Witnessing Activities
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| Lecture 40-2 : [Second Coming 2] Where will Christ Return? | |
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| Date created : 2015-07-01/ Views : 1771 | |
The Second Advent
Lecture 40 Where will Christ Return?
Welcome back to the path to happiness, an introduction to the Unification principle. I’m your host, Dr. Tyler Hendricks.
In our last session, we shared that coming on the clouds signifies that the Lord will come as the central figure surrounded by crowds of faithful, God-centered believers. This is a momentous statement. Back when I was a teenager, there was a poster of Jesus walking into a Sunday service, and all the people avoiding him, looking away, feeling uncomfortable. It raises a serious question: if you lived in Jerusalem when Jesus was on earth, would you have recognized him? Would you have given up everything to follow him?
If Christ returned in the flesh, where do you think he would appear? Would it be among the Jewish people?' Some Bible verses seem to say so. In John 7:4, it is recorded, "And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000 sealed, out of every tribe of the sons of Israel."
Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel, before the Son of Man comes (Matt.10:23)" Another passage is, "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom (Matt.16:28)"
Many believers think this means that Christ will appear in the first Israel. However, to interpret these verses in this way is to misunderstand God's providence as Jesus taught it. He told us that the messianic role will depart from the first Israel. In Matthew 21:33-44, there is a story about a householder, tenants, the householder's son and servants (Matt. 21:33-43). Please read the bible passage that appears on the screen.
Could you not earnestly feel Jesus' heart? In this parable, the householder represents God, the vineyard represents God's work on the earth, the tenants entrusted with the work represent the first Israel, the servants represent the prophets, the son of the householder represents Jesus, and the other tenants who harvest the fruits represent the successor of the first Israel, which expects Christ at the Second Advent. Jesus conveyed that he will not come again to the people who persecuted him. God will take away the mission previously entrusted to them and give it to another people who can produce its fruits upon Christ's return. Although Israel was the chosen nation, because they turned against Jesus, they lost their qualification as God's chosen people.
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Whenever the chosen people fail to believe and turn against God, without hesitation God sweeps them away. The 10 tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel, who transgressed against God, perished, conquered by the Assyrian Empire (722 B.C.) Only the southern kingdom of Judah remained as the chosen people who could eventually receive Jesus. Nevertheless, when they led Jesus to the cross, they also lost their qualification to receive the messiah.
If so, who became the new Israel after Jesus' crucifixion? They were none other than the Christians, who inherited the faith of Abraham and took on the mission of Abraham's descendants. St. Paul wrote, "Through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous (Rom. 11:11)." Therefore, the chosen people who should lay the foundation for Christ at the Second Advent are not the lineal descendants of Abraham, but rather the Christians who inherited the faith of Abraham.
There are many Christian nations. Which of them will inherit the unfinished work of God and bear its fruits?
In the Bible (Matt.21:33), it teaches that the country that will inherit the unfinished work of God and bear the fruits is a nation that lies in the East. In the book of Revelation, Chapter 5:1-7, it says, "Then I saw another angel ascend from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God...And I heard the number of the sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand." Christ will return from a country in the East.
Since ancient times, the nations in the East have traditionally been considered to be the three nations of Korea, Japan and China. Among them, Japan throughout its history has worshipped the sun goddess. Japan entered the period of the Second Advent as a fascist nation and from 1910, severely persecuted Korea and invaded China. After a period of Christian presence, Japan suppressed Christianity, which remains a very small part of its religious composition. China at the time of the Second Advent was moving to communism and has suppressed new religions. Neither are hospitable to Christ’s flourishing. Is Korea, then, the nation in the East where Christ will return? Let us examine the historical conditions needed in order for Korea to become a nation fit to receive the Messiah.
First, Korea had to fulfill a national dispensation of forty for the separation of Satan. Entering the era of the Second Advent of the Messiah, Korea suffered untold hardships as a colony of Japan for a forty-year period. The First Israel suffered four hundred years in Egypt and the Second Israel, Christianity, had to prevail over the four hundred years of persecution in the Roman Empire. Korea also had to suffer for a forty-year period (1905-1945) as a colony of Japan, in order to fulfill a dispensation of forty for the separation of Satan. The Korean people suffered imperialism, economic exploitation, social anxiety, cultural and ideological oppression, at the hands of Japan. In reaction, Korean Christians led an independence movement, yearning for God's Kingdom, an ideal world.
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Second, Korea is the front line for both God and Satan. When we reach the end of history, inevitably there will be a final battle between God's side and Satan's side, and God's side must bring victory. At the point of confrontation between God and Satan, a sacrifice must be offered as the condition to determine the outcome. The Korean people were this sacrifice. God intervened to save South Korea, and Satan aggressively captured and controls North Korea. For the sake of the restoration of the universe, Korea, as the national offering, was divided, just as Abraham's sacrifices were to be divided. The division is at the thirty-eighth parallel, the line dividing Cain and Abel. It is the front line in the battle between democracy and communism. If the Second Coming of the Messiah comes to Korea, God will work through him for a settlement between North Korea, Cain's view of life, and South Korea, Abel's view of life. Centered on Christianity, we then can resolve the left-right crisis. This is the foundation to bring God's Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
Third, Korea has to be the object partner of God's heart. In order to cultivate the history of the providence of restoration and be the object partner of God's deep sorrowful, agonizing heart, this nation's many afflictions, and pain must be honored within its troubled history. For this reason, Korea's history is one of blood, sweat, and tears, working hard to protect its national identity, language, and territory, and to cherish its history of over five-thousand years. Furthermore, Korea is a good-hearted nation that has not once invaded another nation. The Korean people are by nature endowed with a religious character. Korea is a strong nation that has evinced a strong desire to worship God and has always revered the virtues of loyalty, filial piety and chastity.
Fourth, the Korean people must have clear testimonies by their prophets. The Korean people have believed in the prophecy that the Righteous King will appear and found a glorious and everlasting kingdom in their land. This messianic idea among the Korean people was revealed through the Maitreya Buddha in Buddhism and Chonggamnok, a book of prophecy. Furthermore, among the faithful of every religion in Korea are those who have received revelations that the founders of their religions will return to Korea. Korean Christians have received revelations and signs testifying to the Second Coming of Christ in Korea; they are sprouting in profusion like bamboo shoots after a rain.
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Fifth, all civilizations have to bear fruit in this land, and this includes civilizations which developed on the land and civilizations born on the shores of rivers and seas. First let us look from the perspective of land masses. The ancient continental civilizations which arose in Egypt and Mesopotamia bequeathed their fruits to the peninsular civilizations of Greece, Rome, and Iberia, and thence to the island of Great Britain. This island civilization passed on its culture to the United States, a continental civilization. Then the direction was reversed, with the United States passing on its culture to the island civilization of Japan. Now these fruits are to be harvested in the peninsular civilization of Korea, where Christ is to be born. From the perspective of bodies of water, the river civilizations which arose on the shores of the Nile, Tigris and Euphrates Rivers passed on their cultures to the civilizations in the vicinity of the Mediterranean Sea: Greece, Rome, Spain and Portugal. These bequeathed their fruits to the civilizations on the Atlantic Ocean: notably, Great Britain and the United States. All these fruits will be harvested in the civilization of the Pacific Ocean, which links together the United States, Japan and Korea.
Sixth, God prepared Korea's own Axial Age. Karl Jaspers developed the world-wide theory of an Axial Age, a period in 500 B.C. of substantial philosophical and religious developments, such as Buddha's doctrine, Buddhism, Confucius' doctrine, Confucianism, Lao-tzu's doctrine, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, and the Greek philosophers Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Just as these philosophical and religious developments built the foundation of the conscience and soul to welcome Jesus, the Korean Axial Age included the Donghak Movement. Master Choe Je-u (1824-1863), also known as "Su-un", started the Donghak Movement, which was opposed to western learning and helped develop Catholicism in Korea; Master Choe Shi-hyung also known as "Hae-wol", succeeded Master Su-un; Master Gang Il-sun (1871-1909), also known as "Jeung-san ", founded Jeungsan Do; Master Bak Joong-bin (1891-1943), also known as "Sotaesan", founded Won Buddhism; Master Na Chul (1863-1916), also known as "Hong-am", founded Dae Jong Gyo, and there are more. These people developed modern forms of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism and indigenous Korean faiths. Centered on Christianity, Catholicism from 1784, and Protestantism from 1884 until now have been developing and preparing the spiritual foundation in order to receive the Second Coming of the Messiah to be born among the Korean race.
We believe that God prepared Korea as the central nation during the period of preparation for the coming of the Messiah. Two-thousand years ago, in order to welcome Jesus, God prepared Israel, and God prepared Korea in the same way in order to welcome the Second Coming of the Messiah.
When the First and Second World Wars broke out during the climax of the period of preparation for the Second Advent of the Messiah, what was the situation of the Korean people? From 1905 to 1945, Korea fulfilled a forty-year period under the Japanese Empire's rule, where they literally hovered between life and death. Japan took away Korean history and language, and even demanded that the people adopt Japanese names. Immediately following World War 1, in resistance to the Japanese, on March 1st, a total of 33 religious leaders, which included 15 Catholics, 16 Protestants and 2 Buddhists, as Korea's representatives, started an independence movement. On that day, the spirit that was once lost was reborn by the global religious world. On March 1st, which is Korean independence day, many Koreans gave their lives, including the 16-year old female martyr Yoo Kwan-sun, and in so doing prepared the altar for the birth of the Second Coming of the Messiah.
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Through the defeat of the Japanese Empire in World War 2, Korea finally became independent. However, soon after, through the division of North and South Korea and the Korean War, the country went through total agony because the ideological conflicts between America and the Soviet Union hit the earth in Korea. During the 70 years that have elapsed since Korea's independence, world communism, centered on the Soviet Union, surrendered, and the Republic of Korea went from being among the poorest nations in the world to being one of the top 10 economic superpowers. Korea's platinum age is coming. The influence of Korean culture is spreading throughout Asia and the west.
Right now, the world is facing a critical time in which we must liberate North Korea and gain the unity of North and South Korea. All of these things are occurring because heavenly fortune is coming to Korea. Korea has the potential to become an ideal world of creation whose future is overflowing with peace, freedom, happiness, interdependence, mutual prosperity and universally shared values.
Now as we are finishing up our series of forty lectures on Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Unification Principle, we want to look back on what we’re presenting as the path to happiness. Basically what we have is a philosophy of love. God is love, and the creation is an expression of masculine and feminine love. The full experience of love is found in marriage and family, and this love has the power to make of the world one family under God. It makes sense, then, that it was the misuse of love that turned the world into one war-zone under Satan, and that it is the restoration of love that rebuilds the path to happiness. But we who are born in a war-zone cannot know what love really is—that has to come from a place of peace, from God, through God’s son—and daughter—the Messiah. In 1976, Newsweek magazine interviewed Rev. Moon and asked him if he is the Messiah. He answered, “yes, and so are you.”
Rev. Sun Myung Moon, on the world stage, dedicated his 93 years of life on the earth for this work. He stands on his words and deeds. Centering on his wife, President Hak Ja Han, we, his family and followers, are continuing the work of God to bring authentic love into the family, spiritual communities and society, and build this path to happiness—God’s kingdom on the earth and in heaven. We invite you to join us.
Thank you for your kind attention, and may God guide your consideration of all these things.
