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:

2007p2-CHAPT-2-S1-2-Moses_revised-4-28-2014