Category: Cheon Seong Gyeong

What Would Have Happened if Jesus Had Not Been Crucified?

Cheon Seong Gyeong 311

A life lived for love is a productive
and fruitful one, and a life lived with-
out knowing love leads to exhaustion
and destruction. God, humankind, and
even the universe desire to live for the
sake of love. This is the original way of
life. (Blessed Family – 1062)

Cheong Seong Gyeong 1165

In the first chapter of the Gospel of
Matthew, four great women who had
illicit relationships: Tamar, Bathsheba,
Rahab and Ruth, are listed in the gene-
alogy of Jesus. This gospel is the equiva-
lent of Genesis, but the question is, why
do the first pages of the New Testament
focus on these women, who are stained
and impure? Without understanding
the Principle view of the Fall, there is no
way to understand this. It has remained
a mystery. By searching throughout my
life, however, I have been able to answer
these questions for the first time. (211-137,
1990.12.30)

Exposition of the Divine Principle
3 Color Edition-The Red part

1.4 THE LIMIT OF SALVATION THROUGH REDEMPTION BY THE CROSS AND THE PURPOSE OF JESUS’ SECOND ADVENT

 What would have happened if Jesus had not been crucified? Jesus would have accomplished both the spiritual and physical aspects of salvation. He surely would have established the everlasting and indestructible Kingdom of Heaven on earth.  Yet the people did not believe in Jesus; instead they led him to the cross. Jesus’ body was exposed to Satan’s assault, and he was killed. Therefore, even when faithful Christians are united with Jesus, their bodies remain exposed to Satan’s attack, just as was Jesus’ body. Consequently, no matter how devout a believer may be, he cannot attain physical salvation through redemption by the cross of Jesus.

 However, Jesus laid the basis for spiritual salvation by securing the victorious foundation for his resurrection through the redemption by his blood on the cross. As a result, all believers since his resurrection have received the benefit of spiritual salvation, but not physical salvation. Therefore, to uproot the original sin, which he could not remove through the crucifixion, and to complete the work of physical salvation, Christ must come again on earth. Only then will the purpose of God’s work of salvation be fulfilled both spiritually and physically.

1.5 TWO KINDS OF PROPHECIES CONCERNING THE CROSS

 If Jesus’ death on the cross were not predestined as necessary for the complete accomplishment of his purpose as the Messiah, why was it prophesied in Isaiah that he would suffer the ordeal of the cross? As Isaiah prophesied24 and as the angel announced to Mary, it was foretold that Jesus would become the king of the Jews in his lifetime and establish an everlasting kingdom on the earth. Let us investigate why God gave two contrasting kinds of prophecies concerning Jesus.

Human beings have their own portion of responsibility. The nature of the fruits they bear depends upon whether or not they fulfill their portion of responsibility. For this reason, God gave two kinds of prophecies concerning the accomplishment of His Will.

1.6 GOSPEL PASSAGES IN WHICH JESUS SPOKE OF HIS CRUCIFIXION AS IF IT WERE NECESSARY

 There are several passages in the Gospels in which Jesus spoke of his suffering on the cross as if it were necessary for salvation. For example, when Peter heard Jesus’ prediction of his imminent crucifixion and tried to dissuade him, Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me.” Peter’s dissuasion could have hindered Jesus from paving the way for spiritual salvation through the cross. For this reason, Jesus rebuked him.

 A second example is Jesus’ last words on the cross, “It is finished.”33 Jesus did not utter these words to mean that through the crucifixion he had completely accomplished the providence of salvation. Hence, by the words, “It is finished,” Jesus meant that he had finished laying the foundation for spiritual salvation. By this time, it had become the alternative goal of the providence.

View slides 18 to 32 below for an illustrated presentation of the above content:

2007p1-CHAPT-4-The-Messiah-_revised-4-28-2014

The New Truth Must Appear

Cheon Seong Gyeong 606

Where do you discover God’s supreme
love? Not in a palace. The way to occupy
the highest love of God is found at the
bottom of hell where you are bleeding
close to the point of collapse and about
to die. When I was in prison under the
communists, the spirit world testified to
me without my saying even one word.
That is why I had disciples who were
resolved to do anything for me at the risk
of their lives. Given that kind of support,
had I been a villain, I would have had
many ways to escape from prison. God
works with us in such situations. (91-175,
1977.2.6)

Cheong Seong Gyeong 1934

We know from history that the
Americans established their nation
while migrating from east to west, giv-
ing birth to a new civilization. Then,
based on Hawaii, the United States
secured a beach-head from which to
influence the Pacific Ocean sphere. (79-72,
1975.6.1)
The reason that Japan attacked
Pearl Harbor in Hawaii is that she had
come to the conclusion that it would
be impossible to defend her position in
either China or Korea without strik-
ing the United States, which lay in the
background. You should be aware of
this. You should understand that Japan
struck Pearl Harbor in order to defend
her dominant position in Korea and
China. Historians in America have not
known this. I am certain about these
things. (111-313, 1981.3.9)

Exposition of the Divine Principle
3 Color Edition-The Red part

THE LAST DAYS

3.1 THE MEANING OF THE LAST DAYS
Human history has been the history of restoration. Despite its evil beginning, the world under the sovereignty of Satan must one day be transformed into the world where goodness reigns, where the three great blessings are fulfilled centered on God. The Messiah comes at this time of transformation.
The Last Days is this time, when the evil world under satanic sov-
ereignty is transformed into the ideal world under God’s sovereignty.
Hell on earth will be transformed into the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
THE LAST DAYS AND THE PRESENT DAYS
We can deduce that today is in fact the Last Days by examining the
various circumstances of the present age. We can recognize in these cir-
cumstances the restoration of the three great blessings, which God has
purposed in His providence of restoration.
4.1 SIGNS OF THE RESTORATION OF THE FIRST BLESSING
The first blessing God gave to Adam and Eve was perfection of indi-
vidual character. 73 In the modern world.
First, we can observe that the spirituality of fallen people is being
restored. A second sign that the first blessing is being restored in the present
era can be seen in the historical trend toward the recovery of the free-
dom of the original mind. A third sign of the renewal of the first blessing is the restoration of
true human value. A fourth sign that the first blessing is being renewed in the present
age is the restoration of original, true love in fallen people.
This is more evidence that the present time is the eve of the Last Days, when we can restore God’s
first blessing and reach perfection of individual character grounded in
the love of God.
4.2 SIGNS OF THE RESTORATION OF THE SECOND BLESSING
God’s second blessing was for Adam and Eve to attain True
Parenthood and bear and raise good children, forming a family, soci-
ety and world where goodness reigns. In the present
era, the world has been coalescing into one cultural sphere based on
Christian ideals. As the world has been greatly influenced by the teachings
of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, who are the True Parents of humankind, 75 the
way has been opened for all people to become godly children. This trend
is evidence that God’s second blessing is being restored. Thus, we can con-
clude with certainty that the present age is the Last Days.
At present, our world is divided into two: the democratic world, which seeks to create societies on God’s side, and the
communist world, which has been establishing regimes on Satan’s side. Today we are at this very point of inter-
section, when these two worlds are confronting each other in the final battle. This is yet more evidence that the present era is the Last Days.
4.3 SIGNS OF THE RESTORATION OF THE THIRD BLESSING
Once Adam and Eve had attained perfection, they were to fulfill
God’s third blessing by gaining dominion over the natural world.
Dominion over the natural world has two aspects: internal and exter-
nal. Internal dominion denotes dominion of the heart. God’s providence of restoration through religion, philosophy, ethics and so forth, has gradually elevated the spirituality of fallen people toward God. In the modern world, there is evidence that people are regaining the worthiness to govern the creation through heart. External dominion denotes proper mastery of the creation through science and technology, leading to today’s highly advanced science. Modern people have built an extremely comfortable and pleasant living environment through the economic progress that has accompanied scientific development. Fallen people have thus been restoring their dominion over the universe, advancing toward the re-establishment of God’s third blessing. Observing this, we are assured that the present era is the Last Days.

THE LAST DAYS , THE NEW TRUTH AND OUR ATTITUDE

5.1 THE LAST DAYS AND THE NEW TRUTH
Fallen people have been overcoming their internal ignorance by
enlightening their spirituality and intellect with “spirit and truth” 79
through religion. “Truth” may be divided into two types: internal truth
as taught by religion, which helps people overcome internal ignorance,
and external truth as obtained through science, which helps people
overcome external ignorance.
God assists ignorant, fallen people to elevate their spirituality and
enlighten their intellect through spirit and truth. By these means, God
conducts His providence to restore people to the original state before the
Fall. Spirit and truth are unique, eternal and unchanging. However, the
degree and scope of their teaching and the means of their expression
will vary from one age to another as they restore humankind from a
state of utter ignorance.
For modern, intellectual people to be enlightened in the truth, there must appear another textbook of higher and richer content, with a more scientific method of expression. We call this the new truth.
5.2 OUR ATTITUDE IN THE LAST DAYS
Those who live in this period suffer internally from anxiety, fear and confusion due to the absence of a guiding ideology or philosophy. They suffer externally from strife and battles fought with fearsome weapons. The providence of the new age does not begin on the ashes of the
old age. On the contrary, the new age sprouts and grows amidst the
final phases of the old age and comes into conflict with that age. Jesus, for example, who inaugurated the New Testament Age, came at the close of the Old Testament Age in such a way as to bewilder the faithful adherents of the Mosaic Law.
He was ostracized by the Jewish people and eventually crucified.
We who are alive today are living in the Last Days. We should cul-
tivate a humble heart and make the utmost effort to receive divine
inspiration through prayer. We should not be strongly attached to con-
ventional concepts, but rather should direct ourselves to be receptive
to the spirit, in order that we may find the new truth which can guide
us to the providence of the new age.

View slides 21 to 55 below for an illustrated presentation of the above content:

2007p1-CHAPT-3-Escatology_revised-4-28-2014

There is No Freedom without Responsibility

Cheon Seong Gyeong 2106

You should not return home to live a
comfortable life alone. Upon your return
you should first organize the church.
Your sons and daughters should not be
objects of public scorn. They should not
be beggars relying on others for their
livelihood. You should assist them with
their living situations and teach them
the new tradition which was created by
shedding blood and sweat in order to
establish a foundation of truth and jus-
tice. Moreover, you will live only when
you invest yourself to save your clan and
they, in return, establish a foundation
for your settlement. Without inheritors
who are willing to sacrifice themselves,
the national foundation on which this
land of South Korea can remain as a
basis for the Kingdom of Heaven would
not exist. (177-163, 1988.5.17)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1554

The only ideology that should remain
is Godism, which provides us with the
absolute ideal of love and the realm of
heart for our brothers and sisters in all
nations. Only Godism and no other
should govern this world! Amen! (137-196,
1986.1.1)

Exposition of the Divine Principle
3 Color Edition-The Red part

THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE HUMAN FALL

4.1 SATAN AND FALLEN HUMANITY
Satan is the name given to the Archangel Lucifer after he fell. When
the first human ancestors fell, they bound themselves in blood ties with
Lucifer. They formed a four position foundation yoked to Satan, and
thus all humanity became the children of Satan. Adam and Eve while still immature, however, they
fell and formed a four position foundation centering on Satan. Con-
sequently, this world has come under Satan’s sovereignty.
4.2 SATAN’S ACTIVITIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY
Even Satan cannot perpetrate his evil activity unless he first finds an object partner with whom he can
form a common base and engage in give and take action. Satan’s object
partners are evil spirits in the spirit world. The object partners to these
evil spirits are the spirit selves of evil people on the earth, and the vehi-
cles through which these evil spirit selves act are their physical selves.
Accordingly, the power of Satan is conveyed through evil spirits and is
manifested in the activities of earthly people.
4.5 SIN
Sin is a violation of heavenly law which is committed when a per-
son forms a common base with Satan, thus setting a condition for give
and take action with him. Sin can be classified into four kinds. The first
is the original sin. The second is hereditary sin. The third is collective sin. The fourth is individual sin.
4.6 THE PRIMARY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FALLEN NATURE
Eve inherited from the Archangel all the proclivities incidental to his
transgression against God when he bound her in blood ties through
their sexual relationship. Adam in turn acquired the same inclinations
when Eve, assuming the role of the Archangel, bound him in blood ties
through their sexual relationship. These proclivities have become the
root cause of the fallen inclinations in all people. They are the prima-
ry characteristics of our fallen nature. The primary characteristics of the fallen nature can be divided
broadly into four types. The first is failing to take God’s standpoint. The second is leaving one’s proper position. The third is reversing dominion. The fourth is multiplying the criminal act.
FREEDOM AND THE HUMAN FALL
5.1 THE MEANING OF FREEDOM FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF THE PRINCIPLE
First, there is no freedom outside the Principle. Second, there is no freedom without responsibility. Third, there is no freedom without accomplishment. It cannot be that freedom caused the human Fall.
THE REASONS GOD DID NOT INTERVENE IN THE FALL
OF THE FIRST HUMAN ANCESTORS
God, being omniscient and omnipotent, must have known about the
deviant acts of the first human ancestors which were leading to their
Fall. Why, then, did God not intervene to prevent the Fall?
6.1 TO MAINTAIN THE ABSOLUTENESS AND PERFECTION
OF THE PRINCIPLE OF CREATION
6.2 THAT GOD ALONE BE THE CREATOR
6.3 TO MAKE HUMAN BEINGS THE LORDS OF CREATION

View slides 26 to 58 below for an illustrated presentation of the above content:

2007p1-CHAPT-2-Fall-of-Man_revised-4-28-2014-1

God Does Not Decide Whether a Person’s Spirit Enters Heaven or Hell

Cheon Seong Gyeong 325

When you ask the whole universe,
from the smallest elements to human
beings, “What is it that the person who
possesses you has to have?” all of them
would answer that they would like to
belong to a person who has love. This
means that all things of creation are seek-
ing an owner of love. (132-158, 1984.5.31)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1854

I love water. Water is the source of all
life. Water embraces and absorbs every-
thing. There are two rivers in Jardim: the
Miranda River and Plata River, which
are like yang and yin. The water in the
Plata River is clear, whereas the water
in the Miranda River is muddy. Usually,
people run away when there is muddy
water, but yesterday I saw a clear stream
of water being drawn into a whirlpool,
without any resistance. With dignity,
the clear water joined the muddy water
and changed its color. Yet as the days go
by, the water gains the strength to regain
its color and purify itself as it continues
flowing. (276-140, 1996.2.18)

Exposition of the Divine Principle
3 Color Edition-The Red part

The Principle of Creation

THE INCORPOREAL WORLD AND THE CORPOREAL WORLD
WHOSE CENTER IS HUMAN BEINGS

6.1 THE INCORPOREAL WORLD AND THE CORPOREAL WORLD
AS SUBSTANTIAL REALITIES
The universe was created after the pattern of a human being, who
is in the image of God’s dual characteristics. Therefore, the structure of
the universe and every entity in it resembles that of a human being,
which consists most fundamentally of mind and body. Corresponding
to the human mind and body, the universe consists of the incorporeal
world and the corporeal world, both of which are real and substantial. The incorporeal and corporeal worlds together form the cosmos.
The incorporeal world, or spirit world, is in the position of subject partner, and the corporeal world,
or physical world, is in the position of object partner. The latter is like
a shadow of the former. 24 When we shed our physical bodies after our
life in the physical world, we enter the spirit world as spirits and live
there for eternity.
6.2 THE POSITION OF HUMAN BEINGS IN THE COSMOS
The position of human beings in the cosmos has three aspects. First,
God created human beings to be the rulers of the universe. Second, God created human beings to be the mediator and the center of harmony of the cosmos. Third, God created human beings to encapsulate in a substantial
form the essences of everything in the cosmos. Accordingly, each person is a microcosm.
6.3 THE RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
THE PHYSICAL SELF AND THE SPIRIT SELF
6.3.1 THE STRUCTURE AND F UNCTIONS OF THE PHYSICAL SELF
The physical self consists of the dual characteristics of the physical
mind (subject partner) and the physical body (object partner). Good or evil in the conduct of the physical self is the main determinant of whether the spirit self becomes good or evil.
6.3.2 THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS OF THE SPIRIT SELF
Our spirit self consists of the dual characteristics of spirit mind (subject partner) and spirit body (object partner). The spirit can grow only while it abides in the flesh. Thus, the relationship between the physical self and the spirit self is similar to that between a tree and its fruit. The spirit self can attain perfection only during a person’s earthly life. The redemption of sins granted during earthly life opens the way for his spirit to become good. It is not God who decides whether a person’s spirit enters heaven or hell upon his death; it is decided by the spirit himself.

View slides 81 to 93 below for an illustrated presentation of the content above:

2007p1-CHAPT-1-Creation_revised-4-28-2014-red-part

The Ultimate Purpose of the Universe, with Human Beings at it’s Center Is to Return Joy to God

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1972

When we observe the birthplace of
civilizations from a geographical point
of view, we see that they developed based
on the conditions of climate, during the
course of world history. Then what kind
of place is most ideal? We can conclude
that the ideal location is one that has four
seasons and connects the sea to the land.
In terms of climate, it should be a region
with four seasons. It should be a penin-
sula, as well as a region where the four
seasons are distinct. What is a peninsu-
lar region? The land symbolizes heaven,
and the water symbolizes the sea. The
peninsula connects these two. That is
the reality of the world. That is how it
works with all the principles of heaven
and earth. In that sense, the Italian pen-
insula, as a peninsular region, contrib-
uted to world culture. This was the first
great staging-post for past civilizations.
You should be aware that this penin-
sular civilization centered on Rome, a
region with an integrated civilization,
had emerged with the authority of the
past ages in history. It had also passed
through the Egyptian civilization and
Greek civilization to become a compre-
hensive area. (107-300, 1980.6.8)

Richard: God is making a new heaven and a new earth. Not through literal destruction and rebuilding, but by bringing a new culture of heart which originates in Korea through the teaching of the True Parent, Rev. Sun Myung Moon.

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1191

What is the secret method to restore
the right of the eldest son? Satan claims,
“God is a perfect God and the Adam and
Eve He is seeking must also be perfect.
Had they not fallen, it would have been
the Principled standard that Adam and
Eve have to love me as the original arch-
angel. Thus, even though I have fallen
and I found myself in the position of a
bad one, if you all are in a position to
be called good and true, you must set
up the condition of having loved me.
Without this, You, God, cannot be in
the position of God in front of me.” This
is the problem. Satan stops everything
dead, saying, “If there is a secret method
of uniting with you, what is it? The per-
son You send must love me. Unless he
stands together with You in the position
of loving me, and makes the condition
enabling him to say that he loved me, he
will not be able to regain the birthright
of the firstborn son that I have been hold-
ing on to.” That is why Jesus exhorted

Exposition of the Divine Principle
3 Color Edition-The Red part

The Principle of Creation

THE PURPOSE OF CREATION

3.1 THE PURPOSE OF THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE
It is recorded in the Bible that after God completed each day of creation, He saw that it was good. This suggests that God wanted His creations to be object partners embodying goodness that He might take delight in them.
The three great blessings are fulfilled when the whole creation, including human beings, completes the four position foundation with God as the center. This is the Kingdom of Heaven, where ultimate goodness is realized and God feels the greatest joy. This is, in fact, the very purpose for which
God created the universe. The ultimate purpose of the universe, with human beings at its center, is to return joy to God.

3.2 GOOD OBJECT PARTNERS FOR THE JOY OF G OD
Joy is not produced by an individual alone. Joy arises when we have an object partner in which our internal nature and external form are reflected
and developed. Our object partner helps us to feel our own internal
nature and external form through the stimulation it gives. This object
partner may be intangible or it may be substantial.
God feels the fullness of joy when He is stimulated by His
substantial object partners to feel His original internal nature and orig-
inal external form through them. It was explained earlier that when the Kingdom of Heaven is realized—through the fulfillment of the three great blessings and the establishment of the four position foundation—it becomes the good object partner that gives joy to God. Let us investigate how the Kingdom becomes God’s good object partner.
The key to God’s first blessing is the perfection of individual character. An individual’s mind and body are discrete projections and object
partners of God’s dual characteristics. In order for an individual to per-
fect his character, he must form a four position foundation within him-
self whereby his mind and body become one through give and take
action with God as their center.
God’s second blessing was to be fulfilled by Adam and Eve after they
had achieved individual perfection as object partners to God, each man-
ifesting an aspect of God’s dual characteristics. In order to construct the
four position foundation in their family, Adam and Eve should have joined
in loving oneness as husband and wife and raised children. This would
have been the fulfillment of the second blessing.
The meaning of God’s third blessing is the perfection of a human
being’s dominion over the natural world. To fulfill this blessing, the four
position foundation of dominion must be established centered on God.
Human beings and the natural world, which are the substantial object
partners of God at the level of image and symbol respectively, must
share love and beauty to become completely one.

View slides 51 to 63 below for an illustrated slide show of today’s reading.

2007p1-CHAPT-1-Creation_revised-4-28-2014-red-part