DIVINE PRINCIPLE
PART II
CHAPTER 2
PROVIDENCE OF RESTORATION CENTERING ON MOSES AND JESUS
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A Biblical passage says, "Surely the Lord God does nothing without
revealing his secret to his servants the prophets." (Amos. 3:7). The
Scriptures contain countless secrets concerning God's providence of
salvation. However, without knowing the principle of God's providence, men
have not been able to understand the secret meaning of the words in the
Bible. Even a record of the life of a prophet in the Bible is not merely the
history of the man, but is, in fact, an explanation of the way for fallen
men to take. Here, we are going to study how God revealed the pattern of
Jesus' providential course for the salvation of mankind by having Jacob and
Moses go through the providential course of restoration.
SECTION I - PATTERN FOR THE SUBJUGATION OF SATAN
In the providence of restoration centering on Isaac's family, the entire
course of Jacob was a pattern for Moses' course, and also was the pattern
for Jesus' eventual substantial course. This pattern also set the course for
the Israelites and the whole of mankind, who were to subjugate Satan in
order to fulfill the purpose of the providence of restoration.
1. WHY GOD SET UP JACOB'S COURSE AND MOSES' COURSE AS THE
PATTERN FOR JESUS' COURSE
The purpose of the providence of restoration is to be fulfilled
ultimately by man's becoming able to naturally subjugate Satan and to
dominate him through the fulfillment of his own portion of responsibility.
Jesus came with the mission of the Messiah as a perfect human ancestor, in
order to pioneer the final course for the subjugation of Satan and to have
all the saints follow this course.
Satan, who had not obeyed nor surrendered even to God, would by no means
obey and surrender to Jesus as the human ancestor, much less to the saints.
Therefore, God, taking responsibility in the Principle for His having
created men, set up the symbolic course to subjugate Satan through Jacob's
pattern.
Moses could subjugate Satan by going through the "image" course with
Jacob's course as the pattern, because God foreshadowed through Jacob the
typical course to subjugate Satan. Jesus, as well, could subjugate Satan by
going through the substantial course, with the course of Moses as the
pattern, for Moses had trodden the course shown by Jacob. All the saints,
too, could subjugate and dominate Satan by going through the same course.
When Moses said that God would raise up a prophet like himself (Acts
3:22), he meant that Jesus would have to walk the providential course of
restoring Canaan on a worldwide level, using Moses' course as the pattern.
The Bible says, "The Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he
sees the Father doing; for whatever He does, that the Son does likewise."
(John 5:19). The Biblical meaning is that Jesus was going through the very
course God had revealed through Moses. Thus, Moses became the model for
Jesus' later actions (Acts 3:22).
2. MOSES' COURSE AND JESUS' COURSE, AFTER THE PATTERN OF
JACOB'S COURSE
Jacob's course enabled him to subjugate Satan. The course to subjugate
Satan must be followed in a way reverse to that in which Satan invaded. Let
us now study Moses' course and Jesus' course which they went through with
Jacob's course as their pattern.
(1) Man originally should have kept God's commandment not to eat of the
fruit at the risk of his life. by failing to overcome the temptation offered
by the archangel, he fell. In order for Jacob to complete the restoration of
Canaan on the family level by restoring the foundation to receive the
Messiah when he had returned to Canaan with his family and wealth from Haran,
he had to win a victory by trial in fighting against Satan at the risk of
his life. to overcome such a trial, Jacob fought the angel at the ford of
Jabbok. By defeating the angel, he received the name of Israel (Gen.
32:25-28). God tested Jacob by placing the angel in the position of Satan.
The purpose was not to drive Jacob into misery. God's purpose for the trial
was to set Jacob up as the lord of the restoration on the family level, by
having him establish the position of Abel with his victory in the fight to
restore dominion over the angel. The angelic world, also, was to be restored
through the act of the angel in playing the main role in the trial.
In the case of Moses, in order for him to become the lord of the
restoration of Canaan on the national level, returning to Canaan with the
Israelites, he had to overcome a trial in which God tired to kill him (Ex.
4:24). If man had been given the trial not by God but by Satan, he would
fall prey to Satan if he were defeated. Therefore, we must know it is from
God's love of man that He would test man from His side. Jesus, too, had to
win the fight against Satan at the risk of his life in the 40 days of
temptation in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11).
(2) Jacob had to set up the condition to remove the fallen nature,
because this came about due to Satan's invasion of man's flesh and spirit.
Therefore, Jacob had to restore Abel's position in setting up the condition
of indemnity to remove the fallen nature by taking the birthright from Esau,
at the cost of bread and the pottage of lentils (Gen. 25:34), which
symbolized the flesh and spirit.
For the same purpose, God intended, in Moses' course, to have the
Israelites set up the condition of indemnity on the national level to remove
the fallen nature by feeding them quail and manna (Ex. 16:13), symbolizing
the flesh and the spirit and through this giving them a strong sense of
gratitude and the consciousness of being God's elect so that they might obey
Moses.
Jesus said:
Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died...I say to you
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no
life in you. (John 6:49-53)
signifying that he, too, walked in the same course as the pattern
previously established by Jacob and Moses. This means that fallen men cannot
restore the original nature endowed at the creation unless they serve him
and minister to him as the Messiah after they set up the condition of
indemnity on the worldwide level to remove the fallen nature by believing in
and obeying Jesus, who was in the position of John the Baptist (cf. Part II,
Ch. 2, Sec. III, 2.1--347).
(3) Due to man's fall, even man's dead body was invaded by Satan. Jacob's
body, already sanctified with the blessing, was embalmed for 40 days to set
up the condition for his body to also be separated from Satan by the victory
in the battle against him (Gen. 50:3). With Moses, who walked a course after
this pattern, there also was a dispute concerning the location of his body
after death (Jude 9). After the death of Jesus, there also were problems
concerning his body (Matt. 28:12-13).
(4) Due to the fall of the first human ancestors, Satan invaded man
during his growth period. In order to restore this, through indemnity, God
has worked His providence to set up the number representing the period as
follows (cf. Part II, Ch. 3, Sec. II, 4--381): there was a three-day period
of separation from Satan when Jacob returned from Haran into the land of
Canaan (Gen. 31:22); there was also a three-day period of the same kind when
Moses returned from Egypt into Canaan leading the Israelites (Ex. 5:3); and
Joshua, too, could cross the river Jordan only after the three-day period
(Josh. 3:2). Jesus also had the three-day period in the tomb (Luke 18:33)
for the separation from Satan in his spiritual course of the restoration of
Canaan on the worldwide level.
In order to horizontally restore through indemnity, in the generation of
Jacob, the vertical conditions of indemnity ranging over 12 generations from
Noah to Jacob, that had been delivered in Satan's hands, Jacob had to have
12 sons (Gen. 35:22). Therefore, Moses had 12 tribes (Ex. 24:4), and Jesus
had 12 disciples (Matt. 10:1).
In order to set up the condition of indemnity to separate Satan, who had
invaded the 7-day period of creation, Jacob had 70 family members (Gen.
46:27), Moses had 70 elders (Ex. 24:1) and Jesus had 70 disciples, each
group respectively playing the central role in each course (Luke 10:1).
(5) The staff, being a symbolic representation of the will to smite
injustice, to lead the way, and to support, symbolized the Messiah to come
(cf. Part II, Ch. 2, Sec. II, 2.2--301). Therefore, the fact that Jacob
entered the land of Canaan across the Jordan leaning on the staff which had
such a profound meaning (Gen. 32:10), foreshadowed that fallen men would
enter the ideal world of creation traversing the sinful world by smiting
injustice, following the example of the Messiah, and by being led by him and
by leaning on him. Therefore, Moses led the Israelites across the Red Sea
with his staff (Ex. 14:16), while Jesus, too, had to lead the whole of
mankind into God's ideal world of creation across the troubled sea of this
world with a rod of iron representing himself (Rev. 2:27, 12:5).
(6) Eve's sin formed the root of all sin, and her sin became fruitful
when Cain killed Abel. According to the principle of restoration through
indemnity, a mother and a son have to effect separation from Satan in mutual
cooperation, because Satan invaded man through a mother and a son, thus
producing the fruit of sin. Accordingly, Jacob could separate from Satan
after the blessing, because his mother cooperated with him in a positive way
(Gen. 27:43). Without his mother's cooperation, Moses, too, could not have
served God's will (Ex. 2:2). Jesus, too, had the cooperation of his mother,
who took refuge in Egypt, with her son, escaping from King Herod, who sought
to kill him (Matt. 2:13).
(7) The central figure responsible to accomplish the will for the
providence of restoration must go through the course of restoration from the
Satanic world to the Heavenly world. Therefore, Jacob walked the course of
restoration from Haran, the Satanic world, into the land of Canaan (Gen.
31:17-21). Moses walked the course of restoration from Egypt, the Satanic
world, into the blessed land of Canaan (Ex. 3:8). Jesus also had to take
refuge in Egypt, immediately after his birth, and then returned, in order to
go through the same course (Matt. 2:13).
(8) The ultimate purpose of the providence of restoration is to destroy
Satan. Therefore, Jacob buried the idols under the oak tree (Gen. 35:4),
while Moses burnt the idol of the golden calf with fire, ground it to
powder, scattered the powder upon the water making the people of Israel
drink it (Ex. 32:20). Jesus, too, had to destroy this sinful world by
subjugating Satan with his words and power (cf. Part I, Ch. 3, Sec. III,
2.2--114).
SECTION II - THE PROVIDENCE OF RESTORATION CENTERING ON MOSES
1. THE GENERAL VIEW OF THE PROVIDENCE OF RESTORATION
CENTERING ON MOSES
The providence of restoration centering on Moses was to be accomplished
on the foundation to receive the Messiah, which had already been established
in the providence of restoration centering on Abraham. However, Moses was no
exception to the principle of restoration in that he had to build the
foundation to receive the Messiah after having restored through indemnity
both the foundation of faith and the foundation of substance. Since the
central figures in charge of the providence changed, the new persons could
not fulfill the will of the providence of restoration without carrying out
their own portions of responsibility. Besides, the scope of the providence
was broadened from the family level to the national level. However, in the
providence of restoration centering on Moses as shown by the following
records, the contents of the condition of indemnity for the establishment of
this foundation were changed greatly, compared with the previous ones.
(1) The Foundation of Faith
(i) The Central Figure to Restore the Foundation of
Faith
Moses was the central figure to restore the foundation of faith in the
course of the Israelites's returning to the blessed land of Canaan after the
400 years of slavery in Egypt which had come about due to Abraham's failure
in the symbolic offering. Before knowing how Moses established the
foundation of faith, we must first know in what respects Moses was different
from other personages, such as Adam, Noah or Abraham, who had been trying to
restore the foundation of faith in the providential course before Moses.
First we should know that Moses was in the place of God, substituting for
God Himself. Therefore, God told Moses that he should be as God to Aaron,
the prophet of the Israelites (Ex. 4:16). Again, God told Moses that He
would make him a God to Pharaoh (Ex. 7:1).
Second, Moses was the model for Jesus, who was to come in the future. As
discussed above, God made Moses as God before Aaron and Pharaoh. However,
since Jesus is God in the flesh, the expression that "God made Moses as God"
signifies that God set him up to walk the course that Jesus was to later
walk. In this manner, Moses was the model for Jesus and pioneered the way
for Jesus, just as John the Baptist had to make straight the way of Jesus
(John 1:23). Let us now study how Moses walked this course.
Moses, as a descendant of Jacob, who had established the foundation to
receive the Messiah, was not only the central personage for restoration, but
also the one who walked figuratively the model course of Jacob which Jesus
was to walk later. Moses was also standing on the foundation established by
Joseph in the course of Jacob's family's entry into Egypt.
Joseph was another model for Jesus. Joseph was the son born of Rachel,
who was Jacob's wife on the Heavenly side, and was the younger brother to
the sons of Leah. Joseph, who was in the position of Abel, barely escaped
death when his elder brothers, who were in Cain's position, plotted to kill
him. However, he was sold to a merchant; he went into Egypt ahead of all. He
became the prime minister of the country at the age of 30. Then his brothers
and his parents came to Egypt and bowed before him (in surrender) just as
heaven had instructed in his childhood (Gen. 37:5-11). On that foundation in
the providential course, the Israelites' course of slavery in Egypt for the
separation from Satan began. This course of Joseph foreshadowed that Jesus
would come later to the Satanic world, and, after becoming the King of Kings
at the age of 30, through the way of suffering, he would subjugate the whole
of mankind, including his forefathers, and separate them from the Satanic
world, thus restoring them all to the Heavenly side. Thus Joseph's whole
life was the very model for the path of Jesus.
On the other hand, Moses' birth, growth and death were also the model for
what Jesus was to go through. Moses at birth was on the verge of being
killed by Pharaoh. After his mother raised him in concealment, he went into
Pharaoh's palace and was brought up safely among his foes. In like manner,
Jesus also was at the point of being killed by King Herod. After his mother
took him into Egypt and raised him in concealment, he was brought back into
the dominion of King Herod and was brought up in safety even among his foes.
Further, nobody knew the whereabouts of Moses' body after his death (Deut.
34:6). This, too, was the pattern for what was going to happen to Jesus'
body.
Furthermore, Moses' course of restoration into Canaan on the national
level was the true model for the worldwide course of restoration into
Canaan, which Jesus was going to walk later. We can well understand that
Moses was thus the model for Jesus from Biblical passages, which say:
I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their
brethren...and whoever will not give heed to my words which he shall speak
in my name, I myself will require it of him. (Deut. 18:18-19)
Again, the Bible says (John 5:19) that Jesus can do nothing of his own
accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. This also signifies that God
had already shown through Moses what Jesus was going to do in the future.
(ii) Conditional Objects to Restore the Foundation of
Faith
Moses, as discussed above, was standing in a position different from that
of the other central figures who had restored the foundation of faith in the
providential course before him. Therefore, Moses could restore through
indemnity the foundation of faith, merely by having established the 40-day
foundation of separation from Satan, centering on God's words, even without
offering the symbolic sacrifice as Abel, Noah, or Abraham did.
First, Moses stood on the foundation of having completed the providence
through symbolic offerings established by Abel's, Noah's and Isaac's having
succeeded three times in the symbolic offerings.
Second, the offering was the conditional object which was set up in place
of the words, because fallen men became unable to receive God's words
directly. At the time of Moses, the symbolic offering for the foundation of
faith became unnecessary. Because the providential period for the foundation
of restoration (pre-Abramic age), in which the foundation of faith was
restored by setting up the offering as the conditional object, had passed
into the providential age of restoration (Old Testament Age) in which man
could receive God's Word directly.
Third, since the providence centering on Adam's family had been prolonged
on and on, conditions had to be set up to restore through indemnity the
providential age which had been thus prolonged due to the invasion of Satan.
In order for Noah to establish the foundation of faith through the ark, the
40-day foundation of separation from Satan became necessary. Abraham, too,
could offer the symbolic sacrifice to establish the foundation of faith only
after he had placed himself on the 40-day foundation of separation from
Satan, having restored through indemnity the 400-year period. The Israelite
nation suffered 400 years of slavery in Egypt in order to restore through
indemnity the foundation of faith invaded by Satan due to Abraham's failure
in the offering, by restoring through indemnity the 40-day foundation of
separation from Satan.
Thus, in the providential age of restoration, the foundation of faith was
supposed to be restored if one could stand, centering on God's Word in place
of offerings, on the 40-day foundation of separation from Satan.
(2) The Foundation of Substance
In the providential age for the foundation of restoration, God operated
His providence of establishing the foundation of substance on the family
level. However, in the providential age of restoration, God worked His
providence of establishing the foundation of substance on the national
level. Meanwhile, Moses, who was to restore the foundation of faith on the
national level, was in the position of Jesus because he was the substitute
for God (Ex. 4:16, 7:1). For that reason, Moses was in the position of
parent (father) to the Israelite nation. Moses was also in the position of
child to Jesus, as a prophet with the mission of pioneering the way of
Jesus. Therefore, he was also able to stand in the position of Abel, as the
central figure to establish the foundation of substance on the national
level.
Abel could establish his own position for the substantial offering along
with the foundation of faith, which Adam should have established, by being
successful in his offering, because Abel offered sacrifices from the
position of a parent (father) in place of Adam. According to the same
principle, Moses, being in the position of both parent and child at the same
time, could establish the position of Abel (who was to offer the substantial
offering) from the position of a child, if and when he had restored through
indemnity the foundation of faith from the position of a parent.
In this way, after Moses had established the position of Abel, if the
Israelites had set up the condition of indemnity on the national level to
remove the fallen nature, through Moses, from the position of Cain, the
foundation of substance on the national level would have been established.
(3) The Foundation to Receive the Messiah
If and when Moses had restored through indemnity the foundation of faith
on the national level and the Israelites, centering on Moses, had restored
through indemnity the foundation of substance on the national level, that
would have become the foundation on the national level to receive the
Messiah.
If the Israelites, on that foundation, had received the Messiah, removed
the original sin through rebirth, and restored the original nature endowed
at the creation by becoming one body with God in heart and feeling, they
would have been able to become "perfected substantial individuals".
2. THE COURSE OF RESTORATION OF CANAAN ON THE NATIONAL
LEVEL CENTERING ON MOSES
Moses' course of returning to Canaan, the land of God's promise, by
leading the chosen nation of the Israelites out of Egypt, the Satanic world,
with miracles and signs, and then leading them across the Red Sea and
detouring through the wilderness was a veritable foreshadowing of Jesus'
way. Jesus was going to restore Eden in the original form of creation, as
God promised, by leading the Christians, the Second Israelites, out of the
sinful world with miracles and signs and by leading them across the troubled
sea of the sinful world and detouring through the desert without the water
of life.
Just as the course of restoration of Canaan on the national level
centering on Moses had been prolonged three times due to the disbelief of
the Israelites, the course of the restoration of Canaan on the worldwide
level centering on Jesus was also prolonged three times due to the disbelief
of the Jewish people.
Let us avoid complicated explanations and detailed comparisons between
Moses' course and that of Jesus. Their relationship will be clarified by
comparing this section with the next.
(1) The First Course of Restoration into Canaan on the
National Level
(i) The Foundation of Faith
The period of indemnity on the national level, which had been brought
about due to Abraham's failure in the symbolic offering, ended in the
Israelites suffering slavery in Egypt for 400 years. Then, in order for
Moses to become the central figure to restore the foundation of faith, he
had to establish the 40-day foundation of separation from Satan by
indemnifying again, on the individual level, the 400 years which was the
period of indemnity on the national level.
For this purpose, Moses had to spend 40 years in the palace of Pharaoh,
the center of the Satanic world, in order to restore through indemnity the
number 40, which Adam, before the fall, had to set up for the foundation of
faith (cf. Part II, Ch. 3, Sec. II, 4--381).
Moses put an end to his 400-year period in Pharaoh's palace where he
received an education from his own mother, hired in the palace as his nurse
unknown to anyone. This education encouraged his strong consciousness of
Israel as God's elect. With unchanging loyalty and fidelity to the lineage
of the chosen nation, he left the palace, preferring to suffering with God's
people rather than to enjoy the sinful ephemeral pleasure of Pharaoh's house
(Heb. 11:24-25). In this way, Moses could restore through indemnity the
foundation of faith, having established the 40-day foundation of separation
from Satan through his 40 years of life in Pharaoh's palace.
(ii) The Foundation of Substance
Moses came to establish Abel's position in setting up the condition of
indemnity on the national level to remove the fallen nature as already
discussed above, at the same time as he established the foundation of faith.
The Israelites, who were in Cain's position, should have obeyed with
faith and surrendered to Moses, who was in the position of Abel as their
parent and at the same time as a child. By inheriting God's will from Moses,
they should have multiplied goodness. Then, they could have restored through
indemnity the foundation of substance on the national level, having set up
the condition of indemnity on the national level to remove the fallen
nature. The period in which the Israelites thus left Egypt, following Moses,
and returned to Canaan became also the period for them to establish the
foundation of substance.
With Moses' act of killing an Egyptian, God commenced the "providence for
the start". Moses, seeing that his brethren were ill-treated by the
Egyptian, could not restrain his fervent love for his brethren; he killed
the Egyptian (Ex. 2:12). In fact, this was the expression of God's heartfelt
resentment when He saw the misery of His people (Ex. 3:7). Whether or not
the Israelites became one, centering on such a leader as Moses, was to
decide whether or not they could successfully start the course of
restoration into Canaan, traversing the desert under Moses' leadership.
The reason that Moses, who had been chosen by God, had to kill the
Egyptian was that, through the archangel's act in causing the first human
ancestors to fall and by Cain's killing Abel, Satan had formed the sinful
history of mankind from the position of the eldest son. Therefore, unless
the Heavenly side could set up the condition to restore through indemnity by
smiting the Satanic side, which was in the position of the eldest, it could
not start the course of restoration into Canaan. Also it was to have Moses
cut off his attachment to Pharaoh's palace and to place him in a situation
in which he was unable to return, while, at the same time, it was to make
the Israelites trust Moses by showing them his patriotism. It was for this
same reason that God smote all the first-born men and cattle of the
Egyptians in the second course of restoration into Canaan on the national
level.
If the Israelites, upon witnessing, such an act of Moses, had been deeply
touched by his patriotism with the same heart as God's, and if they had
respected him, trusted him, served him and followed him with more ardor,
they could have entered the blessed land of Canaan through the direct route
by the land of the Philistines, without having to cross the Red Sea or to
make a detour by way of the wilderness of Sinai, centering on Moses, who led
them as God. They could have established the foundation of substance then
and there. Again, this would have become the 21-day course restoring Jacob's
21-year course in Haran. It is recorded (Ex. 13:17):
When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land
of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, "Lest the people
repent when they see war, and return to Egypt.".
From this we understand that God intended to have the people go the first
course of restoration into Canaan on the national level through the direct
way of the Philistines. But due to the Israelites' distrust of Moses, this
course was annulled even before it started. At the time of the second course
of restoration into Canaan on the national level, God led them across the
Red Sea and through the wilderness, lest they should return to Egypt on the
way of restoration into Canaan due to their disbelief.
(iii) The Failure in the First course of Restoration
into Canaan on the National Level
If the Israelites, who were in the position of Cain, had entered the land
of Canaan by obeying and surrendering to Moses, who was in the position of
Abel, they would have set up the condition of indemnity on the national
level to remove the fallen nature and establish then the foundation of
substance. However, when they saw Moses kill the Egyptian, they
misunderstood him and badly publicized the fact. Pharaoh, hearing it, sought
to kill Moses (Ex. 2:15). Then, Moses was compelled to escape from Pharaoh
and, leaving the Israelites, fled to the wilderness of Midian. Naturally,
the foundation of substance was not established and the Israelites; course
of restoration into Canaan, centering on Moses, was prolonged to a second
and eventually a third time.
(2) The Second Course of Restoration into Canaan on the
National Level
(i) The Foundation of Faith
Due to the failure of the "first course of restoration into Canaan on the
national level" caused by the disbelief of the Israelites, Moses' 40-year
period in Pharaoh's palace, which he had set up as his foundation of faith,
was invaded by Satan. Therefore, in order for Moses to start the second
course of restoration into Canaan on the national level, he had to set up
again the period to restore through indemnity his 40-year period of life in
Pharaoh's palace, which had been annulled by Satanic invasion, and then had
to restore the foundation of faith. The purpose of Moses' 40 years in the
wilderness of Midian, after he escaped from Pharaoh, lay here. During this
40-year period of the Israelite nation also led a miserable life due to
their disbelief of Moses.
Moses again established the 40-day foundation of separation from Satan
through his 40 years in the wilderness of Midian; thus, he could restore the
foundation of faith for the second course of restoration into Canaan on the
national level. Therefore, God appeared before Moses and said:
I have seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard
their cry because of their taskmasters; I know their sufferings, and I have
come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring
them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk
and honey, to the place of the Canaanites...and now, behold, the cry of the
people of Israel has come to me, and I have seen the oppression with which
the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may
bring forth my people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt (Ex. 3:7-10).
(ii) The Foundation of Substance
Moses' 40 years in the wilderness of Midian re-established the 40-day
foundation of separation from Satan and restored the foundation of faith. At
the same time, he established the position of Abel in setting up the
condition of indemnity on the national level to remove the fallen nature.
Accordingly, as in the case of the first course of restoration into Canaan
on the national level, the Israelites, who were in the position of Cain,
should have absolutely trusted and followed Moses, who was in the position
of Abel. Then they could have entered into the land of Canaan, which flowed
with milk and honey, as God had said, and there they could finally have set
up the condition of indemnity on the national level to remove the fallen
nature and then could have established the foundation of substance.
For the same purpose as when Moses killed the Egyptian, God had Moses
smite the Egyptians by giving him the power of three great miracles and ten
calamities when he was about to start his second course of restoration into
Canaan on the national level. Through this, God commenced the providence for
the start.
The reasons that Moses had to smite those on the side of Satan were, as
already elucidated: first, to restore through indemnity the position of the
eldest son which had been invaded by Satan; second, to have the Israelites
cut off their attachment to Egypt; and third, to let the Israelites know
that Moses was sent by God (Ex. 4:1-9). Again, there was another reason for
Moses to be able to kill the Egyptian. This was because, despite the fact
that the Israelites had completed the 400-year indemnity period of slavery
in Egypt, caused by Abraham's failure in his symbolic offering, as God had
said, they were suffering 30 years more of the slavery (Ex. 12:41); hearing
their lamentation, God pitied them (Ex. 2:24-25).
What did the three great miracles foreshadow in the course of the
providence of restoration?
The first miracle, which God had ordered and showed (Ex. 4:3-9), was that
by Moses' command Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and it became a
serpent. Pharaoh, seeing this, summoned his magicians and had them cast down
their rods and their rods became serpents. However, Aaron's serpent
swallowed their serpents (Ex. 7:10-12).
What, then, did the miracle foreshadow? This showed us symbolically that
Jesus would come as the Savior and destroy the Satanic world. The rod which
performed the miracle before Moses, who was set up in place of God Himself
(Ex. 7:1), symbolized Jesus with his authority and might, who in the future
would perform such a miracle before God. At the same time, a rod has the
mission of supporter, of a protector, and of a righteous leader always
smiting unrighteousness; therefore, it also symbolized Jesus in the aspect
of his mission, because it foreshadowed that Jesus would come before the
whole of mankind in the future with such a mission.
Besides, the fact that the rod symbolizing Jesus became a serpent showed
us that Jesus also had to play the role of a serpent. For this very reason,
Jesus likened himself to a serpent, saying, "As Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up." (John 3:14). Again,
Jesus told his disciples to be "wise as serpents" (Matt. 10:16). By this he
meant that, since the first human ancestors in the beginning fell by the
temptation of the evil serpent, Jesus, in order to restore this through
indemnity, had to come as a good serpent of wisdom, to tempt and lead the
evil men into goodness. Therefore, his disciples also had to follow the
wisdom of Jesus, who came as a good serpent, thus leading evil men into
goodness. On the other hand, the fact that Moses' serpent swallowed up the
magicians' serpents showed us, symbolically, that Jesus would come as a
heavenly serpent to swallow up the Satanic serpent and destroy it.
The second miracle was that, upon God's command, Moses put his hand into
his bosom and it became leprous. But, upon God's second command, he again
put his hand into his bosom and it was healed (Ex. 4:6-7). This miracle
symbolically showed us that Jesus would come in the future as the second
Adam and, with the Holy Spirit as the deity of the second Eve (cf. Part I,
Ch. 7, Sec. IV, 1--214), would perform the work of redemption. When his hand
was first put into his bosom and it became leprous, this meant that the
archangel first put Eve into his bosom and men fell into a position
incapable of salvation. Again the fact that when he put his hand into his
bosom the second time it was healed represented that Jesus as the father
spirit of mankind would come and restore the Holy Spirit as the mother
spirit of mankind (cf. Part I, Ch. 7, Sec. IV, 1--214); then, as a hen
gathers her brood under her wings (Matt. 23:37), he would restore the whole
of mankind completely by gathering them into his bosom and giving them
rebirth.
The third miracle was that Moses took some water from the Nile and poured
it upon the dry ground and it became blood (Ex. 4:9). This represented
symbolically that a lifeless thing like water would be restored into a thing
of life like blood. Water signifies the people of the world who lost their
lives due to the fall (Rev. 17:15). This sign showed us that Jesus and Holy
Spirit would come in the future and restore fallen men deprived of life into
the children of life.
God manifested these three powers in order to set up the symbolic
condition of indemnity, in the future, enabling Jesus and the Holy Spirit to
come before the Israelites as the True Parents of mankind, and to restore
the whole of mankind as their children and then restore the original four
position foundation taken by Satan.
When Moses asked God for one who could speak for him (for he was not
eloquent) God gave him Aaron his brother (Ex. 4:14), then Miriam, the
prophetess, his sister (Ex. 15:20) to assist him. This shows us figuratively
(in image) that in the future, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, as the Word in
substance, would come and restore men, deprived of the Word due to the fall,
to the substance (incarnation) of the Word. Therefore, Aaron and Miriam
exalted the will of Moses, who was in the position of God in the course of
restoration into Canaan, and carried out their mission of leading the people
in place of Moses. This showed figuratively (in image) that in the future,
Jesus and the Holy Spirit would exalt the will of God in the worldwide
course of restoration into Canaan and carry out the mission of redemption in
place of God.
When Moses was going before Pharaoh with God's command, Yahweh (the Lord)
appeared on the way and sought to kill him. At that time, Moses was spared
his life through his wife Zipporah's circumcision of his son (Ex. 4:24-26).
By Moses' having overcome the test through the circumcision, his family
survived and consequently the Israelites could come out of Egypt. This also
foreshadowed that, even when Jesus would come in the future, God's
providence of salvation would not be fulfilled unless the Israelites went
through the process of circumcision.
Let us then study what the significance of circumcision is. The first
human ancestors, due to the blood relationship with Satan, received the
blood of death through the foreskin. Therefore, in order for fallen men to
be restored as God's children, they began to circumcise themselves as the
condition representing the draining the blood of death by shedding the blood
from the foreskin as the condition of indemnity. The fundamental
significance of the circumcision is, firstly, the sign of shedding the blood
of death; secondly, the sign of restoring male dominion; and thirdly, the
sign of promise to restore the position of the children of original nature.
There are three kinds of circumcision: the circumcision of mind (Deut.
10:16), the circumcision of the flesh (Gen. 17:10) and the circumcision of
all things (Lev. 19:22-23).
Next, God saved the Israelites from the land of Egypt, by performing the
signs of ten calamities through Moses (Ex. 7:10-12:36). This, too, showed
that in the future Jesus would come and save God's chosen people through
miracles and signs. When Jacob suffered the drudgery of 21 years in Haran,
Laban deceived Jacob ten times without giving him the due wage (Gen. 31:7).
Consequently, in the course of Moses, who was to go through Jacob's model
course, we see that Pharaoh not only put the Israelites under more than due
slavery, but also deceived them ten times without keeping his promise of
liberating them. Therefore, as the condition of indemnity, God could smite
Pharaoh by afflicting him with ten calamities. Let us, then, study what
these ten calamities foreshadowed.
There were three days' darkness on the side of Egypt, while there were
three days' light on the side of Israel, showing that, in the future when
Jesus would come, there would be darkness on the side of Satan, while there
would be light on the Heavenly side. Next, God smote all the first-born of
the Egyptians, including the first-born of the cattle, but the Israelites
could avoid the calamity with the blood of the lamb painted on their
doorposts. This was to enable the second son, who was in the position of
Abel, to restore the position of the first-born by God's smiting the
first-born, because all the first-born on the side of Satan were in the
position of Cain. This calamity also foreshadowed that, when Jesus would
come, he would restore the original position of the first-born, thus
resulting in the decline of the Satanic side which took initiative in the
course of the providence, and in the salvation of the Heavenly side due to
the redemption through the blood of Jesus. Moses also took great wealth from
Egypt (Ex. 12:35-36), and this, too, foreshadowed the restoration of all
things by Jesus, which was to occur in the future.
Whenever God worked miracles of calamity, He hardened Pharaoh's heart
(Ex. 10:27). The first reason was to show the people of God that God was the
God of the Israelites, by manifesting His power before Pharaoh and the
Israelites (Ex. 10:12). The second reason was to make Pharaoh abandon his
attachment to the Israelites even after they left Egypt. God desired that
Pharaoh, after having tried his very best to catch the Israelites, realize
his inability to stop them, and thus finally let them go. A third reason was
to help the Israelites cut off their attachment to Egypt by causing them to
have a feeling of hostility against Pharaoh.
In the first course of restoration into Canaan on the national level, God
worked the "providence for the start" when Moses killed the Egyptian.
However, the people distrusted Moses, and this course ended in a failure
before it even started. But, the Israelite nation in the second course came
to believe that Moses was their true leader, sent by God, when they saw the
three signs and ten calamities which God showed them as the "providence for
the start". The Israelites, by trusting and following Moses, who had
established Abel's position on the foundation of faith on the national
level, were able to start their second course of restoration into Canaan on
the national level.
The mere fact that the Israelites obeyed and surrendered to Moses
temporarily could not make possible the establishment of the condition of
indemnity to remove the fallen nature. Since the providential course of
establishing the condition of indemnity to remove the fallen nature had been
invaded by Satan, and a long providential period was cast into the hands of
Satan, the Israelites should restore through indemnity an equivalent period
on the national level. Therefore, the Israelites, who were in Cain's
position to Moses, could never set up the condition of indemnity on the
national level to remove the fallen nature unless they believed in and
followed Moses with complete obedience throughout the whole period of their
journey in the wilderness. Accordingly, the foundation of substance on the
national level was not to be realized before the Israelites had passed
through their course in the wilderness by obeying Moses and had entered into
Canaan.
In this manner, the "providence for the start" in the second course of
restoration into Canaan was done with greater grace than in the first one.
But, since it was due to their disbelief, the condition of indemnity that
the Israelites had to establish in the second course was additionally heavy.
In the first course, they would have been led directly through the land of
the Philistines, by being afraid of possible war and thus falling into
disbelief again as in the first course. Therefore, God did not lead them
through this path but had them enter Canaan only after crossing the Red Sea
and traversing the wilderness, thus spending 21 months.
In this way, the Israelites, centering on Moses, started their 21-month
course through the wilderness. Let us study how this could become, as
previously stated, the model course of restoration into Canaan on the
worldwide level, centering on Jesus, who was to come later.
When Pharaoh, having surrendered to Moses, permitted the Israelites to
offer sacrifices there, Moses deceived Pharaoh and obtained three days'
permission by saying:
It would not be right to do so; for we shall sacrifice to the Lord our
God offerings abominable to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings
abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? We
must go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord
our God as he will command us. (Ex. 8:26-27)
Thus Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt.
This three-day period was truly the period which Abraham needed for the
separation from Satan before offering the sacrifice of Isaac. After that,
this became the period of indemnity necessary for the separation from Satan
whenever anyone started any providential course. Even when Jacob was about
to start his period of restoration into Canaan, he left Haran by deceiving
Laban and had the three-day period of separation from Satan (Gen. 31:19-22).
Likewise, Moses also, before starting his course of restoration into Canaan,
had to have the three-day period of separation from Satan by deceiving
Pharaoh and thus taking free action. This also showed us that later Jesus,
too, would have to take the three-day period of resurrection for the
separation from Satan before he could start the spiritual providence of
restoration. Thus, 600,000 Israelites, mostly young, left Ramses on the
fifteenth of January (Ex. 12:6-37, Num. 33:3).
After the Israelites had reached Succoth by acceptably setting up the
three-day period, God gave them grace and led them by a pillar of cloud by
day and a pillar of fire by night (Ex. 13:21). The pillar of cloud by day
(positivity) which led the Israelites on Moses' course represented Jesus,
who would later lead the Israelites through the course of restoration into
Canaan on the worldwide level. The pillar of fire by night (negativity)
symbolized the Holy Spirit, who was to lead them as a female spirit.
Moses, according to God's command, divided the Red Sea with his rod and
crossed it as if it were land, but the pursuing Egyptian chariots were all
drowned in the water (Ex. 14:21-28). As already discussed, Moses, when he
went before Pharaoh, symbolized God (Ex. 7:1), and the rod in Moses' hand
symbolized Jesus, who was to manifest the power of God. Therefore, this sign
shows us that later when Jesus would come, Satan would come in pursuit of
the believers in Jesus who would follow Jesus through the course of
restoration into Canaan on the worldwide level. But Jesus, coming with the
mission of a rod, would strike the bitter sea of the world lying in front of
the people with the rod of iron (Rev. 2:27, Ps. 2:9). Then the bitter sea of
the world would become like a smooth way before the saints, and Satan, in
pursuit of the people, would perish. As already discussed in the chapter on
the "Last Days" in Part I, the rod of iron signifies God's Word. Then, in a
Biblical passage (Rev. 17:15) this sinful world is likened to water. From
this meaning we also can call the world "the bitter sea".
The people of Israel crossed the Red Sea and came to the wilderness of
Sin, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from
Egypt (Ex. 16:1). God fed the people of Israel with manna and quail until
they came to habitable land (Ex. 16:35). This shows us that later Jesus
would feed all men, in the course of restoration into Canaan on the
worldwide level, with his flesh (manna) and blood (quail), which were the
elements of life for men. Therefore, the Bible says:
Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died;...I am the
living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he
will live forever;...unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink
his blood, you have no life in you. (John 6:49-54)
When the people of Israel left the wilderness of Sin and camped at
Rephidim, God commanded Moses to strike the rock at Horeb so that water
should come out of it for the people to drink (Ex. 17:6). Again the Bible
says, "The Rock was Christ." (I Cor. 10:4). Therefore, it showed us that
later Jesus would come and make the people alive with the spring of the
living water (John 4:14). The two tablets of stone that Moses later received
on Mount Sinai symbolized Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Moreover, the rock,
being the root of the tablets of stone, also symbolized God. Since Moses
struck the rock, the root of the tablets of stone, to give water to the
people of Israel so that they might live, Moses, on this foundation, could
receive the tablets of stone, and could make the ark of the covenant and the
tabernacle.
Joshua fought with Amalek at Rephidim, and whenever Moses help up his
hand, Israel prevailed. Whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed.
Therefore, Aaron and Hur took a stone and put under Moses, and he sat upon
it, and they held up his hands, one on one side and the other on the other
side; and Joshua defeated Amalek and his people (Ex. 17:10-13). This also
foreshadowed what would happen when Jesus would come in the future. Joshua
was the symbol of the believers in Jesus, Amalek was that of the Satanic
world, and Aaron and Hur symbolized Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Again, the
fact that Joshua smote and defeated Amalek before Aaron and Hur, who held up
Moses' hands, foreshadowed that the believers serving the Trinity of God,
Jesus and the Holy Spirit could smite and destroy Satan.
(iii) The Providence of Restoration Centering on the
Tabernacle
We must first learn the details of how the Israelites received the
tablets, the tabernacle and the ark. After having triumphed in the fight
against Amalek, they reached the wilderness of Sinai in the beginning of the
third month (Ex. 19:1). From there, Moses went up Mount Sinai with 70 elders
and met God (Ex. 24:9-10). God called Moses to the summit of Mount Sinai,
and Moses fasted for 40 days and 40 nights so that he might receive the Ten
Commandments written on the tablets of stone (Ex. 24:18). While he fasted on
the mountain, he received instructions about the ark and the tabernacle from
God (Ex. 25:31). When he had finished the 40-day fast, Moses received from
God the two tablets of stone on which were written the Ten Commandments (Ex.
31:18).
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the tablets of stone and went
to the people of Israel, they were worshipping the golden calf, which they
had Aaron make, as the god which led them out of Egypt (Ex. 32:4). Moses'
anger burned hot when he saw this, and he threw the tablets to the ground
and broke them at the foot of the mountain (Ex. 32:19). God appeared again
to Moses and told him to cut two tablets of stone like the first, that He
might write upon them the Ten Commandments that were on the first tablets
which he had broken (Ex. 34:1). When Moses had finished fasting 40 days and
40 nights the second time according to God's words, God again gave him the
Ten Commandments written on the tablets (Ex. 34:28). When Moses again
appeared before the Israelites with the tablets of stone, the people
ministered to Moses; and they, then, built the ark and the tabernacle (Ex.
35:10-12).
a) The significance and the purpose of the tablets,
the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant
What do the tablets of stone signify? The fact that Moses received the
two tablets of stone with the words written on them means that the
providential age for the foundation of restoration, in which men, due to the
fall, contacted God only through offerings, had passed; and men had entered
the providential age of restoration, in which fallen men could contact God
through the words which they had thus restored. As already elucidated in the
"Introduction" of Part II, if Adam and Eve, who had been created by the
Word, had perfected themselves, they would have become the "perfect
incarnation of the Word". However, due to the fall, they lost the Word. Now,
the fact that Moses received the two tablets of stone with the words written
on them through the 40-day period to separate Satan signifies that Adam and
Eve, long lost in the Satanic world, were restored as the symbolic
incarnation of the Word. Accordingly, the two tablets of stone with the
words written on them were the symbols of restored Adam and Eve, again
symbolizing Jesus and the Holy Spirit, who would later come as the
incarnation of the Word. The Bible symbolized Christ as a white stone (Rev.
2:17) and also states that the Rock was Christ (I Cor. 10:4), for the same
reason. The two tablets of stone, thus symbolizing Jesus and the Holy Spirit
symbolize heaven and earth as well.
Next, what is the significance of the tabernacle? Jesus likened the
temple of Jerusalem to his body (John 2:21). Again, the saints who believed
in him were called "God's temple" (I Cor. 3:16). Therefore, the temple is
the representation in image of Jesus himself. If the Israelites, centering
on Moses, had succeeded in their first course of restoration into Canaan,
they would have prepared to receive the Messiah by building the temple as
soon as they entered the land of Canaan. However, due to their
faithlessness, they had not even started the first course. In their second
course, they built a tabernacle in place of the temple, because they had to
wander in the wilderness after having crossed the Red Sea. Therefore, the
tabernacle was the symbolic representation of Jesus himself. For this
reason, God, when He commanded Moses to build the tabernacle, said, "Let
them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst." (Ex. 25:8).
The tabernacle consisted of the "holy place" and the "most holy place"
(holy of holies). The latter was the place where only the chief priest
entered once a year to offer sacrifices. In it was the ark, and it was
supposed to be the place of God's presence. Thus, the most holy place
symbolized the spirit of Jesus. The holy place was the place where they
entered ordinarily, and this symbolized Jesus' body. Consequently, it can
also be said that the most holy place symbolized the invisible substantial
world, while the holy place symbolized the visible substantial world. When
Jesus was crucified, the curtain between the holy place and the most holy
place was torn in two, from top to bottom (Matt. 27:51), meaning that by the
completion of the providence of spiritual salvation through Jesus'
crucifixion, the way to communicate between the spirit man and the physical
man, and between heaven and earth, opened up.
Then what was the ark? The ark was that of God's covenant, which was to
be enshrined in the most holy place. In it were the two tablets of stone,
symbolizing Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and, naturally, heaven and earth. In
the ark there was manna, which had been the food of life for the Israelites
in their course in the wilderness, and symbolized Jesus' body. The manna was
contained in a golden urn that symbolized the glory of God. Also included
was Aaron's rod that budded, which showed God's power to the Israelites
(Heb. 9:4). In this respect, the ark, generally considered, was the
condensed body of the cosmos, while on the other hand it was the condensed
body of the tabernacle.
The mercy seat overshadowed the ark, and God said that they should make
two cherubim of hammered gold and cover the two ends of the mercy seat. Then
He would meet with them there, between the two cherubim, and speak with them
of all that He would give them as commandments for the people of Israel (Ex.
25:16-22). This showed us that, later, when Jesus and the Holy Spirit,
represented by the tablets of stone, would come and redeem the people
through the work of moving their hearts, God would appear in the mercy seat;
at the same time the cherubim, which had blocked the way for Adam to attain
the Tree of Life in the garden of Eden, would be separated on each side, to
the right and left, and everyone would enjoy the chance of going before
Jesus, as the Tree of Life, and receiving God's words.
What, then, was God's purpose in giving them the tablets of stone, the
tabernacle, and the ark? The Israelites, after having finished the 400-year
period of indemnity brought about by Abraham's failure in the symbolic
offering, smote the Egyptians with the three signs and ten calamities,
drowned the countless Egyptian soldiers and chariots pursuing them by
dividing the waters of the Red Sea, and then made their way into the
wilderness. The Israelites had left Egypt with much resentment and
hostility. So, for the Israelites, who were in a situation which compelled
them to continue their way without having to return to Egypt, the
restoration into Canaan was the inevitable course which had to be followed
at all costs. Therefore, God performed many miracles and signs in the
"providence for the start", and He had the Israelites cross the Red Sea,
thus putting them in a situation where they were incapable of returning.
Nevertheless, the Israelites all fell into faithlessness. At the end,
there was danger that even Moses might possibly act faithlessly. Here, God
had to set up an object of firm faith, that would never change, even though
man might change. That is to say, whenever there is even one man of absolute
faith, God has this man succeed to the attendance of the object of faith,
thus gradually realizing the will of His providence.
By what could man, then, set up the object of faith? The tabernacle,
which symbolized the Messiah, by enshrining the ark with the tablets of
stone inside, was this object. Therefore, the construction of the tabernacle
meant that the Messiah had already come symbolically.
Consequently, if the Israelites, centering on Moses, had exalted the
tabernacle as the Messiah with profound loyalty and thus had been restored
into the blessed land of Canaan, the foundation of substance on the national
level would have been realized at that time. Even though all the Israelites
had fallen into faithlessness, if Moses alone had remained to keep the
tabernacle, the nation could have again set up the condition of indemnity
and could have been restored upon the foundation centering on Moses, who
served the tabernacle. Further, even if Moses would have fallen into
faithlessness, if any single man of Israel had kept the tabernacle to the
end in place of Moses, it would have been possible for God to work again His
providence of restoring the whole nation, which had fallen into
faithlessness, by centering on the single man left.
If the Israelites had not fallen into faithlessness in their first course
of restoration into Canaan on the national level, Moses' family could have
played the role of the tabernacle. Moses could have substituted for the
tablets of stone and the ark of the covenant, and the family law of Moses
could have been the substitute for the heavenly law. Thus, they could have
entered into the land of Canaan without need of the tablets of stone, the
ark, and the tabernacle; and there they could have built the temple. The
tablets of stone, the tabernacle, and the ark were what God gave the
Israelites in order to save them, after they had fallen into faithlessness.
The tabernacle, being the symbolic representation of Jesus and the Holy
Spirit, was what they needed until the erection of the temple. The temple,
being the image-representation of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, was what they
needed until the coming of the Messiah, who was to be the substantial
temple.
b) The foundation for the tabernacle
Just as the foundation to receive the Messiah must be realized in order
to be able to receive the Messiah, the "foundation for the tabernacle" must
be established in order to be able to receive the tabernacle, which is the
symbolic Messiah. Therefore, there should be no question that they had to
establish both the foundation of faith for the tabernacle, and the
foundation of substance for the tabernacle, in order to establish the
foundation for the tabernacle. Then, what should the Israelites have done,
centering on Moses, in order to establish these two foundations?
If Moses had acceptably established the 40-day period of separation from
Satan through fasting and prayer, by obeying God's words for the tabernacle,
the foundation of faith for the tabernacle was to be established. And, if
the Israelites had obeyed in surrender and faith to Moses, who had to set up
the ideal of the tabernacle, the condition of indemnity to remove the fallen
nature for the tabernacle was supposed to be set up. Accordingly, the
foundation of substance for the tabernacle was also to be established. The
tabernacle here means the whole thing, including the tablets of stone and
the ark of the covenant.
The first foundation for the tabernacle
Man is the substantial being (incarnation) of the word (John 1:3), and he
was created on the sixth day. Therefore in order for God to work the
providence of giving man the words of re-creation for the restoration of
fallen man, He had to sanctify the number "six" corresponding to the period
of creation invaded by Satan. Consequently, God sanctified Mount Sinai by
covering it with clouds in the glory of Yahweh for six days. Appearing in
the clouds on the seventh day, He called Moses (Ex. 24:16). From that time
on, Moses fasted for 40 days and 40 nights (Ex. 24:18). This was for God to
have Moses establish the foundation of faith for the tabernacle, which was
the symbolic Messiah, by having him set up the 40-day period of separation
from Satan, when God saw that the Israelites had again fallen into
faithlessness after crossing the Red Sea.
As already discussed, the condition of indemnity to remove the fallen
nature in the course of restoration into Canaan was to be fulfilled not by
the Israelites' simply trusting and obeying Moses temporarily, but only by
their remaining in that state until they had entered Canaan, had built the
temple, and had received the Messiah. In the same manner, even in their
establishing the condition of indemnity to remove the fallen nature and then
the foundation of substance for the tabernacle before erecting the
tabernacle, the Israelites should have trusted, served, and obeyed Moses
until he finished erecting the tabernacle. However the Israelites fell into
faithlessness while Moses was fasting and praying. They had Aaron make a
golden calf for them, and worshipped it, saying it was their god who had led
them out of the land of Egypt (Ex. 32:4). In this way, the Israelites failed
in setting up the condition of indemnity to remove the fallen nature which
they had to set up for the tabernacle, and naturally failed also in
establishing the foundation of substance for the tabernacle.
God led the Israelites with signs and miracles. However, even God could
not interfere with their action during the period in which man himself was
to restore the Word by his own portion of responsibility, because it was man
himself that had lost the foundation of the Word. Moses raged in anger upon
seeing the people dancing before the idol, and threw the two tablets of
stone at the foot of the mountain, thus breaking them (Ex. 32:19). This
resulted in Satan's invasion of the foundation of faith for the tabernacle,
which Moses had established through the 40-day period to separate Satan. The
two tablets of stone, as already clarified above, symbolize the second Adam
and the second Eve, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The fact that Moses broke the
two tablets of stone symbolizing Jesus and the Holy Spirit, because of the
faithlessness of the Israelites, shows us symbolically that later, when
Jesus would come, Jesus and the Holy Spirit could possibly fail to
accomplish the original mission given by God, by Jesus' bring crucified, if
the Jewish people should fall into faithlessness.
Such faithlessness of the Israelites frustrated God's providence, which
was designed to have the Israelites establish the foundation for the
tabernacle. God's providence to establish the foundation for the tabernacle
was prolonged to the second and third time because of the continued
faithlessness of the Israelites.
The second foundation for the tabernacle
All the Israelites centering on Moses fell into faithlessness to God's
providence. Since they were already on the foundation of having drunk the
water from the rock at Rephidim (Ex. 17:6), which was the root of the
tablets of stone, God could appear again to Moses after he had broken the
tablets of stone and tell him to cut two tablets like the first that He
might write upon them the words that had been on the first tablets (Ex.
34:1). But Moses could not restore the tabernacle centering on the tablets
of stone without restoring the foundation of faith for the tabernacle, by
setting up again the 40-day foundation of separation from Satan. Therefore,
he could restore the ideal of the tabernacle and the second tablets of stone
with the words of the Ten commandments written on them, only after the
second 40 days and 40 nights of fasting (Ex. 34:28).
The fact that the tablets of stone, once broken, were restored through
the fasting and prayer of 40 days and 40 nights, showed us that though Jesus
was crucified, Christ could come again and commence the providence of
salvation on that foundation, if and when the saints, believing in him,
should set up the condition of indemnity to receive him through the 40-day
foundation of separation from Satan.
During the 40-day period of separation from Satan, in which Moses
restored, for the second time, the ideal of the tabernacle centering on the
tablets of stone, the Israelites not only obeyed and surrendered to Moses
but also created the tabernacle according to God's direction and Moses'
instruction. This was on the first day of the first month in the second year
(Ex. 40:17).
Thus, the chosen people of Israel erected the tabernacle on the
foundation for the tabernacle which they had established by fulfilling the
foundation of substance for the tabernacle, after having set up the
condition of indemnity to remove the fallen nature. However, as previously
discussed, the foundation of substance in their second course of restoration
into Canaan on the national level was not to be established merely by
erecting the tabernacle. They should have exalted and honored the tabernacle
with undiminishing ardor until they entered Canaan, entered the temple, and
received the Messiah.
On the 20th day of the second month in the second year, the Israelites
started from the wilderness of Sinai centering on the tabernacle, under the
guidance of the pillar of cloud (Num. 10:11-12). However, God burnt their
camp in wrath, because the people again fell into faithlessness and bore a
grudge against Moses (Num. 11:1). Nevertheless, the Israelites were not
awakened to God's will, and continued to have resentment against Moses,
grumbling that there was no fish and no fruit, except the manna, and that
they missed the land of Egypt (Num. 11:4-6). Therefore, the foundation for
the tabernacle was invaded by Satan. The providence of restoring this
foundation had to be prolonged once again.
The third foundation for the tabernacle
The second foundation of faith for the tabernacle was invaded by Satan,
because the people again fell into faithlessness. Due to Moses' unchanging
faith and loyalty, however, the tabernacle stood firmly on the foundation of
faith for the tabernacle, set up by Moses. The Israelites stood on the
foundation of having drunk the water from the rock at Rephidim (Ex. 17:6);
the rock was the root of the tablets of stone which were the center of the
tabernacle. On these foundations, therefore, if the Israelites had succeeded
in the establishment of the 40-day foundation of separation from Satan and
obeyed in complete surrender to Moses, centering on the tabernacle, they
should have restored through indemnity the foundation for the tabernacle for
the third time. The 40-day period of spying was the condition God gave them
in order to accomplish this.
God sent into the land of Canaan the twelve persons whom He had chosen,
one from each tribe of the Israelites, as the chief of the tribe (Num.
13:1), and had them spy on the land for 40 days (Num. 13:25). However, all
returning from the land, except Joshua and Caleb, presented faithless
reports. That is, they reported that the Israelites would not be able to
destroy the city and the people there, saying that the people dwelling in
the land were strong and that the cities were fortified (Num. 13:28).
Besides, they said that the land would devour its inhabitants and that all
the people they saw in it were men of great stature alongside whom they
seemed to be like grasshoppers (Num. 13:32-33). The Israelites, hearing this
report, murmured against Moses and cried in lamentation, saying that they
should choose a captain and go back to Egypt.
Nevertheless, Joshua and Caleb cried out, saying that they should not
rebel against the Lord, that they should attack the people dwelling in the
land without fear. They proclaimed that the Lord was with the Israelites,
and that the Canaanites would become their prey, since their protection was
removed from them (Num. 14:9). But the congregation tried to stone Joshua
and Caleb (Num 14:10). Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the
people, and the Lord said to Moses:
How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe
in me, in spite of all the signs which I have wrought among them? (Num.
14:11)
He again said:
but your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in,
and they shall know the land which you have despised. But as for you, your
dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall be
shepherds in the wilderness for forty years and shall suffer for your
faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness.
According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty
days, for every day a year, you shall bear your iniquity, forty years, and
you shall know my displeasure. (Num. 14:31-34)
In this way, the third foundation for the tabernacle was unable to be
restored, and their second course in the wilderness of 21 months was
prolonged to a third course in the wilderness of 40 years.
(iv) The Failure in the Second Course of Restoration
into Canaan on the National Level
Due to the faithlessness of the Israelites, the foundation for the
tabernacle was invaded by Satan for the third time. Therefore, the
establishment of the condition of indemnity on the national level to remove
the fallen nature in the second course of restoration into Canaan on the
national level was a failure. In consequence, they failed in the
establishment of the foundation of substance, which they were to set up for
the second time, naturally the second course of restoration into Canaan on
the national level was a failure, and it was prolonged into the third course
of restoration into Canaan on the national level.
(3) The Third Course of Restoration into Canaan on the
National Level
(i) The Foundation of Faith
Due to the faithlessness of the Israelites, the second course of
restoration into Canaan on the national level ended in failure. Therefore,
the 40-year period in the wilderness of Midian, which Moses had established
in order to restore the foundation of faith in that course, was again
invaded by Satan. Because the Israelites failed to set up the 40-day period
of spying in faith and obedience, it took them 40 years, each day calculated
as a year, to wander in the wilderness and to return to Kadesh-barnea. This
40-year period was for Moses to separate Satan, who had invaded the
foundation of faith in the second course, who had invaded the foundation of
faith in the second course, and to restore through indemnity the foundation
of faith for the third course. Moses, who had kept and exalted the
tabernacle in utter faith and loyalty during the 40-year period of wandering
in the wilderness until his return to Kadesh-barnea, succeeded in
establishing the foundation of faith for the third course of restoration
into Canaan on the national level. Accordingly, the position of Abel for the
substantial offering on the national level of this course was firmly
established.
(ii) The Foundation of Substance
Due the Israelites' failure, through faithlessness and rebellion, in
setting up the 40-day course of spying, the foundation for the tabernacle
remained invaded by Satan. Therefore, the foundation of substance for the
second course was not established. However, the foundation of faith for the
tabernacle, set up by Moses, who had exalted and kept the tabernacle with
loyalty, remained a success. On this basis, if the Israelites had
established the foundation of separation from Satan, who invaded the 40-day
period of separation from Satan, who invaded the 40-day period of spying, by
obeying Moses who was exalting the tabernacle in an unchanging faith during
their 40-year period of wandering in the wilderness, they could have
established both the foundation of substance for the tabernacle and the
foundation for the tabernacle, at that time. If the Israelites had, on this
foundation, entered Canaan honoring Moses, centering on the tabernacle
through faith and obedience, the foundation of substance in the third course
of restoration into Canaan on the national level would have been established
at that time.
For Moses, the 40-year period of wandering in the wilderness was the
period for the establishment of the foundation of faith in the third course.
For the Israelites, it was the period to fulfill the "providence for the
start" in the third course, by restoring their position of having honored
Moses, who had erected the tabernacle in the second course.
The foundation of substance centering on Moses
It was previously clarified that the Israelites received the tablets of
stone, the tabernacle, and the ark because they fell into faithlessness in
the wilderness. Their faithlessness enabled Satan to invade the three great
signs, which God manifested before them as the "providence for the start",
in their second course of restoration into Canaan on the national level.
Therefore, God had them go through the 40-day trial period, in order to
restore through indemnity what they failed to do, and then granted them the
three great gifts of the tablets of stone, the tabernacle, and the ark.
Again, God performed the ten calamities in order to restore through
indemnity the fact that Laban had deceived Jacob ten times when Jacob was
going to return from Haran into the land of Canaan. But the Israelites again
fell into faithlessness, and God gave them the Ten Commandments to restore
it through indemnity. Therefore, if and when the Israelites had kept the Ten
Commandments and the three gifts by exalting the tablets of stone, the
tabernacle, and the ark, they were supposed to restore the position of
having started from Egypt by the aid of the three great miracles and ten
calamities in their second course. The tablets of stone were the condensed
body of the ark, and the ark was that of the tabernacle, so the tablets of
stone were the condensed body of the tabernacle. Therefore, the ark and the
tabernacle could be represented either with the tablets of stone or with the
rock, their root. Consequently, the third course of restoration into Canaan
on the national level would begin by starting from Kadesh-barnea according
to the "providence for the start", centering on the rock.
How, then, did God intend to fulfill the "providence for the start",
centering on the rock? In order to give life to the Israelites, who were
falling into faithlessness without having acceptably set up the 40-year
period in the wilderness (Num. 20:4-5), God had Moses strike the rock with
his rod before the congregation of the Israelites, to have water and to let
them drink (Num. 20:8). Had Moses' first strike against the rock, bringing
water and giving drink to the Israelites, made them awe-stricken with God's
power to such an extent that they all became one, centering on their leader,
they could have stood on the foundation for the tabernacle, together with
Moses; on that foundation, they could have fulfilled the "providence for the
start", centering on the rock. If they had trusted and obeyed Moses from
that time on and entered Canaan under his leadership, they could have set up
the condition of indemnity on the national level to remove the fallen
nature, and could then have also established the foundation of substance,
centering on Moses, for their third course. However, Moses, upon seeing the
people murmur in resentment against him for having no water, raged in such
an anger that he struck the rock twice with his rod. Therefore, God said:
Because you did not believe in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the
people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land
which I have given them. (Num. 20:12)
Moses thus failed to fulfill the "providence for the start" centering on
the rock by striking it twice, when he should have struck just once.
Therefore, he could never enter the blessed land of Canaan, the land of
promise, although it was in his sight (Num. 20:24; 27:12-14).
We now must understand why Moses should have struck the rock just once
and how his striking it twice became such a crime. Christ is symbolized as a
white stone (Rev. 2:17); again it is said that the Rock was Christ (I Cor.
10:4). Meanwhile, as clarified in the chapter on the Fall of Man, Christ
came as the Tree of Life (Rev. 22:14). Naturally, the Rock is also the Tree
of Life. On the other hand, the Tree of Life was the symbol of Adam in
perfection in the Garden of Eden. Since this Tree of Life is symbolized by
the Rock, the Rock is also the symbol of Adam in perfection.
In the Garden of Eden. Satan struck Adam, who was supposed to become the
Rock. Consequently, Adam could not attain the Tree of Life (Gen. 3:24).
Accordingly, he also failed to become the Rock that would yield the "water
of life" from God, which his descendants would drink forever. Therefore, the
rock, before Moses struck it, that had not yielded water, symbolized fallen
Adam. Satan, by once striking Adam and causing him to fall, made him "Adam
as the rock not capable of yielding water". Therefore, God intended to set
up the condition to restore through indemnity "Adam as the rock capable of
yielding water", by once striking the rock representing Adam incapable of
yielding water and by bringing water from it. Consequently, the rock which
Moses struck once to bring water symbolized Jesus, who was to come and give
the drink of the water of life to all fallen men. Therefore, Jesus said:
Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst, the
water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up
to eternal life. (John 4:14)
God allowed Moses to strike the rock only once, as the condition to
restore through indemnity the first Adam of the fall into the second Adam of
perfection, or Jesus. But Moses' act of striking the rock the second time
became the action representing the possibility of striking Jesus, who was to
come as the restored Rock and give the drink of the water of life to all
mankind. In this way, the faithlessness of the Israelites and the act of
Moses' twice striking the rock in rage established a condition which enabled
Satan to come directly before Jesus, the "Rock in substance", if and when
the Israelites would ever fall into faithlessness later, at the coming of
Jesus. Therefore, Moses' act became a crime.
Moses' act of breaking the tablets of stone once could be restored, but
his mistake of twice striking the rock could not be restored. We must study
the reason for this.
Seen from the viewpoint of the providence of restoration, the tablets of
stone and the rock have the relationship of the external and the internal.
The tablets of stone, with the Ten Commandments written on them, were the
center of Moses' law, and accordingly, the center of the Old Testament. The
Israelites of the Old Testament Age could enter the sphere of salvation of
this age by believing in the ideal of the tablets of stone. In this respect,
the tablets of stone were the external representation of Jesus, who was to
come later.
According to the passage "the Rock was Christ" (I Cor. 10:4), the rock
symbolizes Jesus, and at the same time forms the root (origin) of the
tablets of stone. Therefore, it also symbolizes God, who is the root
(origin) of Jesus, the substantial tablets of stone. In that sense, the
tablets of stone are external while the rock is internal. If we liken the
tablets of stone to our body, the rock corresponds to our mind. If we liken
the tablets of stone to the holy place, the rock can be likened to the most
holy place. Further, if we liken the tablets of stone to the earth, the rock
corresponds to heaven. Therefore, the rock is the internal representation of
Jesus and bears a greater value than the tablets of stone.
Since the tablets of stone are the external representation of Jesus, they
also symbolize Aaron, who was set up as the external representation of
Jesus, before Moses, the symbol of God (Ex. 4:16, 7:1). Meanwhile, the
Israelites had Aaron make a calf of gold (Ex. 32:4). Thus Aaron became a
failure, together with the tablets of stone. Nevertheless, Aaron could
revive through repentance on the foundation of having drunk the water of
life from the rock at Rephidim. Therefore, the tablets of stone symbolizing
Aaron could also be restored by again setting up the condition of indemnity
on the internal foundation of the water of life from the rock. However, the
rock representing the root of the tablets of stone symbolizes both Christ
and God, who is his root. Therefore, the act of striking them could never be
recovered.
What kind of result did Moses' act of striking the rock twice bring
about? Moses' act of striking the rock a second time was caused by his
impatience and anger against the Israelites' falling into faithlessness (Ps.
106:32-33). This act was what he did from the standpoint of Satan.
Consequently, God's "providence for the start", which He had intended to
fulfill through the rock, resulted in the invasion by Satan.
Thus, Moses' external act of having struck the rock twice was an act of
Satan; but in the internal reality, the Israelites were given drink from the
spring of water coming from the rock. Therefore, the external Israelites who
had come out of Egypt could not enter Canaan, God's promised land, except
Joshua and Caleb. Moses, too, died at the age of 120 with the land of hope
and desire within his sight (Deut. 34:4-5). In place of Moses (Num.
27:18-20), Joshua entered Canaan leading the internal Israelites, who had
been born in their course in the wilderness, where they had drunk of the
water from the rock and exalted the tabernacle (Num. 32:11-12).
If Moses' act of twice striking the rock had resulted in Satan's
invasion, the rock could not have yielded the water. How, then, could the
rock yield water? In their second course of restoration into Canaan on the
national level, Moses already had provided the base by which to bring water
from the rock, by obeying God's command at Rephidim, by striking the rock to
bring water, and by giving drink to the Israelites (Ex. 17:6). The tablets
of stone, the tabernacle and the ark, which were set up on this foundation,
were passed on to the third course of restoration into Canaan on the
national level, because of the faith of a single man, Moses, who had kept
God's command firmly on the foundation of faith for the tabernacle that he
had set up through the 40-day fast and prayer, even when the Israelites all
fell into faithlessness in the rage against the people, but his
heart-and-zeal toward heaven were unchangeable. Furthermore, Joshua kept and
exalted the tablets of stone, the tabernacle and the ark with unchanging
faith on the foundation for the tabernacle which he had set up through his
40-day spying in Canaan. Therefore, the foundation of the spring from the
rock set up at Rephidim also remained intact, centering on Joshua.
In this manner, even though Moses' external act of faithlessness resulted
in Satan's external invasion of the second rock, the water was yielded from
the rock internally so that the people drank it, due to the internal basis
of Moses' unchanging heart and Joshua's faith and loyalty.
Moses' act of twice striking the rock resulted in his taking the position
of Satan. Satan therefore took possession of the stone. It was for this
reason that Jesus, who came as the substantial stone, went into the
wilderness, when the Jewish people fell into faithlessness in their
worldwide course of restoration into Canaan, in order to find and restore
the stone that had been lost in the wilderness. That is why he first
suffered the temptation of being told by Satan to make bread out of stone.
Due to Moses' twice striking the rock externally in rage against the
faithlessness of the Israelites, his flesh was invaded by Satan and he died
in the wilderness, but internally, he could bring water from the rock and
gave drink to the people because of his unchanging heart-and-zeal. That made
it possible for him to enter Canaan spiritually. This foreshadowed the
possibility that when Jesus, the substantial Rock, would come, his flesh
might be invaded by Satan by the crucifixion, because of the people's
disbelief, thus learning unaccomplished the worldwide restoration into
Canaan physically. In this case, he would accomplish it only spiritually.
After Moses had struck the rock twice, God sent fiery serpents to the
Israelites, who were falling into faithlessness, and the serpents bit them
to death (Num. 21:6). When the Israelites came to repent, God had Moses make
a bronze serpent and set it on a pole, so that if a serpent had bitten any
man, the man might look at the bronze serpent and live (Num. 21:9). The
fiery serpent symbolized Satan, the ancient serpent, who had caused Eve to
fall (Rev. 12:9), and the bronze serpent set on the pole symbolized Jesus,
who would later come as the heavenly serpent (John 3:14). This foreshadowed
for us that, just as God had put the Israelites into the hands of the
Satanic serpent when they had fallen into faithlessness, and had brought
them into life again when they repented and restored their faith, similar
things would happen in the time of Jesus. That is, if the Jewish people fell
into faithlessness, God would have to put them into the hands of Satan;
then, Jesus would be compelled to die on the cross, as the heavenly serpent,
in order that the whole of mankind might live. Whoever repented of his
faithlessness and believed in the redemption through the cross would be
saved. Therefore, Jesus said, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up." (John 3:14). This, in
fact, became a remote cause that made Jesus start his spiritual course
through the cross, in the third worldwide course of restoration into Canaan,
centering on Jesus.
When Moses had struck the rock twice, God predicted that Moses would not
be able to enter the land of Canaan (Num. 20:12). Moses then prayed to God
to let him enter Canaan (Deut. 3:25), but he finally died with the promised
land in his sight. After his death, he was buried in a valley in the land of
Moab, but no man knows the place of his burial to this day (Deut. 34:6).
This foreshadowed that later, Jesus also might die on the cross if the
Jewish people fell into faithlessness. Though he might pray with ardor that
God would let the cup of death pass from him, that he might fulfill the
worldwide restoration into Canaan, he would finally die without realizing
this will, and the whereabouts of his body would be unknown.
The foundation of substance centering on Joshua
Because Moses struck the rock twice, God's will for the Israelites to
enter Canaan with the "providence for the start" centering on the rock was
not fulfilled. Due to Moses' striking the rock twice (Num. 20:1-13), Satan
could invade externally, but due to the foundation of having brought water
from the rock at Rephidim, Moses could give drink eternally to the
Israelites. This showed us another course of God's providence. That is,
those belonging to the "external Israelites", who had been born in Egypt
(the Satanic world) and had fallen into faithlessness in the wilderness, all
died in the wilderness except for Joshua and Caleb, who had set up the
40-day period of spying in good faith. Only the "internal Israelites", born
during their life in the wilderness when the people drank the water from the
rock and exalted the tabernacle, entered Canaan, centering on Joshua in
place of Moses (Num. 32:11-12). Therefore, God said to Moses:
Take Joshua, the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your
hand upon him; cause him to stand before Eleazer the priest and all the
congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight. You shall invest
him with some of your authority, that all the congregation of the people of
Israel may obey. (Num. 27:18-20)
Joshua was one of the two, who, in contrast to the Israelites who fell
into faithlessness during the 40-day period of spying, stood firmly on the
foundation of faith for the tabernacle, set up by Moses. Joshua was thus
able to establish the foundation for the tabernacle with unchanging faith
and loyalty, exalting the tabernacle to the end. In this way, even though
Moses had fallen into faithlessness, the tablets of stone, the tabernacle
and the ark remained intact on the foundation for the tabernacle set up by
Joshua.
Therefore, God intended to fulfill the "providence for the start",
centering on the water from the rock, by setting up Joshua in place of
Moses, and having the internal Israelites obey him and stand with him on the
foundation for the tabernacle. In accordance with this providence, God
intended to have the people enter the land of Canaan, establish the
condition of indemnity on the national level to remove the fallen nature,
and accomplish the foundation of substance centering on Joshua in their
third course.
Therefore, God said:
He [Joshua] shall go over [into Canaan] at the head of this people, and
he shall put them in possession of the land which you [Moses] shall see.
(Deut. 3:28)
Then God said to Joshua:
...as I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or
forsake you. Be strong and of good courage; for you shall cause this people
to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. (Josh.
1:5-6)
When Moses had accomplished, according to God's will, the 40-year period
in the wilderness of Midian, God appeared to Moses and commanded him to lead
the Israelites into the land of Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey
(Ex. 3:8-10). Likewise, God called Joshua, in place of Moses, and commanded
him saying:
Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you
and all the people, into the land which I am giving to them, to the people
of Israel. (Josh. 1:2)
Joshua, in obedience to God's command, called the officers of the people
and conveyed God's will (Joshua 1:10-11). Then they answered him saying:
All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we
will go.... Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words,
whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and of good
courage. (Josh. 1:16-18)
Thus they were determined to follow Joshua at the risk of their lives. In
that way, Joshua, who had the mission of substituting for Moses, can be
viewed as a symbol of the Lord of the Second Advent, who comes in order to
succeed and fulfill the mission of Jesus. Therefore, the course of Joshua,
who was to restore through indemnity the course of Moses, was the course
representing the way of the Lord of the Second Advent, who is to restore
through indemnity, both spiritually and physically, the course of spiritual
restoration by Jesus.
There were 12 men whom Moses sent, in their second course into Canaan, to
spy on the land (Num. 13:1-2). Of these, only two accomplished their mission
in unchanging loyalty. On the foundation of their heart-and-zeal, Joshua
sent two men into Jericho to spy on the city (Josh. 2:1). After having
accomplished their mission the two men reported in faith, saying, "Truly the
Lord has given all the land into our hands; and moreover all the inhabitants
of the land are fainthearted because of us." (Josh. 2:24). Then, all the
descendants of Israel born in the wilderness believed the words of the
spies. Through their faith, they could indemnify the sin of their
forefathers, who had not been able to accomplish their 40-day spying in
accordance with God's will.
In this manner, the internal Israelites, having pledged at the risk of
their lives to obey Joshua who stood on the foundation for the tabernacle,
could also stand on the same foundation with Joshua. Thus, through the
"providence for the start", which they had established centering on the
spring of water from the rock, they restored the position of their
forefathers, centering on Moses, who had fulfilled the "providence for the
start", through the three great signs and ten calamities in their second
course. Therefore, just as the Israelites, centering on Moses, had
accomplished the three-day course before crossing the Red Sea, the
Israelites, centering on Joshua, also accomplished the three-day course
before crossing the Jordan (Josh. 3:2). Meanwhile, just as the Israelites,
after their three-day course, had been led to the Red Sea by the pillar of
clouds and the pillar of fire, the Israelites centering on Joshua, also
after their three-day course, were led to the Jordan by the ark of the
covenant (Josh. 3:3, 3:8), which symbolized Jesus and the Holy Spirit,
representing the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire.
Just as the Red Sea had been split by the rod, opening the way for Moses
and the people, the waters of the Jordan, overflowing the bank, were
separated when the priests bearing the ark entered the stream (Josh. 3:16),
and all Israel passed over the river on dry ground (Josh. 3:17). The rod was
a representation of Jesus who was to come. The ark of the covenant,
containing the two tablets of stone, together with manna and Aaron's rod,
was the substance symbolizing Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The fact that in
the presence of the ark, the waters of the Jordan were separated and the
Israelites were restored into the land of Canaan without difficulty
foreshadowed that later, in the presence of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, the
sinful world, symbolized by waters (Rev. 17:15), would be separated through
judgment, and all the saints would accomplish the worldwide restoration into
Canaan. At this time, God commanded Joshua, saying:
Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, and command them,
'Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very
place where the priests' feet stood, and carry them over with you, and lay
them down in the place where you lodge tonight.'. (Josh. 4:2-3)
The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month,
and they encamped in Gilgal, on the east border of Jericho. And those twelve
stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal. (Josh.
4:19-20)
What did this foreshadow? As already discussed, the stone symbolized
Jesus, who was to come. Therefore, the fact that the twelve men representing
the twelve tribes honored the twelve stones, taken in the midst of the
Jordan where the waters were cut off by the ark, showed that later the
twelve disciples of Jesus, elected as representatives of the twelve tribes,
should honor Jesus, in the midst of a sinful world, separated into good and
evil, according to the words of Jesus.
After they had taken the twelve stones and set them up in the camp in
land of Canaan, Joshua said:
...so that all the people of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord
is mighty; that you may fear the Lord your God for ever. (Josh. 4:24)
This foreshadowed that only when the twelve disciples of Jesus later
should become one, in one place, with complete unity of mind and will, would
the worldwide restoration be accomplished, and the almightiness of God be
praised through eternity.
Just as Jacob had set up the altar of stone wherever he had been, the
representatives of the twelve tribes, who were the descendants of Jacob's
twelve sons, also set up the altar of prayer to praise God by gathering
twelve stones, showing that later a temple would be erected in a like
manner. This showed us truly that the twelve disciples of Jesus ought to
honor and serve Jesus, as the Temple, with all their zeal put together.
Later, when his disciples failed to become one, Jesus said, "Destroy this
temple, and in three days I will raise it up." (John 2:19). In fact, the
twelve disciples failed to become one in harmony, and the betrayal of Judas
Iscariot caused the destruction of Jesus, the Temple, through crucifixion;
and in three days he was raised from death, and gathered again his scattered
disciples. Then his disciples served and honored the resurrected Jesus only
as the spiritual Temple. The substantial Temple will be established at the
time of the Second Advent.
Just as the Israelites, when they commenced their second course towards
the land of Canaan, observed the feast of Passover on the 14th day of the
first month of the year before they journeyed (Ex. 12:17-18), the
Israelites, centering on Joshua, who encamped in Gilgal, also observed the
feast of passover on the 14th day of the first month of the year before
journeying toward the fortified city of Jericho. When they began to live on
the products of the land, God stopped feeding them with manna, after his 40
long years of care for them. From then on, they had to rely on what they
cultivated by their own sweat. Even during the moment of breaking through
the last toll-gate to the Satanic city, they had to fulfill their own
portion of responsibility, which was man's part. According to God's
commandment to the Israelites, 40,000 soldiers were in the vanguard,
followed by seven chief priests marching with seven trumpets, who preceded
the ark of the covenant, carried by the Levite priests (Josh. 3:3). then,
the entire host of the Israelites marched in the rear line (Josh. 6:8-9).
As God had commanded them, the Israelites marched around the city in this
formation for six days, making one tour each day; but there was no change
caused in the city. They had to restore through indemnity in utter patience
and obedience, the six-day period of creation which had been invaded by
Satan. After having set up the six days through such obedience, on the
seventh day, the seven priests with the seven trumpets marched around the
city seven times blowing the trumpets, and Joshua said to the people,
"Shout; for the Lord has given you the city!". Upon his command the people
raised a great shout, and the walls crumbled (Josh. 6).
This course showed us that later, through the power of Jesus and his
disciples, the Satanic barrier between heaven and earth would fall down.
Therefore, Joshua said:
Cursed before the Lord be the man that raises up and rebuilds the city,
Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation and at the
cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates. (Josh. 6:26)
because this Satanic barrier was never to be set up again.
Thus Joshua destroyed the enemy with an irresistible force, defeating 31
kings altogether (Joshua 12:9-24). This also foreshadowed that Jesus would
come as the King of Kings and establish the earthly Kingdom of God, in
unity, by destroying all the gentile kings, and unifying the peoples of the
whole world.
(iii) The Foundation to Receive the Messiah
The Israelites failed in their second course of restoration into Canaan
on the national level because they could not set up the 40-day spying period
for the separation from Satan. Then, in order to indemnify this period
again, they started their third course of restoration into Canaan on the
national level, and after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness they came
back to Kadesh-barnea. At this time, Moses could establish the foundation of
faith for the third course and the Israelites could stand on the foundation
for the tabernacle.
However, due to the faithlessness of the Israelites, and Moses' striking
the rock twice, both foundations were invaded by Satan. Therefore, the
external Israelites who had left Egypt centering on Moses were all destroyed
in the wilderness; but Joshua and Caleb could establish the foundation for
the tabernacle, because they set up the 40-day spying period of separation
from Satan with faith and loyalty, based upon the foundation of faith and
the foundation of faith for the tabernacle, which had been established by
Moses in the second course. Thus, the external Israelites, centering on
Moses, all died in the wilderness. But the internal Israelites, born during
their life in the wilderness when they exalted and served the tabernacle,
could cross the Jordan bearing the ark of the covenant in utter loyalty,
centering on Joshua in place of Moses. Then, having destroyed the city of
Jericho, they entered Canaan, the land of their desire.
Thus the foundation of substance in the third course of restoration into
Canaan on the national level was established. Accordingly, the foundation to
receive the Messiah for this course was also laid. After the foundation to
receive the Messiah on the family level, established by Abraham, and after
the indemnity course of the 400-year slavery in Egypt, caused by Abraham's
failure in the offering, the foundation to receive the Messiah on the
national level was established. Meanwhile, fallen men at that time erected a
powerful kingdom; that is, Egypt, centering on Satan, and they held their
stand against the heavenly providence of restoration. As already discussed
(cf. Part II, Ch. 1, Sec. III, 3--279), the Messiah could not come before
the kingdom was built on the side of God, which could cope with Satan, even
though the foundation to receive the Messiah on the national level centering
on Joshua had been established. However, the internal Israelites, having
entered Canaan, again fell into faithlessness, and the providence was
prolonged again, until the time of Jesus.
3. LESSONS LEARNED FROM MOSES' COURSE
In the long course of history since the time of Moses up to the present
moment, numerous saints, serving the divine will, have repeatedly read the
Biblical record with respect to Moses. However, they thought these words
were merely the record of Moses' history, and there has not been a single
man among them who knew that God intended to teach us, through Moses,
certain secrets concerning His providence of restoration. Even Jesus only
intimated it by saying, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing
of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing." (John 5:19), and
left unclarified the fundamental meaning of Moses' course (John 16:12).
We have clarified already how Moses went through the typical or formulary
course for the providence of restoration. The fact that his course
foreshadowed the course which Jesus was later to tread will be made clearer
in comparison with Section III of this chapter. Looking into God's
providence centering on Moses, alone, we cannot deny the fact that God is
behind human history, leading it toward one absolute purpose. Next, Moses'
course shows us that the degree of man's accomplishment of his own portion
of responsibility would decide the success or failure of God's
predestination. Even God's predestined will could not succeed, centering on
a particular person, if and when the person set up for the predestination
should fail to accomplish his own portion of responsibility. God predestined
His will to have Moses lead the people of Israel into the land of Canaan,
flowing with milk and honey, and commanded Moses to do so. Nevertheless,
when he and his people had failed to accomplish their responsibility, only
Joshua and Caleb, out of all the Israelites who had left Egypt, entered
Canaan, and the rest of them all died in the wilderness.
Moses' course also shows us that God does not interfere in man's portion
of responsibility, but deals only with the result. God had led the
Israelites with wonderful miracles and signs, but He interfered in neither
the people's act of making the idol of the golden calf while Moses was on
the mountain receiving the tablets of stone, nor in Moses' act of striking
the rock twice, because these were their own portions of responsibility
which they had to accomplish by themselves.
On the other hand, God showed us, through Moses' course, the absoluteness
of His predestined will. It is positive and absolute for God to fulfill the
will He once predestined. Therefore, when Moses failed to fulfill his
responsibility, God set up Joshua in his place and finally fulfilled the
will he once predestined. In this way, if a person whom God has set up in
the position of Abel should fail to accomplish his mission, the person who
has been loyal in the position of Cain would replace him, succeeding the
mission of Abel. Jesus meant this when he said, "...the kingdom of heaven
has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force." (Matt. 11:12).
Still another lesson that Moses' course teaches us is that the greater a
man's mission, the heavier the temptations he may be offered. Since the
first human couple fell by not believing in God and by rebelling against
Him, the personage in charge of restoration of the foundation of faith had
to overcome the temptation or suffering of God's deserting him without care.
Therefore, Moses was entitled to be the leader of the Israelites only after
he had overcome the trial of God's seeking to kill him (Ex. 4:24).
Even God cannot grant man grace unconditionally, because, originally,
Satan came to possess man under the condition of the fall, and could accuse
God of unfairness if grace were given without a corresponding temptation.
Therefore, when God grants man grace, He is sure to give him a temptation,
either preceding or following (or both) the grace, in order to prevent
Satan's accusation. To take examples from Moses' course: Moses was granted
the grace of the first Exodus only after his suffering of 40 years in
Pharaoh's palace. He was again granted the grace of the second Exodus only
after suffering 40 years in the wilderness of Midian (Ex. 4:20). God granted
Moses the three great signs and the miracles of ten calamities (Ex.
4:24-25). There came the grace of the pillar of clouds and the pillar of
fire (Ex. 13:21) only after the suffering of the three-day course (Ex.
10:22). On the other hand, only after the suffering while crossing the Red
Sea (Ex. 14:21-22) could the gift of manna and quail come (Ex. 16:13), and
only after the suffering through the fight against the Amalekites (Ex.
17:10) came the grace of the tablets of stone, the tabernacle, and the ark
of the covenant (Ex. 31:18-40:38). Again, only after the suffering of 40
years wandering in the wilderness (Num. 14:33) was there the grace of the
water from the rock (Num. 20:8), and only after the suffering of the fiery
serpent (Num. 21:6) was there the grace of the bronze serpent (Num. 21:9).
Thus we can see that Moses' course teaches us many lessons.
SECTION III - THE PROVIDENCE OF RESTORATION CENTERING ON
JESUS
In the beginning, Adam, who was supposed to dominate the angels (I Cor.
6:3), brought about Hell by being dominated by Satan. Therefore, in order to
restore Adam's domination, through indemnity, Jesus, who came as the second
Adam, was supposed to subjugate Satan and restore the Kingdom of God. As
stated in Section I, Satan, who had not surrendered even to God, could not
be made to surrender to Jesus and his followers. Therefore, taking the
responsibility in the Principle for creating man, God, by setting up Jacob
and Moses, established the model course for Jesus to subjugate Satan in the
future.
Jacob went through the symbolic course of subjugating Satan, while Moses
walked the image-course of subjugating Satan, then, Jesus had to go through
the substantial course. Therefore, Jesus had to accomplish the worldwide
course of the restoration into Canaan by subjugating Satan, following the
model of the nationwide course of restoration into Canaan, in which Moses
had subjugated Satan.
God said to Moses:
I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren;
and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I
command him. (Deut. 18:18)
By "a prophet like you" (Moses), God meant Jesus, who would go through
the same course as that of Moses. Again, Jesus said "...the Son can do
nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father [God] doing..."
(John 5:19), signifying that Jesus was treading the model course which God
had foreshadowed through Moses. Details were already discussed in the
providence of restoration centering on Moses, but here, let us discuss the
providence of restoration centering on Jesus by comparing and contrasting
the entire outline of the three courses of nationwide restoration into
Canaan centering on Moses, and the three courses of worldwide restoration
into Canaan centering on Jesus.
1. THE FIRST WORLDWIDE COURSE OF RESTORATION INTO CANAAN
(1) The Foundation of Faith
The central figure to restore the foundation of faith in the first
worldwide course of restoration into Canaan was John the Baptist. In what
position was John the Baptist to accomplish his mission? It was discussed in
"Moses' Course" that his acts of breaking the tablets of stone, and of
striking the rock twice in the course of nationwide restoration into Canaan,
centering on Moses, allowed Satan the possibility of striking Jesus, if the
Jewish people, who should have centered on Jesus, would fall into
faithlessness.
In order for Jesus to avoid this condition, the chosen people of Israel,
who were preparing the foundation for his coming, should have become one in
harmony, centering on the temple, which was the image-entity of the Messiah.
However, the Israelites repeatedly fell into faithlessness, thus creating
the condition for Satan to invade Jesus, who was to come in the future. In
order to prevent this condition, Elijah, the prophet, came and worked for
the separation from Satan by destroying 850 false prophets, including Baal
and Ashera (I Kings 18:19), and finally ascended into heaven (II Kings
2:11). However, since Elijah's mission was not entirely realized, he had to
come again to accomplish the rest of his mission (Mal. 4:5). The prophet who
came as Elijah to succeed and accomplish the mission of separating from
Satan, which had been left unfulfilled by Elijah, and to make straight the
way of the Messiah (John 1:23), was John the Baptist (Matt. 11:14,
17:10-13).
The Israelites were suffering the 400-year slavery in Egypt without a
prophet to lead them, and while doing so, they met with one man, Moses, as
the personage who could lead them into the land of Canaan and help them meet
the Messiah. Likewise, the Jewish people also were suffering slavery under
the gentile nations of Persia, Greece, Egypt, Syria, and Rome, during the
400 years of the preparation period for the coming of the Messiah, since the
time of the prophet Malachi, without even a single prophet to guide them.
While doing so, they finally met John the Baptist as the personage able to
lead them to the Messiah who should come for the worldwide restoration into
Canaan.
Moses, who had been set up the foundation of separation from Satan of the
400-years slavery in Egypt, learned the way of loyalty and filial piety in
Pharaoh's palace. John the Baptist, who was placed on the foundation of
separation from Satan of the 400-year period of preparation for the coming
of the messiah, also learned the way of loyalty and filial piety toward God,
in order to receive the Messiah, while living on locusts and wild honey in
the wilderness. Therefore, the Jewish people, including the high priests
(John 1:19), thought that John the Baptist might be the Messiah (Luke 3:15).
In this way, John the Baptist stood on the 40-day foundation of separation
from Satan, and he could lay the foundation of faith for the first worldwide
restoration of Canaan.
(2) The Foundation of Substance
John the Baptist, set up in the position of Moses, was, for the Jewish
people, in the position of both the parent and the child. From the position
of the parent, he could restore, through indemnity, the foundation of faith
for the first worldwide restoration of Canaan. At the same time, he could
establish the position of Abel in setting up the condition of indemnity on
the worldwide level to remove the fallen nature, from the position of the
child (cf. Part II, Ch. 2, Sec. II, 1.2--295). Consequently, John the
Baptist stood on the foundation which he established on the worldwide level,
magnifying the position of Moses, who, after the 40 years of indemnity in
Pharaoh's palace, laid the foundation of faith for the first restoration on
the nationwide level.
At the time of Moses, God intended to fulfill the "providence for the
start", by having the people of Israel trust Moses, after seeing him kill
the Egyptian. The Israelites of that time had to leave Egypt, the Satanic
nation, and go into the land of Canaan; whereas the Jewish people, centering
on John the Baptist, instead of leaving the Roman Empire to move into
another land, had to remain under the regime and subjugate it, restoring the
empire to Heaven. Therefore, God showed the people the signs and miracles
centering on John the Baptist, and by having the Jewish people believe him,
He intended to fulfill the "providence for the start".
Through the wondrous prediction of the angel concerning the conception of
John the Baptist, through the miracle of his father's becoming dumb when he
did not believe in this, and through many other miracles which God showed
the Israelites at the time of John's birth, they knew from the time of his
birth that John was the prophet God had sent to them. This is just as the
Bible says:
Fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about
through all the hill country of Judea; and all who heard them laid them up
in their hearts, saying, 'What then will this child be?'. For the hand of
the Lord was with him. (Luke 1:65-66)
Furthermore, because of his brilliant career of asceticism, and his life
of prayer in the wilderness, the chief priests (John 1:19) and all the
Jewish people (Luke 3:15) esteemed him so highly that they mistook him for
the Messiah.
Moses slew the Egyptians after the 40-year period of indemnity in
Pharaoh's palace. Then, if the Israelites, moved by his patriotism, had
believed and followed him, they could have gone straight into Canaan through
the direct way of the Philistines, without having to cross the Red Sea,
without making a detour by way of the wilderness, and without need of the
tablets of stone, the tabernacle, or the ark of the covenant. If the Jewish
people of Jesus' day, also, had believed and followed John the Baptist, whom
God had set up for them to believe, through the miracles and signs, they
could have restored the foundation of substance by establishing the
conditions of indemnity to remove the fallen nature, and on it they could
have restored the foundation to receive the Messiah.
(3) The Failure in the First Course of Restoration into
Canaan on the Worldwide Level
The Jewish people were in the position of believing and following John
the Baptist on the foundation of faith established by him (John 1:19, Luke
3:15). Therefore, they could terminate the Old Testament Age and start their
new course of restoration into Canaan on the worldwide level. However, as
already stated (cf. Part I, Ch. 4, Sec. II--153), John the Baptist, though
he himself testified to Jesus as the Messiah, finally doubted him (Matt.
11:3). By denying that he had come as Elijah, he not only blocked the way
for the Jewish people to go before Jesus, but caused them to betray Jesus.
Therefore, John the Baptist left the position of Abel in laying the
foundation of substance and, in consequence, the Jewish people failed to
establish the condition of indemnity on the worldwide level to remove the
fallen nature.
In this way, the foundation to receive the Messiah was not established
because the Jewish people failed to lay the foundation of substance.
Therefore, the first course of restoration into Canaan on the worldwide
level ended in failure, foreshadowing a second, or even a third
prolongation, just as at the time of Moses.
2. THE SECOND COURSE OF RESTORATION INTO CANAAN ON THE
WORLDWIDE LEVEL
(1) The Foundation of Faith
(i) Jesus Succeeds the Mission of John the Baptist
John the Baptist was a personage in the position of a restored Adam
before Jesus, who came as a perfected Adam. Therefore, John the Baptist had
to establish the foundation to receive the Messiah by completing all the
missions left unaccomplished by all the central figures who had come in the
course of providential history until then with the purpose of restoring the
foundation of faith and the foundation of substance. Then, leading the
Jewish people, who would believe and follow him on this foundation, he would
have handed them all over to Jesus, together with the whole foundation of
the providence. After this, he himself should have followed Jesus with the
utmost faith and loyalty.
John the Baptist baptized Jesus at the River Jordan (Matt. 3:16) without
knowing the significance of the deed, but it was a ceremony of handing over
to him all that John had done for the will of God.
Nevertheless, John the Baptist later became gradually more skeptical
about Jesus and at last betrayed him. Naturally, the Jewish people, who
believed and followed John the Baptist as the Messiah (Luke 3:15) were
forced to stand in the position of disbelieving Jesus (cf. Part I, Ch. 4,
Sec. II--153). Accordingly, the foundation of faith that John the Baptist
had set up for the first worldwide course for the restoration of Canaan was,
in the end, invaded by Satan. Therefore, Jesus himself was compelled to
restore through indemnity that foundation of faith, succeeding the mission
of John the Baptist and thus starting the second worldwide course for the
restoration of Canaan. Jesus separated himself from Satan by fasting 40 days
in the wilderness and this was to restore through indemnity the foundation
of faith from the position of John the Baptist.
Jesus who came as the son of God and the Lord of Glory, originally should
not have walked the path of tribulation (I Cor. 2:8). However, John the
Baptist, who was born with the mission of preparing his way (John 1:23, Luke
1:76), failed to accomplish his mission. So Jesus, himself, had to suffer
the tribulations which John the Baptist had to suffer in preparing the way
for Jesus. Thus, Jesus, though being the Messiah, succeeded John the Baptist
in starting the course of the providence of restoration. Therefore, he told
his disciples not to make public the fact that he was the Messiah (Matt.
16:20).
(ii) Jesus' Forty-day Fast and Prayer in the Wilderness
and His Three Great Temptations
We must first know the remote and primary courses of Jesus' 40-day fast
and prayer and his three great temptations. In the course of the nationwide
restoration of Canaan, Moses, who stood before the rock, became faithless
and struck it twice. Therefore, the rock, symbolizing Christ (I Cor. 10:4)
suffered Satan's invasion. This became an act showing that later, even in
the course of Jesus, who would have to walk with Moses' course as a pattern
it would be possible for Satan to invade if John the Baptist, who would come
in order to make straight the way of Jesus, should become faithless.
Consequently, this action also showed that Satan could invade the foundation
of faith centering on John the Baptist, who was to come before the Messiah.
Therefore, Moses' action of striking the rock twice became the remote cause
compelling Jesus to go into the wilderness and suffer the 40-day fast and
the three great temptations from the position succeeding John the Baptist in
order to restore the foundation of faith, in case that John the Baptist
should lose faith.
John the Baptist became faithless (cf. Part I, Ch. 4, Sec. II, 3--157),
and Satan invaded the foundation of faith which he had laid. With this as
the immediate cause, Jesus had to suffer the 40-day fast and the three great
temptations in the position of John the Baptist, in order that he might
restore through indemnity the foundation of faith by setting up the 40-day
foundation to separate Satan.
Then, what was Satan's purpose in offering Jesus the three great
temptations? In the Bible (Matt. 4:1-10) we read that Satan showed him
stones and told him to command them to become loaves of bread. Then he took
him to the pinnacle of the temple and told him to throw himself down.
Finally he took him to a very high mountain and told Jesus that he would
give him the whole world if Jesus would fall down and worship him, thus
giving Jesus three temptations.
In the beginning, God created man and blessed him in three ways: the
perfection of individuality, multiplication of children, and dominion over
the world of creation (Gen. 1:28). God's purpose of creation was for man to
accomplish all of these. However, Satan caused man to fall, making him fail
to accomplish the three blessings. So the purpose of creation remained
unfulfilled. Jesus came to fulfill God's purpose of creation by restoring
these three blessings that God had promised. Therefore, Satan tried to
prevent him from fulfilling the purpose of creation, by offering him the
three temptations in order to block the way of restoring the blessings.
How then did Jesus confront and overcome these three great temptations?
Let us first examine how Satan as a subjective being tempted Jesus. We have
already clarified the fact that in the course of the nationwide restoration
of Canaan centering on Moses, Satan came to stand in the subject position to
the Israelites centered on Moses, by taking (due to the Israelites'
disbelief and Moses' failure) the rock and the two tablets of stone
symbolizing Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Then, in the course of the worldwide
restoration of Canaan, John the Baptist, who had come with the mission of
making straight the way of the Messiah (John 1:23) by separating Satan,
failed to fulfill his responsibility, and the Israelites again fell into
faithlessness and disobedience as in the time of Moses. Consequently, just
as God had already foreshadowed in Moses' course, Satan came to stand in the
subject position, which enabled him to tempt Jesus. Let us study these
temptations in greater detail.
After Jesus fasted 40 days, Satan appeared before him and tempted him,
saying, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of
bread." (Matt. 4:3). Meanwhile, the stone was in Satan's possession, due to
Moses' action of breaking the tablets of stone and of striking the rock and
due to the disbelief of John the Baptist. Therefore, in order to restore the
stone, Jesus had to go into the wilderness and separate Satan by fasting for
40 days. Satan knew well enough that Jesus had come into the wilderness to
restore the stone. This temptation signified that Satan would hold
possession of the stone forever, if Jesus, in his wilderness course for the
worldwide restoration of Canaan, should become faithless and choose to
command the stone to become loaves of bread in order to fill his hungry
stomach without trying to restore the stone--just as in previous days, the
Israelites could not endure hunger and had fallen into faithlessness in the
nationwide restoration of Canaan.
Jesus' answer to this temptation was, "Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." (Matt. 4:4).
Originally, man was created to live on two kinds of nutriments.
That is to say, man's physical body lives on the nutriments taken from
the natural world, while his spirit lives by the words proceeding from the
mouth of God. However, fallen men became unable to receive God's Word
directly and their spirits live by the words of Christ, who came to earth as
the incarnation of God's Word, as is written in the Bible (John 1:14).
Therefore, Jesus said, "I am the bread of life" (John 6:48), and went on to
say, "Truly, truly I say to you unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man
and drink his blood, you have no life in you." (John 6:53). Therefore, even
if man's physical body may have life by eating bread, he cannot enjoy a
wholesome life with that alone. Man can become wholesome if, in addition he
lives by Christ, who came as the incarnation of God's Word and as man's food
of life.
However, the stone became Satan's possession by Moses' striking the rock,
which was the root of the tablets of stone. The stone in Satan's hand now
truly was the rock and the tablets of stone which Moses had lost. Therefore,
the stone, after all, symbolized Jesus himself, who was under Satan's
temptation. This becomes even more apparent when we read about a stone
symbolizing Christ (Rev. 2:17) and that "the Rock was Christ" (I Cor. 10:4).
Therefore, Jesus' answer to Satan's first temptation signified that even if
he were then at the point of starvation, the bread for the physical body was
not a question; and he himself had to triumph from the position of receiving
Satan's temptation and become the food of God's Word that could save the
spiritual bodies of all mankind. The first temptation was set up so that
Jesus could establish the position of the Messiah, with perfected
individuality, by overcoming the temptation from the position of John the
Baptist. Satan was at defeated by such words of Jesus, who confronted him
with God's will from the position of the Principle, Jesus, by overcoming the
first temptation and thus setting up the condition enabling the restoration
of his individuality, laid the foundation for the restoration of God's first
blessing.
Next, Satan set Jesus on the pinnacle of the temple and said, "If you are
the Son of God, throw yourself down." (Matt. 4:5-6). Jesus called himself
the temple (John 2:19-21), and the saints were called the temple of God (I
Cor. 3:16). It is also recorded that the saints are the members of the body
of Christ (I Cor. 12:27). Therefore, we can understand that Jesus is the
main temple and the saints are the branch temples. Thus Jesus came as the
master of the temple, and even Satan could not help but recognize his
authority. So he set Jesus on the pinnacle of the temple; then he told Jesus
to throw himself down from there. This signified that if Jesus threw himself
down from the position of master to that of fallen man, Satan would occupy
the position of the dominator of the temple in place of Jesus.
At this point Jesus answered him saying, "You shall not tempt the Lord
your God." (Matt. 4:7). Originally angels were created to be dominated by a
man of the original state of creation; therefore, a fallen angel was
naturally to be dominated by Jesus. Consequently, the angel's attempt to
stand in the position of the lord of the temple was a non-principled act.
Therefore, he should not have stood in the position of tempting God with
such a non-principled act, by tempting Jesus, the body of God, who works His
providence by the Principle alone. Moreover, Jesus, by overcoming the first
temptation, firmly established his position as master of the temple, as the
substantial temple, with his individuality restored. Therefore, he was not
in any position whatsoever to be tempted by Satan; Satan should have left
without tempting Jesus again.
Thus, by overcoming the second temptation, Jesus, who came as the main
temple and bridegroom, and the True Parent of mankind, set up the condition
enabling him to restore all the saints to the position of his branch temples
and brides, and true children, thus creating the foundation for the
restoration of God's second blessing.
Next, Satan led Jesus to a very high mountain, and, showing all the
kingdoms of the world and their glory, tempted him, saying, "All these I
will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." (Matt. 4:9).
Originally, Adam, due to his fall, lost his authority as the master of all
creation, being dominated by Satan, and naturally Satan became the dominator
of all creation in place of Adam (Rom. 8:20). Jesus, who came in the
capacity of a perfected Adam, was the dominator of all the creation, since
it is written that God put all things in subjection under Christ (I Cor.
15:27). Therefore, Satan who knew this principle, led Jesus to a mountain
top, putting him in the position of the master of all things, and them
tempted him in order that Jesus, the second Adam, also might yield before
him, just as Adam had yielded in the beginning.
Jesus answered this, saying, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and
Him only shall you serve." (Matt. 4:10). Originally, an angel was a
ministering spirit (Heb. 1:14), and was supposed to worship and serve God,
his Creator. Jesus answered, signifying that it was the Principle that
Satan, the fallen angel, should also worship and serve God. Naturally, it is
the Principle for Satan to also worship and serve Jesus, who appeared as the
body of God, the Creator, Moreover, Jesus had already established the
foundation enabling him to restore God's first and second blessings, by
overcoming the first two temptations. Therefore, it was natural for him to
dominate all creation by restoring God's third blessing on that foundation.
So he answered in accordance with the Principle, signifying that there was
no reason to be further involved with temptations concerning the creation,
which already stood on the victorious foundation.
Thus, Jesus overcame the third temptation to restore his domination over
the whole world of creation, through which he established the foundation for
the restoration of God's third blessing.
(iii) The Result of Separation from Satan by the
Forty-Day Fast and the Three Great Temptations
According to the principle of creation, God's purpose of creation is to
be realized only when man established the four position foundation, after
going through the three-stage process of origin, division, and union.
However, man had not been able to realize the purpose of creation, because
he had been invaded by Satan, in his course of establishing the four
positions. Therefore, God also intended to restore through indemnity all the
lost things, by establishing the 40-day foundation of separation from Satan,
through the three stages of prolongation of the providence.
Meanwhile, Jesus, though he was the Messiah, established the 40-day
foundation of separation from Satan, by overcoming the three stages of
temptation from the position of John the Baptist. Accordingly, Jesus could
restore through indemnity all the conditions at once which God had intended
to restore by establishing the 40-day foundation of separation from Satan
through the three-stage prolongation of His providence of restoration.
First, Jesus could restore, through indemnity, all that was to be
restored in order to establish the foundation of faith, through the
providential course up to that time. Namely, he restored through indemnity
the offerings by Cain and Abel, Noah's ark, Abraham's offering, Moses'
tabernacle and Solomon's temple. Besides, Jesus at once horizontally
restored through indemnity all the 40-day foundations of separation through
indemnity all the 40-day foundations of separation from Satan which had been
lost due to the failures of central figures whose mission had been to
restore the foundation of faith, through the vertical course of history
during the 4,000 years since Adam. Namely, he restored through indemnity
Noah's 40-day flood judgment; Moses' three 40-year periods and two 40-day
fasts; the 40 days of spying in Canaan; the Israelites' 40-year course in
the wilderness; the 400 years from Noah to Abraham; the 400 years of slavery
in Egypt; and all other "number 40" periods lost after that, until his own
time.
Second, Jesus could set up the condition enabling him to realize God's
three great blessings and to restore through indemnity the four position
foundation, because he came from the position of John the Baptist to stand
in the position of the Messiah. Consequently, Jesus became a substantial
being having fulfilled the offering, and he could stand as the substantial
being of the tablets of stone, of the tabernacle, the ark of the covenant,
the rock, and the temple.
(2) The Foundation of Substance
Jesus came as the True Parent of mankind and restored through indemnity
the 40-day foundation of separation from Satan from the position of John the
Baptist. Therefore, he could restore the foundation of faith from the
position of a parent, and at the same time he could establish the position
of Abel in setting up the worldwide condition of indemnity to remove the
fallen nature from the position of a child. Accordingly, Jesus came to stand
in the position of having restored through indemnity on the worldwide base,
the position of Moses who had established the foundation of faith for the
second nationwide restoration of Canaan by going through the 40-year period
of indemnity in the wilderness of Midian.
In the second course of the nationwide restoration of Canaan, God worked
His "providence for the start" with the three great miracles and ten
calamities. Later in the third course of the nationwide restoration of
Canaan, God worked His "providence for the start" by setting up the three
great graces of the tablets of stone, the tabernacle and the ark of the
covenant--and the Ten Commandments, to restore through indemnity the three
great miracles and ten calamities in Egypt, which were annulled because of
the disbelief of the Israelites.
Since Jesus was the substantial being of the Ten Commandments and the
three great graces (the tablets of stone, the tabernacle, and the ark of the
covenant), he worked the "providence for the start" by his own words and
miracles and signs in the second course of worldwide restoration of Canaan.
If, in accordance with the "providence for the start", the Jewish people in
the position of Cain had believed and followed Jesus in the position of
Abel, they could have set up the condition of indemnity to remove the fallen
nature and could have restored the foundation of substance, thus
establishing the foundation of receive the Messiah. If so, Jesus, shifting
from the position of John the Baptist, could have stood as the Messiah.
Then, if all mankind had been engrafted to him (Rom. 11:17), had been
reborn, cleansed of the original sin, and had become one body in heart with
God, they could have restored the original nature endowed at the creation,
thus realizing the Kingdom of God on earth at that time.
(3) The Failure of the Second Course of the Worldwide
Restoration of Canaan
When, due to the disbelief of John the Baptist, the first providence of
the worldwide restoration of Canaan ended in a failure, Jesus restored
through indemnity the foundation of faith for the second worldwide
restoration of Canaan by suffering by himself the 40-day tribulation in the
wilderness, succeeding the mission of John the Baptist. Meanwhile, Satan,
who was defeated in the three great temptations, departed from Jesus until
an opportune time (Luke 4:13). Satan's having departed from him "until an
opportune time" implies that he did not leave Jesus completely, but could
come again before Jesus. As a matter of fact, Satan confronted Jesus,
working through the Jewish people, centering on the chief priests and
scribes who had fallen faithless, and especially through Judas Iscariot, the
disciple who betrayed Jesus.
In this manner, due to the faithlessness of the Jewish people, the
foundation of substance for the second course of the worldwide restoration
of Canaan resulted in a failure; accordingly, the foundation to receive the
Messiah for this providence was a failure. Naturally, the second course of
the worldwide restoration of Canaan also failed.
3. THE THIRD COURSE OF THE WORLDWIDE RESTORATION OF CANAAN
(1) The Course of the Spiritual Restoration of Canaan,
Centering on Jesus
Before discussing the problems concerning the third course of the
worldwide restoration, we must first know in what respect it differs from
the third course of nationwide restoration of Canaan. As already discussed
in detail, the center of the Israelite faith in the third course of the
nationwide restoration of Canaan was the tabernacle, which was the symbolic
body of the Messiah. Thus, even when the Israelite nation fell into
faithlessness, this tabernacle remained intact, standing on the foundation
of faith for the tabernacle, which Moses had set up by his 40-day fast. When
Moses, too, fell into faithlessness, it remained standing, centering on
Joshua, who continued to serve the will on the foundation for the
tabernacle, which had been established by Joshua's 40-day spying period to
separate Satan on the foundation of faith that Moses had set up.
However, the object of faith of the Jewish people, in their course of the
worldwide restoration of Canaan, was Jesus himself, who came as the
substantial body of the temple. When even his disciples fell into disbelief,
Jesus was forced to go the way of death, by giving his physical body to the
cross, as it was written, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
so must the son of man be lifted up." (John 3:14). In this way, the Jewish
people lost their object of faith, both in spirit and flesh. Therefore, they
could not start their third course of the worldwide restoration of Canaan
directly as a substantial course. But the Christians as the Second Israel
started first a spiritual course, by setting up the resurrected Jesus as
their object of faith.
Here lies the reason Jesus said, "Destroy this temple (Jesus himself),
and in three days I will raise it up." (John 2:19). The Lord will come and,
succeeding the mission of Jesus, he will accomplish, both spiritually and
physically, the third course of the worldwide restoration of Canaan, just as
Joshua had accomplished the third course of the nationwide restoration of
Canaan, succeeding Moses' mission.
Seeing such a providential course of restoration alone, we can well
understand that unless the Lord would come again in flesh, as in the time of
Jesus, he cannot succeed and fulfill the purpose of the providence of
restoration which he intended to accomplish at the first coming.
(i) The Spiritual Foundation of Faith
Since the second course of the worldwide restoration of Canaan ended in
failure due to the Israelites' betrayal of Jesus, the foundation of faith
which Jesus had set up, through the 40-day fast from the position of John
the Baptist, was helplessly handed over to Satan. Therefore, after giving
his physical body to Satan, through the cross, Jesus set up the spiritual
foundation of separation from Satan by his 40-day resurrection period, from
the position of the spiritual mission-bearer of John the Baptist. By doing
this, he could restore the spiritual foundation of faith for the spiritual
course of the third worldwide restoration of Canaan. There has not been even
a single man, until today, who knew that this was the reason the 40-day
resurrection period was set up after Jesus' crucifixion. How then did Jesus
establish the spiritual foundation of faith?
God had been with the chosen nation of Israel until the time when Jesus
appeared as the Messiah. Nevertheless, from the moment of their rebellion
against Jesus, who appeared as the Messiah, God was compelled to deliver
them, His elect, into the hands of Satan. Thus, God, together with His son,
who was betrayed by the Israelites, had to abandon and turn against His
chosen nation. Nevertheless, God's purpose of sending the Messiah was to
save not only the chosen nation but also the whole of mankind. Therefore,
God intended to save the whole of mankind, even though He might have to
deliver Jesus into the hands of Satan. On the other hand, Satan tried to
kill one man, Jesus, the Messiah, even if he might have to hand over to God
the whole of mankind, including the chosen nation, which was now on his
side. This was because Satan thought that he could break the purpose of the
whole providence of God by killing the Messiah, for he knew that the first
purpose of God's 4,000-year providence of restoration had been to set up one
man, the Messiah. Thus, God finally handed Jesus over to Satan, as the
condition of indemnity, in order to save the whole of mankind, including the
Jewish people, who turned against Jesus, and were now on Satan's side.
Satan thus attained what he had intended through the 4,000-year course of
history, by crucifying Jesus, with the exercise of his maximum power. God,
who thus handed over Jesus into Satan's hands, could, at that price, set up
the condition to save the whole of mankind, including the Israelites.
How, then, did God come to be able to save sinful men? Since Satan had
killed Jesus by exercising his maximum power, the position for God now to
exercise His maximum power was created, according to the principle of
restoration through indemnity. The exercise of maximum power on God's part
was to bring the dead back to life, while that of Satan was to kill man.
Here God exercised His maximum power as the condition of indemnity against
Satan's act of killing Jesus through the exercise of his maximum power, and
He brought Jesus back to life. By grafting the whole of mankind into the
resurrected Jesus (Rom. 11:24) and giving them rebirth, God intended to save
all mankind.
As we well know through the Bible, Jesus after the resurrection was not
the same Jesus who had lived with his disciples before his crucifixion. He
was no longer a man seen through physical eyes, because he was a being
transcendent of time and space. He once suddenly appeared in a closed room
where his disciples were gathered (John 20:19), while in another instance he
appeared before two disciples going to Emmaus, and accompanied them for a
long distance. But their eyes were kept from recognizing Jesus, who
appeared, would again disappear suddenly. Jesus, in order to save mankind,
had established the spiritual foundation of faith through the 40-day
resurrection period to separate Satan, after giving up his physical body to
the cross as a sacrifice. By doing this, he pioneered the way for the
redemption of the sins of all men.
(ii) The Spiritual Foundation of Substance
Jesus, by establishing the spiritual 40-day foundation to separate Satan
through resurrection, from the position of the spiritual mission-bearer of
John the Baptist, could then restore the spiritual foundation of faith from
the position of a spiritual parent. At the same time, he also established
the position of a spiritual Abel in setting up the worldwide condition of
indemnity to remove the fallen nature from the position of a spiritual
child. Thus, Jesus could establish a spiritual foundation of faith for the
third worldwide restoration of Canaan, just as Moses could establish the
foundation of faith for the third nationwide restoration of Canaan, by going
through the indemnity period of the 40-year wandering in the wilderness
while leading the Israelites.
At the time of Moses, God worked His "providence for the start" by having
him establish the foundation for the tabernacle. However the resurrected
Jesus worked the "providence for the start" by gathering his disciples,
scattered in Galilee, and giving them the power to perform miracles and
signs, since he himself was the spiritual substantial body of the tablets of
stone, tabernacle, and the ark (Matt. 28:16-20).
Now, the saints in the position of Cain came to restore the spiritual
foundation of substance by setting up the spiritual condition of indemnity
to remove the fallen nature, through their believing, serving, and following
the resurrected Jesus, who was spiritually in the position of Abel, as the
spiritual mission-bearer of John the Baptist.
(iii) The Spiritual Foundation to Receive the Messiah
After Jesus' crucifixion, the remaining eleven disciples scattered in
utter helplessness. Jesus, after his resurrection, gathered them again in
one place and started his new providence of the spiritual restoration of
Canaan. The disciples chose Matthias in place of Judas Iscariot to fill the
number of 12 disciples, and believed, served, and followed the resurrected
Jesus, thus establishing the spiritual foundation of substance. By doing
this, they could restore the spiritual foundation to receive the Messiah.
On this foundation, Jesus could establish the position of the spiritual
Messiah from the position of spiritual mission-bearer of John the Baptist
and restore the Holy Spirit. By doing this, he became the spiritual True
Parent and came to perform the work of rebirth. That is, as it is written in
the Bible (Acts. 2:1-4), after the advent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost,
the resurrected Jesus became the spiritual True Father and, working in
oneness with the Holy Spirit as the spiritual True Mother, spiritually
grafted saints to them, thus beginning the work of spiritual rebirth. By
doing this, Jesus could accomplish the providence of spiritual salvation
(cf. Part I, Ch. 4, Sec. I, 4--147). Consequently, in the sphere of the
resurrected Jesus, Satan's spiritual condition for accusation was completely
liquidated, and thus, spiritually, this became a sphere inviolable by Satan.
Fallen man's physical salvation would remain unaccomplished, though he
may in faith become one with Jesus, because his body is still in the
position of being invaded by Satan, just like Jesus himself. However, if we
believe in the resurrected Jesus, we will be with Jesus spiritually in the
sphere inviolable by Satan, and thus we will be able to accomplish spiritual
salvation free from the spiritual condition of accusation by Satan.
(iv) The Spiritual Restoration of Canaan
Christians could accomplish only the spiritual restoration of Canaan by
believing and serving Jesus, who came to stand as the spiritual Messiah, on
the spiritual foundation to receive the Messiah. Thus the physical bodies of
the saints, who were in the sphere of grace for the spiritual restoration of
Canaan, stood in the same position as the physical body of Jesus, invaded by
Satan through the cross. Therefore, they were being invaded by Satan, just
as in the time before the coming of Jesus, with original sin still remaining
in them (Rom. 7:25). Naturally, the saints also had to go through the course
of separating from Satan again for the Second Advent of the Lord (cf. Part
I, Ch. 4, Sec. I, 4--147).
The ideal of the tabernacle in the nationwide course of the restoration
of Canaan, through which God worked His providence centering on Moses, came
now to be realized on the worldwide base centering on the spiritual temple
of the resurrected Jesus. Since the ideal of the mercy seat was realized
through the work of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, God could appear and speak.
Thus, in the mercy seat, where God's words were heard, the cherubim that had
blocked the way since the fall of the first human ancestors would be put
aside, so that one might enter the ark to meet Jesus, the Tree of Life, to
eat the manna given by God, and to manifest the power of God represented by
Aaron's rod that budded (Heb. 9:4-5). In this way, we can understand that
the crucifixion of Jesus and the Second Advent was not a determined
providence, when seen through Moses' course.
(2) The Course of the Substantial Restoration of Canaan
Centering on the Lord of the Second Advent
We have discussed why God's chosen people started the third course of the
worldwide restoration of Canaan as a spiritual course, not being able to
start it as a substantial course as they had done in their third course of
the nationwide restoration of Canaan. The spiritual providence of the third
worldwide restoration of Canaan, which they started on the spiritual
foundation for the Messiah, by believing and obeying Jesus, the spiritual
Messiah, has today broadened its spiritual territory, on a worldwide basis,
after having passed the 2,000-year course of history.
Just as Joshua, who substituted for Moses in the spiritual course of the
restoration of Canaan, accomplished the nationwide restoration of Canaan by
going through the substantial course, so the Lord of the Second Advent has
to realize the earthly Kingdom of God, by coming to walk the spiritual
course of the restoration of Canaan as a substantial course, and by
accomplishing the worldwide restoration of Canaan. In this manner, the Lord
of the Second Advent, who is to realize the same Kingdom of God on earth as
God intended to realize substantially at the time of Jesus, must be born on
earth as a substantial man in flesh (cf. Part I, Ch. 7, Sec. II, 2--209).
The Lord of the Second Advent must restore through indemnity the
providential course of restoration left unachieved at the time of the first
coming. Therefore, just as Jesus had to walk the bitter course of the
spiritual providence of restoration, due to the faithlessness of the Jewish
people, the Lord must restore through indemnity the spiritual course of
tribulation, this time substantially in flesh, if and when Christians, the
Second Israel, should fall into faithlessness. Jesus said, "But first he
[Christ] must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation." (Luke
17:25).
Therefore, just as Jesus form the time of his coming onwards, had to walk
anew on his spiritual course of providence by abandoning the First Israel of
God's summons and by setting up Christians as his second chosen nation, the
Lord of the Second Advent, may have to achieve the providential course,
substantially, by abandoning the Christians of the second summons, and
calling anew the Third Israel, if the Christians should fall into
faithlessness. If, at the Second Advent, the heralds, coming with the
mission of John the Baptist (John 1:23), to make his way straight should
fail in carrying out their mission, just as at the first coming, the Lord of
the Second Advent himself must establish substantially the foundation of
faith for the third providence of the worldwide restoration of Canaan from
the position of John the Baptist, thus having to walk the path of
tribulation.
However bitter a way he may walk, the Lord of the Second Advent will
never come to die, not fulfilling the providence of restoration, as in the
time of Jesus. This is because God's providence to fulfill His purpose of
creation, through the True Parents of mankind, has come down from Adam
through Jesus, to the Lord of the Second Advent, and in the third instance,
the providence will not fail to be realized. Further, as will be later
discussed (cf. Part II, Ch. 6, Sec. IV--532), the spiritual providence of
restoration for the 2,000 years after Jesus has achieved the age of
democracy in order to create the society beneficial for the providence.
Jesus was killed after being branded as a rebel against Judaism, but in the
democratic society at the Second Advent, the Lord cannot walk the path of
death, even though he may be bitterly persecuted as a heretic.
Therefore, however difficult a way the Lord of the Second Advent may
walk, there will gather saints believing and serving him absolutely on the
substantial foundation of faith which he will establish; and it will be
certain that they will be able to set up the substantial foundation to
receive the Messiah by setting up the foundation of substance, for the sake
of the substantial course of the third worldwide restoration of Canaan.
In the third nationwide course of the restoration of Canaan, at the time
of Moses, God was to work His "providence for the start", centering on the
rock. At the time of Joshua, He worked His "providence for the start",
centering on the water, which was more internal than the rock. In a like
manner, Jesus worked the "providence for the start" by the miracles and
signs at the first coming, but at the Second Advent, Christ will work the
"providence for the start", centering on the Word, which is internal. That
is because, as discussed earlier (cf. Part I, Ch. 3, Sec. III, 2--113), man,
who was created by the Word (John 1:3), failed to accomplish the purpose of
the Word due to the fall. God, who has been working His providence of
restoration by setting up the external condition of the Word, in order to
accomplish the purpose of the Word, must send Christ, who is the substance
of the Word (John 1:14), at the close of providential history, and must work
His providence of salvation, centering on the Word.
When we see God's purpose of creation, centering on the connection of
heart, God, as the spiritual Parent, created men as His substantial
children. Adam and Eve, who were created first as the substantial objects in
the image and likeness of God's dual essentialities, are God's first
substantial objects and the first parents of mankind. Thus, by joining as
husband and wife and multiplying children, they should have established a
family connected and united in the hearts of the parents, couple, and
children representing parental love, conjugal love and children's love. This
is truly the four position foundation which has realized the three objective
purposes (cf. Part I, Ch. 1, Sec. II, 3--31).
In this manner, God intended to establish the Kingdom of God on earth,
with His children of direct descent. However, as discussed in the "Fall of
Man", all men, due to the first human ancestor's blood relationship with the
archangel Lucifer, have become the children of the devil, inheriting Satan's
blood lineage (Matt. 3:7, 23:33, John 8:44). Thus, the first human ancestors
fell into a position in which they were cut off from the lineage of God, and
this is the fall (cf. Part I, Ch. 2--65).
Therefore, the purpose of God's providence of restoration is to restore
the fallen men who were cut off from the lineage of God and to set them up
as the children of God's direct line. Let us find out God's secret of the
providence of restoration in the Bible.
As was previously discussed, Adam's family, which was so degraded as to
commit murder, was cut off from a relationship with God. At the time of Noah
the direct relationship with God could not be restored, due to the failure
of Ham, the second son, who was in the position of Abel. However, man could
stand in the position of the slave of slaves (Gen. 9:25), because there was
the foundation of Noah's loyalty. Thus, man could have an indirect
relationship with God. This was the actual relationship of God and man in
the period before the Old Testament Age.
In his own time Abraham, the father of faith, could set up God's elect by
establishing the family-level foundation to receive the Messiah. Thus, for
the first time, the position of God's servant was restore (Lev. 25:55). This
was the relationship of God and man in the Old Testament Age. After the
coming of Jesus, his disciples, who stood on the foundation of faith which
he had established from the position of John the Baptist, were for the first
time restored from the position of servants of the Old Testament Age to the
position of adopted children. In order for them to become children of God's
direct lineage, they had to establish the foundation of substance in
absolute obedience to Jesus; and by grafting (Rom. 11:17) themselves both
spiritually and physically into Jesus, who stood on that foundation, they
had to become one body with him.
Jesus came as the Son of God, without original sin, from God's direct
lineage, and by making the whole of fallen mankind into one body by
engrafting them to him, he was to restore them to be the children of God's
direct lineage, having removed the original sin. Jesus and the Holy Spirit
came as the spiritual True Parents to make men restore their lineal
connection with God, as endowed at the creation, by having the fallen men
remove their original sin by engrafting them to themselves. We call the work
of Jesus and the Holy Spirit "Rebirth" (cf. Part I, Ch. 7, Sec. IV--213).
Therefore, we must know that Jesus came as the center, the true olive tree,
in order to engraft fallen men, who are the branches of wild olive trees, to
himself.
Nevertheless, even his disciples fell into faithlessness, and so, Jesus
was crucified in the position of John the Baptist, without being able to
perform the duties of the Messiah. In this way, the resurrected Jesus had
established the spiritual foundation of faith through the 40-day
resurrection period to separate Satan, set up from the position of the
spiritual John the Baptist. After that the spiritual foundation of substance
was set up by the faith and loyalty of his disciples, who returned to him in
repentance; and hence, the spiritual foundation to receive the Messiah was
established for the first time. Finally, on that spiritual foundation the
saints came to stand as spiritual children by being spiritually engrafted to
Jesus, who stands as the spiritual Messiah. This has been the relationship
of God and fallen men, according to the spiritual providence of restoration
after Jesus, up to the present moment. Therefore, fallen men can as yet
stand only as spiritual objects of God, because the spiritual providence of
restoration after Jesus has been to restore the spirit world first, just as
God had created the spirit world first. Accordingly, however devout a
Christian may be, since he has not been able to liquidate original sin
coming down through the flesh, no difference is found between him and the
saints of the Old Testament Age in light of their both not having been able
to remove themselves from the lineage of Satan (cf. Part I, Ch. 4, Sec. I,
4--147). Christians are at best adopted sons before God, because they are
children of a different lineage. For that very reason, Paul said:
Not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the
spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons... (Rom. 8:23)
Therefore, the Lord of the Second Advent must come to restore the whole
of mankind to be children of God's direct lineage. Consequently, he must be
born on earth, in flesh, as Jesus was. By so doing he must restore through
indemnity the course of Jesus, by walking it again. Therefore, the Lord of
the Second Advent must establish substantially, the foundation to receive
the Messiah, according to the "providence for the start", centering on the
Word; and by engrafting the whole of mankind both spiritually and physically
on this foundation, he must restore them to be children of God's direct
lineage, having removed the original sin.
Jesus established the family-level foundation by setting up twelve
apostles centering on the three main ones, and then broadened it to the
tribe-level foundation by setting up the 70 disciples, in order to restore
through indemnity the position of Jacob, who had been the central figure of
the family-level foundation for the Messiah. In the same manner, the Lord of
the Second Advent, must also restore the foundation to receive the Messiah
substantially, starting from family level, and gradually broadening it to
tribal level, racial level, national level, world level and then to the
cosmic level. On that foundation, he must finally be able to establish the
Kingdom of heaven on earth.
God, by setting up the chosen nation of the First Israel, prepared the
base for Jesus to come and fulfill rapidly the purpose of erecting the
Kingdom of Heaven, but due to their rebellion, He had to set up anew the
Christians as the Second Israel. Likewise, if the Christians, who have been
set up as the Second Israel for the ideal of the erection of the Kingdom of
Heaven by the Lord of the Second Advent, should also turn again him, God
will be compelled to abandon His elect of the Second Israel and choose anew
His elect of the Third Israel. Therefore, Christians of the Last Days, like
the Jewish people of the days of Jesus, are situated in very blessed
circumstances, but on the other hand, are in the position where they are
liable to become very miserable.
4. LESSONS LEARNED FROM JESUS' COURSE
First, in this case, God showed us what His predestination of His will
was like. God always predestines His will to be absolutely fulfilled in the
end. When John the Baptist failed to accomplish his mission, Jesus himself,
who came as the Messiah, intended to fulfill the will even by substituting
for John. Since the earthly Kingdom of Heaven was not realized due to
faithlessness of the Jewish people, Christ will come again to fulfill this
will.
In the next place, God showed us that His predestination concerning the
fulfillment of the will, centering on a certain individual or nation of His
elect, is not absolute, but relative. That is to say, though God may have
set up a certain individual or a nation to fulfill the purpose of His
providence of restoration, He would set up a new mission-bearer to succeed
in the work, if the former should fail to carry out his portion of
responsibility. Jesus had chosen John the Baptist as his main disciple, but
when he failed to carry out his responsibility, Jesus chose Peter in his
place. In another case, he chose Judas Iscariot as one of his 12 disciples,
but when Judas failed to fulfill his responsibility, Jesus chose Matthias in
his place (Acts 1:26). In a like manner, God chose the Jewish people to
fulfill the purpose of His providence of restoration, but when they failed
to carry out their responsibility, He shifted the mission to the Gentiles
(Acts 13:46, Matt. 21:33-43). In this way, even though God may have chosen a
certain man to fulfill His will, He can never absolutely predestine the
fulfillment of the will centering on any one person.
Third, God showed us that He does not interfere with man's own portion of
responsibility, but dominates only its result. When John the Baptist or
Judas Iscariot fell into faithlessness, it was not that God did not know it
nor that He was unable to stop it, but He did not interfere at all with
their faith, but dominated only the result of their deeds.
Finally, God showed us that the greater the mission of the person, the
more bitter the trial facing him. Since Adam turned against God in
faithlessness, Jesus, who came as the second Adam, in order to fulfill the
purpose of the providence of restoration, had to restore through indemnity
the position before the fall by showing good faith, from the position where
he is abandoned by God in place of Adam. Therefore, Jesus had to go through
Satan's temptations in the wilderness, and had to suffer on the cross,
completely abandoned by God (Matt. 27:46). |