, as
has been clarified in the "Principle of Creation", was created to be the
substantial object to God, returning joy to Him through the action of
his own free will. Therefore, man cannot become the object of God's joy
unless he knows God's will and lives according to it by his own effort.
Consequently, man was created in such a way that he could know God's
will and live by it forever, experiencing God's heart-and-zeal as his
own. We may call this status of man the "perfection of individuality".
Adam, Eve, and many prophets and saints have been able to communicate
with God directly because man was created to enjoy such capabilities.
<Page 100>
The relationship between God and a man of perfected individuality can be
compared to that between our mind and body. Our body, as the temple of
our mind, obeys the command of our mind and acts upon it. Since God
abides in the mind of a man of perfected individuality, such a man will
become God's temple and live according to God's will. A man of perfected
individuality becomes one body in unity with God, just as our mind does
with our body. Therefore, I Corinthians 3:16 says, "Do you not know that
you are God's temple and that God's spirit dwells in you?" and John
14:20 says, "In that day you will know that I am in my Father and you in
me, and I in you.". The man who has attained one body with God, having
His spirit dwell in him by perfecting his individuality and thus forming
a temple of God, comes to have deity and can by no means commit sin;
naturally, he cannot fall. A man of perfected individuality is a man of
perfect goodness.
If a man of perfect goodness should fall, this would mean that goodness
itself has the potentiality of ruin. This is impossible. Moreover, if a
man created by the omnipotent God should fall after his perfection, we
would have to deny God's omnipotence. Therefore, a man of perfected
individuality could never fall, because, being the object of joy to God,
who is the eternal subject of absoluteness, man should likewise possess
absoluteness and perpetuity.
If Adam and Eve of perfected individuality, incapable of sin, had
established a home and society without sin by multiplying children of
goodness according to God's blessing (Gen. 1:28), this would have been
the Kingdom of Heaven, which would have been realized as a huge family
centered on the same parents. The Kingdom of Heaven is in the form of a
man of perfected individuality. Just as the members of a man's body work
in a horizontal relationship with one another according to the vertical
command of the brain, so society should be organized so that men may
live in a horizontal relationship with one <Page 101>another according
to the vertical command of God. In such a society, people could not
perform any act which would hurt their neighbors, because the whole
society would experience the same feeling toward those in trouble as God
would feel in His grief over them.
Regardless of how pure and sinless the men of this society might be, if
they had to live in an undeveloped civilization similar to that of
primitive people, this would not be the kind of Kingdom of Heaven both
God and man have long awaited. Since God blessed man to be the dominator
of all things (Gen. 1:28), men of perfected individuality should have
subdued the natural world through highly developed science, and
established an extremely pleasant social environment on earth. This
would be the place where the ideal of creation would be realized. It
would be nothing other than the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
When perfected man, after having lived in the Kingdom of Heaven on
earth, goes to the spirit world, the Kingdom of Heaven will be realized
in the spirit world. Therefore, God's purpose of creation is to
establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
2. THE FALL OF MAN
As stated in the "Principle of Creation", man fell while he was in his
immaturity and still in the period of growth. Questions as to why the
growth period was necessary for man and why the first human ancestors
fell during their immaturity were answered in that chapter.
Man, due to his fall, could not become the temple of God; instead, he
became the dwelling place of Satan and became one body with him.
Naturally, man came to have an evil nature in place of deity. So it has
come about that men of evil nature <Page 102>have established evil
homes, societies, and an evil world, by multiplying children of evil.
This is the Hell on earth in which fallen men have been living. Men in
Hell have not been able to establish good horizontal relationships with
each other because their vertical relationship with God was cut off.
Accordingly, they came to indulge themselves in acts which injure their
neighbors, because they could not experience the pains and troubles of
their neighbors as their own.
Men who live in Hell on earth transmigrate into Hell in the spirit world
after they leave their physical bodies. In this manner, man established
the world of Satan's sovereignty instead of the world of God's
sovereignty. Thus we call Satan the "ruler of this world" (John 12:31)
or the "god of this world" (II Cor. 4:4).
SECTION II--THE PROVIDENCE OF SALVATION
1. THE PROVIDENCE OF SALVATION IS THE PROVIDENCE OF RESTORATION
This sinful world brings man sorrow and causes God to grieve (Gen 6:6).
Would God, then, leave this world of grief as it is? If the world of
goodness, which God created for the utmost joy, is to continue forever
as a world of sin full of grief due to the human fall, God should be
called a God of failure and inability. Therefore, God will save this
world of sin by all means.
To what extent should God save this world? First, God must save it to
such an extent that man can be restored to the position he had reached
before the fall of the first human ancestors. God must do this by
completely driving out the evil power of Satan from this world of sin
(Acts 26:18). Then, God must <Page 103>develop His providence to such an
extent that He can dominate the world directly through the fulfillment
of the good purpose of creation (Acts 3:21).
To save a sick man is to restore him to the status he had before the
sickness occurred. To save a drowning man is to restore him to the state
he was in before he began to drown. Likewise, to save a man fallen in
sin means to restore him to the original sinless position which he
enjoyed in the beginning. Therefore, God's "providence of salvation" is
the "providence of restoration" (Acts 1:6, Matt. 17:11).
The human fall, is of course, the result of man's own error. However,
God, too, is responsible for the results, as the Creator. If God had not
created man, the fall would not have occurred. Therefore, God has felt
compelled to restore the result of man's error to its original status
before the fall. God is the everlasting subject. Therefore, the life of
man, who was created as His eternal object of joy, should also have
eternity. According to the principle of creation, God created man for
eternity. Even though man fell, God cannot annihilate him, because this
would nullify the principle of creation. Therefore, God must save man
and restore him to his original position in creation. God promised to
realize His three great blessings after the creation of man (Gen. 1:28).
He says in Isaiah 46:11, "I have spoken and I will bring it to pass; I
have purposed, and I will do it.". According to His own words, God has
been working to fulfill His promise by developing the providence of
restoring these blessings, long lost due to Satan. When Jesus said to
his disciples in Matthew 5:48, "You, therefore, must be perfect, as your
Heavenly Father is perfect", he meant that they should be restored to
the position of the original man of creation. Seen from the principle of
creation, the original man of creation should be as perfect as God,
having eternal deity because of his oneness with God. <Page 104>
2. THE PURPOSE OF THE PROVIDENCE OF RESTORATION
What is the purpose of the providence of restoration? It is to realize
the Heavenly Kingdom, God's eternal object of goodness, which was His
original purpose of creation. In the beginning, God created men on earth
and intended to realize the Kingdom of heaven on earth centering on
them. However, He could not fulfill His will because of the human fall.
Therefore, the primary purpose of the providence of restoration can only
be to restore the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Jesus, who came in order
to fulfill the purpose of the providence of restoration, told his
disciples to pray that God's will be done on earth as it is in Heaven
(Matt. 6:10), and warned his people to repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven
was at hand (Matt. 4:17), because the purpose of the providence of
restoration is to restore the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
3. HUMAN HISTORY IS THE HISTORY OF THE PROVIDENCE OF RESTORATION
We have previously clarified that God's providence of salvation is the
providence of restoration. Therefore, human history is the period of the
providence through which God intends to save fallen men and have them
restore the original world of goodness. Let us now study, from various
standpoints, the fact that human history is the history of the
providence of restoration.
Firstly, we will consider human history from the standpoint of the
history of the development of cultural spheres. In all ages and
countries, even evil men have had in common the original mind's desire
to follow goodness by repelling evil. Therefore, all entertain the
identical fundamental purpose of pursuing and realizing goodness, though
it is true that they have created a history of struggle through constant
conflicts which arise from <Page 105>differences, according to time and
place, in their respective standards of goodness and its attainment.
Why, then, does the original mind of man direct itself irresistibly
toward goodness? This is because God, the subject of goodness, created
man as His substantial object in order to realize the purpose of
goodness. Therefore, man's original mind seeks goodness, even though
fallen men have been unable to lead good lives, due to Satan's work. The
goal of the history which is woven by such men should be to attain the
world of goodness. However hard the original mind of man may struggle to
attain goodness, man fails to find real goodness in this world under the
rule of Satan. Therefore, man has come to find his subject of goodness
in the world transcendent of time and space. What has been born out of
this inevitable demand of man is religion. Man, who fell into ignorance
of God due to the fall, has always tried to meet God by constantly
pursuing goodness through religion. Even though individuals, races or
nations of a certain religion may have perished, religion itself has
survived up to the present. Let us now study these historical facts,
centering on the history of the rise and fall of nations.
When we examine the history of China, we find that each age of Ch'un
Ch'iu was followed by a unified age of Ch'in; while the age of Ch'ien
Han, Shin, Hou Han, San Kuo, Si Tsin, Tung Tsin and Nan Pei Ch'ao were
followed by the unified age of Sui and T'ang; and the ages of the Five
Dynasties (Pei Sung, Nan Sung, Yuan, Ming and Ch'ing) were following by
today's Republic of China. Through all these ages China has seen the
rise and fall of many nations and with this many changes in political
power, but the three Far Eastern religions of Confucianism, Buddhism,
and Sun-Kyo are still in full force.
When we study the history of India, we see that the Mauryas empire was
followed by that of Andhra, which was followed in turn by those of
Gupta, Barudanah, Sahman, Razuni, Maghal, <Page 106>and today's India.
Though the nation suffered many changes through all these ages, Hinduism
survived. Again, when we observe the history of the Middle East, we see
that the Empire of Saracen was followed by East and West Karif, which in
turn was followed by Seljuk Turkey and Osman Turkey, with their
political powers ever changing. Nevertheless, the religion of Islam has
continued to exist.
Further, let us examine the main current of Western history. The
leadership of the Western world was held in turn by Greece, Rome, Gaul,
Spain and Portugal. Then, temporarily held by France and the
Netherlands, it was taken by Britain, and is currently divided between
the United States and the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, Christianity has
continued to flourish. Even in the Soviet Union, under the tyranny
established on the foundation of materialism, Christianity has survived.
By examining the rise and fall of nations from this standpoint, we can
also see that those powers which persecuted religion all perished while
those that protected and fostered religion prospered. We have witnessed
in history that the central role has moved from one nation to another,
in each case shifting to a country that elevated religion more than did
the previous one. Thus, the history of religion teaches us that the day
will come, without fail, when the world of communism, which persecutes
religion, will perish.
Many religions have existed in human history. Among them, the religions
with the greatest influence inevitably formed cultural spheres, 21 to 26
in number. However, with the flow of history, the inferior has either
been absorbed into the superior, or has united with it by degrees. In
recent years, there have emerged from the rise and fall of nations four
great cultural spheres--East Asia (Confucianism, Buddhism), Hinduism,
Islam (Mohammedanism), and Christianity. They are now being formed into
a worldwide cultural sphere, centering <Page 107>on Christianity.
Therefore, we may perceive from this historical trend that Christianity
has, as its ultimate mission, the accomplishment of the purpose of all
religions that have directed their course toward the goal of goodness.
The history of the development of cultural spheres shows us a trend
toward forming a worldwide cultural sphere, centering on one religion,
through the unification of numerous religions. This is proof that human
history is leading toward the restoration of one unified world.
The second way we can understand that human history is the history of
the providence of restoration is by examining the common trend of
religion and science. It was already stated in the "General
Introduction" that religion and science, working respectively to
overcome the two aspects of human ignorance since the fall, should be
unified today. Religion and science, which have developed individually
without mutual connection, are now forced to meet at one place after
having progressed respectively toward the same goal. This tells us
clearly that human history has followed the providential course of
restoring the original world of creation. Had it not been for the fall,
the intellectual capacity of man would have developed to the utmost
degree in spirit (internal truth), thus naturally encouraging a
corresponding degree of external development through science. Science
then would have advanced very quickly, bringing about today's level of
scientific development in the days of our early human ancestors.
However, due to the fall, man fell into ignorance without being able to
attain a highly developed society. Since then, he has striven to restore
the ideal world of scientific development which was purposed in the
beginning, by overcoming his ignorance by means of science. Today's
highly developed scientific world is being restored externally to the
stage directly prior to the transition into the ideal world. <Page 108>
The third way we can perceive that human history is the history of the
providence of restoration is from the trend of the history of struggles.
Battles over wealth, land and people have accompanied the development of
human society throughout history, up to the present moment. This
struggle has widened its scope, expanding from the family to the tribe,
and on to the societal, national, and finally to the worldwide level.
The two worlds of democracy and communism are now confronted with a
final ideological war. At the close of the sinful history of mankind,
nations will have passed through the historical stage in which people
thought they could derive happiness from the wealth, land and people
they had plundered. After World War I we saw the defeated nations forced
to release their colonies, but after World War II the victorious nations
voluntarily released their colonies and set them free. The great powers
of today have allowed minor powers, often even smaller and weaker than a
city within the great powers, to become member states of the United
Nations. The great powers have made them brother nations not only by
supplying them with food, but also by giving them rights and duties
equal to those of the great powers. What, then, will the final struggle
be like? It will be a struggle between ideologies. However, the struggle
between the two worlds of democracy and communism will never cease
unless the ultimate truth appears, which can overcome completely the
materialistic view of history that threatens the world today. When this
ultimate truth that can solve the problems of religion and science as
one unified theme appears, the communist ideology, which has hitherto
attempted to develop by science alone, denying religion, will be
overcome. Thus, the two worlds will finally be unified completely under
one ideology. Thus, seen from the trend of the history of human
struggles, we cannot deny the fact that human history is the
providential history of restoring the original world of creation. <Page
109>
The fourth way we can look into this question centers on the Bible. The
purpose of human history is to restore the Garden of Eden with the Tree
of Life in the center (Gen. 2:9; cf. Part I, Ch. 2, Sec. I, 1--66). The
"Garden of Eden" does not mean the limited area in which Adam and Eve
were created, but the whole earth. If the Garden of Eden were the
limited region where the first human ancestors were created, how would
it be possible for the countless numbers of mankind to live in such a
small place? An extremely large number of people would be necessary in
order to fill the earth according to God's blessing to man (Gen. 1:28).
Due to the fall of the first human ancestors, this earthly Garden of
Eden, which God intended to establish with the Tree of Life in the
center, fell into the hands of Satan (Gen. 3:24). Therefore, when the
sinful history of mankind that began in Alpha concludes in Omega, the
hope and glory of fallen men will be for them to wash their robes and
enter the restored Garden of Eden, and thus restore their right to the
Tree of Life (Rev. 22:13-14). What, then, do these Bible verses signify?
As was clarified in the "Fall of Man", the Tree of Life signifies the
perfected Adam, who was intended to be the True Father of mankind. Due
to the fall of the first human parents, their descendants were born with
original sin; therefore, in order that these children of sin may be
restored as original men of creation, all men must be reborn, as Jesus
said (cf. Part I, Ch. 7, Sec. IV, 1--214). Therefore, history is man's
search for the True Father who is to give new life to mankind; namely,
Christ. The Tree of Life mentioned in Revelation as the one which the
saints of the Last Days are to find means none other than Christ, the
Savior. From these biblical records, we know that the purpose of human
history is to restore the Garden of Eden in its original form, centered
on Christ, who is to come as the Tree of Life. <Page 110>
In Revelation 21:1 we also read that at the close of the age a new
heaven and a new earth will appear, signifying that the old heaven and
earth which have been under Satanic dominion are to be restored as the
new heaven and earth under the dominion of Christ, centered on God.
Also, Romans 8:19-22 says that the whole creation groaning under Satanic
dominion waits in travail for the revealing of the sons of God with the
original nature of creation. They will be well qualified to dominate all
creation, in order that it be made new (Rev. 21:5) by being restored to
the original position of creation, rather than perishing by fire in the
Last Days.
Considered from these standpoints, we can perceive quite clearly that
human history is the history of God's providence to restore the original
world of creation.
SECTION III--THE LAST DAYS
1. MEANING OF THE LAST DAYS
We have already stated that the three great blessings God granted our
human ancestors were not realized centering on God, due to the fall of
man. Instead they were realized centering on Satan in the non-principled
realm. Human history, though it started in evil, is in fact the
providential history of restoration through which God has been working.
So the sinful world under Satanic dominion will be transformed into the
world of good sovereignty, once the three great blessings centered on
God are fulfilled.
The age in which the sinful world under Satanic sovereignty is
transformed into the ideal world of creation under God's sovereignty is
called the "Last Days". In other words, the "Last <Page 111>Days" means
the age in which Hell on earth is transformed into the Kingdom of Heaven
on earth. Therefore, this will not be a day of fear in which many
natural calamities will take place, as Christians up to the present have
believed, but a day of joy when the unique hope of mankind, held firmly
throughout the long course of history since the creation of the world,
will be realized. Since the human fall, God has continued His providence
to liquidate the world of sin and restore the world of goodness having
the original nature of creation. (Details will be discussed in Part II,
Ch. 1.) Nevertheless, in each case, man failed to carry out his portion
of responsibility, thus frustrating the realization of God's will. As a
consequence, the Bible apparently indicates that there have been many
Last Days.
(1) Noah's Day Was the Last Days
Genesis 6:13 states, "I have determined to make an end of all flesh; for
the earth is filled with violence through them; behold, I will destroy
them with the earth.", thus indicating that Noah's day was the Last
Days.
Why can Noah's day be called the Last Days? God was going to destroy the
corrupt world centered on Satan with the flood judgment after the sinful
history of 1,600 years, leaving only Noah's family, who believed in God.
On the basis of Noah's faith, God intended to restore the ideal world of
His sovereignty. Therefore, Noah's day can be called the Last Days (cf.
Part II, Ch. 1, Sec. II--251). Due to the corrupt act of Ham (Gen.
9:22), Noah's second son, God's will was nullified, because Noah's
family failed to carry out its portion of responsibility on behalf of
all mankind.
(2) Jesus' Day was the Last Days
God's predestination for His will to attain the purpose of the
providence of restoration is an absolute one, which cannot be changed
(cf. Part I, Ch. 6--193). Therefore, even though His providence <Page
112> of restoration centering on Noah was not accomplished, God called
other prophets to lay the foundation of faith. He sent Jesus to destroy
the sinful world centered on Satan and restore the ideal world centered
on God. So, Jesus' day was also the Last Days. That is why Jesus said
that he came as the master of judgment (John 5:22). This is also why
Malachi prophesied:
Behold, the day comes, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant
and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them
up...so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. (Mal. 4:1)
Jesus came to restore the ideal world in the form intended at the
creation. However, due to the disbelief of the faithless people, man's
portion of responsibility was left unaccomplished, prolonging the
fulfillment of God's will until the time of the Lord's Second Advent.
(3) The Day of the Lord's Second Advent is also the Last Days
Jesus was ultimately crucified, thus accomplishing only spiritual
salvation. He is to attain the purpose of the providence of salvation
both in spirit and body after the Second Advent (cf. Part I, Ch. 4, Sec.
I, 4--147), fulfilling the restoration of the Kingdom of God on earth.
Naturally, the day of the Lord's Second Advent would also be the Last
Days. This is why Jesus said, that, "As it was in the days of Noah, so
will it be in the days of the Son of man." (Luke 17:26), and also that
there would be many natural calamities at the time of the Second Advent
(Matt. 24:29).
2. BIBLICAL VERSES CONCERNING THE SIGNS OF THE LAST DAYS
Many Christians believe that in the Last Days various natural calamities
and radical changes beyond the imagination of modern men will occur in
human society, as the biblical verses <Page 113>literally say. However,
if we understand that human history is the providential history to
restore the world to the original form intended by God at the creation,
then we know that the signs of the Last Days will not literally take
place. Let us examine what is symbolized by the biblical records which
concern the Last Days.
(1) Heaven and Earth Destroyed (II Peter 3:12, Gen. 6:13) and a New
Heaven and a New Earth Created (Rev. 21:1, II Peter 3:13, Is. 66:22)
Genesis 6:13 says that God wanted to destroy the earth because it was
filled with violence and corruption in the Last Days. However, He did
not actually destroy the world. We know that the earth is eternal from
Biblical verses such as Ecclesiastes 1:4, which says, "A generation
goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.", and
Psalms 78:69, which says, "He built His sanctuary like the high heavens,
like the earth, which He has founded forever.". God, the subject, is
eternal; therefore, His objects should also be eternal. Naturally, the
earth, which was created as the object of God, should be eternal.
God, omnipotent and omniscient, could not have felt joy over His
creation if He had made it with the possibility of its being destroyed
by Satan. To what can we compare this? To erect a new nation (Rev. 21:1)
is to establish a nation of new sovereignty. Consequently, to destroy
heaven and earth means to overthrow the sovereignty of Satan, who is
dominating them; and to found a new heaven and a new earth means to
restore the new heaven and earth under the sovereignty of God (Rev.
21:1).
(2) Heaven and Earth Judged by Fire (II Peter 3:12)
II Peter 3:12 says that in the Last Days "the heavens will be kindled
and dissolved and the elements will melt with fire!". In <Page
114>Malachi 4:1 it is prophesied that, in Jesus' day, he will come as
the master of judgment (John 5:22, 9:39) and will judge with fire. In
Luke 12:49, Jesus said he came to cast fire upon the earth.
Nevertheless, we cannot find any signs of his judgment with literal fire
at that time. This, then, must be figurative speech. James 3:6 says,
"the tongue is a fire". Accordingly, we understand that judgment by fire
is judgment by the tongue, which naturally means judgment by the Word.
Thus judgment by fire is judgment by the Word.
Let us then look up the biblical verses concerning judgment by the Word.
John 12:48 says that he who rejects Jesus and does not receive his
sayings has a judge, and the Word that Jesus has spoken will be his
judge on the Last Day. II Thessalonians 2:8 says that the lawless one
will be revealed, and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the "breath of
his mouth"; that is, his Word. Further, Isaiah 11:4 reads, "...and he
shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth [tongue], and with the
breath of his lips [words] he shall slay the wicked."; while John 5:24
says, "he who hears my word and believes Him who sent me, has eternal
life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to
life.". Thus, judgment by fire signifies judgment by the Word.
What must be the reason, then, for judgment by the Word? John 1:3 states
that man was created by the Word. Consequently, God's purpose of
creation was that the first man should have accomplished the purpose of
the Word by becoming the incarnation of the Word; but he fell without
keeping the Word of God, thus leaving the purpose of the Word
unaccomplished.
Therefore, God attempted again to fulfill the purpose of the Word by
re-creating fallen men according to the Word; this is the providence of
restoration by the Word of truth (Bible). John 1:14 says, "The Word
became flesh and dwelt among us, <Page 115>full of grace and truth; we
have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.". Thus,
Christ will come again as the incarnation of the Word. By becoming the
standard of judgment by the Word, he will judge to what extent mankind
has fulfilled the purpose of the Word. The purpose of the providence of
restoration will be accomplished with the fulfillment of the purpose of
the Word, so judgment should be done with the Word as the standard and
measure. In Luke 12:49 Jesus said, "I came to cast fire upon the earth;
and would that it were already kindled!". He had come as the incarnation
of the Word (John 1:14), proclaiming the Word of life.
(3) The Dead Rise from Their Tombs (Matt. 27:52, I Thess. 4:16)
In Matthew 27:52-53, it says that when Jesus died:
The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had
fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his
resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
This does not mean that their flesh literally rose from corruption (cf.
Part I, Ch. 5, Sec. II, 3--181). If the saints of the Old Testament Age
living in the spirit world had literally risen and, coming out of the
tombs, had gone into the city and appeared to many people, they would
surely have testified to the Jewish people about Jesus, because they
knew that Jesus was the Messiah. If this had happened, even though Jesus
had already been crucified, then no one could have failed to believe in
Jesus. If the saints of the Old Testament Age had thus been raised from
the tombs, again assuming their flesh, their deeds should have been
recorded in the Bible. However, there are no such records in the Bible.
Then, what is the meaning of "rising from the tombs"? This is a record
of spirit men of the Old Testament Age being <Page 116> resurrected and
appearing on earth in spirit (cf. Part I, Ch. 5, Sec. II, 3--181), just
as the spirits of Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus on the Mount of
Transfiguration (Matt. 17:3).
Then what does "tomb" signify? The realm of form spirits, which was the
dwelling of the Old Testament Age saints, was a darker place than
Paradise, which was opened by Jesus. This form-spirit realm was called a
"tomb". The spirit men of the Old Testament Age staying in this region
of the spirit world appeared to the earthly saints.
(4) Earthly Men Caught Up to Meet the Lord in the Air (I Thess. 4:17)
The "air" mentioned here does not mean the sky. In the Bible, "earth"
generally means the fallen world of evil sovereignty, while "heaven"
means the sinless world of good sovereignty. Our understanding is
increased when we read the Biblical verse which says, "Our Father who
art in heaven" (Matt. 6:9), though God is omnipresent. Also, we find,
"...but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man" (John 3:13), even
though Jesus was born on earth.
Thus, "to meet the Lord in the air" signifies that the saints will
receive the Lord in the world of good sovereignty when Christ comes
again and restores the Kingdom of Heaven on earth by overthrowing the
Satanic sovereignty.
(5) Sun and Moon Darkened, Stars fall from Heaven (Matt. 24:29)
Genesis 37:9 describes the dream of Joseph, the eleventh of the twelve
sons of Jacob:
Then he dreamed another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said,
'Behold, I have dreamed another dream; and behold, the sun, the moon,
and eleven stars were bowing down to me.'. But when he told it to his
father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him, and said to him,
'What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother
and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before
you?'.
<Page 117>Joseph grew to be a man and became the prime minister of
Egypt. Then it actually happened, as in the dream, that his parents and
brothers indeed came to bow before him. According to these Biblical
verses, the sun and the moon symbolize parents, and the stars symbolize
children. As stated in "Christology" (cf. Part I, Ch. 7--205), Jesus and
the Holy spirit came as the True Parents in place of Adam and Eve to
give rebirth to mankind. Therefore, the sun and the moon symbolize Jesus
and the Holy Spirit, and the stars symbolize the saints as their
children.
In the Bible, Jesus is likened to the "true light" (John 1:9) because he
came as the Word made into flesh (John 1:14), as the light of truth.
Naturally, the sunlight here means the light of the words of Jesus, and
the moonlight means the light of the Holy Spirit, who came as the Spirit
of truth (John 16:13). Therefore, for the sun and the moon to lose their
light means that the New Testament Words of Jesus and the Holy Spirit
will lose their light.
How could the New Testament Words come to lose their light? Just as the
Old Testament Words lost their light when Jesus and the Holy Spirit came
with new Words in order to fulfill the Old Testament Words, so the New
Testament Words Jesus gave to the people at the First Advent will also
lose their light when Christ comes again with the new Word, in order to
fulfill the New Testament Words, thus making a new heaven and a new
earth (Rev. 21:1; cf. Part I, Ch. 3, Sec. V, 1--129). Here, for the
Words to lose their light means that the period of their mission has
elapsed with the coming of the new age.
Stars falling from heaven signifies that the saints in the Last Days
will offend the Lord and fail. Just as the leaders of the Jewish
religion who had an eager longing for the coming of the Messiah all fell
by offending Jesus, the Messiah, it was prophesied that, in their
ignorance, many Christians who anxiously await the Second Advent of the
Lord will likewise offend and <Page 118>fail him in that day, thus
falling in the same manner (cf. Part II, Ch. 6, Sec. II, 2--502).
In Luke 18:8 Jesus asked, "...when the son of man comes, will he find
faith on earth?". On another occasion (Matt. 7:23) he said that he would
declare to the devout Christians, "I never knew you; depart from me, you
evildoers.". All this he said to warn the Christians of the Last Days
against their possible offense, because he foresaw their disbelief.
SECTION IV--THE LAST DAYS AND THE PRESENT DAYS
When Jesus talked about the coming death of Peter, Peter asked him what
would become of John. Jesus answered him saying, "If it is my will that
he remain until I come, what is that to you?" (John 21:18-22). The
disciples, hearing this, thought that Jesus might return within John's
lifetime. Besides, Jesus said to his disciples, "...you will not have
gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of man comes."
(Matt. 10:23), and again he said, "Truly I say to you, there are some
standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of man
coming in his kingdom." (Matt. 16:28). Because of such words, not only
the disciples of Jesus, but also numerous Christians have since believed
that the Lord might come in their lifetime, and always were haunted by a
feeling of tension about their days being the Last Days. This is because
they did not know the fundamental meaning of the Last Days.
By examining the present fulfillment of the three great blessings to
man, which God set up as the purpose of His providence of restoration,
we can prove that today is the Last Days. This is reason Jesus said:
<Page 119>
From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes
tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So
also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the
very gates. (Matt. 24:32-33)
1. THE PHENOMENON OF THE RESTORATION OF THE FIRST BLESSING
As already discussed in the "Principle of Creation", God's first
blessing to Adam and Eve was for them to perfect their individuality. We
can tell from the following phenomena that God's providence of restoring
fallen man to their original state of creation with perfected
individuality has reached its final stage.
The first way we can see this is from the fact that the spiritual
standard of fallen men is being restored. As stated above, a man of
perfection becomes one body with God in heart-and-zeal, so that man and
God become able to communicate with each other fully and freely. Adam
and Eve, though not quite perfect, were in the stage of communicating
directly with God when they fell and caused their offspring to fall into
ignorance of God.
As fallen men come to receive the benefit of the age in the providence
of restoration, their spiritual standard is restored by degrees.
Therefore, in the Last Days many saints reach the point where they can
communicate with God, as Acts 2:17 says: In the last days...I will pour
out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall
prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall
dream dreams.
In these days, there are many believers coming forth with abilities of
spiritual communication. From this we can tell that we are entering a
new age in which we may restore God's first blessing after having
perfected our individuality, because this is the Last Days. <Page 120>
Second, the historical trend of fallen men's restoration of the freedom
of the original mind is further proof. Man was deprived of the freedom
of coming before God because, due to the fall, he came under the
dominion of Satan, and has ever since had restricted freedom. But today
man's heart-and-zeal has reached the highest level, where people are in
search of the original mind's freedom even at the risk of their lives.
This is evidence that with the coming of the Last Days, fallen men are
now entering the new age, in which they can come freely before God. They
will enter the new age by perfecting their individuality, thus restoring
God's first blessing to them, which has been long deprived by Satan.
Third, the original value of fallen men, which was endowed at the
creation, is being restored. This is another clear proof. The original
value of men, horizontally observed, is that of equality between people,
and this may not appear so precious. But when vertically observed,
centered on God, each and every individual bears the most august,
macrocosmic value (cf. Part I, Ch. 7, Sec. I--206). Men lost their
original value because of the fall. In the present age, however, the
democratic ideology has reached its culmination, and men have come to
pursue the original value of individuality endowed at the creation. This
may be seen in the liberation of slaves, liberation of minority groups
and liberation of the minor powers, together with the demand for human
dignity, equality between the sexes and equality among all people. This
is proof that the Last Days have come and that fallen men are now
entering the new age, in which they will restore God's first blessing to
men.
Fourth, the original love endowed at the creation is being restored. The
world in which God's ideal of creation is fulfilled will have the form
of a perfected man. People of this world, all having formed one body
vertically with God, will naturally form one body horizontally with one
another. Consequently, people of this world cannot but become like one
body, inter-<Page 121>related vertically and horizontally by God's
absolute love. Due to the fall, man's vertical love with God was cut
off, thus causing the severance of the horizontal love among people; and
so human history has been woven with struggles. Today, however, since
humanitarianism is reaching its culmination, men are increasingly in
pursuit of the original love.
Thus, we recognize that the present day is the veritable Last Days, in
which men can perfect their individualities centered on God by restoring
God's first blessing to men.
2. THE PHENOMENON OF THE RESTORATION OF THE SECOND BLESSING
God's second blessing was for Adam and Eve to attain their true
parenthood by multiplying children of goodness, and then to establish
homes, societies and a world of good sovereignty. But due to the fall,
Adam and Eve became evil parents multiplying evil children and thus
formed a world under the bondage of the evil sovereignty. God has
conducted the providence of restoring men's spiritual standard by
separating men from Satan on an internal basis through religion, while
on the other hand He has separated men from Satan on an external basis
through various struggles and wars. Thus He has conducted His providence
of restoring the sovereignty of goodness on both an internal and an
external basis.
Human history, then, has been the restoration of God's second blessing
to men, accomplished by the separation of men from Satan on both an
internal and an external basis and by finding those children of God who
will be able to attend the returning Lord, our True Parent. Therefore,
we perceive from the phenomenon of the restoration of God's sovereignty
on both an internal and an external basis that today is the veritable
Last Days. (This restoration has appeared through the <Page 122>history
of the development of cultural spheres centering on religion, and
through the history of the rise and fall of nations.)
Let us now study how the history of the development of cultural spheres
has progressed causing the present age to be the Last Days. As
repeatedly discussed in the history of the development of cultural
spheres, God established cultural spheres centered on religion by
sending prophets and saints to fallen men. These saints established
various religions in accordance with man's original mind, which was
directed toward ultimate goodness. Consequently, there have emerged many
kinds of cultural spheres in the history of mankind. As time has gone
by, these have either united, or been absorbed by one another. In the
present day there is a clear trend of one worldwide cultural sphere
being established centered on Christianity. This kind of historical
trend shows us that God's second blessing to men is being restored, with
all the races standing side by side as brothers centered on Christ, who
is the nucleus of Christianity.
What makes Christianity different from other religions is that its
purpose is to restore the one great world family which God had intended
at the creation. This is to be accomplished by finding the True Parents
of mankind through whom all men can become children of goodness through
rebirth. This signifies that Christianity is the central religion that
will accomplish the purpose of God's providence of restoration.
Thus, the restoration of God's second blessing to men can be seen in the
formation of one final worldwide cultural sphere centered on
Christianity, in which all men will be elevated to the position of
children of goodness centered on Christ and the Holy Spirit, who are the
True Parents of mankind (cf. Part I, Ch. 7--205). Thus we cannot deny
that we are entering the Last Days today. <Page 123>
Next, we shall investigate how the history of the rise and fall of
nations, having progressed toward the purpose of restoring the
sovereignty of goodness, is leading the present age into the Last Days.
It is an error, brought about by ignorance of the fundamental providence
of God, to regard the cause of struggles and wars as merely the conflict
of interests among different ideologies.
Mankind has had a sinful history that began with the evil sovereignty
centered on Satan, which was caused by the fall of the first human
ancestors. Since God's purpose of creation is unchanging, the final goal
of human history is the restoration of God's sovereignty of goodness,
which is to be achieved through the separation of men from Satan. If the
world of evil sovereignty were to go on without struggles and wars, this
evil world would continue forever, leaving the sovereignty of goodness
eternally unrestored. Therefore, God has worked His providence of
restoring the heavenly sovereignty by degrees, sending His prophets and
saints. Evil sovereignties have been destroyed by better ones, through
the religions of goodness which God has founded.
Thus, struggles and wars have become the inevitable course through which
man has had to go in order to fulfill the providence of restoration. A
more detailed discussion of this question will be made in Part II. Since
human history is following the providential course of restoration
through indemnity, evil may sometimes seem to prevail when seen within a
limited time span; but in the end it will surely be destroyed, or
absorbed and assimilated into the realm of a better standard. The rise
and fall of nations by wars is thus the inevitable result brought about
by the providential course for the restoration of the sovereignty of
goodness.
This is why God ordered the Israelites to destroy the seven tribes of
Canaan. When Saul disobeyed Him, leaving some of the <Page
124>Amalekites alive with their cattle, God severely punished him (I
Sam. 15:18-23). Thus, God not only directly ordered the Israelites to
destroy the Gentiles, but even destroyed the Israelites of the northern
dynasty when they turned to evil, by delivering them into the hands of
the Assyrians (II Kings 17:23). We must understand that God did so in
order to destroy the sovereignty of evil and restore the sovereignty of
goodness. Therefore, struggles and fights between individuals of God's
side are evil, because they result in the destruction of the good
sovereignty itself; but for the good sovereignty to destroy the evil
sovereignty is an act of goodness because it is to fulfill the purpose
of God's providence of restoration.
In this manner the history of the struggle for separating sovereignty
from Satan by gradually gaining lands and wealth all over the world has
practically come to restore the Heavenly sovereignty. As for men, they
are being restored to the Heavenly side on a worldwide basis, by going
through the individual level, family level, societal level and national
level. Thus the providence for the separation of men from Satan,
starting from the age of clan society and going through the ages of
feudalism and monarchism, has now come into the age of democracy. In
present human society, we see the division into the two worlds of
democracy and communism, the former being the ideology to establish the
Heavenly sovereignty and the latter being that to establish the Satanic
one.
In this way, human history, which started under the evil sovereignty
centered on Satan, has now come to form two opposing sovereignties on a
worldwide basis. As the original human nature, heading for ultimate
goodness, is awakened through religion, philosophy and ethics, it
produces the separation of the power of the good sovereignty from that
of the evil one. These two sovereignties, with opposing purposes, can
never coexist. Upon the consummation of human history, they will <Page
125>surely arrive at the point of intersection, causing a conflict of an
internal nature centering on ideology, which may very possibly cause an
external war centered on military power. Then, finally, the sovereignty
of Satan will perish forever, leaving the sovereignty of God restored as
the everlasting single sovereignty of Heaven.
Today is the Last Days because it is the time of intersection when the
world of good sovereignty under God and the world of evil sovereignty
under Satan are confronting each other in the final battle.
In human history, which has hitherto separated the good sovereignty from
the evil one, the evil sovereignty sinks down to destruction while the
good sovereignty rises toward prosperity, just as in muddy water the mud
sinks down, while the clear water rises upward. Thus, in the Last Days,
these two sovereignties of good and evil will for a period meet at the
point of intersection, the former will remain forever as God's, while
the latter will perish in eternal darkness.
Thus, when these two sovereignties of good and evil are at the point of
intersection, it is called the Last Days. Since this is the time when
the perfection of the growth stage, from which Adam and Eve fell, should
be restored by indemnity, all mankind wanders about in ideological
chaos, just as the first human ancestors in the Garden of Eden were
confused without knowing what to do after the fall.
During the long course of the providence of restoration, there have been
several occurrences of the Last Days in which the two sovereignties of
good and evil came to the point of intersection. Both the time of Noah
and that of Jesus were called the Last Days, with the two sovereignties
at the point of intersection. But each time men failed to accomplish
their portion of responsibility and were unable to destroy the
sovereignty of evil; and God again had to start His providence for the
separation of the good <Page 126>from the evil sovereignty.
Consequently, we will see another intersection of the two sovereignties
at the time of the Second Advent of the Lord. The course of the
providence of restoration has thus repeated periodically the spiral
movement of affairs going through the circular course toward the purpose
of creation. This is why there have been many periods of similar nature
in human history (cf. Part II, Ch. 3, Sec. I--373).
3. THE PHENOMENON OF THE RESTORATION OF THE THIRD BLESSING
God's third blessing to men signifies Adam and Eve's dominion over the
world of creation after they attained perfection. Man's dominion over
the world of creation has two aspects--internal and external. We can see
that in the present age the two aspects of man's dominion, lost with the
human fall, are being restored.
Internal dominion means the dominion of heart-and-zeal. When a man has
perfected his individuality he becomes one in heart-and-zeal with God;
thus he is able to experience God's own heart-and-zeal. On the day when
man, after having perfected himself, comes to love the world of creation
with heart-and-zeal identical to God's, and when he receives the beauty
returned by the creation, he becomes the dominator in heart-and-zeal
over the world of creation. However, due to the fall, man failed to
experience God's heart-and-zeal and has not been able to regard the
creation with God's heart-and-zeal. Nonetheless, God has been working
His providence of restoration by means of religion, philosophy and
ethics, constantly elevating by degrees the spiritual standard of fallen
men toward God. Thus, man in the present age is restoring his
qualification as the dominator in heart-and-zeal over the world of
creation.
External dominion means domination through science. If man, having
perfected himself, had been able to dominate the <Page 127>world of
creation internally with heart-and-zeal identical to that which God had
over the world of creation at the time of its creation, man's scientific
achievement could have reached its culmination in an extremely short
time, because man's spiritual sensibility would have been developed to
the highest dimension. Thus, men could have dominated externally all the
things of creation. In consequence, man not only could have subdued the
world of nature, including the heavenly bodies, at the earliest possible
date, but he also could have brought about an extremely comfortable
living environment due to the economic development that would have
accompanied scientific achievement.
However, man, by losing his spiritual light due to the fall and by thus
being deprived of his internal domination over the things of creation,
fell to the status of a barbarian with a spiritual sensibility as dull
as that of the animals. Thus, he lost the external domination over
creation. Man, according to God's providence of restoration, now has
restored his spiritual light. Consequently, both his internal and
external dominations have, by degrees, been restored. Therefore,
scientific development in the present day has also reached its highest
degree. So it has come about that modern men have created an extremely
comfortable living environment, due to economic developments which
followed brilliant scientific achievements.
We see then that God's third blessing to men is being restored, and from
this we cannot deny that today we have reached the Last Days.
As we have observed repeatedly, the development of the cultural spheres
also shows that a worldwide cultural sphere is now being formed centered
on one religion. Nations, too, are moving toward one worldwide structure
of sovereignty, starting from the League of Nations, through the United
Nations and reaching today for world government. Regarding economic
development, <Page 128>the world is now on the threshold of forming one
common market. Extremely well-developed transportation and communication
facilities have reduced the limitations of time and space. Men are able
to communicate with one another on the earth as easily as if the earth
were the garden of a house in which people of all the different races of
the East and the West lived as one family. All mankind is crying out for
brotherly love.
However, a home is formed around the parents; there alone can true
brotherly love occur. Therefore, upon the Second Advent of the Lord as
the True Parent of mankind, all men will come to live harmoniously in
the garden as one family.
From this too we may know that today is surely the Last Days. There must
be one final gift which history, having thus progressed, is about to
present to mankind. Thus must be the ideology of the macrocosmic nature
that can bind all the strangers who now live in turmoil within one world
without any true purpose, into one family centered on the same parents.
SECTION V--THE LAST DAYS, THE NEW TRUTH, AND OUR ATTITUDE
1. THE LAST DAYS AND THE NEW TRUTH
Fallen men overcome their internal ignorance by raising their spiritual
and intellectual standard through "spirit and truth" (John 4:23),
according to their religion. Regarding truth, there are two kinds:
internal truth (religion), which will overcome internal ignorance, and
external truth (science), which will overcome external ignorance.
Accordingly, man has two kinds of intellect: internal intellect, which
is awakened by internal truth, and external intellect, <Page 129>which
is awakened by external truth. Therefore, internal intellect in its
pursuit of internal truth has set up religion, while external intellect
in its pursuit of external truth has set up science. Spiritual matters
pertaining to the invisible world first come into spiritual cognition
through our spirit men by means of the five spiritual senses; then they
are physiologically recognized through the resonance of the five
physical senses. The truth from the visible world, however, comes
directly into our cognition by means of the five physical senses. Thus,
the process of cognition takes place through both the spiritual and
physical courses.
Since man was made so that he could be perfect only when his spirit man
and physical man are united, spirit and truth must be in perfect
harmony, awakening man's spiritual and intellectual standard, before the
two-sided cognition through both the spiritual and physical courses can
completely coincide. Then, for the first time, man will come to have
perfect cognition of the world of creation.
In this manner, God is conducting His providence of restoring men to the
original nature intended at the creation by raising through both spirit
and truth, the spiritual and intellectual standard of men, who fell into
utter ignorance due to the fall. Man, sharing the benefit of the age in
God's providence of restoration, is gradually being elevated in his
spiritual and intellectual standard as history progresses. Therefore,
both spirit and truth, which are the means for raising the spiritual and
intellectual standard, must also be elevated to higher levels by
degrees. Although spirit and truth must be unique, eternal and
unchanging, the extent, degree and method of teaching and expressing
them to men, who are in the process of restoration from the status of
ignorance, should vary according to the age.
For example, in the age before the Old Testament (from Adam to Moses),
God did not provide the people with words <Page 130>of truth, but merely
commanded them to offer sacrifices. Men in that age, being ignorant,
could not receive the truth directly from Him. When the spiritual and
intellectual standard of the people was elevated, He gave the Law to the
people of Moses' day, and the Gospel to those of Jesus' day. Jesus did
not say that his word was the truth, but that he himself was the way,
the truth and the life (John 14:6). This is because his words were only
a means of expressing himself as the truth; and the extent, degree and
method of expressing the truth should vary according to those who
receive the words.
From this, we must realize that Biblical words are a means of expressing
the truth and are not the truth itself. Seeing matters from this point
of view, we can understand that the new Testament was given as a
textbook for the teaching of truth to the people of 2,000 years ago,
people whose spiritual and intellectual standard was very low compared
to that of today. It is thus impossible to satisfy completely man's
desire for truth, in this modern scientific civilization, by using the
same method of expressing the truth, in parables and symbols, which was
used to awaken the people of an earlier age. In consequence, today the
truth must appear with a higher standard and with a scientific method of
expression in order to enable intelligent modern man to understand it.
We call this the new truth. This new truth, as discussed in the "General
Introduction", should be able to resolve completely the problems of
religion and science according to one unified theme and thus overcome
man's internal and external ignorance.
Let us investigate other reasons that the new truth must appear.
As noted, the Bible is not the truth itself but a textbook teaching us
the truth. In this textbook, most of the important parts of the truth
are revealed in parables and symbols. <Page 131> Consequently, the
method of interpretation can differ according to the reader. Differences
in interpretation have produced many denominations. Since the source of
denominational divisions is not in man but in the expressions used in
the Bible, the divisions and quarrels cannot but increase. Therefore, we
cannot expect the divisions and quarrels between denominations to come
to an end. This will hinder the fulfillment of the providence of
restoration under the unification of Christianity, unless there appears
a new truth that can elucidate the fundamental contents of the Bible so
clearly that everyone can recognize and agree with it. Therefore, Jesus
promised to give us new words of truth in the Last Days, saying:
I have said this to you in figures; the hour is coming when I shall
no longer speak to you in figures but tell you plainly of the Father.
(John 16:25)
Jesus died on the cross without being able to say all that he wanted to
say because of the disbelief of the people. As he said, "If I have told
you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell
you heavenly things?" (John 3:12). Jesus also said to his disciples, "I
have yet many things to say to you but you cannot bear them now." (John
16:12). This disclosed how sorrowful he was, because he could not tell
even his own disciples what he had deep in his heart.
The words Jesus left unuttered will not forever remain a secret, but are
to be revealed some day as a new truth through the Holy Spirit, as Jesus
told us:
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth;
for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he
will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
(John 16:13)
Again we read: <Page 132>
I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll
written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. (Rev. 5:1)
On this very scroll were the words the Lord is to give us in the Last
Days. When John wept because no one was found worthy to open the scroll
or to look into it, since there was no such person in heaven, on earth,
or under the earth, one of the elders said:
...the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered,
so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals. (Rev. 5:3-5)
The Lion born of the Root of David signifies Christ. Thus, the day must
come when Christ will open the sealed scroll, which has long remained a
secret to mankind, and reveal the new truth to all the saints.
Therefore, it is said, "You must again prophesy about many peoples and
nations and tongues and kings." (Rev. 10:11). Again, it is said:
And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour our
my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall
prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men
shall dream dreams; yea, and on my menservants and my maidservants in
those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. (Acts.
2:17-18)
Thus, from many standpoints the new truth must come in the Last Days.
2. THE ATTITUDE WE SHOULD TAKE IN THE LAST DAYS
If we observe the progression of the history of the providence of
restoration, we see that the new always begins when the old is about to
expire. Consequently, the period when the old ends is the very period
when the new begins. The close of the old history is the starting period
for the new history. <Page 133>
Mankind is now at the point of intersection where the two sovereignties
of good and evil are confronting each other. These two sovereignties,
which started at the same point, have headed in opposite directions ever
since, and have borne their own worldwide fruits respectively. People of
this age fall into internal insecurity, terror and chaos due to the
shallowness of their ideals and ideologies. Externally, they are afraid,
as they face the threat of conflicts and struggles with terrifying
weapons. In the Last Days many devastating phenomena will occur. As the
Bible says:
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom and
there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. (Matt. 24:7)
It is inevitable that such misery should take place, in order that the
dominion of evil be annihilated, and that of good be exalted. God,
without fail, will set up the center of the sovereignty of goodness in
order to establish a new age out of this misery. Noah, Abraham, Moses
and Jesus were the central figures of their respective new ages.
Therefore, we must find the central figure of the new history, whom God
has designated, in order that we might be participants in the new age as
God wants us to be.
The providence of the new age does not start after the complete
liquidation of the old age, but is born and grows in the circumstances
of the period of consummation of the old age, always appearing to be in
conflict with that age. Accordingly, this providence is not easily
understood by those who are accustomed to the conventions of the old
age. This is why the sages of history who came in charge of the
providence of a new age all became victims of the old age. We can give
the example of Jesus, who, coming at the close of the Old Testament Age
as <Page 134>the center of the new providence of the New Testament Age,
appeared to the believers of the Mosaic Law to be a heretic whom they
could not understand. Finally he was rejected because of their disbelief
of him and was crucified. This is why Jesus said, "New wine must be put
into fresh wine skins." (Luke 5:38).
Christ will come again at the close of the New Testament Age as the
center of the new providence to establish the new heaven and earth, and
will give us new words for the building of the new age (Rev. 21:1-7).
Therefore, he is apt to be rejected and persecuted by Christians at the
time of the Second Advent just as Jesus was persecuted and derided at
his coming by the Jews who said he was possessed by Beelzebub, the
Prince of Demons (Matt. 12:24). Therefore, Jesus predicted that first
the Lord must suffer many things and be rejected by the generation at
the time of the Second Advent (Luke 17:25). Therefore, those who, in the
transitional period of history, are tenaciously attached to the
environment of the old age and comfortable entrenched in it will be
judged along with the old age.
Fallen men, being very dull in their sensitivity toward spiritual
things, will generally emphasize the old truth in following the course
of the providence of restoration. In other words, these people will not
respond to and follow the providence of the new age even though the
providence of restoration is bringing about the new age, because in most
cases they are still attached to the view of truth of the old age. Those
who can perceive spiritual things, however, will understand the
providence of the new age spiritually, and come to respond to it, even
though they may face discrepancies between the new view of truth and
that of the old age.
The disciples of Jesus, therefore, were not overly attached to the Old
Testament. Rather, they followed what they felt spiritually in their
hearts. The reason men of prayer and <Page 135>conscience feel a sense
of extreme spiritual anxiety and urgency in the Last Days is that, while
they vaguely feel spiritual things and are willing to follow the
providence of the new age in their hearts, they have not met the new
truth that can lead their external selves in the right direction.
Therefore, if these men would only listen to the new truth leading them
to the providence of the new age, they would be awakened in heart and
intellect by spirit and truth simultaneously. They would be able to
recognize perfectly the demand of God's providence for the new age.
Naturally, then they will come to respond to it with untold happiness.
Thus, modern men of the Last Days must try to perceive spiritual things
through humble prayer.
Thus, we should not be attached to conventional ideas but should at all
costs find the new truth leading them to the providence of the new age.
We can do this by directing our external self toward a spiritual
purpose. Then we must ascertain whether the truth thus found becomes one
with our spirit, producing a true heavenly joy deep within our heart. By
doing this, the saints of the Last Days can find the way to true
salvation. <Page 136>
Chart: The World of Creation and the Providence of Restoration Through
the Substantial Development of the Word. <Page 137>
CHAPTER 4. ADVENT OF THE MESSIAH
The word "messiah" in Hebrew means the "anointed one", especially
signifying the king. The Israelites believed the Word of God that He
would send a king or Messiah to save them; this was the Messianic
expectation of the Israelites. In this sense, Jesus Christ came as the
Messiah, "Christ" meaning "Messiah" in the Hellenic language.
The Messiah must come in order that the purpose of God's providence of
salvation be fulfilled. Man needs salvation because of the human fall.
Therefore, we must understand the questions concerning the human fall in
order to solve the problems of <Page 139>salvation. "Fall" implies that
God's purpose of creation was left unfulfilled, so we must first
elucidate the purpose of creation before we discuss the questions
concerning the human fall.
God's purpose of creation was to be fulfilled with the establishment of
the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Due to the fall of man, an earthly hell
was brought about instead of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Ever since,
God has continued His providence to restore the Kingdom of Heaven on
earth. Consequently, the purpose of human endeavor is to restore the
Kingdom of Heaven on earth. These questions have already been discussed
in detail (cf. Part I, Ch. 3, Sec. I-II--100).
SECTION I--THE PROVIDENCE OF SALVATION THROUGH THE CROSS
1. THE PURPOSE OF JESUS' COMING AS THE MESSIAH
The purpose of Jesus' coming as the Messiah was to fulfill the
providence of restoration; his coming was primarily to save fallen men.
Consequently, the Kingdom of Heaven on earth should have been
established by Jesus. We may see this even from what Jesus said to his
disciples, "You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is
perfect." (Matt. 5:48). According to the principle of creation, a man
who has fulfilled the purpose of creation becomes one body with God,
possesses deity, and cannot commit sins. This kind of man, seen from the
purpose of creation, is one who is perfect as the heavenly Father is
perfect. Therefore, Jesus' words to his disciples meant that they should
become citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom, after having been restored as
men who have fulfilled the purpose of creation.
Thus, Jesus came in order to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth,
having restored fallen men as citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom. For this
reason he told his disciples to pray <Page 140>that God's will be done
on earth as it is in Heaven (Matt. 6:10). He also urged the people to
repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand (Matt. 4:17). For the same
reason, John the Baptist, who had come to prepare the way of the Lord,
also announced the nearness of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt. 3:2).
What would the man be like, then, who became perfect as the heavenly
Father is perfect, having restored himself as the man in whom the
purpose of creation is fulfilled? Such a man would become one body with
God, inseparable from Him, living in accordance with God's will. Feeling
exactly what God feels, he would possess deity. This man is not in need
of redemption or of a savior, nor does he need the life of prayer and
faith required by fallen men, because he is without original sin. Such a
man, being himself without original sin, comes to multiply children of
goodness without original sin; in consequence, his children are not in
need of a savior for the redemption of their sins.
2. WAS THE PROVIDENCE OF SALVATION FULFILLED THROUGH REDEMPTION BY THE
CROSS?
Since human history began, there has not been a single man, however
devout a saint he may have been, who has lived a life in complete
oneness with God. Not a single man has experienced God's own heart and
feeling, or possessed the same deity. Consequently, there has not yet
been a saint who did not need redemption from sin and a life of prayer
and faith. Even a man as devout as Paul was compelled to lead a life of
faith and tearful prayers (Rom. 7:18-25). All parents, however devout,
cannot give birth to a child without sin who may go to the Kingdom of
Heaven without redemption by the savior. From this, we perceive that
parents are still transmitting original sin to their children.
What does the reality of the life in faith of the Christian teach us? It
tells us straightforwardly that redemption through <Page 141>the cross
cannot completely liquidate our original sin, and that it leaves man's
original nature not yet perfectly restored. Jesus promised the Lord
would come, because Jesus knew he could not fulfill the purpose of his
advent as the Messiah through redemption by the cross. Christ had to
come again to fulfill perfectly the will of God, because God's
predestination to restore the Kingdom of Heaven on earth was absolute
and unchangeable.
Did his sacrifice on the cross then come to naught? Not at all (John
3:16). If it had, Christian history could not have existed. We can never
deny the magnitude of the grace of redemption by the cross. Therefore,
it is true that our faith in the cross can bring about redemption. It is
equally true that redemption by the cross has been unable to remove our
original sin and restore us as men of the original nature who cannot
commit sin; thus, it has been unable to establish the Kingdom of Heaven
on earth.
Then, the question arises as to the extent of redemption by the cross.
The faith of modern men of intellect cannot be directed unless we can
solve this problem.
3. THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS
Let us first examine Jesus' crucifixion from the viewpoint of the words
and actions of the disciples that were recorded in the Bible. There was
one evident feeling common among the disciples concerning Jesus' death.
They were grieved and mortified by Jesus' death. They were indignant at
the ignorance and disbelief of the people who caused the crucifixion of
Jesus (Acts 7:51-53). Christians since have commonly entertained the
same feeling as did the disciples of Jesus' days. If Jesus' death had
been a natural result of God's predestination, there would have been no
reason for the disciples to decry it, though it may have been inevitable
for them to grieve over his death. From <Page 142>this, we can ascertain
that Jesus' having to take the path of death was unjust and undue.
Next, let us further investigate from the viewpoint of God's providence
whether Jesus' crucifixion was a natural result of God's predestination.
God called the chosen people of Israel, the descendants of Abraham; He
raised and protected them, and at times led them through the discipline
of trials and hardships. He comforted them by sending prophets who
promised that in the future He would send them a Messiah. He had the
people erect tabernacles and temples in preparation for the Messiah. He
sent the wise men from the East as well as Simon, Anna, John the Baptist
and others to testify widely to the birth and the appearance of the
Messiah.
Especially concerning the birth of John the Baptist, all the Jews knew
that the angel appeared to testify to his conception (Luke 1:13); and
the signs which occurred at the time of his birth stirred all Judea in
expectation (Luke 1:63-66). Besides, his ascetic practices in the
wilderness were so impressive that the Jewish people questioned in their
hearts whether perhaps he were the Christ (Luke 3:15). Needless to say,
God sent such a great man as John the Baptist to bear witness to Jesus
as the Messiah so that the Jewish people would believe in Jesus. Since
God's will was thus to have the Israelites believe that Jesus was the
Messiah, the Israelites, who were supposed to live according to God's
will, should have believed in him as the Messiah. If they had believed
in Jesus as the Messiah according to God's will, how could they have
crucified him, after having waited for him for such a long time? It was
because, against God's will, they did not believe that Jesus was the
Messiah, that the Israelites crucified him. We, therefore, must realize
that Jesus did not come to die on the cross.
Next, let us further investigate, according to Jesus' own words and
deeds, whether his crucifixion was truly the means to <Page 143>fulfill
the whole purpose of his coming as the Messiah. As the Bible clearly
states, Jesus expressed in both word and deed his wish to have the
people believe he was the Messiah. When the people asked him what they
must do to be doing the works of God, Jesus answered them, "This is the
work of God, that you believe in him whom He has sent." (John 6:29).
Jesus grieved over the treachery of the Jewish people; and finding none
to appeal to, he wept over the city of Jerusalem and even cursed the
city to be destroyed so utterly that not one stone would be left upon
another, not to mention the Israelites, the chosen people, whom God had
led in love and care for 2000 years. Jesus clearly pointed out their
ignorance, saying, "...you did not know the time of your visitation."
(Luke 19:44).
Jesus lamented over the disbelief and stubbornness of the people,
saying:
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who
are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children
together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would
not! (Matt. 23:37)
Jesus reproached them for their ignorance which kept them from believing
in him even though they read the Scriptures, which testified to him, and
he said in great sorrow:
You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have
eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me; yet you refuse
to come to me that you may have life. (John 5:39-40)
Again, he said sorrowfully, "I have come in my Father's name, and you do
not receive me", and he went on to say, "If you believed Moses, you
would believe me, for he wrote of me." (John 5:43-46). <Page 144>
Jesus performed many miracles and signs in the hope that he might
restore the people's belief. However, they condemned him as being
possessed by Beelzebub when they saw the amazing works which Jesus did.
Seeing the painful situation, Jesus said, "...even though you do not
believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the
Father is in me and I am in the Father." (John 10:38). On another
occasion, he even cursed them in great indignation, prophesying that
they would suffer (Matt. 23:13-36). Jesus himself, through his words and
deeds, tried to make them believe in him, because it was God's will for
them to do so. If the Jewish people believed that he was the Messiah, as
both God and Jesus wanted, could they have crucified him?
From the above, we can see that Jesus' crucifixion was the result of the
ignorance and disbelief of the Jewish people and was not God's
predestination to fulfill the whole purpose of Jesus' coming as the
Messiah. I Corinthians 2:8 says, "None of the rulers of this age
understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord
of glory.". This should be sufficient proof.
If Jesus' crucifixion had originally been God's predestination, how
could he have prayed even three times that the cup of death might pass
from him? (Matt. 26:39). In fact, he thus prayed desperately because he
knew too well that the history of affliction would be prolonged until
the time of the Second Advent if the disbelief of the people should
forbid the realization of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, which God had
endeavored to establish.
In John 3:14 we read, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
so must the Son of man be lifted up.". When the Israelites were on their
way from Egypt into the land of Canaan, they failed to believe in Moses,
and at that time fiery serpents appeared and began to kill the people;
then God had a <Page 145>bronze serpent lifted up on a pole, and those
who looked at it survived. Similarly, due to the Jewish people's
disbelief in Jesus, all were destined to hell; and Jesus, foreseeing
that after his crucifixion as the "bronze serpent" only those who looked
at him and believed in him would be saved, said this with a deeply
sorrowful heart.
Another way we may know that Jesus was crucified due to the disbelief of
the people is from the fact, as Jesus foretold, that the chosen nation
of Israel declined after his death (Luke 19:44).
Isaiah 9:6-7 says:
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government
will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called 'Wonderful
Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.'. Of the
increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, upon
the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it, and to
uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth
and for evermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
This is the prediction that Jesus would come upon the throne of David
and establish a kingdom that would never perish throughout eternity.
Therefore, an angel appeared to Mary at the time she conceived Jesus and
said:
And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you
shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the
son of the Most high; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of
his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever;
and of his kingdom there will be no end. (Luke 1:31-33)
From these passages, we can see plainly that God called the Israelites,
the chosen people, and had led them through afflictions and hardships
for 2000 years, in order to establish an everlasting Kingdom of God on
earth by sending Jesus as the <Page 146>Messiah. Jesus came as the
Messiah; but, due to the disbelief of and persecution by the people, he
was crucified. Since then, the Jews have lost their qualification as the
chosen people and have been scattered, suffering persecution through the
present day.
4. THE LIMIT OF SALVATION THROUGH REDEMPTION BY THE CROSS, AND THE
PURPOSE OF THE LORD'S SECOND ADVENT
If Jesus had not been crucified, what would have happened? He would have
accomplished the providence of salvation both spiritually and
physically. He would have established the Kingdom of Heaven on earth
which would last forever, as expressed in the prophecy of Isaiah (Is.
9:6-7), in the instruction of the angel appearing to Mary (Luke
1:31-33), and in Jesus' own words announcing the imminence of the
Kingdom of Heaven (Matt. 4:17).
God first created man's flesh with the earth, and then He breathed into
his nostrils the breath of life and made him into a living soul (Gen.
2:7). Man was created to have both spirit and body; his fall also came
about both spiritually and physically. Naturally, salvation must include
both spirit and body.
Since the purpose of Jesus' advent as the Messiah was to accomplish the
providence of restoration, he should have fulfilled the salvation of
both spirit and body. To believe in Jesus means to become one body with
him; therefore, Jesus likened himself to the true vine, and his
followers to its branches (John 15:5). He said, "...you will know that I
am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you." (John 14:20). Jesus said
this because coming in the flesh, he wanted to save fallen men both
spiritually and physically. If they had become one with him in both
spirit and body by believing in him, fallen men could have been saved
both spiritually and physically. Because the Jewish people <Page
147>disbelieved Jesus and delivered him up for crucifixion, his body was
invaded by Satan, and he was killed. Therefore, even when Christians
believe in and become one body with Jesus, whose body was invaded by
Satan, their bodies still remain subject to Satan's invasion.
In this manner, however devout a man of faith may be, he cannot fulfill
physical salvation by redemption through Jesus' crucifixion alone. Since
the original sin lineally transmitted from Adam has not been liquidated,
any saint, however devout he may be, still has original sin and cannot
help giving birth to the children of original sin. To prevent the
condition of Satanic invasion which constantly comes through the flesh
due to the original sin, we have to torment and deny our flesh, in order
to live a religious life. We must pray constantly (I Thess. 5:17) in
order to prevent the condition of Satanic invasion that comes because of
original sin, which has not been annihilated, even through redemption by
the cross.
Jesus could not accomplish the purpose of the providence of physical
salvation because his body was invaded by Satan. However, he could
establish the basis for spiritual salvation by forming a triumphant
foundation for resurrection through the redemption by the blood of the
cross. Therefore, all the saints since the resurrection of Jesus through
the present day have enjoyed the benefit of the providence of spiritual
salvation only. Salvation through redemption by the cross is spiritual
only. Even in devout men of faith, the original sin remains in the flesh
and is transmitted continuously from generation to generation. The more
devout a saint becomes in his faith, therefore, the more severe becomes
his fight against sin. Thus, Christ must come again on the earth to
accomplish the purpose of the providence of the physical, as well as the
spiritual salvation, by redeeming the original sin which has not been
liquidated even through the cross. <Page 148>
As mentioned before, even the saints redeemed by the cross have had to
continue to fight against original sin. That is why even Paul, who was
the center of faith among the disciples, lamented over his inability to
prevent sin from invading his flesh, saying, "...So then, I of myself
serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of
sin." (Rom. 7:22-25). He said this to express the joy of the fulfillment
of spiritual salvation as well as to deplore the failure to accomplish
physical salvation. Again, in I John 1:8-10 John confessed, saying:
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not
in us...If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his
word is not in us.
Thus, we who can gain salvation through the crucifixion of Jesus cannot
escape from being sinners because the original sin still works in us.
5. TWO KINDS OF PROPHECY CONCERNING THE CROSS
What must be the reason, then, that in Isaiah 53 Jesus' suffering on the
cross is prophesied, if his crucifixion was not the result of God's
predestination? Until now, many people have thought that the prophecies
in the Bible about Jesus foretold only his suffering. When we read the
Bible anew with a knowledge of the Principle, we can understand that,
just as the prophet Isaiah foretold in the Old Testament Age (Is. 9, 11,
60), and as the angel of God prophesied to Mary, Jesus was expected to
become king of the Jews in his lifetime and establish on earth an
everlasting kingdom of which "there will be no end" (Luke 1:31-33). Let
us then investigate why there were two kinds of prophecies. <Page 149>
God created man to be perfected only by accomplishing his portion of
responsibility (cf. Part I, Ch. 1, Sec. V, 2.2--55). However, in
actuality, the first human ancestors fell without having accomplished
their portion of responsibility. Thus, man could either accomplish his
portion of responsibility in accordance with God's will, or, on the
contrary, not accomplish it against God's will.
To give an example from the Bible, it was man's portion of
responsibility not to eat the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good
and Evil. Adam could perfect himself by obeying God's commandment not to
eat of the fruit; on the other hand, he could die by eating the fruit,
as actually happened. God gave the Ten Commandments to the people of the
Old Testament Age as a condition of man's responsibility in the
providence of salvation. Thus, man could be saved by keeping the
Commandments, or be ruined by not keeping them. It was the Israelites'
portion of responsibility to obey Moses' command on their way from Egypt
to the blessed land of Canaan. They could enter the blessed land of
Canaan by obeying Moses' command, or not enter it by disobeying his
command. In fact, God willed that Moses lead the Israelites into the
blessed land of Canaan (Ex. 3:8) and commanded him to do so; but due to
their disbelief, the people perished in the wilderness, leaving only
their posterity to reach the destination.
Man thus has his own responsibility to accomplish, and he may fulfill it
according to God's will or not fulfill it against His will, thus
resulting in only one of the two possibilities being realized.
Therefore, it was inevitable for God to give two kinds of prophecy
regarding the fulfillment of His will.
It was God's portion of responsibility to send the Messiah, but to
believe in him was man's responsibility. Therefore, the Jewish people
could either believe in the Messiah according to <Page 150>God's will or
not believe in him, against His will. Therefore, God had to give two
kinds of prophecy, thus providing for two possible results, according to
man's success or failure to accomplish his responsibility. God
prophesied both about what might happen if the Jewish people failed to
believe in the Messiah, as was written in Isaiah 53, and about what
would happen if they fulfilled His will in glory by believing in and
serving the Messiah, as was recorded in Isaiah 9, 11, and 60, and Luke
1:30. However, due to the disbelief of the people, Jesus died on the
cross, and the prophecy of Isaiah 53 was realized, thus leaving the
others to be accomplished after the Lord's Second Advent.
6. BIBLICAL VERSES WRITTEN AS IF JESUS' CRUCIFIXION WERE INEVITABLE
In the Bible we find many verses written as if Jesus' suffering through
crucifixion were inevitable. One of the representative examples of this
is that Jesus reproached Peter, who tried to dissuade him when he
prophesied about his suffering on the cross, and said, "Get behind me,
Satan!" (Matt. 16:23). Otherwise, how could Jesus reproach Peter so
bitterly? In fact, Jesus was then resolved to take the cross as the
condition of indemnity to pay for the accomplishment of even the
spiritual salvation of man when he found that he was unable to
accomplish the providence of both spiritual and physical salvation (Luke
9:31). In that situation, Peter's dissuading him from taking the way of
the cross was a hindrance to the providence of spiritual salvation
through the cross; so, he reproached Peter.
In the next place, when Jesus uttered his last words on the cross,
saying, "It is finished" (John 19:30), he did not mean that the whole
purpose of the providence of salvation was <Page 151>attained through
the cross. Knowing that the disbelief of the people was at that point
inalterable, Jesus chose the way of the cross in order to establish the
foundation of the providence of spiritual salvation, leaving the
providence of physical salvation to the time of the Second Advent.
Therefore, Jesus meant by the words "it is finished" that he finished
establishing the basis for the providence of spiritual salvation through
the cross, which was the secondary providence of salvation.
In order for us to have a right faith, we must first establish direct
rapport with God in spirit through ardent prayer and next, we must
understand the truth through correct reading of the Bible. This is the
reason that Jesus told us to worship God in spirit and truth (John
4:24).
From the time of Jesus through the present, all Christians have thought
that Jesus came to the world to die. This is because they did not know
the fundamental purpose of Jesus' coming as the Messiah and entertained
the wrong idea that spiritual salvation was the only mission for which
Jesus came to the world. Jesus came to accomplish the will of God in his
lifetime, but had to die a reluctant death due to the disbelief of the
people. There must first appear on the earth the bride who can relieve
the humiliated and grieving heart of Jesus before Christ as the
bridegroom can come again--this time to complete his mission with his
bride. Jesus said, "Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will he
find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:8) in lamentation over the possible
ignorance of the people, which he could foresee.
We have clarified the fact that Jesus did not come to die, but if we ask
Jesus directly through spiritual communication, we can see the fact even
more clearly. When direct rapport is impossible, we should seek the
testimony of someone with such a gift in order to have the kind of faith
that will entitle us to be the "bride", in order to receive the Messiah.
<Page 152>
SECTION II--THE SECOND ADVENT OF ELIJAH AND JOHN THE BAPTIST
It was foretold by the prophet Malachi that Elijah would come again
(Mal. 4:5), and it was Jesus' testimony that John the Baptist was none
other than the second advent of Elijah (Matt. 11:14, 17:13). However,
John the Baptist himself, as well as the Jewish people in general, did
not know the fact that John was the second advent of Elijah (John 1:21).
John's doubt of Jesus (Matt. 11:3), followed by the disbelief of the
people, finally compelled Jesus to take the way of the cross.
1. THE TREND OF JEWISH THOUGHT CONCERNING THE SECOND ADVENT OF ELIJAH
During the period of the United Kingdom, the "ideal of the temple" was
invaded by Satan, due to the corruption of King Solomon.
God set up the ideal of the temple the second time. In order to prepare
the people to receive the Messiah as the substantial temple,
He worked for the separation from Satan by sending them four major
prophets and twelve minor prophets. It was to stop Satan from preventing
the realization of this ideal that God had his people destroy the god
Baal by sending his special prophet Elijah and having him fight against
the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. However, Elijah ascended into heaven
without having fully accomplished his divine mission (II Kings 2:11),
and Satan's power was again rampant.
Therefore, in order that the ideal of the substantial temple, Jesus,
might be realized, there should first be the providence of having
another prophet succeed Elijah and accomplish the mission of separating
Satan, which he had left undone on the earth. Because of this
providential necessity, the prophet Malachi foretold the second advent
of Elijah (Mal. 4:5). <Page 153>
The fervent hope of the Jewish people who believed in these prophecies
was, of course, the advent of the Messiah. But we must know that they
nonetheless longed for the second coming of Elijah. This is because God
clearly promised the people, through the prophet Malachi, that He would
send the prophet Elijah prior to the advent of the Messiah in order to
have him prepare the way of the Lord (Mal. 4:5). Meanwhile, the prophet
Elijah had ascended into heaven nearly 900 years before the birth of
Jesus (II Kings 2:11), and we are familiar with the occasion when he
appeared to Jesus' disciples in spirit (Luke 9:31). The Jewish people
believed that Elijah, being in heaven, would come from heaven in the
same manner as he had ascended into heaven. Therefore, the Jewish people
of that time were waiting for Elijah to come again, looking up into
heaven in the expectation that Elijah would come on the clouds.
However, there had been as yet no rumor of Elijah's coming as Malachi
had prophesied, when Jesus appeared, claiming to be the Messiah; thus,
great confusion was caused in Jerusalem. So, the disciples were faced
with an argument against Jesus' being the Messiah (Matt. 17:10): if
Jesus were he, then where was Elijah who was to come before him? (Mal.
4:5). The disciples, at a loss as to how to reply, asked Jesus directly;
and he answered that John the Baptist was none other than Elijah
himself, for whom they had waited (Matt. 11:14, 17:13). Jesus'
disciples, who believed him to be the Messiah, could believe without
question Jesus' testimony that John the Baptist was Elijah. But how
could the Jewish people accept it, when they did not know who Jesus was?
Jesus himself, knowing that they would not easily believe his testimony,
said, "If you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come."
(Matt. 11:14). The Jewish people could not believe Jesus' testimony that
John the Baptist was Elijah because it came after John himself clearly
denied the fact (John 1:21). <Page 154>
2. THE WAY OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE
Jesus said that John the Baptist was none other than Elijah, for whom
the Jewish people had waited so long (Matt. 11:14), while on the
contrary, John the Baptist himself had already denied the fact. Then,
whose words were they to believe and follow? It depended upon which of
the two appeared to be more believable to the people at that time.
Let us then examine how Jesus appeared to the Jewish people, from their
own standpoint. Jesus was a young man of little formal education. He had
been born and raised in the poor and lowly home of a carpenter. This
young man emerged unknown, calling himself the Lord of the Sabbath, and
yet violated the Sabbath which the Jews strictly observed (Matt.
12:1-8). Therefore, Jesus came to be known as one who wanted to abolish
the Law, which was the symbol of salvation to the Jews (Matt. 5:17).
Therefore, Jesus was persecuted by Jewish leaders and had to gather
fishermen to be his disciples. He became a friend to tax-collectors,
harlots, and sinners, eating and drinking with them (Matt. 11:19). More
than that, Jesus declared that the tax-collectors and harlots would
enter the Kingdom of Heaven ahead of the Jewish leaders. (Matt. 21:31).
On one occasion, a woman, weeping, began to wet Jesus' feet with her
tears, wipe them with her hair, kiss them and anoint them with a flask
of precious ointment (Luke 7:37-38). Such conduct would not be
acceptable even in today's society and how much more unacceptable it
would have been within the strict ethics of Jewish society, in which
they could stone an adulterous woman to death. Nevertheless, Jesus not
only accepted it, but reproached his disciples, who had rebuked the
woman; in fact, he also praised her (Luke 7:44-50, Matt. 26:7-13).
Moreover, Jesus placed himself on the same level as God (John 14:9) and
said that no one could enter the Kingdom of <Page 155>Heaven except
through him (John 14:6). He even said that people should love him more
than their parents, brothers, husband or wife and their children (Matt.
10:37, Luke 14:26).
Because of the attitude which Jesus' words and actions seemed to convey,
the Jewish leaders derided him and accused him of being Beelzebub, the
Prince of Demons (Matt. 12:24). From all this we can gather that Jesus
was not accepted by the Jews of that time.
Next, let us investigate how John the Baptist appeared to the Jewish
people. John was born to a distinguished family as a son of Zechariah, a
chief priest (Luke 1:13). His birth greatly surprised the whole city
because of the miracles and signs surrounding his conception. His
father, burning incense in the holy place, saw the angel of the Lord,
who announced that his wife would conceive a son. Upon disbelieving the
angel's words, Zechariah was struck dumb, and his speech was restored
only upon the birth of the child (Luke 1:9-66). Moreover, John led a
brilliant life of faith and discipline, living on locusts and wild honey
in the wilderness, and he appeared so admirable to the Jewish people
that even the chief priests, as well as the people in general, asked him
if he were the Messiah (Luke 3:15, John 1:20).
Considering the above, when we compare Jesus and John the Baptist from
the standpoint of the Jewish people, whose words would they be more
likely to believe? It was only natural for them to believe the words of
John the Baptist. Consequently, they had to believe John's words when he
denied being Elijah more than they believed Jesus' testimony that John
the Baptist was Elijah. Since the Jewish people came to believe the
words of John the Baptist, Jesus' testimony appeared to be false, and
thus he was condemned as an imposter.
In this way, Jesus was condemned as a man of reckless words and his
manner was offensive to the Jewish people. Their <Page 156>dis-belief in
Jesus became aggravated by degrees. Since the Jewish people believed the
words of John the Baptist rather than those of Jesus, they had to think
that Elijah had not yet come; accordingly, they could not even imagine
that the Messiah had arrived.
From this viewpoint, the Jews had to deny Jesus, who claimed to be the
Messiah, because, from the standpoint of believers in the prophecy of
Malachi, they could not believe that Elijah had come. Otherwise, they
would have to deny the Scriptures, which prophesied that the coming of
the Messiah would take place after the return of Elijah. In this way,
the Jewish people, who could not abandon the prophecy in the Scriptures,
were compelled to choose the way of disbelief in Jesus.
3. THE DISBELIEF OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
As already discussed in detail, the chief priests as well as all the
Jewish people of that time respected John the Baptist to such a degree
that they thought he might be the Messiah (Luke 3:15, John 1:20).
Consequently, if John the Baptist had declared himself to be Elijah as
Jesus testified he was, the Jewish people, who expected Elijah's return
before the coming of the Messiah, would have come to Jesus, because they
were accustomed to believing the testimony of John the Baptist. However,
the ignorance of God's providence on the part of John the Baptist, who
protested to the last moment that he was not Elijah, was the principal
cause blocking the way of the people to Jesus.
John the Baptist once testified:
I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after
me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry; he
will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. (Matt. 3:11)
<Page 157>
Again in John 1:33-34 he confessed, saying:
I myself did not know him; but he [God] who sent me to baptize with
water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain,
this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit [Christ].'. And I have
seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.
In this way, God directly manifested to John the Baptist that Jesus was
the Messiah, and even John himself testified to him as such, while in
John 1:23 he said he came with the mission of making straight the way of
the Messiah. In addition, he declared in John 3:28 that he was the one
who had been sent before the Christ. Therefore, John the Baptist should
have known through his own wisdom that he was Elijah. Even if John the
Baptist had not realized on his own that he was Elijah, he should have
nonetheless declared that he was Elijah in obedience to Jesus'
testimony, since he knew Jesus as the Messiah through the testimony from
God (John 1:33-34), and he knew that Jesus bore witness that John was
Elijah.
However, John not only denied Jesus' testimony (John 1:21) from his
ignorance of God's will (Matt. 11:19), but he also deviated form the
direction of providence even after that. We can well imagine how sad
Jesus must have been when he had to regard John the Baptist in that way,
not to mention the sorrow of God, when He looked at His son who was
placed in such a difficult situation.
In fact, the mission of John the Baptist as the witness ended with his
baptizing of and testifying to Jesus. Then what should his mission have
been after that? His father Zechariah, moved by the Holy Spirit, said
about John, who had just been born: "we...might serve him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life. And
you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go
before the Lord to prepare his ways..." (Luke 1:74-76), thus prophesying
clearly about his mission. John the Baptist should <Page 158>have
ministered to Jesus as a disciple, after having testified to him.
Nevertheless, he went about baptizing people separately from Jesus, thus
confusing the Jewish people (Luke 3:15), even the chief priests (John
1:20). Further, the disciples of Jesus and the followers of John
quarreled about "purification" among themselves, each saying that his
own teacher baptized more people (John 3:25-26). Besides, John 3:30
tells us eloquently that John the Baptist did not bear the same fate
with Jesus, who said, "He must increase, but I must decrease.". How
could he ever decrease while Jesus increased, if he shared the same
destiny with Jesus? In fact, the gospel of Jesus should have been
proclaimed by John the Baptist himself. But through ignorance, he could
not accomplish his mission, and at last he degraded his life, which was
to have been devoted to Jesus, to a thing of practically no value.
John the Baptist knew Jesus was the Messiah, and when John was on God's
side, he testified to him. But when God no longer directly inspired him,
and John returned to his normal state, his disbelief of Jesus became
aggravated by his ignorance. John the Baptist, who did not realize that
he was Elijah, regarded Jesus from the same standpoint as other people,
especially after John's imprisonment. Accordingly, everything Jesus said
or did seemed, from the merely human standpoint of John the Baptist, to
be strange and incomprehensible. Moreover, John himself could not
believe that Jesus, who had appeared before the coming of Elijah, was
the Messiah. At last John sent his disciples to Jesus in an attempt to
remove his doubt, by asking him, "Are you he who is to come, or shall we
look for another?" (Matt. 11:3).
Jesus, so questioned, answered indignantly, with an air of admonition
(Matt. 11:4-10). John the Baptist was chosen by God while he was still
in his mother's womb for the mission of serving Him throughout his life
(Luke 1:76), and was trained in the wilderness, leading the bitter life
of an ascetic, in order to <Page 159>prepare the way of the Lord. When
Jesus started his public ministry, God first told John who Jesus was,
then had him testify to Jesus' being the Son of God. When John the
Baptist, who was failing to fulfill his mission and blessing from
heaven, asked Jesus such a question, Jesus did not answer
straightforwardly that he was the Messiah, which should have been plain
enough. He answered in a roundabout way, saying:
Go and tell John what you hear and see! The blind receive their sight
and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the
dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.
(Matt. 11:4-5)
Of course, John the Baptist was not ignorant of such miracles and
wonders done by Jesus. Nevertheless, Jesus gave such a lengthy
explanation in order to let him know who he was by reminding John the
Baptist of what he was doing.
We must understand that when Jesus said the poor had good news preached
to them (Matt. 11:5), he was indicating his grief over the disbelief of
the Jewish people, and especially that of John the Baptist. The chosen
people of Israel, especially John, had been richly blessed with divine
love and care. Nevertheless, they betrayed Jesus, and he was compelled
to wander about the seacoast of Galilee through the region of Samaria to
search among the poor for those who would listen to the Gospel. The
ignorant fishermen, tax-collectors and harlots were such poor people.
Actually, the disciples Jesus would have preferred were not people of
this kind. Jesus, having come to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on
earth, was more in need of one person qualified to lead a thousand than
one thousand following him blindly. Did he not, therefore, first preach
the Gospel in the temple to the chief priests and scribes in search of
those who were able and well prepared?
However, as Jesus indicated in a parable, he had to call beggars roaming
about on the street to the feast, because the <Page 160>invited had not
come. Jesus, who himself had to go about bringing in those who were
uninvited, at last uttered bitter words of judgment in deep lamentation,
saying, "blessed is he who takes no offense at me." (Matt. 11:6). Jesus
predicted John the Baptist's destiny by saying, indirectly, that one who
took offense at him would not be blessed, however great he might be.
On the contrary, it was John the Baptist who had offended Jesus. How did
John the Baptists offend him? John failed to carry out his mission of
serving and ministering to Jesus.
After the disciples of John the Baptist left him, Jesus said:
Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one
greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of
heaven is greater than he. (Matt. 11:11)
indicating that, from the standpoint of his ministry, John the Baptist
had come originally as the greatest of all the prophets, but that he was
failing to accomplish his mission.
All those in heaven had once been born of women and lived their earthly
lives before they died. Therefore, it would have been natural for him
who was the greatest of all those born of women to be the greatest also
in heaven. Then, why was John the Baptist worse than he who was least in
the Kingdom of heaven? Numerous prophets in the past had testified to
the Messiah from a distance, looking forward to his coming in the
future. But John the Baptist came with the mission of testifying to the
Messiah directly. Since it was the mission of the prophets to testify to
the Messiah, John the Baptist, who was to testify to the Messiah
directly, was greater than any of the other prophets, who testified to
him indirectly. However, seen from the point of ministering to the
Messiah, he was the least one. This is because the least in the Kingdom
of Heaven recognizes Jesus as the Messiah and serves him, while John the
Baptist, who was called for the mission of serving him closely in person
(Luke 1:76), did not prepare the way of Jesus and failed to <Page
161>serve him. Jesus went on to say, "From John the Baptist until now,
the Kingdom of Heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take
it.". If John the Baptist, who was chosen in the womb and trained in so
difficult an ascetic life in the wilderness, had only served Jesus as he
should, he would no doubt have become his chief disciple. But since John
failed to accomplish his mission of serving Jesus, Peter took the
position of chief disciple.
In the passage, "From John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of Heaven
has suffered violence", Jesus was not referring to the failure of people
in general, but that of John the Baptist himself. If John had acted
wisely, he would not have left Jesus, and his deeds would have remained
for eternity as righteous; but, unfortunately, he blocked the way for
the Jewish people to go to Jesus, as well as his own way.
Here, we have come to understand that the greatest factor leading to the
crucifixion of Jesus was the failure of John the Baptist. Paul lamented
over the ignorance of the people, including John the Baptist, who
crucified Jesus, saying:
None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they
would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (I Cor. 2:8)
4. THE REASON THAT JOHN THE BAPTIST WAS ELIJAH
According to what we have previously stated (cf. Sec. II, 1--153), we
can see that John the Baptist came to succeed Elijah and accomplish the
mission which Elijah had left unaccomplished on earth. As Luke 1:17
says, John was born with the mission of going before the Lord in the
spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the
children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, and to make
ready for the Lord a people prepared. For this reason, John was the
second advent of Elijah from the standpoint of their identical mission.
Details <Page 162>will be clarified in the chapter on "Resurrection",
but we know now that Elijah descended in spirit to John the Baptist. By
cooperating with John the Baptist he tried to accomplish his mission,
which he had left unaccomplished during his physical life on earth,
through the physical body of John the Baptist. John the Baptist was in
the position of representing Elijah's physical body, making himself
identical with Elijah from the standpoint of their mission
5. OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD THE BIBLE
We have learned from our study of the Bible that the ignorance and
disbelief of John the Baptist brought about the disbelief of the Jewish
people, which finally compelled Jesus to take the way of crucifixion.
Since the time of Jesus until the present, no one has been able to
reveal this heavenly secret. This is because we have hitherto read the
Bible from the standpoint that John the Baptist was the greatest prophet
of all. We have learned from the story of John the Baptist that we must
abandon the conservative attitude of faith which has caused us to be
afraid to remove old traditional concepts. If it would be unjust to
believe that John the Baptist had failed to accomplish his mission when
he actually succeeded, it would also no doubt be wrong to believe that
he fulfilled his mission, when on the contrary he had failed to do so.
We must struggle to obtain the right way of faith, both in spirit and
truth.
We have now brought to light the true nature of the story of John the
Baptist as demonstrated in the Bible. Any Christian who, in spiritual
communication, can see John the Baptist directly in the spirit world
will be able to understand the authenticity of all these things. <Page
163>
CHAPTER 5. RESURRECTION
If we are to accept as literal all the prophecies contained in the
Bible, we must be convinced of the possibility that, at the Second
Advent of the Lord, the physical bodies of all the saints that were
buried and decomposed will come back to their original state of life one
more in flesh (I Thess. 4:16, Matt. 27:52). Since this prophecy is from
God, men of faith must accept it. However, this prophecy cannot satisfy
the intellect of modern men; our faith has, after all, fallen into great
chaos. Therefore, it is a matter of paramount importance to elucidate
the true nature of this problem. <Page 165>
SECTION I--RESURRECTION
Resurrection means to come back to life. It is because we once died that
we need to come back to life. To know the true meaning of resurrection
we must understand the Biblical concept of life and death.
1. BIBLICAL CONCEPT OF LIFE AND DEATH
In Luke 9:60, we read that Jesus told a disciple who wanted first to go
and bury his father to "Leave the dead to bury their own dead.". In
these words of Jesus, we find two different concepts of life and death.
The first is the concept of life and death concerning death of the
physical body, which is the expiration of physical life; this was the
case of the disciple's father, who was to be buried. The life which is
opposite to this kind of death is the state in which the physical body
maintains its physiological functions.
The second is the concept of life and death concerning the persons--whom
Jesus called "the dead"--who were gathered together for the burial of
the father. Why then did Jesus indicate that the men who were actually
alive were "dead"? It was because they were in a state cut off from the
love of God; that is, they were under the dominion of Satan. Therefore,
death does not mean the expiration of physical life, but rather the
state of Satanic dominion, apart from the bosom of God's love.
Accordingly, the meaning of life opposite to this kind of death is the
state of actively living in the dominion of God's infinite love.
Therefore, however active one's body may be, while man remains in the
dominion of Satan, separated from that of God, he is dead in the true
sense according to the standard of the original value endowed at the
creation. <Page 166>
Our understanding may be further enhanced by reading Revelation 3:1,
words to the people of the church in Sardis, saying, "...You have the
name of being alive, and you are dead.". On the other hand, even though
one may have died physically, if his spirit abides in God's dominion in
the Heavenly Kingdom of God, he is alive in the truest sense. When Jesus
said, "...he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live."
(John 11:25), he meant that he who believes in Jesus and lives under
God's dominion is still alive, though he has physically died and turned
to dust, because his spirit man remains in the dominion of God.
Jesus went on to say, "whoever lives and believes in me shall never
die.". This does not mean that those who believe in Jesus will never die
physically, thus enjoying eternal life on the earth. Those who believe
in Jesus in life remain alive not only while on earth, but even after
physical death will transmigrate to the world of spirit, living there
forever in the bosom of God's love, without tasting death. Jesus'
statement here is an indication that man's physical death does not
affect his eternal life in the spirit world.
Again, he said, "whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it, but
whoever loses his life will preserve it." (Luke 17:33). He meant that
those who betray God's will in order to preserve their physical life,
though they may be physically active, are dead. On the other hand, the
spirit men of those who sacrifice their lives for the sake of God's
will, though they may be physically dead and decomposed, will live
forever in the bosom of God's love, thus remaining alive through
eternity.
2. DEATH CAUSED BY THE FALL
We have learned that there are two concepts of death, each with a
different meaning. Which of the two, then, would be the death brought
about by the fall of the first human ancestors? <Page 167>
God created man to grow old and turn to dust; this would occur even if
man had not fallen. Therefore, when Adam died at the Biblical age of 930
and turned to dust, this was not the death which was caused by the fall.
According to the principle of creation, our flesh is like clothes to our
spirit; and it is natural for us to discard our flesh when it is old and
exhausted, just as we would discard worn-out clothing. Then our spirit
man goes to the invisible world to live there forever. There is no
single material being that can perpetuate its physical life. Man is no
exception to this principle of creation; the human body cannot live
forever.
If men were to live eternally on the earth, there would have been no
need to create, in the beginning, the invisible world where spirit men
are supposed to go after physical death. The invisible world was not
created after the human fall, so that the spirits of fallen men might go
there to live; rather it had been created before the creation of men, so
that their spirits, after having accomplished the purpose of creation,
might go and live there forever, once they had discarded their flesh,
after their physical life on earth.
Fallen men are strongly attached to their physical life on earth
because, due to the fall, they became ignorant of the fact that they had
been created to go to live eternally in the beautiful invisible world
after discarding their flesh. Our physical life on earth and our
spiritual life in the invisible world may be compared to the phases of a
caterpillar and butterfly. If a caterpillar living in the soil had
consciousness, he would also be reluctant to die, from attachment to his
life under the earth, just as man is attached to his physical life on
earth. This is because the caterpillar does not know that there is
another new world after his death where he can enjoy fragrant flowers
and sweet honey. <Page 168>
The relationship between an earthly man and a spirit man is similar to
that between a caterpillar and a butterfly. If man had not fallen, he
would have known that discarding his flesh does not mean eternal
separation from his loved ones, because the earthly men were created to
communicate freely with spirit men, just as they do among themselves.
Besides, if men knew what a beautiful and happy place the spirit world
is, they would look forward to the day of departure from this world into
the next.
If, among the two kinds of death, the physical one is not a result of
the fall, we must conclude that spiritual death, signifying the
degradation to Satanic dominion, is the real death caused by the fall.
Let us inquire into the question in more detail, centering on the Bible.
The death caused by the fall means the death brought about by the first
human ancestors' eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good
and Evil. What kind of death must it have been? Genesis 2:17 says that
God, after creating Adam and Eve, told them not to eat the fruit,
because on the day they ate of it, they would surely die. Therefore, we
must conclude that they did die on the day they ate the fruit, if we are
to believe what God said. However, the "dead" Adam and Eve continued
their physical life on earth, just as we do today, multiplying their
children and finally producing a corrupted human society.
From this fact, we can clearly understand that the death caused by the
fall does not mean the expiration of physical life, but the state of
having fallen from the good dominion of God, to the evil dominion of
Satan.
Let us then draw examples from the Bible. I John 3:14 says, "...He who
does not love remains in death.". Love here, of course, means God's
love. It means that those who do not love their neighbor with God's love
are dead, no matter how actively <Page 169>they may be living on the
earth. Again, in Roman 6:23 we read, "The wages of sin is death, but the
free gift of God is eternal life.", and in Romans 8:6 it says, "To set
the mind of the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the spirit is
life and peace.".
3. MEANING OF RESURRECTION
Man has hitherto entertained the wrong idea that the expiration of man's
physical life is the death brought about by the fall. Consequently, we
have believed that the resurrection of the passed away saints would be
realized through the restoration of their once corrupted and decomposed
physical bodies to their original state.
According to the principle of creation, this kind of death was not
brought about by the fall of the human ancestors. From the beginning,
man's body was created to turn to dust after it ages and dies.
Therefore, the human body, once it is dissolved into dust, cannot be
resurrected to its original state. It is not necessary for the spirit
man to resume his flesh, when there is a vast spirit world where he is
supposed to go and live forever.
Therefore, "resurrection" means the phenomena occurring in the process
of man's restoration, from the state of having fallen under Satanic
dominion back to the direct dominion of God. Accordingly, when we repent
of our sins, making ourselves better and better day by day, we are
coming closer to resurrection.
To draw examples of resurrection from the Bible, we read in John 5:24,
"...He who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life;
he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.".
This signifies that resurrection means to leave the bosom of Satan by
believing Jesus and to return to the bosom of God's love. Again, I
Corinthians 15:22 <Page 170>says, "As in Adam all die, so also in Christ
shall all be made alive.", signifying that resurrection means to return
to the Heavenly lineage through Christ, leaving the death of the Satanic
lineage caused by the fall of Adam.
4. HOW DOES RESURRECTION CHANGE MAN?
As God predicted in Genesis 2:17, Adam and Eve, who had eaten the fruit
of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, died as a result
(spiritual death). Nevertheless, there appeared to be no external
change. If any, there must have been only a momentary change in their
countenance, caused by fear and uneasiness from their guilty conscience.
Therefore, even after fallen man has been resurrected to the original
state, which existed before he ate the fruit, there will be no external
change whatsoever in him. Those who are reborn through the Holy Spirit
are men of resurrection to a certain degree, compared to what they were
before. Let us compare a man of resurrection to a burglar. The former,
being in the state of resurrection in proportion to the degree of his
rebirth, belongs to the side of heaven; while the latter, being in the
state of death, belongs to Hell. There is, however, no external
difference between the two.
As previously proven by examples, those who believe in God, in obedience
to the words of Jesus, have surely passed from death into life.
Nevertheless, there would be no detectable physical death before his
belief in Jesus from the same person after resurrection, through which
he was transformed into life by believing in Jesus.
It is true that Jesus came as a man who had himself accomplished the
purpose of creation (cf. "Christology" 205). However, Jesus, from his
outward appearance, was no different from ordinary, fallen men. If he
had any such difference, all his <Page 171>associates at that time would
have surely followed him. Man leaves the Satanic dominion through
resurrection, and by becoming one with God's heart he can enjoy deity.
When fallen men thus come into the dominion of God through resurrection,
spiritual changes necessarily occur. The spiritual changes, in fact,
would sanctify the human body, transforming it from the abode of Satan
to the temple in which God may dwell. In that sense, it may be said that
the physical body also is resurrected. It is similar to a building which
has been used for evil purposes; when used as the temple of God, it
would be turned into a sacred building, although there may be no change
whatsoever in its external appearance.
SECTION II--PROVIDENCE OF RESURRECTION
1. HOW IS THE PROVIDENCE OF RESURRECTION ACCOMPLISHED?
Resurrection means the phenomena occurring in the course of fallen men's
restoration to their original nature, endowed at the creation.
Therefore, the "providence of resurrection" means the providence of
restoration. In other words, since the providence of restoration is the
providence of re-creation, the providence of resurrection is also the
providence of re-creation. Consequently, the providence of resurrection
is worked out in the following way, according to the principle of
creation.
First, in the history of the providence of resurrection, the figures who
took charge of certain responsibilities in their respective missions,
though they could not fully carry out their portions of responsibility,
loyally offered their best for the sake of God's will. In proportion to
their accomplishments, they were able to broaden the base on which
fallen men could open <Page 172>their relationship to God. As time goes
by, people of succeeding generations can enjoy more benefit from their
ages, according to the providence of restoration. The providence of
resurrection, therefore, is carried out according to the benefits of the
age.
Second, according to the principle of creation, man, who was created as
part of God's portion of responsibility, was made to be perfected by
believing in God's words and practicing them, as his own portion of
responsibility. Therefore, in carrying out the providence of
resurrection, there must be "words" from God for the sake of the
providence, which is God's portion of responsibility. Only by believing
in and practicing these words as man's own portion of responsibility, is
God's will accomplished.
Third, in light of the principle of creation, the spirit man was made to
grow and become perfect only through the physical body. Thus, the
resurrection of the spirit man, according to the providence of
resurrection, is also to be accomplished only through physical life on
earth.
Fourth, man was created to be perfected by going through three orderly
stages of growth, according to the principle of creation. Therefore, the
providence of resurrection for fallen men is also to be accomplished
through the three orderly stages of the providential period.
2. THE PROVIDENCE OF RESURRECTION FOR EARTHLY MEN
(1) The Providence for the Foundation of Resurrection
God began His providence of resurrection with Adam's family. However,
the providence was prolonged due to the failure of central persons, who
were in charge of God's will, to accomplish their portion of
responsibility. 2,000 years later, God set up Abraham as the father of
faith, and through him, <Page 173>the will began to be accomplished.
Consequently, the 2,000-year period from Adam to Abraham resulted in the
establishment of the foundation for the providence of resurrection which
was to be completed in the ages which followed. We call this period the
"providential age for the foundation of resurrection".
(2) The Providence of Resurrection in the Formation Stage
During the 2,000 year period from the time of Abraham when the
providence of resurrection commenced, to Jesus, God carried out the
"providential age for the formation stage resurrection". Earthly men of
this period could enjoy the benefit of the age in accordance with God's
providence of resurrection in the formation stage. God carried out the
providence of resurrection in the formation stage in such a way that
people were justified by believing in and practicing the Law of the Old
Testament, which God had given them for the sake of the providence of
that age, and by accomplishing their respective portions of
responsibility. Therefore, we call this age the "age of justification by
deeds". People of this age could attain the form-spirit stage by having
their spirit men go through resurrection in the formation stage by their
practice of the Law. When a man who has attained the form-spirit stage
on earth leaves his physical body, his spirit goes on to live in the
spirit world at the form-spirit stage.
(3) The Providence of Resurrection in the Growth Stage
Due to the crucifixion of Jesus, the providence of resurrection has been
left unaccomplished and has been prolonged until the time of the Second
Advent. The 2,000-year period of prolongation is called the
"providential age for the growth stage resurrection", because it is the
age in which the providence of resurrection in the growth stage is
carried out through spiritual salvation. Earthly men belonging to this
age can receive the <Page 174>benefit of the age in accordance with the
providence of resurrection in the growth stage. God carried out the
providence of resurrection in the growth stage in such a way that the
people of that age were justified by believing in the New Testament
Words, which God had given them for the sake of the providence of that
age, and by accomplishing their portions of responsibility. Therefore,
that age may be called the "age of justification by faith". People of
that age can attain the life-spirit stage by having their spirit men go
through resurrection in the growth stage, through their faith in the
Gospel. When a man who has attained the life-spirit stage leaves his
physical body, he goes to Paradise, which is the spirit world for those
who have attained the life-spirit stage.
(4) The Providence of Resurrection in the Perfection Stage
The age in which we complete the providence of resurrection through the
resurrection of both spirit and body, through the Lord of the Second
Advent, is called the "providential age for the perfection stage
resurrection". Earthly people of this age can enjoy the benefit of the
age through the providence of resurrection in the perfection stage. The
Lord of the Second Advent is the one coming with the new Word for the
fulfillment of the Old and New Testament Words (cf. Part I, Ch. 3, Sec.
V, 1--129). Therefore, God carries out the providence of resurrection in
the perfection stage in such a way that people will be justified by
believing in the new Word (the Completed Testament) which is given to
them for the fulfillment of the Old and New Testaments, and by serving
the Lord in person, thus accomplishing their portions of responsibility.
Thus, this age may also be called the "age of justification by
attendance". The spirit men belonging to this age can attain the
divine-spirit stage of perfect resurrection in both spirit and body by
believing in and serving the Lord of the Second Advent. The earthly
region where the <Page 175>people of the divine-spirit stage live is
called the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. When a perfected man, living in
the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, leaves his physical body, he goes to
live in the Heavenly Kingdom of God, which is the region of the spirit
world belonging to divine spirits.
(5) Heaven and Paradise
Christians, up to the present, have been confused in their concepts of
Heaven and Paradise because they have not known the Principle. If Jesus
had accomplished the purpose of his coming on earth as the Messiah, the
Kingdom of Heaven on earth would have been established at that time. If
perfected man, living in the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, had gone to the
spirit world as a spirit man having attained the divine-spirit stage,
the Heavenly Kingdom of God would have been realized at that time.
However, the Kingdom of Heaven on earth has not been realized due to the
crucifixion of Jesus, and not a single person on earth has attained the
divine-spirit stage. Consequently, no spirit man has entered the
Heavenly Kingdom of God, which was created for spirit men of the
divine-spirit stage to live in. Therefore, the Heavenly Kingdom of God
still remains vacant. Seen from the standpoint of men, who are to be its
inhabitants, it may well be said that the Heavenly Kingdom has not yet
been realized. Why then did Jesus say that whoever believed in him would
enter the Kingdom of Heaven? This is because the original purpose of his
coming to earth was to realize the Kingdom of Heaven. Nevertheless,
Jesus died on the cross without having realized the Kingdom of Heaven on
earth, due to the disbelief of the people.
Jesus permitted the thief who was crucified beside him to enter Paradise
with him, because the thief was the only one who believed in him at the
end, while the people of that time had <Page 176>not believed in him
(Luke 23:43). Jesus emphasized the possibility of entering the Kingdom
of Heaven when he still hoped to accomplish his mission as the Messiah.
But upon his crucifixion, which prevented the fulfillment of the will,
he expressed the fact that he was to enter Paradise. Paradise is the
region of the spirit world where those spirit men who have attained the
life-spirit stage by believing in Jesus while on earth go after death,
and stay until the gate to the Kingdom of Heaven is opened.
(6) Spiritual Phenomena Occurring in the Last Days
Man, who fell in the perfection level of the growth stage, enters the
age in which he can restore his position before the fall of the first
human ancestors by restoring the perfection level of the New Testament
Age (representing the growth stage), after having passed through the Old
Testament Age (representing the formation stage). This age is called the
Last Days.
Since this is the age in which man can communicate directly with God,
just as he could right before the fall of Adam and Eve, there are many
people on earth today who can communicate with the spirit world. The
reason for God's promise that in the Last Days He would pour out His
Spirit on all flesh (Acts 2:17) can be understood only through such a
principle.
In the Last Days, a person may receive the revelation that he (or she)
is a lord. In many cases, such people fail to find the right way,
believing themselves to be the Lord of the Second Advent. What is the
reason for this?
Originally, God created man and blessed him to be the lord and dominator
of the whole creation (Gen. 1:28). Nevertheless, man failed to realize
this blessing, due to the fall. When a fallen man attains the spiritual
level corresponding to the position of Adam and Eve right before the
fall, by having been spiritually restored to the perfection level of the
growth stage through the providence of restoration, then God gives him
the revelation <Page 177>that he is a lord, signifying that he has been
restored to the position of having been blessed to be the lord of all
creation.
The saints in the Last Days who have manifested such devout faith as to
be entitled to the revelation that they are lords are in a position
similar to that of John the Baptist, who came in the days of Jesus with
the mission of making the way straight for him (John 1:23). Accordingly,
in proportion to their ability, they also are given the mission of
making straight the way of the Lord of the Second Advent. Thus, they
receive the revelation that they are entitled to be lords because they
were chosen for this mission.
Those with power of spiritual communication are liable to become
antichrists; upon receiving the revelation that they are lords they may
act wrongly, as if they were the Lord of the Second Advent, since, not
knowing the Principle, they are unaware of the situation. This is
actually why it was prophesied that in the Last Days there would appear
many antichrists.
It is common that those without powers of spiritual communication fall
into conflict and confusion among themselves, because the content of
their revelations and the class and level of the spirit world to which
they belong differ from one another (I Cor. 15:41). These men of
spiritual communication are in fact all headed for the same destination;
but because of the difference in their spiritual standard, the part of
the spirit world seen by each can vary, and these differences lead them
into conflict.
Those who are in charge of a certain mission in the providence of
restoration are often ignorant of their horizontal relationship with
others who have spiritual communication, because they have only a
vertical relationship with God which relates to their partial mission
within the whole providence. Accordingly, they come into conflict
because the will of God of which they take charge appears different to
each. This kind of horizontal <Page 178>conflict is inevitable, because
God gives each the revelation that he is a lord in order to encourage
him to do his very best in carrying out the purpose of the providence of
restoration. In his respective mission, which is partial and limited,
the person in charge is, in fact, the only one and the best one; thus he
receives such a revelation.
Meanwhile, when devout men of faith develop spiritual communication,
after having attained the same spiritual level as Adam and Eve before
the fall, they are apt to fall themselves through a test or temptation
of the same kind which Adam and Eve failed to overcome. It is, in fact,
very difficult to overcome such a temptation, as long as one remains
ignorant of the Principle. It is truly regrettable that many religious
men, having failed to overcome this test, have nullified in an instant
the merit they gained through their long and bitter trials in the
ascetic life.
How then can we prevent such confusion among men of spiritual
communication? God has given a partial mission to numerous individuals
in order to accomplish rapidly the purpose of the providence of
restoration, with each relating vertically to Him during the process of
the providence; therefore, horizontal conflict among men of spiritual
communication is inevitable. Finally, at the consummation of human
history, all will come to realize that their respective missions were
allotted to them by God with an identical purpose: the accomplishment of
the providence of restoration. By establishing horizontal relationships
with each other, they will be unified in their efforts to accomplish the
whole purpose of the providence of restoration through the new Words of
truth God will give at the proper time. Then, all men of spiritual
communication will cease their stubborn insistence that their way alone
is God's will, and will gain the right understanding of their
providential missions. <Page 179>Thus, they will not only be able to
overcome all confusion, but each will also be able to perfect his own
mission in the course of his life in faith.
(7) The First Resurrection
The first resurrection is the resurrection enabling the accomplishment
of the purpose of creation for the first time since the commencement of
the history of God's providence of restoration. The original self will
be restored by removing man's original sin through the Second Advent of
the Lord.
Therefore, the hope of all Christians is to share in the first
resurrection. What kind of people may share in this? Those who are the
first to believe in the Lord at the Second Advent, following and serving
him, will be those who participate. By doing this, they cooperate with
him in setting up the condition of indemnity, on a general and worldwide
basis, for the course of the providence of restoration. Thus, they
fulfill the purpose of creation, having become spirit men of the
divine-spirit stage, by removing the original sin before all other men.
These are the people who can share in the first resurrection.
Next, let us study what "one hundred and forty-four thousand" as
indicated in the Bible, means. In order for the Lord to accomplish the
providence of restoration at his Second Advent, he must lay the
foundation for victory over the Satanic world. He must set up
horizontally, in his lifetime, the people who can restore through
indemnity the positions of the saints and sages of history who have been
invaded by Satan or have failed to accomplish their portions of
responsibility. The total number of saints whom the Lord of the Second
Advent must find and set up for this purpose is one hundred and
forty-four thousand, as written in Revelation 7:4 and 14:1-4.
In the course of God's providence of restoration, Jacob, who had the
mission of restoring the family, started his mission cen-<Page
180>tering on his twelve sons; and Moses started his mission of
restoring a nation with twelve tribes under him. When each tribe
multiplies after the pattern of the twelve sons, the total will be one
hundred and forty-four. Jesus, who had the mission of restoring the
world, had twelve disciples in order to restore through indemnity the
number one hundred and forty-four, both spiritually and physically. But,
due to his crucifixion, he has been able to work only spiritually for
restoration through indemnity. Therefore, just as Jacob had twelve sons
in order to restore horizontally, through indemnity, the twelve vertical
generations from Noah to Abraham which had been claimed by Satan, the
Lord of the Second Advent must set up a certain necessary number of
saints corresponding to the number one hundred and forty-four, in order
to restore this number horizontally, through indemnity, both spiritually
and physically.
3. THE PROVIDENCE OF RESURRECTION FOR SPIRIT MEN
(1) The Reason and Method of the Spirit Man's Resurrection through
Second Coming
According to the principle of creation, man's spirit was created to grow
only through give and take action between the life element from God and
the vitality element from man's physical body. Therefore, the spirit man
can neither grow nor be resurrected apart from our physical body. So in
order that spirit men, who passed away to the other world without having
perfected themselves in their physical life on earth, might be
resurrected, they must come again to earth and fulfill the
responsibility they left unaccomplished in their physical life on earth,
through the physical bodies of earthly men, by cooperating with the
earthly saints and helping them fulfill the same mission. This is why
Jude 1:14 says that in Last Days the Lord will come "with his holy
myriads". <Page 181>
In what manner do spirit men cooperate with earthly men to accomplish
the will? When earthly saints form a reciprocal base with spirit men,
through prayer and other spiritual activities, the spirit men descend
and form reciprocal bases with the spirits of the earthly men, on which
bases they cooperate. Thus, the spirit men pour out spiritual fire on
earthly men, give them the power to heal diseases, and help them do many
mighty works. More than that, they enable earthly men to see many facts
in the spirit world in a state of trance, give them the gift of
prophecy, and inspire them spiritually. Through such activities,
substituting for the Holy Spirit, they cooperate with earthly men to
fulfill the will of God.
(2) Resurrection through Second Coming of Spirit Men Who Were Christians
in Their Lifetime
(i) Resurrection through Second Coming in the Growth Stage
Those form spirits of the Old Testament Age who in their lifetime had
earnestly served God by observing the Law on earth all descended after
the advent of the Messiah and cooperated with the earthly saints to
fulfill the will, and thus enter the life-spirit stage. Spirit men who
have thus come again and cooperate with earthly men can obtain the same
benefit as those men; having become life spirits, they enter Paradise.
We call this "resurrection through second coming in the growth stage".
Let us take some examples from the Bible. From the record that Elijah
appeared, as a spirit, before Jesus and his disciples (Matt. 17:3), it
is clear that Elijah is still in the spirit world. Meanwhile, Jesus
called John the Baptist "Elijah". Jesus said this because Elijah
descended to John the Baptist and cooperated with him to achieve the
mission he left unaccomplished on earth, thus attaining the purpose of
resurrection through second coming. So the physical body of John the
Baptist sub-<Page 182>stituted for that of Elijah, when seen from the
standpoint of their mission.
On the other hand, Matthew 27:52 states that, upon the crucifixion of
Jesus, the tombs were opened and many bodies of the saints who had
fallen asleep were raised. This does not mean that their physical
bodies, which had already decomposed in the earth, were raised. This is
merely a record of the fact that the spirit men of the Old Testament
Age, who had stayed in the spirit world as form spirits, descended in
order to enter the life-spirit stage by cooperating with the saints on
earth, who were in a position to benefit by the ransom of the cross. If
the saints of the Old Testament Age had literally been raised from the
tombs, they would surely have given witness to Jesus as the Messiah.
Then, would not the people have believed that Jesus, who was testified
to by the saints raised from the tombs, was the Messiah? Their
activities would have been recorded in the Bible. But we have no such
record in the Bible, other than the fact that they were raised from the
tombs. From this, we may understand that these were spirit men who could
be seen for a brief interval, only by those whose spiritual eyes were
opened.
Compared to Paradise, which people could enter through the ransom by the
cross of Jesus, the region where the spirit men of the Old Testament Age
were staying was darker and full of misery; thus, it was called a
"tomb".
(ii) Resurrection through Second Coming in the Perfection Stage
Those life spirits of the New Testament Age who believed in Jesus on
earth and thus went to Paradise are to come again to earth after the
Second Advent of the Messiah. These spirits, by cooperating with the
earthly saints in believing in and serving the Lord of the Second
Advent, thereby elevating them to the divine-spirit stage, would
themselves become divine spirits. Thus, they can enter the Kingdom of
heaven in the spirit world <Page 183>with the earthly saints, who would
enter this Kingdom after leaving their physical bodies. This providence
of resurrection is called the "providence of resurrection through second
coming in the perfection stage". Seen from the standpoint of this
providence, earthly men consequently come to cooperate with spirit men,
not to speak of the spirit men's cooperating with earthly men.
Hebrews 11:39-40 says, "All these [saints of the Old Testament Age],
though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised
[permission to enter the Kingdom of Heaven] since God had foreseen
something better [the Kingdom of Heaven] for us [earthly men], that
apart from us [earthly men] they [spirit men] should not be made perfect
[citizens in the Kingdom of Heaven]". This Biblical passage demonstrates
the principle that, apart from the cooperation of earthly men, the
spirit men of the spirit world cannot perfect themselves. Also, in
Matthew 18:18, it is said, "Whatever you [earthly saints] bind on earth
shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven.", clarifying that whatever is bound by spirit men
shall not be loosed unless the earthly saints loose it. Thus spirit men
can be resurrected only by descending to the earthly saints and
cooperating with them. Therefore, as we read in Matthew 16:l9, Jesus
gave the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven to Peter, who represented the
earthly saints, so that he might open the gate of Heaven here on earth.
(3) Resurrection through Second Coming of Spirit Men Outside of Paradise
First, let us examine the manner in which spirit men who believed in
religions other than Christianity in their lives can be resurrected
through their second coming. In the same manner that all men, in order
to accomplish a common purpose must first establish a reciprocal base,
earthly men and spirit men must also establish a reciprocal base between
them in order to fulfill <Page 184>the common purpose of the providence
of restoration. Therefore, the spirit men who come again for
resurrection first choose earthly men of the same religion they believed
in during their earthly life as their suitable objects to work through,
and then descend to the specific men of their choice. Thus, they come to
enjoy the same benefits as the earthly men, by assisting them to
accomplish the purpose of restoration.
Second, let us investigate in what manner the good spirit men, who in
their earthly life lived conscientiously though they did not have any
religion, can be resurrected through second coming. There can be no
absolutely good man among fallen men, since he would have the original
sin inherent in him. Therefore, by "good spirit men", we mean those in
possession of more goodness than evil within themselves. This type of
good spirit man descends to good earthly men, and by cooperating with
them to fulfill the purpose of God's restoration, finally enjoys the
same benefits with them.
Third, let us study in what manner evil spirit men can be resurrected
through their second coming. In Matthew 25:41, we read about the cursed,
who are liable to the eternal fire prepared for the "devil and his
angels". The "angels" of the devil means the evil spirit men working
under the control of the devil. The spiritual creatures commonly called
"ghosts", whose real nature has not been known, are none other than such
evil spirit men. These evil spirits also gain the benefit of the age by
descending on earthly men.
However, not all the works of evil spirit men result in their receiving
the benefit of resurrection through second coming. Their works must
first all result in establishing a condition of indemnity for God's
intention to eradicate the sins of earthly men by punishment, before the
evil spirit men can obtain the benefit of resurrection through second
coming. Then, how do the works of evil spirits result in exercising
judgment on behalf of God? <Page 185>
Let us consider another example. Suppose there is an earthly man who is
entitled to go from the sphere of benefit of the family level to that of
the tribal level, through the benefit of the age in the providence of
restoration. However, if this man has a certain debt of sin, either his
own or his ancestors', he cannot go to the sphere of benefit of the
tribal level without having liquidated the sin by setting up a
corresponding condition of indemnity. In this case, God can allow the
evil spirit to torment the earthly man as punishment for his sin. Then,
if this man gladly endures the torment given by the evil spirit man, he
can graduate from the sphere of benefit of the family level to that of
the tribal level, with his endurance as the condition of indemnity. In
this case, the evil spirit man receives a share of the benefit. In this
way, the providence of restoration broadens its scope in accordance with
the benefit of the age, from the sphere of benefit of the family level,
to that of the tribal level, national level, and finally to that of the
worldwide level. Whenever he is to graduate to the next level of the
sphere of benefit of the age, the person in charge of the providence
must necessarily set up a condition of indemnity corresponding to the
debt of sin incurred either by himself or his forefathers. There are two
methods by which evil spirit men may set up a condition of indemnity for
sinful earthly men.
First, there is the method in which the earthly man sets up the
condition of indemnity to liquidate his sin, in which evil spirit men
work directly on the earthly man, whom they obsess. The second method of
setting up a condition of indemnity for the sin of an earthly man is to
have an evil spirit descend to an evil earthly man; the evil spirit then
influences the evil earthly man to perform substantially the evil works
of his intention against the man setting up the indemnity condition.
In both cases if they man gladly endures the work of the evil spirit man
(as due), he can set up a condition of indemnity for <Page 186>his own
sin and that of his ancestors. Thus he is allowed to enter the sphere of
benefit of the new age. Thus, the works of the evil spirit man result in
having exercised judgment on the earthly man for his sins, on behalf of
God. Through their works, evil spirit men also are allowed to enter the
sphere of benefit of the new age, with the same benefits as earthly men.
4. THE THEORY OF REINCARNATION VIEWED FROM THE STANDPOINT OF
RESURRECTION THROUGH SECOND COMING
For the providence of restoration, God has called many individuals and
given each an appropriate share of the total mission, in order to
accomplish the whole purpose. Meanwhile, each man has transferred his
mission to many similar individuals in succession, until the mission is
finally accomplished, having passed through many individuals throughout
human history.
The providence of restoration, beginning on the individual level, is
headed for the final goal of the restoration of the entire cosmos, after
passing through the family level, national level and worldwide level.
Therefore, the mission of a certain person, though it may be a part of
the whole, would begin first as an individual mission, and then broaden
in scope to a family mission, national mission, and finally to a
worldwide mission. Examples of this in the Bible include: Abraham, with
both an individual and family mission; Moses, with a national mission;
and Jesus, with a worldwide mission.
Also, the spirit men who left the missions unaccomplished on earth
descend to earthly men whose missions are similar to those with which
the spirit men were charged while on earth, and cooperate with them for
the accomplishment of the will. Seen from the standpoint of mission, the
physical body of the earthly man serves as the body of the spirit man.
The earthly man, receiving the cooperation of the spirit man, would
accomplish the mission of the spirit man as well as his own. In this
case, the earthly man is the "second coming" of the spirit <Page 187>man
who cooperates with him, so he often takes on the name of the spirit
man. Therefore, the earthly man frequently appears to be the
reincarnation of the spirit man. To take an example from the Bible: John
the Baptist, in the course of fulfilling his mission through the
cooperation of Elijah, had to accomplish the mission which Elijah had
left unaccomplished while on earth. Jesus called John the Baptist
"Elijah" (cf. Sec. II, 3.2--182) because John's body was the substitute
for Elijah's body.
In the Last Days, the earthly men in charge of specific worldwide
missions are in a position to succeed the spirit men who formerly had
these missions on earth, and to accomplish these missions. Accordingly,
these spirit men descend to earthly men of their choice and, by
cooperating with them, accomplish the missions which they left
unfulfilled in their earthly lives. Therefore, the earthly man,
receiving the cooperation of the spirit man, is the second coming of
that spirit man; he also appears to be the reincarnation of the spirit
man. This is why many people in the Last Days claim to be either Christ,
Buddha, Confucius, or the "Olive Tree" or the Tree of Life. The doctrine
of reincarnation, upheld by Buddhism, comes from an interpretation of
external appearances, without knowing the theory of "resurrection
through second coming".
SECTION III--UNIFICATION OF RELIGIONS BY RESURRECTION THROUGH SECOND
COMING
1. UNIFICATION OF CHRISTIANITY BY RESURRECTION THROUGH SECOND COMING
As stated in Section II, 3.2 of this chapter, the spirit men of the
life-spirit stage, Paradise, descend to the earthly saints who are
capable of attaining the divine-spirit stage by believing in the <Page
188>Lord of the Second Advent and ministering to him. They can finally
enter the Kingdom of Heaven with the same merit as earthly saints by
cooperating with them in accomplishing the will of the providence of
restoration. Accordingly, in the days of the Second Advent, all the
spirit men in Paradise will descend to the earthly saints and cooperate
with them.
The time of this visitation may differ according to the individual's
faith, his natural disposition, and his ancestors' accomplishments for
the will of God. In this manner, earthly saints are sooner or later
destined to attend the Lord of the Second Advent and devote themselves
to the will of God, through the cooperation of the spirit men descending
to them from Paradise. Therefore, Christianity is destined to realized
its unification.
2. UNIFICATION OF ALL OTHER RELIGIONS BY RESURRECTION THROUGH SECOND
COMING
As discussed in the "Consummation of Human History", we cannot deny the
historical fact that all religions, which in fact have an identical
purpose, are being absorbed gradually into the cultural sphere of
Christianity. Therefore, Christianity is not a religion for Christians
alone but has the mission of accomplishing the ultimate purpose of all
the religions that have appeared in the past. Naturally, the Lord of the
Second Advent, who comes as the central figure in Christianity, will
also play the role of Buddha, whom Buddhists believe will come again, as
well as the role of the "True Man" whose appearance Confucianists
anticipate, and "Chung Do Ryung"
("Herald of the Righteous Way") whom many Koreans expect to come. In
addition, he will also play the role of the central figure whom all
other religions await.
For this reason, the spirit men who believed in religions other than
Christianity while on earth will have to come again, like the spirit men
of Paradise, in order to receive the same benefit <Page 189>of
resurrection through the Second Advent, though the time of their
visitation may differ according to their spiritual positions. In this
manner, they are destined to descend to the earthly men who belong to
their religions and lead them to the Lord of the Second Advent,
cooperating with them to believe in and serve him for the accomplishment
of the will of God. Therefore, all religions will finally be unified,
centering on Christianity.
3. UNIFICATION OF NON-RELIGIOUS MEN BY RESURRECTION THROUGH SECOND
COMING
The spirit men who in their lifetime did not believe in any religion but
lived conscientiously, also come again at permitted times in order to
obtain the benefit of resurrection through second coming. In this way,
they cooperate with earthly men of conscience to find and serve the Lord
of the Second Advent and participate in accomplishing the will of God.
The story of the three wise men coming from the East and worshipping the
infant Jesus (Matt. 2:1-16) is one such example.
The ultimate purpose of God's providence of restoration is to save all
mankind. Therefore, it is God's intention to abolish Hell completely,
after the lapse of the period necessary for the full payment of all
indemnity. If Hell remains eternally in the world of creation even after
the fulfillment of God's purpose of goodness, it would result in the
contradiction of an imperfect God, not to speak of the resultant
imperfection in His idea of creation and His providence of restoration.
If the hearts of parents in fallen families are saddened by the
unhappiness of even one of their children, how much more would it be so
with God, as the Heavenly Parent! In II Peter 3:9 we find, "The
Lord...is forebearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish,
but that all should reach repentance.". Accordingly, Hell cannot remain
forever in the ideal world, which is to be realized in accordance with
the will of <Page 190>God. Even the forces of Satan testified to Jesus'
being the son of God (Matt. 8:29). When the Last Days come, even evil
spirits will descend to earthly men of the same level, and by
cooperating with them will take part in the fulfillment of God's will.
Finally, after a due period of time, the unified purpose of creation
will be attained. <Page 191>
CHAPTER 6. PREDESTINATION
It is true that theological controversies about "Predestination" have
caused great confusion in the religious lives of many Christians. We
must understand what brought this about.
In the Bible, there are many passages that could be interpreted to mean
that the fortune or misfortune, happiness or misery of any individual,
as well as the salvation or damnation of fallen men and the rise and
fall of nations, all occur according to God's predestination. For
example, the Bible says:
Those whom He predestined He also called; and those whom He called He
also justified; and those whom He justified He also glorified. (Rom.
8:30) <Page 193>
Again it says:
...'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have
compassion on whom I have compassion.'. So it depends not upon man's
will or exertion, but upon God's mercy. (Rom. 9:15-16)
It again says (Rom. 9:21), "Has the potter no right over the clay, to
make out of the same lump one vessel for beauty and another for menial
use?". It also says (Rom. 9:11-13) that God loved Jacob and hated Esau
while they were still in their mother's womb, and said the elder would
serve the younger.
In this way, there are ample Biblical grounds to justify "complete
predestination". But we must not forget that there are also many
Biblical passages that deny complete predestination. For example, when
we see that God warned the first human ancestors not to eat of the fruit
(Gen. 2:17) in order to prevent them from falling, it is evident that
man's fall was not God's predestination but the result of man's
disobedience to God's commandment. Again we read (Gen. 6:6), that God
was sorry that He had put man on earth. If man had fallen according to
God's predestination, there would be no reason for Him to be sorry for
His having created man, whose fall He would have predestined. John 3:16
says that whoever believes in Christ shall not perish.
When we read in Matthew 7:7, "Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and
you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.", we can see well
enough that all things are not accomplished merely by the predestination
of God, but by human endeavor. If all things are to be accomplished
solely by God's predestination, why did God so emphasize human efforts?
Again, when we read that we should pray for sick brothers (James 5:14),
we can understand that suffering due to sickness is not by the
predestination of God. If all things were inevitably decided by <Page
194>God's predestination, there would be no need for man's tearful
prayers.
If we accept the traditional belief of predestination, man's prayers,
evangelism, charity and other human endeavors would be of no use
whatsoever to God's providence of restoration; and any such endeavor
would ultimately be useless. This is because the predestination of God,
who is absolute, should also be absolute, without leaving room for any
change due to human effort.
Since there are sufficient Biblical grounds to justify either acceptance
or rejection of the theory of predestination, controversies over the
doctrine of predestination are inevitable. How, then, would the
Principle solve such problems? Let us investigate the question of
predestination.
SECTION I--PREDESTINATION OF THE WILL
Let us first define "will" before discussing predestination of the will.
God could not accomplish His purpose of creation due to the human fall.
Therefore, the will of God, in working His providence with fallen man,
is to accomplish His purpose of creation. In other words, the "will"
means the fulfillment of the purpose of the providence of restoration.
Next, we must know that God first determines the will, and then works to
accomplish it. Having created man, God set up His will to accomplish the
purpose of creation; however, due to the human fall, He was unable to
accomplish the will. Naturally, in order to accomplish it, He has to
determine His will a second time, and thus He carries out the providence
of restoration.
God predestines the will to be one of goodness, not of evil; then He
works to accomplish it. Since God is the essence of <Page 195>goodness,
His purpose of creation must also be one of goodness. Naturally, the
purpose of His providence of restoration must be good, and His will to
accomplish this purpose must also be good. God could not have
predestined that which obstructs and is against the purpose of creation.
Thus, we know that He could not have predetermined such things as the
human fall, judgment of fallen men, or the destruction of the universe.
If such evil results had been the necessary product of God's
predestination, He would not have regretted the evil result of His own
predestination, and we could not think of God as the subject of
goodness. God, looking at fallen men, was sorry that He had made man on
earth (Gen 6:6); and, seeing King Saul's faithlessness, He repented that
He had made Saul king (I Sam. 15:11). This is good evidence that these
events were not the result of God's predestination. Such evil results
occur from man's failure to accomplish his portion of responsibility,
and from his being on the side of Satan.
To what extent does God predetermine the will to accomplish His purpose
of creation? God is the absolute being--unique, eternal, and
unchangeable; so God's purpose of creation must be the same.
Accordingly, the will of the providence of restoration, which is to
accomplish the purpose of creation, should be unique, unchangeable, and
absolute (Is. 46:11). God predetermines the will to be absolute; so,
when a person chosen for the will fails to accomplish it, God must go on
to fulfill it, even by setting up another person in place of the one who
failed.
For example, when God's will to fulfill the purpose of creation
centering on Adam failed, He sent Jesus as the second Adam, attempting
to fulfill the will centering on him, because His predestination of the
will was absolute. When this will was again a failure, due to the
disbelief of the people (cf. Part I, Ch. 4, Sec. I, 2--141), Jesus
promised the Lord would come and fulfill the will without fail (Matt.
16:27). Again, in Adam's family, <Page 196>God intended to lay the
foundation to receive the Messiah through His providence centered on
Cain and Abel.
However, this will ended in failure when Cain killed Abel. Then, God
intended to accomplish His will through Noah's family. When Noah's
family failed to accomplish this will, God had to set up Abraham to
fulfill the will. In another instance, God intended to fulfill the will
which Abel failed to accomplish by setting up Seth (Gen. 4:25). Also, He
attempted to fulfill the will unaccomplished by Moses by choosing Joshua
in his stead (Josh. 1:5); and again, He tried to fulfill the will
unaccomplished due to the betrayal of Judas Iscariot by electing
Matthias (Acts 1:15).
SECTION II--PREDESTINATION FOR THE FULFILLMENT OF THE WILL
As clarified in the "Principle of Creation", God's purpose of creation
is to be fulfilled only by man's accomplishment of his portion of
responsibility. The will for the providence of restoration, which is to
fulfill this purpose, being absolute, is not for man to interfere with;
however, man must accomplish his own portion of responsibility in order
for the will to be accomplished. Therefore, God's purpose of creation
was to be fulfilled only through man's accomplishing his portion of
responsibility by not eating of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge
of Good and Evil (Gen. 2:17).
Accordingly, even in accomplishing the purpose of the providence of
restoration, the will can be fulfilled only through the accomplishment
of man's responsibility by the central figure in charge of the mission.
In Jesus' day, the people should have believed in Jesus absolutely, in
order that he might accomplish the purpose of the providence of
salvation. But due to their <Page 197>disbelief, they could not
accomplish their portion of responsibility, and naturally, the
accomplishment of the will had to be postponed to the day of the Second
Advent.
Then, to what degree and to what extent would God predetermine the
accomplishment of the will? As mentioned, God's will to accomplish the
purpose of the providence of restoration is absolute, but the
accomplishment of the will is relative. So, it is predetermined that the
will is to be accomplished, but only through God's 95 percent
responsibility and man's 5 percent responsibility combined. Indicating
the proportion of man's responsibility as 5 percent is only to say that
man's responsibility is extremely small compared to God's. Nevertheless,
we must understand that, for man, it means 100 percent effort.
To cite examples: the accomplishment of the will centering on Adam and
Eve was predestined to be fulfilled by the fulfillment of their own
portion of responsibility, namely, by not eating of the fruit of the
Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The providence of restoration
centering on Noah was predestined to be fulfilled by the accomplishment
of his own portion of responsibility, through his loyalty in building
the ark. The providence of salvation through Jesus was predestined to be
accomplished through the fulfillment of responsibility on the part of
fallen men by their believing in Jesus as the Messiah and following him
(John 3:16). Men have caused the prolongation of God's providence of
restoration by not fulfilling even their small amount of responsibility.
The Bible says, "The prayer of faith will save the sick man." (James
5:15); "Your faith has made you well." (Mark 5:34); "For every one who
asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be
opened." (Matt. 7:8). All these Biblical passages prove that the will is
predestined to be fulfilled by the accomplishment of man's own portion
of responsibility. We can understand well enough how small were the
<Page 198> responsibilities men took charge of in all these instances,
compared to God's responsible portion of toil and grace.
At the same time, from the fact that through their failure to accomplish
their portions of responsibility, the central figures in the providence
were compelled to cause the prolongation of the providence of
restoration, we can well imagine how extremely difficult it was for them
to fulfill even a relatively small responsibility.
SECTION III--PREDESTINATION OF MAN
Adam and Eve could have become good human ancestors if they had
accomplished their own portion of responsibility by obeying God's
injunction not to eat the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and
Evil, but they failed to do so. Therefore, God could not predestine
them, absolutely, to be good human ancestors. In the case of fallen men,
a chosen man could become a person of God's predestination only by
accomplishing his own portion of responsibility. Therefore, God cannot
predestine a certain person with absolute certainty that he will become
what he is predestined to be.
Then, to what degree does God predestine man? In God's accomplishment of
His will, centering on a certain person, He establishes it as an
indispensable condition that the man must fulfill his own portion of
responsibility. Therefore, God, in predestining a person for a certain
mission, determines that the person will be what he is predestined to be
only by the 100 percent accomplishment of the will centering on the
person, with God's portion of 95 percent responsibility and man's
portion of 5 percent responsibility accomplished together. Therefore, if
the person fails to accomplish his own portion of responsibility, he
cannot become the person God predestined. <Page 199>
For example, when God chose Moses, He predestined him to be the great
leader capable of bringing the elected people to the blessed land of
Canaan, but only by accomplishing his own portion of responsibility (Ex.
3:10). When in Kadesh-barnea Moses went against God's will by striking
the rock twice, he failed to carry out his responsibility, thus
nullifying God's predestination; he died on the way to the appointed
place (Num. 20:7-12, 20:24, 27:14). Likewise, when God chose Judas
Iscariot, He predestined him to be Jesus' apostle if he accomplished his
own portion of responsibility with loyalty. However, since Judas failed
to carry out his responsibility, God's predestination was not fulfilled
and Judas turned out to be a betrayer.
When God called the Jewish people, He predestined them to be the chosen
nation of glory, but only by fulfilling their portion of responsibility
through their faith and service. Nevertheless, the predestination was
not realized because they delivered Jesus to be crucified; and
therefore, the chosen nation was scattered.
Next, let us examine the conditions and qualifications for becoming the
central figure of the providence of restoration in God's predestination.
The purpose of God's providence of salvation is to restore the fallen
world to the original world of creation. Though the times of their
salvation may differ, all fallen men are predestined to be saved (II
Peter 3:9). Just as with the process of His creation, God's providence
of salvation, which is the providence of re-creation, cannot be
accomplished in a moment. Therefore, this providence is gradually
broadening its scope to cover the whole, starting from "one". Thus, in
the predestination of the providence of salvation, God first predestines
the central figure and calls him to the mission.
What conditions and qualifications must this central figure have? First,
he must be born out of the chosen nation, in charge <Page 200>of the
providence of restoration. Next, even within the chosen nation, he must
be the descendant of ancestors with many accomplishments of goodness.
Then, even though he may be the descendant of ancestors with many good
deeds, he must be endowed with the natural disposition suitable for the
accomplishment of the will. Even if a man has these endowments, he must
subsequently have good conditions in which to grow and work in his
lifetime. Still, even among these persons, God would select first the
individual most fully prepared at the appropriate time and place of
God's need.
SECTION IV--ELUCIDATION OF BIBLICAL VERSES WHICH JUSTIFY THE THEORY OF
PREDESTINATION
We have clarified many problems concerning God's predestination. But the
problem yet to be solved is how to elucidate the Biblical records, such
as those enumerated in the introduction to this chapter, which are
written as though all things are of God's absolute predestination.
Let us first elucidate Romans 8:29-30, which says:
For those whom He foreknew He also predestined...and those whom He
predestined He also called; and those whom He called He also
justified; and those whom He justified He also glorified.
God, being omniscient, knows who is endowed with the qualities to be the
central figure in the providence of restoration (cf. Sec. III--199).
Therefore, God predestines and calls the person He foreknew in order to
fulfill the purpose of the providence of restoration. Calling the person
is God's portion of responsibility, but this alone has nothing to do
with the person's being <Page 201>justified and finally glorified in
God. He must accomplish his own responsibility in the position of a
person called by God before he can be justified; only after he is thus
justified will he be glorified by God. It is predestined that man can
enjoy glory from God only by accomplishing his own portion of
responsibility. There are no words such as "man's own portion of
responsibility" in the Bible, so everything appears to be accomplished
merely by God's absolute predestination.
The Bible says (Rom. 9:15-16):
...'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have
compassion on whom I have compassion.'. So it depends not upon man's
will or exertion, but upon God's mercy.
As elucidated above, God chooses the one who is most suitable for the
fulfillment of the purpose of restoration, foreknowing all his
qualities. Therefore, it is God's privilege to elect such a person and
to have mercy on him or have compassion for him. It depends not upon
man's desire or endeavor. These Biblical verses are given in order to
emphasize the power and grace of God.
It is again said (Rom. 9:21):
Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump
one vessel for beauty and another for menial use?
It has already been said that God set up man's own portion of
responsibility as the condition to exalt him to be the lord of all
creation and to love him most by having man take after His creative
nature. However, man fell, having violated this condition. Therefore,
man became an existence deserted like trash; so this verse was given to
teach people that man has no right to complain against whatever way God
may handle men of this kind. <Page 202>
Further, the Bible states that God loved Jacob but hated Esau, and that
"The elder will serve the younger." (Rom. 9:10-13). What must have been
the reason that God loved Jacob and hated Esau while they were not yet
born and had done nothing, either good or bad? This was to fulfill God's
program in the course of the providence of restoration. Further details
will be discussed in the section covering the providence of restoration
centering on Abraham's family (cf. Part II, Ch. 1, Sec. III--261). We
must understand here that God gave Isaac twin sons, Esau and Jacob,
because He had to restore through indemnity the will for the restoration
of the birthright, which had been left unaccomplished by Cain's killing
of Abel in Adam's family. This He intended to do by setting up the twin
brothers, in the positions of Cain and Abel, and by having Jacob (in the
position of Abel) make Esau (in the position of Cain) give in. God said
this because Esau, being in the position of Cain, was liable to be hated
by God, while Jacob, being in the position of Abel, was entitled to His
love.
God's actually either loving or hating one or the other depended upon
the fulfillment of their respective portions of responsibility. In fact,
Esau, having surrendered in obedience to Jacob, received a blessing of
love equal to Jacob's though he was in the position liable to be hated
by God. On the other hand, Jacob, though he was in the position to be
loved by God, could not have received such love if he had failed to
accomplish his portion of responsibility.
It was because of ignorance about the relationship of man's portion of
responsibility to God's in fulfilling the purpose of the providence of
restoration that there appeared a man like Calvin, who obstinately held
to his "theory of predestination", and that such a theory has been
believed by so many people for so long. <Page 203>
CHAPTER 7. CHRISTOLOGY
There are many questions to be resolved by fallen men who are on their
way to attaining the goal of salvation. The most important of all are
the questions concerning the relationship between Jesus and the Holy
Spirit centered on God, the relationship between Jesus, the Holy Spirit,
and fallen men, rebirth, Trinity, and others, all within the scope of
Christology. Up to the present day, no one has ever completely answered
these questions. With these questions still unresolved, there remains
much confusion in the life in faith and doctrines of Christianity. In
order to resolve these questions, we must first understand the value of
the original man endowed at the creation. Let us discuss this question
before dealing with the others. <Page 205>
SECTION I--THE VALUE OF THE MAN WHO HAS ATTAINED THE PURPOSE OF CREATION
Let us discuss the value of the man who has attained the purpose of
creation--that is, the value of Adam in perfection.
First, let us discuss the relationship between God and perfected man
from the standpoint of "dual characteristics". According to the
principle of creation, man was created with mind and body, taking after
God's dual characteristics. There are mutual relationships between God
and perfected man which may be compared to the relationship between
man's mind and body.
Just as the body was created as the substantial object to the invisible
mind which it resembles, man was created as the substantial object to
the invisible God, taking after His image. Since we cannot separate one
from the other when the mind and body of a perfected man become one,
centered on God, we can never sever the relationship formed when God and
perfected man become one body through the four position foundation,
because, in this state, man would live in perfect union with God's heart
and feeling. In this way, a man who attains the purpose of creation
would become the temple of God's constant abode (I Cor. 3:16), thus
assuming deity (cf. Part I, Ch. 1, Sec. III, 2--42). As Jesus said, man
must become perfect as our heavenly Father (Matt. 5:48). Therefore, the
man who has attained the purpose of creation would assume the divine
value of God.
Second, let us consider the value of man, centering on the purpose of
creating man. God's purpose in creating man was to enjoy happiness
through him. Each individual has special characteristics which others do
not have. However vast the number <Page 206>of people on earth may be,
we can find no two identical in their individuality. Therefore, there is
only one individual in the whole creation who can return stimulating joy
to God as His substantial object, through a reciprocal base with the
particular dual essentialities contained within God, which are
subjective to that individual (cf. Part I, Ch. 1, Sec. III, 2--42). The
man who has attained the purpose of creation, whoever he may be, is an
existence unique in the whole universe. Buddha's statement, "I am my own
Lord throughout heaven and earth.", is reasonable in light of this
principle.
Third, let us study man's value from the standpoint of the relationship
between man and the rest of creation. By understanding the relationship
between man and the rest of creation, according to the principle of
creation, we can better understand the value of perfected man. Man was
created to rule the invisible world with his spirit, and to rule the
visible world with his physical body. Therefore, the man who has
attained the purpose of creation becomes the ruler of all creation (Gen.
1:28). Thus, man is to rule both the visible and the invisible worlds,
with his physical body and his spirit. Thus, these two worlds form a
substantial object to God by performing the action of give and take,
with man as the medium.
According to the principle of creation, we know that the world of
creation is the substantial development of man's dual essentialities.
Accordingly, man's spirit is the substantial encapsulation of the entire
visible world. Therefore, a man having fulfilled the purpose of creation
is the substantial encapsulation of the entire cosmos. This is the
reason man is called a microcosm. Man has the value corresponding to
that of the whole macrocosm, as it is said (Matt. 16:26), "For what will
it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?".
<Page 207>
Suppose there is a perfect machine. If the parts of the machine are the
only ones of their kind in the whole world and can neither be obtained
nor made again, one part would have a value corresponding to that of the
whole machine, however trivial that part may be, because without it the
whole machine would not operate. Likewise, the individuality of a
perfected man is unique. So, however unimportant he may seem, he in fact
corresponds to the whole macrocosm in terms of his value.
SECTION II--JESUS AND THE MAN WHO HAS ATTAINED THE PURPOSE OF CREATION
1. JESUS AND PERFECTED ADAM AS THE RESTORATION OF THE TREE OF LIFE
Human history is the history of the providence to establish the Kingdom
of Heaven on earth by restoring the Tree of Life (Rev. 22:14), which was
lost in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:24). We can know the relationship
between Jesus and perfected Adam by understanding the relationship
between the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:9) and the Tree
of Life that is to be restored at the close of the age (Rev. 22:14).
As already discussed in detail in the "Fall of Man", if Adam had become
a man who had attained the ideal of creation, he would have become the
Tree of Life (Gen. 2:9); and all his posterity would also have become
trees of life. However, Adam fell, nullifying the will (Gen. 3:24), and
ever since, it has been the hope of fallen men to restore themselves to
this Tree of Life (Prov. 13:12, Rev. 22:14). Since fallen man can never
restore himself as the Tree of Life by his own power, a man having
attained the ideal of creation must come as the Tree of Life, and all
men must be engrafted to him. Christ is the man who <Page 208>comes,
symbolized as the Tree of Life (Rev. 22:14). Therefore, perfected Adam,
symbolized by the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden, and Jesus, who is
also likened to the Tree of Life (Rev. 22:14), are identical from the
standpoint of their being men who have attained the ideal of creation.
2. JESUS AND THE MAN WHO HAS ATTAINED THE PURPOSE OF CREATION
We have already explained in Section I the value of perfected man. Let
us here consider the difference between Jesus and perfected man. As we
well know from the previous discussion, a perfected man, in light of the
purpose of creation, should become perfect, as God is perfect (Matt.
5:48); thus, he is so valuable as to even possess deity. Since God is
eternal, man, who was created as His substantial object, should also
become eternal, after his perfection.
Besides, the value of the existence of the whole macrocosm cannot be
complete without perfected man, because he is a unique being and the
lord of all creation. Therefore, man has the value of the whole
macrocosm.
Jesus is truly a man of this value. However great his value may be, he
cannot assume a value greater than that of a man who has attained the
purpose of creation. Therefore, we cannot deny that Jesus was a man who
had attained the purpose of creation.
The Principle does not deny the attitude of faith held by many
Christians that Jesus is God, since it is true that a perfected man is
one body with God. Furthermore, when the Principle asserts that Jesus is
a man having attained the purpose of creation, this does not in the
least diminish his value. However, the principle of creation sees the
original value of perfected man as being equal to that of Jesus. We have
explained above that Jesus was a man who had attained the <Page
209>purpose of creation. Then, let us look at the Biblical proof for
this.
It is written in I Timothy 2:5, "For there is one God, and one mediator
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.". We find in Romans 5:19,
"For as by one man's [Adam's] disobedience many were made sinners, so by
one man's [Jesus'] obedience many shall be made righteous.". It further
explains (I Cor. 15:21), "For as by a man [Adam] came death, by a man
[Jesus] has come also the resurrection of the dead.". The Bible also
says (Acts 17:31), "...he has fixed a day on which he will judge the
world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed." and Luke 17:26
says, "As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the
Son of man.". Thus, the Bible demonstrates most plainly that Jesus is a
man. Above all, he had to come as a man in order to be the True Parents
of mankind, thus giving man rebirth.
3. IS JESUS GOD HIMSELF?
When Philip asked Jesus to show him God, Jesus said to him, "He who has
seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father?' Do
you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me?" (John
14:9-10). Again the Bible says, "He was in the world, and the world was
made through him, yet the world knew him not." (John 1:10). Further, it
is written, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am."
(John 8:58). On the grounds of all these Biblical verses, many
Christians have hitherto believed that Jesus is God Himself, the
Creator.
As demonstrated above, Jesus, as a man having fulfilled the purpose of
creation, is one body with God. So, in light of his deity, he may well
be called God. Nevertheless, he can by no <Page 210>means be God
Himself. The relationship between God and Jesus can be compared to that
between the mind and body. The body, as the substantial object which
resembles the mind, is one body with the mind, so it may be called a
second mind (image of the mind), but the body can by no means be the
mind itself. In like manner, Jesus, being one body with God, may be
called a second God (image of God), but he can by no means be God
Himself. It is true that he who has seen Jesus has seen God (John
14:9-10); but Jesus did not say this to indicate that he was God
Himself.
It is written (John 1:14) that Jesus is the Word made flesh. This means
that Jesus is the substantiation of the Word; that is, the incarnation
of the Word. Then, it is written (John 1:3) that all things were made
through the Word, and again (John 1:10), that the world was made through
Jesus; naturally, Jesus may be called the Creator. According to the
principle of creation, the world of creation is the substantial
development of the character and form of a man of perfected
individuality. So, a man who has fulfilled the purpose of creation is
the substantial encapsulation of the entire cosmos, and the center of
harmony in the whole creation. In that sense, it may also be said that
the world was created by a man of perfection. God intended to have man,
after his perfection through the fulfillment of his own portion of
responsibility, stand in the position of the creator over all things, by
giving him even His own creative nature. Seen from this perspective, we
can understand that the Bible (John 1:10) only clarifies the fact that
Jesus was a man who had perfected the purpose of creation, and does not
signify that he was the Creator Himself.
Jesus was a descendant of Abraham; but since he came as the human
ancestor giving rebirth to all mankind, he would become the forefather
of Abraham, in light of the providence of restoration. <Page 211> This
is why Jesus said (John 8:58), "...before Abraham was, I am.". We must
understand that this also does not signify that Jesus was God Himself.
Jesus, on earth, was a man no different from us except for the fact that
he was without original sin. Even in the spirit world after his
resurrection, he lives as a spirit man with his disciples. The only
difference between them is that Jesus abides as a spirit man of the
divine spirit stage, emitting brilliant light, while his disciples are
the objects who reflect this light.
Meanwhile, Jesus has been interceding for us before God even in the
spirit world after his resurrection (Rom. 8:34), just as he did on
earth. If Jesus is God Himself, how could he intercede for us before
Himself? Moreover, we see that Jesus also called upon "God" or "Father"
for help, which is good evidence that he is not God Himself (Matt.
27:46, John 17:1). If Jesus was God Himself, how could God have been
tempted by Satan, and finally crucified by the evil force? Furthermore,
when we find that Jesus said on the cross, "My God, my God, why hast
thou forsaken me?" it becomes clear that Jesus is not God Himself.
SECTION III--JESUS AND FALLEN MAN
Fallen man, lacking the value of the original man who has fulfilled the
purpose of creation, fell to a lowly position in which he looks up to
the angels, who were created to be lower than himself. But Jesus had the
value of a man who has accomplished the purpose of creation, and this
qualified him to dominate the entire cosmos, including the angels (I
Cor. 15:27). Meanwhile, fallen man, still having the original sin,
remains susceptible to Satan's invasion. But Jesus, having no original
sin, is without any such susceptibility. Fallen man does not know <Page
212>the heart and will of God. If he had ever had such knowledge, it
would be extremely limited. However, Jesus was living in the position in
which he knew God's heart completely and experienced His feeling as if
it were his own.
Accordingly, man has no value as long as he remains in a fallen state;
but when he is reborn through Christ, the True Parent, and when he thus
becomes a child of goodness, cleansed of original sin, he is restored as
a man who has fulfilled the purpose of creation, like Jesus. This is
similar to the relationship of father and son, in which the original
values of both do not in the least differ; only their order is
different, one being the father and the other the son.
Therefore, Christ is the head of the church (Eph. 1:22), and we are his
body and members (I Cor. 12:27). Accordingly, Jesus is the main temple
and we are the branch temples. Jesus is the vine and we are the branches
(John 15:5); and we, as wild olive shoots, should be grafted into Jesus,
the true olive tree, in order to become true branches (Rom. 11:17).
Thus, Jesus called us friends (John 15:14). Again, the Bible says that
when Jesus appears, we shall be like him (I John 3:2). The Bible also
says that Christ is the "first fruits", and we who belong to him will be
the next, indicating only a difference of time and order (I Cor. 15:23).
SECTION IV--REBIRTH AND TRINITY
The theory of Trinity has been discussed in the theological world as one
of the most difficult questions to resolve. Meanwhile, another question
that has been left without fundamental solution concerns the theory of
Rebirth, which we will consider here. <Page 213>
1. REBIRTH
(1) Jesus and the Holy Spirit from the Standpoint of Rebirth
Jesus told Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, that unless one is born anew,
he cannot see the Kingdom of God (John 3:3). "Rebirth" means to be born
the second time. Let us study the reason fallen men must be born anew.
Had Adam and Eve, having fulfilled the ideal of creation become the True
Parents of mankind, their descendants would have realized the Kingdom of
Heaven on earth, as children of goodness without original sin. However,
having fallen, they became the evil parents of mankind and multiplied
evil children, thus producing earthly Hell. Therefore, as Jesus said to
Nicodemus, fallen men cannot see the Kingdom of God unless they are born
anew as children without original sin.
We cannot be born without our parents. Then, who are the parents of
goodness, giving us the second birth as children without original sin,
capable of entering the Kingdom of God?
It would be impossible for evil parents with original sin to give birth
to children of goodness without original sin. Naturally, we cannot
expect to find parents of goodness among fallen men. Such parents should
"descend" from Heaven. Jesus was the True Parent of mankind who came in
that manner. In other words, he came as the True Father in order to
realize the Kingdom of Heaven on earth by giving rebirth to fallen men
as children of goodness without original sin.
Therefore, it says (I Peter 1:3), "...By his great mercy we have been
born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead.". Jesus came as the True Father, the position which Adam had
not fulfilled. This is why the Bible says that Jesus is the second Adam
(I Cor. 15:45); that he is the "Everlasting Father" (Is. 9:6); and that
God would send Elijah the prophet again and have him turn the hearts of
the <Page 214>children (fallen men) to their father (Jesus), so that
they might also become his children (Mal. 4:6). Again it is written that
Jesus is to come again with his angels in the glory of his Father (Matt.
16:27).
However, a father alone cannot give birth to children. There must be a
True Mother with the True Father, in order to give rebirth to fallen
children as children of goodness. She is the Holy spirit. This is why
Jesus said to Nicodemus that no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless
he is born anew through the Holy Spirit (John 3:5).
There are many who receive revelations indicating that the Holy Spirit
is a female Spirit; this is because she came as the True Mother, that
is, the second Eve. Again, since the Holy Spirit is a female Spirit, we
cannot become the "bride" of Jesus unless we receive the Holy Spirit.
Thus, the Holy Spirit is a female Spirit, consoling and moving the
hearts of the people (I Cor. 12:3). She also cleanses the sins of the
people in order to restore them, thus indemnifying the sin committed by
Eve. Jesus, being male (positivity), is working in heaven, while the
Holy Spirit, being female (negativity), is working on earth. (2) Jesus
and the Holy Spirit Seen from the Standpoint of the Dual Essentialities
of Logos
"Logos" is a Hellenic word meaning "word" or "law". It is written (John
1:1) that Logos is in the objective position to God. In the meantime,
since God, as the subject of Logos, contains dual essentialities within
Himself, Logos, as His object, should also contain dual essentialities.
If Logos were without dual essentialities, the things of creation, which
were made through Logos (John 1:3), would not have dual essentialities
either. Adam and Eve were the substantial objects of God, divided from
the dual essentialities of Logos (cf. Part I, Ch. 1, Sec. I, 1--20).
<Page 215>
If Adam had become the Tree of Life, as a male having realized the ideal
of creation, and if Eve, symbolized by the Tree of the Knowledge of Good
and Evil as a female, had realized the ideal of creation in herself, and
if they had thus become the True Parents of mankind, then God's three
great blessings to man would have been fulfilled, thus enabling the
realization of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. However, due to their
fall, the world became an earthly Hell. Therefore, Jesus came as the
True Father of mankind, with the mission of the Tree of Life (Rev.
22:14); that is, as the second Adam (I Cor. 15:45). Then, it would only
be logical that there should come the True Mother of mankind, with the
mission of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Rev. 22:17); that
is, the second Eve. The Holy Spirit came as the True Mother who would
give rebirth to fallen man.
(3) Spiritual Rebirth through Jesus and the Holy Spirit
A baby is born through the love of his parents. As it is written (I Cor.
12:3), when we come to believe in Jesus as the Savior through the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we receive the love of the spiritual
True Parents, coming from the give and take action between Jesus, the
spiritual True Father, and the Holy Spirit, the spiritual True Mother.
Then, through this love, new life is infused into those who believe in
Christ, and each is reborn into a new spiritual self. This is called
"spiritual rebirth".
Man fell both spiritually and physically; so he must liquidate even the
original sin through "physical rebirth". Therefore, Christ must come
again to accomplish man's physical salvation by being born on earth.
2. TRINITY
According to the principle of creation, God's purpose of creation can be
realized only through the four position foundation <Page 216> which is
established by forming the three objective purposes through
origin-division-union action. Accordingly, in order to fulfill the
purpose of creation, Jesus and the Holy Spirit must establish the four
position foundation centered on God, be becoming one body in unity
through the action of give and take, each as the object of God,
substantially divided from His dual essentialities. In this manner,
Jesus and the Holy Spirit become one body centered on God; this is
called "Trinity".
Originally, God's purpose of creating Adam and Eve was to form a trinity
by uniting them into one body in love as the True Parents of mankind,
thus establishing the four position foundation centered on God. If they
had perfected themselves without the fall, forming a trinity as the True
Parents centered on God, and had multiplied children of goodness, all
their descendants would have grown to become married couples of goodness
centered on God, each pair forming a trinity with God. naturally, the
Kingdom of Heaven on earth would have been realized centering on the
first human couple, in accordance with the realization of God's three
great blessings to them. However, due to the fall, Adam and Eve
established the four position foundation centered on Satan, thus
resulting in a trinity centered on Satan. Therefore, their descendants
have also formed trinities centered on Satan, and have brought about a
human society of corruption.
Therefore, God must work to have all fallen men born anew through the
True Parents of mankind, Jesus and the Holy Spirit--one as the second
Adam and the other as the second Eve--and then having all form
respectively a trinity centered on God. But because of the undue death
of Jesus, he and the Holy Spirit have fulfilled only the mission of
spiritual True Parents, by forming the spiritual Trinity centered on
God. Since Jesus and the Holy Spirit have undertaken the mission of
spiritual <Page 217>rebirth only, the saints still remain in the
position of their spiritual children, having been restored through the
spiritual Trinity only.
Christ must come again in flesh in order that he may become the True
Parent both spiritually and physically, by forming the substantial
Trinity centered on God. He will then, by giving them rebirth both
spiritually and physically, have all fallen men form (by couples)
substantial trinities centered on God, after having liquidated the
original sin. When fallen men have established the four position
foundation in the original form centered on God, then the Kingdom of
Heaven on earth will be restored through the realization of God's three
great blessings to man. <Page 218>