Category: Cheon Seong Gyeong

The Time of the Second Advent of the Messiah Has Already Come

Cheon Seong Gyeong 510

Due to the Fall, God lost the true
mother and children of Adam’s family.
There have been no true sons and daugh-
ters for God. There has been no family
of God who could inherit the lineage of
His love. Our minds and bodies came
into conflict, having inherited false love,
false life and false lineage through the
fallen parents. Adam and Eve became
enemies. Bloody wars broke out among
Adam’s sons and daughters.

Richard: Here we see the basic dynamic that the world’s problems stem from the problems in the family, going back to the first family. Wars and conflicts all began there. To end this sad history, we need to restore families. That is the mission of the Lord at His Second Advent. Rev. Sun Myung Moon has successfully fulfilled that mission.

Cheon Seong Gyeong 493

Where did parental love come from?
If we are resultant beings of the First
Cause with some relationship to Him,
we have come from within some des-
tined power of this First Cause. This is
not something we as human beings can
touch. As such, have you ever heard any-
one say, “Let us revolutionize the love
with which parents love their children;
let us become the standard-bearers of
that revolution”?
Let’s suppose some parents come
forward with the idea of revolutionizing
parental love and reinventing human
history, claiming, “Even though we are
parents, we will not love our children.”
Yet, the moment their baby’s umbilical
cord is cut, a loving heart will naturally
arise in them. Every life form, wheth-
er on a higher or lower level, is created
in such a way that it cannot but love its
young. Thus, since the act of loving their
children inspires parents to invest and
use their lives as stepping stones, it is
clear that parental love brings us closest
to an eternal and unchanging standard

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

THE PERIODS IN THE AGE OF THE PROLONGATION OF THE PROVIDENCE OF RESTORATION AND THEIR LENGTHS

The Age of the Prolongation of the Providence of Restoration has been to restore through substantial parallels the Age of the Providence of Restoration, the age of image parallels. As the periods of this age were to restore through indemnity the corresponding periods of the previous age, these periods proceeded in a parallel fashion, both in order and in length.

4.1 THE FOUR-HUNDRED-YEAR PERIOD OF PERSECUTION IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE

The early Christians underwent a comparable period of suffering to restore through indemnity the foundation of faith which had been destroyed due to the mistake of the Jewish people, who did not properly follow Jesus as the living sacrifice. This was the four-hundred-year period during which Christians were persecuted in the Roman Empire. The persecution abated by 313 A.D., when the Emperor Constantine formally recognized Christianity as a legal religion. In 392 A.D., the Emperor Theodosius I established Christianity as the state religion. This period was he substantial parallel to the Israelites’ four-hundred-year period of slavery in Egypt, and its purpose was to restore that earlier period through parallel indemnity conditions.

4.2 THE FOUR-HUNDRED-YEAR PERIOD OF REGIONAL CHURCH LEADERSHIP

Since the Age of the Prolongation of the Providence of Restoration has been the age of substantial parallels, it should contain a four-hundred-year period comparable to the period of the judges. What is called the period of regional church leadership began when Christianity was declared the state religion of the Roman Empire and ended with the enthronement of Charlemagne in 800 A.D. In this period, the people were led by regional church leaders—patriarchs, bishops and abbots—with multiple roles corresponding to the judges in Israel. This period wasthe substantial parallel to the four-hundred-year period of the judges,and its purpose was to restore that earlier period through parallel indemnity conditions.

4.3 THE ONE-HUNDRED-AND-TWENTY-YEAR PERIOD OF THE CHRISTIAN EMPIRE

The parallel 120-year period of the Christian empire, also called the Carolingian Empire, began with Charlemagne’s enthronement as the emperor in 800 A.D. It ended in 919 A.D. when his royal line ceased in the eastern half of the realm and Henry I was elected king of the German lands. This period was the substantial parallel to the 120-year period of the united kingdom, and its purpose was to restore that earlier period through parallel indemnity conditions.

4.4 THE FOUR-HUNDRED-YEAR PERIOD OF THE DIVIDED KINGDOMS OF EAST AND WEST

In the Age of the Prolongation of the Providence of Restoration, the Carolingian Empire was divided into two kingdoms: the Holy Roman Empire in the east and France in the west. This four-hundred-year period of the divided kingdoms of east and west began with the division of the Christian empire in 919 and ended in 1309, when the papacy moved to Avignon, in what is now southern France. This period was the substantial parallel to the four-hundred-year period of the divided kingdoms of north and south, and its purpose was to restore that earlier period through parallel indemnity conditions.

4.5 THE TWO-HUNDRED-AND-TEN-YEAR PERIOD OF PAPAL EXILE AND RETURN

The parallel period of papal exile and return lasted approximately 210 years. It began in 1309 A.D. when, the papacy having become corrupt, Pope Clement V was forced to move the papacy from Rome to Avignon and live there subject to the kings of France. This period continued even after the papacy returned to Rome until the Protestant Reformation began in 1517. This period of 210 years was the substantial parallel to the 210-year period of Israel’s exile and return,and its purpose was to restore that earlier period through parallel indemnity conditions.

4.6 THE FOUR-HUNDRED-YEAR PERIOD OF PREPARATION FOR THE SECOND ADVENT OF THE MESSIAH

In the Age of the Prolongation of the Providence of Restoration, we expect a parallel four-hundred-year period of preparation for the Second Advent of the Messiah. In fact, it began in 1517 with Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation and has lasted until the eve of the Second Advent of Christ on the earth. As the substantial parallel to the four-hundred-year period of preparation for the advent of the Messiah, its purpose has been to restore that earlier period through parallel indemnity conditions

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2007p2-CHAPT-3-PeriodsOfHistoryTheirLengths_revised-4-28-2014

The Central Figures in Providential History Must Fulfill Numerical Periods of Indemnity

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1964

In order to become the Eve nation,
Japan must fulfill the mission of Eve.
Who will embrace the left-wing and
right-wing? The bride and wife of Jesus
must embrace them. Originally, the
Israeli nation and Judaism were sup-
posed to attend Jesus, but they could
not fulfill their mission. That is why the
bride church, the bride nation must now
embrace them.

Cheong Seong Gyeong 1820

This time we caught 54 croakers and
flounder. I caught about half of them and
the other ten people caught the rest. I am
here to teach you the secrets of how
you can do that too. It is in this area that
we find the global economic base that in
the future will decide whether the ocean
industries will thrive or whether they
will collapse. That is how I see it. Are
you going to treat this like some game or
some kind of hobby? Since I have taught
you how to fish, it all becomes much fun.
You have to agree that I am right, don’t
you think? There is no other reasonable
conclusion. (128-226, 1983.6.27)

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

2.4 NUMERICAL INDEMNITY PERIODS FOR RESTORING THE FOUNDATION OF FAITH

 A central figure has to fulfill one or more numerical indemnity periods in order to restore the foundation of faith. Let us examine the reasons for this. The first human ancestors were to become complete by passing through a growing period characterized by certain numbers, thus laying the foundation of faith. In their perfection, they were to embody the quality of these numbers. We must investigate these matters because restoration of the foundation of faith requires not only that we offer an object for the condition, symbolizing the universe in bondage to Satan, but also that we pass through a numerical period of indemnity to restore the numbers defiled by Satan. When they then accomplished the purpose of creation, they would have become the perfect embodiments of the quality of these numbers. Yet due to their fall, all these numbers were claimed by Satan. Therefore, the central figures in providential history must fulfill numerical periods of indemnity to restore the numbers twelve, four, twenty-one and forty before they can restore the foundation of faith. Only on that basis can they lay the foundation of substance for the restoration of the perfect embodiment of the quality of these numbers.

2.5 THE PARALLEL PERIODS DETERMINED BY THE NUMBER OF GENERATIONS

 According to the Bible, God chose Noah to shoulder the providence ten generations and sixteen hundred years after Adam. After the failure of the providence of restoration in Noah’s family, God waited four hundred years, until another ten generations had elapsed, before calling Abraham to carry the burden of the providence. Set according to the number of generations, the period from Noah to Abraham was parallel to the period from Adam to Noah, and was to restore that earlier period through indemnity.

2.6 PROVIDENTIAL PERIODS OF HORIZONTAL RESTORATION THROUGH INDEMNITY CARRIED OUT VERTICALLY

Because Abraham failed in his offering, the indemnity periods could not be restored horizontally. They then had to be restored vertically: by prolonging the fulfillment of His Will through Isaac and Jacob, God worked to fulfill in succession because Abraham failed in his offering, the indemnity periods could not be restored horizontally. They then had to be restored vertically: by prolonging the fulfillment of His Will through Isaac and Jacob, God worked to fulfill in succession indemnity periods to restore the numbers twelve, four, twenty-one and forty.

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2007p2-CHAPT-3-PeriodsOfHistoryTheirLengths_revised-4-28-2014

Christ at the Second Advent Will Not Die without Fulfilling the Providence of Restoration

Cheon Seong Gyeong 2124

Today, as I express my gratitude at
this meaningful event, I am mindful
of the fact that the issue of unifying the
Korean Peninsula is the solemn desire
of our people and the final act of bring-
ing the global Cold War to a conclusion.
Therefore, I would like to share with you
the basic answer for unification under
the topic, “World Unification and the
Unification of North and South Korea
through True Love.”
The unification of our country does
not just involve the unification of nation-
al territory, but rather is the blueprint for
the unification of the world that has been
divided between East and West, begin-
ning with the unification of the human
mind and body that were divided by the
Fall. Thus, this issue must be understood
from the perspective of God’s provi-
dence of salvation and must be resolved
on a providential level. The history of
humankind is the history of the provi-
dence of restoration through indemni-
ty in order to recover the original world
that was lost due to the Fall of the ances-
tors of humankind. Accordingly, histo-
ry consists of the struggle between good
and evil, God’s side and Satan’s side, in
striving for the goal of actualizing God’s
ideal of creation.

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1155

Why can’t we cut Satan away at
once? Why can the almighty God not
do it immediately? It is because this
problem has to do with lineage. If God
tried to remove this lineage all at once
He would have to exterminate the entire
human race. If the blood we inherited
from Satan were to be extracted, human
beings would disappear. Even Adam
and Eve would disappear. Human-
kind would have to be totally crushed.
Why could God not eliminate Adam
and Eve and create new ones? He is not
supposed to create people anew. Love
is the alpha and the omega, the begin-
ning and the end. This became the ideal
standard. God therefore cannot strike
human beings as the object partners
of that love. You must understand this.
(188-225, 1989.2.26)

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

3.3 THE THIRD WORLDWIDE COURSE TO RESTORE CANAAN

3.3.1 THE SPIRITUAL COURSE TO RESTORE CANAAN UNDER JESUS’ LEADERSHIP

In the worldwide course to restore Canaan, the focus of faith for the Jewish people was Jesus himself, who came as the fulfillment of the Tabernacle. When even his disciples became faithless, Jesus had to walk the path of death and be crucified, as he had foretold, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up.” As a consequence, the Jewish people lost the one who should have been the spiritual and physical focus of their faith. They no longer had a basis upon which to begin the third worldwide course to restore Canaan as a substantial course, as the Israelites had when they commenced the third national course. Rather, Christians, as the Second Israel, were to begin this course as a spiritual course by exalting the resurrected Jesus as their focus of faith.

 Then, just as Joshua succeeded to Moses’ mission and completed the third national course, Christ at the Second Advent will succeed the mission of Jesus. He will complete, both spiritually and physically, the third worldwide course to restore Canaan.

3.3.1.1 THE SPIRITUAL FOUNDATION OF FAITH

 After Jesus gave up his body on the cross, he resumed John the Baptist’s mission spiritually. During the forty-day period from his resurrection to his ascension, Jesus triumphed over Satan and broke all his chains. By doing so, Jesus restored the foundation of faith for the spiritual course in the third worldwide course to restore Canaan.

3.3.1.2 THE SPIRITUAL FOUNDATION OF SUBSTANCE

 Through his resurrection appearances, Jesus fulfilled the dispensation of forty for the separation of Satan while standing in the position of John the Baptist in spirit. He thereby laid the foundation of faith for the spiritual course in the position of the spiritual True Parent. At the same time, from the position of a child, he secured the position of Abel for fulfilling the indemnity condition to remove the fallen nature.

 God had worked the dispensation to start in Moses’ day by having him establish the foundation for the Tabernacle. However, the resurrected Jesus was himself the spiritual fulfillment of the tablets of stone, the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle. He gathered his scattered disciples from all over Galilee and worked the dispensation to start by giving them the power to perform signs and miracles.

 The resurrected Jesus stood spiritually in the position of John the Baptist and the position of Abel. The faithful believers stood in the position of Cain. By believing in Jesus and following him devotedly, they fulfilled the indemnity condition to remove the fallen nature and restored the spiritual foundation of substance.

3.3.1.3 THE SPIRITUAL FOUNDATION FOR THE MESSIAH

 Upon Jesus’ crucifixion, his eleven remaining disciples were demoralized and scattered. After his resurrection, however, Jesus gathered them in one place and commenced a new phase of the providence: the restoration of spiritual Canaan. The disciples chose Matthias to replace Judas Iscariot and fill the vacancy among the twelve. By believing in Jesus and following him at the cost of their lives, they laid the spiritual foundation of substance and the spiritual foundation for the Messiah. Upon this foundation, Jesus ascended from the position of the spiritual mission-bearer for John the Baptist to the position of the spiritual Messiah and sent the Holy Spirit. Thereupon, Jesus and the Holy Spirit became the spiritual True Parents and began the work of giving rebirth.

3.3.1.4 THE RESTORATION OF SPIRITUAL CANAAN

 By believing in and serving the resurrected Jesus, who stands upon the spiritual foundation for the Messiah, Christians can accomplish the restoration of spiritual Canaan and enter its realm of grace. On the other hand, the physical bodies of Christians stand in the same position as Jesus’ body, which was assaulted by Satan through the crucifixion. Christians are still stained with the original sin220 and are just as much in need of purifying themselves from satanic influences as were people who lived before the coming of Jesus. Hence, Christians still must walk the course for the separation of Satan to prepare for the Second Coming of Christ.

3.3.2 THE COURSE TO RESTORE SUBSTANTIAL CANAAN UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF CHRIST AT THE SECOND ADVENT

While Moses could enter Canaan only in spirit, Joshua walked the national course as a substantial course and actually conquered the promised land. Likewise, while Jesus has been restoring Canaan as a worldwide spiritual realm, Christ at the Second Advent is to complete this third worldwide course as a substantial course and build the actual Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Christ at the Second Advent must realize, on earth, God’s ideal which was left unfulfilled at the First Coming. For this reason, he must be born on earth in the flesh.

However arduous the path he may walk, Christ at the Second Advent will not die without fulfilling the providence of restoration. This is because God’s providence to raise up the True Parents of humankind and fulfill the purpose of creation through them will be successful on the third attempt. This providence began with Adam, was prolonged through Jesus, and will bear its fruit without fail at the Second Advent.

 No matter how bitter his tribulations may be, Christ at the Second Advent will be able to lay the foundation of faith on the earth. Standing upon it, he will gather disciples of indomitable faith. He will guide these followers to fulfill the indemnity condition to remove the fallen nature and establish the foundation of substance. The foundation for the Messiah for the substantial course in the third worldwide course will be established without fail.

 The deepest explanation of God’s purpose of creation is revealed in terms of relationships of heart. As our invisible, internal Parent, God created human beings as His substantial children. God intended to build the Kingdom of Heaven on earth through His own children, born of His heavenly lineage. The primary significance of the Fall was that the first human ancestors formed a bond of blood ties with the Archangel; therefore, all of humanity has been bound to Satan’s lineage. Every human being has been born as a child of the Devil. The first human ancestors fell to the position where they no longer had any connection to God’s lineage. Accordingly, the ultimate purpose of God’s providence of restoration is to transform fallen people, who have no connection to God’s lineage, into children born of God’s direct lineage. Let us look further at the Bible for evidence of this hidden purpose behind God’s providence.

 At Noah’s time, a direct relationship with God could not be restored due to the mistake of his second son, Ham. Nevertheless, because Noah had demonstrated utmost devotion, his family could stand in an indirect relationship with God, as a servant of servants. This was the nature of humankind’s relationship with God attainable prior to the Old Testament Age.

 Abraham, the father of faith, with his family established the family foundation for the Messiah. They and their descendants, God’s chosen people, were elevated to the position of God’s servants. This was the nature of humankind’s relationship with God attainable in the Old Testament Age.

 In the days of Jesus, the disciples, who stood upon the foundation of faith Jesus had laid from the position of John the Baptist, were elevated from the position of servants to the position of adopted children. To rise further from this state and become the children of God’s direct lineage, they should have first established the foundation of substance and the foundation for the Messiah by serving and obeying Jesus absolutely. Had Jesus stood as the Messiah upon that foundation, they could have been engrafted with him both spiritually and physically and attained complete oneness with him.

However devout a Christian may be, since the original sin passed down through the flesh has not yet been removed, he is no different from a faithful person of the Old Testament Age in the sense that both are still bound to Satan’s lineage. Christians are, at best, God’s adopted children, because they do not stem from His lineage. Christ will return and restore all humanity to be God’s true children. The returning Christ will conduct the dispensation to start based on the Word and then complete the foundation for the Messiah both spiritually and physically. Upon that foundation, he will engraft all humanity with himself, cleansing them of the original sin and restoring them to be God’s children, born of His lineage.

 Christ at the Second Advent will begin by laying, both spiritually and physically, the family foundation for the Messiah. He will then expand its scope to the clan, society, nation, world and cosmos. When this foundation is secure, he will finally be able to build the Kingdom of Heaven.

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2007p2-CHAPT-2-S3-Jesus_revised-4-28-2014

John the Baptist Harbored Doubts Toward Jesus

Cheon Seong Gyeong 2088

Now you must straighten out your
roots. Your father and mother took
a wrong turn because they fell away
from their original roots. The first son
has gone wrong as well. Therefore, you
must turn them back so that they make,
as their central focus, the original right
of the parents centered on True Parents
and the right of the first son centered on
true sons and daughters. A connection
will not simply be made automatically.
Only after turning yourself around 180
degrees and engrafting onto the true
root can you begin anew. Therefore,
you must return to your homeland and
become the new ancestors for your lin-
eage. You must understand that this is
your final destiny. (178-99, 1998.6.1)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 918

In regard to the firstborn son of the
eldest son, even the grandfather comes
under his command when that son per-
forms the ancestral rites. The grandfa-
ther has to show his respect. The fact that
Koreans place value in the lineage of the
firstborn son, and also in their geneal-
ogy and lineage, holds record-breaking
historical value in God’s providence of
restoration, which can never be forgot-
ten from the deepest root of His mind.
(290-9, 1998.2.2)

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

THE PROVIDENCE OF RESTORATION UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF JESUS

 In the beginning, Adam should have governed the angels; but due to his fall, human beings came under Satan’s dominion and formed a hellish world. To restore this through indemnity, Jesus came as the second Adam to personally bring Satan to submission and establish the Kingdom of Heaven.

 Jacob walked the symbolic course to bring Satan to submission, while Moses walked the image course. Their courses pioneered the way for Jesus to walk the actual course. In walking the worldwide course to restore Canaan, Jesus followed the model demonstrated in the national course to restore Canaan when Moses was working to subjugate Satan.

3.1 THE FIRST WORLDWIDE COURSE TO RESTORE CANAAN

3.1.1 THE FOUNDATION OF FAITH

 In the first worldwide course to restore Canaan, the central figure entrusted with the mission to restore the foundation of faith was John the Baptist.

 John the Baptist, like Moses, was called on the foundation of a four-hundred-year period for the separation of Satan. Moses had learned to love his brethren and the traditions of his fathers while living in the Pharaoh’s palace. Likewise, John the Baptist learned the way of faith and obedience to Heaven and made preparations for the Messiah while living on locusts and wild honey in the wilderness. His life was so exemplary that many people, including the priests and Levites, wondered whether he might be the Messiah.181 In this way, John the Baptist successfully established the dispensation of forty for the separation of Satan and was able to lay the foundation of faith for the first worldwide course to restore Canaan.

3.1.2 THE FOUNDATION OF SUBSTANCE

 Since John the Baptist stood in the same position as Moses, he likewise stood in the dual positions of parent and child. From the position of parent, he restored through indemnity the foundation of faith. From the position of child, he secured the position of Abel for the fulfillment of the indemnity condition to remove the fallen nature.

 God conducted the dispensation to start by encouraging the Jewish people to believe in John through the miracles surrounding his life. The Jewish people in Jesus’ time were to believe in and follow John the Baptist, whom God had raised up through miracles and signs as the focus of their faith. Thus, they would fulfill the indemnity condition to remove the fallen nature and lay the foundation of substance, thereby immediately establishing the foundation for the Messiah.

3.1.3 THE FAILURE OF THE FIRST WORLDWIDE COURSE TO RESTORE CANAAN

 The Jewish people stood upon the foundation of faith laid by John the Baptist and followed John as if they were following the Messiah. Thereupon, they brought an end to the Old Testament Age and were ready to embark upon a new course to restore Canaan worldwide. Yet, John the Baptist harbored doubts toward Jesus, even though he had testified to him. He sent a delegation and asked Jesus, “Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?” He denied that he was Elijah even though he in fact came to fulfill Elijah’s mission. This not only blocked the Jewish people’s path to Jesus, it even led them to oppose him. In effect, John left the position of Abel, depriving the Jewish people of the central person with whom they could fulfill the indemnity condition to remove the fallen nature. This blocked their way to complete the foundation of substance or the foundation for the Messiah. Consequently, the first worldwide course to restore Canaan was aborted. As was the case in Moses’ days, it was prolonged to a second and then a third course.

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2007p2-CHAPT-2-S3-Jesus_revised-4-28-2014

God Set Up An Object of Faith Which Would Remain Unchanged

Book Review: As A Peace Loving Global Citizen
By Rev. Sun Myung Moon
Read the review

Cheon Seong Gyeong 2084

We want the unification of North
and South Korea right now, but what is
the solution to the division? North and
South Korea cannot be united unless a
clearly defined solution is provided. It
cannot happen by either the North or
the South simply saying, “You have to
do as we say.” They cannot be unified if
both have something to lose. It’s possible
only when there’s a plus for both. Isn’t
that so? For example, a man and woman
cannot be one after marriage if they are
both minuses to each other; they must
find something that they can gain from
each other. (61-73, 1972.8.27)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1272

In order to enter God’s realm of heart,
your lineage has to be the same. You
can only join that realm of heart after
changing your lineage, which originat-
ed from a different root. The stems are
different. The roots, stems and sprouts
need to be identical. For that to be so, the
great work of the conversion of lineage
is absolutely necessary. This cannot be
carried out alone. You need True Parents
for this task. (172-55, 1988.1.7)

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

2.2.2.3 THE PROVIDENCE OF RESTORATION AND THE TABERNACLE

 The Israelites received the tablets of stone, the Tabernacle, and the Ark of the Covenant. Let us first examine how they received them. The Israelites arrived in the wilderness of Sinai at the beginning of the third month, after their victory over the Amalekites. Moses then climbed Mt. Sinai where God commanded him to fast for forty days. During his fast, Moses received God’s instructions concerning the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle. When the forty-day fast was over, Moses received two tablets of stone, inscribed by the finger of God with the Ten Commandments.

 When Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with the two tablets of stone and went before the Israelites, he found them worshipping a golden calf. During Moses’ absence, they had instructed Aaron to make it, and when he had fashioned it, they proclaimed that this was the god who had led them out of Egypt. Moses’ anger burned hot when he saw this. He threw down the tablets of stone and broke them at the foot of the mountain. Moses presented himself before God on the mountain and fasted for forty days a second time. God dictated the Ten Commandments to Moses, and Moses wrote them on the tablets.97 Moses took these tablets and went before the Israelites again. This time they honored Moses. In obedience to his directions, they built the Ark of the Covenant and constructed the Tabernacle.

2.2.2.3.1 THE SIGNIFICANCE AND PURPOSE OF THE TABLETS OF STONE, THE TABERNACLE AND THE ARK OF THE COVENANT

 What did the tablets of stone signify? The two tablets symbolized restored Adam and Eve, and also symbolized Jesus and his would-be Bride who were to come as the incarnations of the Word. What did the Tabernacle symbolize? The Temple was a representation of Jesus in image. Like the Temple, the Tabernacle was a representation of Jesus, but in symbol. What did the Ark of the Covenant symbolize? The Ark represented the cosmos and, at the same time, was a smaller representation of the Tabernacle.

 For what purpose did God give the tablets of stone, the Tabernacle, and the Ark of the Covenant? The Israelites repeatedly fell into faithlessness during their journey. In the end, there was danger that even Moses might act faithlessly. To cope with this situation, God set up an object of faith, one which would remain unchanged even though the people might change.

2.2.2.3.2 THE FOUNDATION FOR THE TABERNACLE

 Just as a foundation must be laid before we can receive the Messiah, a foundation had to be laid before the Israelites could build and exalt the Tabernacle, the symbolic representation of the Messiah. Needless to say, to establish the foundation for the Tabernacle, foundations of faith and substance for the Tabernacle had to be laid.

THE FIRST FOUNDATION FOR THE TABERNACLE

 From that moment, Moses began his fast of forty days and forty nights. God directed Moses to set up a forty-day period for the separation of Satan in order to establish the foundation of faith for the Tabernacle, the symbolic Messiah. God saw that this was necessary because the Israelites had fallen into faithlessness after crossing the Red Sea.

To fulfill the indemnity condition to remove the fallen nature and lay the foundation of substance for the Tabernacle, the Israelites should have faithfully obeyed Moses from the moment he climbed the mountain to undertake the forty-day fast until they had finished constructing the Tabernacle. However, while Moses was fasting and praying on the mountain, the people all fell into faithlessness and worshipped the golden calf. Consequently, the foundation of substance for the Tabernacle was not established.

 The faithlessness of the Israelites at Mt. Sinai undermined God’s providence to establish the foundation for the Tabernacle. It nullified God’s arduous efforts to separate Satan from the people and cultivate their obedience to Moses. Due to their continued faithlessness, God’s providence to establish the foundation for the Tabernacle had to be prolonged through a second and then a third attempt.

THE SECOND FOUNDATION FOR THE TABERNACLE

 Moses could not restore the tablets of stone or build the Tabernacle around them without first restoring the foundation of faith for the Tabernacle by fulfilling once again a dispensation of forty for the separation of Satan. Therefore, Moses had to fast forty more days before he could obtain the second pair of tablets with the inscription of the Ten Commandments and establish the Tabernacle as the object of faith. This time, the Israelites faithfully waited for Moses to return.

 By remaining faithful while Moses was fasting on the mountain, and then obeying his instructions to build the Tabernacle, the Israelites fulfilled the indemnity condition to remove the fallen nature. This laid the foundation of substance for the Tabernacle, and hence the foundation for the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle was built by the first day of the first month of the second year.114 However, as was mentioned earlier, the foundation of substance in the second national course to restore Canaan required much more than the mere construction of the Tabernacle. In fact, until they entered Canaan and built the Temple, the Israelites were supposed to honor the Tabernacle more than they valued their own lives; they were to keep the same faith until they received the Messiah. On the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, the Israelites set out from the wilderness of Sinai, arrayed in formation around the Tabernacle and led by the pillar of cloud. Yet before long, they began to complain about their hardships and murmur against Moses. Even after God destroyed their camp in His burning wrath, the Israelites did not repent. Thus, the Israelites failed to maintain the second foundation for the Tabernacle, and it was invaded by Satan. The providence to restore this foundation was prolonged to a third attempt.

THE THIRD FOUNDATION FOR THE TABERNACLE

 Moses’ faith and devotion to the Tabernacle remained unchanging. Therefore, the Tabernacle stood firmly upon the foundation of faith which Moses had laid, while the Israelites still stood upon the foundation of having drunk the water from the rock at Rephidim.117 The rock, we recall, was the root of the tablets of stone, which was at the center of the Tabernacle. Upon this foundation, the Israelites were allowed to attempt yet another dispensation of forty for the separation of Satan. By obeying Moses, who still honored the Tabernacle, they were to restore through indemnity the foundation for the Tabernacle in their third attempt. The forty-day mission to spy out the land of Canaan was given as the condition to achieve this.

 When they returned, all the spies except Joshua and Caleb presented faithless reports. Upon hearing this report, the Israelites again murmured against Moses. They called for another leader who would take them back to Egypt. As a result of their lack of faith, the third foundation for the Tabernacle ended in failure. Their twenty-one-month course in the wilderness was extended to forty years.

2.2.2.4 THE FAILURE OF THE SECOND NATIONAL COURSE TO RESTORE CANAAN

 Due to the Israelites’ faithlessness, the foundation for the Tabernacle was invaded by Satan three times. The entire second national course to restore Canaan ended in failure. God’s providence was prolonged to a third national course.

Richard: Rev. Moon bequeated the Cheon Bok Ark to family church leaders in 2010. The Cheon Bok Ark contains the Eight Sacred Texts of Holy Scripture. We can see parallels between the Cheon Bok Ark and the Ark of the Covenant. In fact, Rev. Moon died before reaching the stated date of Foundation Day, January 13, 2013 by the Heavenly Calendar (February 22, 2013, solar calendar). Moses could not enter the promised land of Canaan, but Joshua and Caleb could. Likewise, we are able to enter the promised land of Cheon Il Guk (God’s Kingdom). To do so we have to uplift the Cheon Bok Ark, containing the Eight Sacred Textbooks. On that foundation we will eventually establish the physical Kingdom of Heaven on earth (Cheon Il Guk).

View slides 61 to 79 below for an illustrated presentation of the above content:

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