Principle of Creation Part 1a -
Back to the Blueprint

Having thus concluded that God exists in masculine and feminine characteristics along with an internal character and an external form we are now in a position to know the original ideal of creation. A pure and ideal world, unstained by sin. So let’s resume where we left off. (Rewind animation) this same appeal to the beginning, was the same method that Jesus employed in his rebuke of the Pharisees in Matthew 19:4-8. “He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female…” When inquired about the divorce laws of Moses, Jesus once again appeals to God’s original framework for the covenant of marriage: “from the beginning it was not so.”Let us illustrate this principle of looking back to the original plan with an analogy. Suppose that you are the head of an infrastructure company. With a grandiose vision of a future building, your planning committee starts to map out the blueprint upon which your construction will be based. After strenuous brainstorming, they decide upon the blueprint. Afterwards, the construction team starts to build the building to near completion. However, one of your disgruntled employees destroys the foundation, leaving only remnants in its destruction. However, being determined to finish this building, what does your crew do? They look to the original blueprint to rebuild the destroyed building . In the same manner, we look to the original blueprint of creation to rebuild God’s desired world. So what was this initial plan? After God created the earth, God gave Adam and Eve the three great blessings for how they would build the model society: the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth (Gen 1:28).”First notice the order. The order is be fruitful, then multiply not multiply then be fruitful. The ideal world is where we achieve fruitfulness before we multiply. Let us define what being fruitful means. It is only when we put our mind in things that are above our base instincts that we produce fruit. Exercise is a great example. Our mind knows that exercise bears fruit for our bodies. Sometimes however, myself included (crying meme pls), people are lazy and don’t want to exercise. It is only through the unification of mind and body where you produce fruit for your mental and physical health. This is why Paul instructs us to “Set your minds on things that are above, not the things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2). As God is the highest good, only once our center is God is when our mind and body can unite to produce plentiful harvests for His kingdom. Thus, being fruitful means the unification of mind and body. Something must be stated first however. Before anything can bear fruit, it first must go through a set growing period. As we envision a tree when we hear the word fruitful, lets look at a tree for example. A tree must go through a set growing period before it has potential to bear fruit. As it starts out as a seed, with care and commitment, it slowly grows into a sapling then to a tree laden with fruits. Similarly, everything in God’s creation must pass through a growing period before it becomes physically mature. These growing stages are represented by the number 3 due to God being the substantial representation of the number three. We call each of these three stages formation, growth and completion stages of growth respectively. This completion of the individual is exactly what Jesus was pointing out when He commanded, “Be perfect as your Heavenly father is perfect in Matthew 5:48).” According to the Strong’s exhaustive Concordance of the bible, the greek word for perfect is teleios which means “complete (in various applications of labor, growth, character, etc) - achieving full age.” Therefore, to clarify, the achievement of the first blessing means going through the three stages of growth, not partaking in sin and achieving the unification of mind and body. Therefore, in Adam and Eve’s case, it is only after they go through these three stages of growth and achieve fruitfulness that they are allowed to unite as husband and wife. Following their fall, although the majority of us may not be able to achieve the first blessing in this life right now, abstaining from sexual relations outside the sacred confines of marriage is a vital prerequisite for the completion of the first and the allowance of the second blessing.Through the fulfillment of the first blessing, Adam and Eve’s mind would be absolutely centered upon God, making sin seem detestable rather than desirable. Although technically still possible to sin, no one would actually sin. They would fulfill Jesus’ command to “be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect” as mentioned previously. NT Christians may balk at such a claim that there is a possible world where we would not sin. After all, the apostle John wrote “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8). Is what we are affirming not blasphemous?I have two points in order. First, remember that the original ideal of creation was a world without sin. The apostle Paul affirms this when he states in Romans 5:12 “Therefore,… sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12). It is because Adam sinned that sin entered the world. To those who object, please allow me to ask a question. Do you truly believe that our perfect Heavenly Father would have desired the world that we live in now? Would a morally flawless being, whose core attribute is love, have desired a world ravaged with tremendous evils that many of us can not even comprehend? A world where those very image bearers of Himself are raped, tortured and genocided? Assuredly, this is not the world that God desired. (Pause). As such, God has been working tirelessly throughout history to bring us back to the original blueprint, the principle of creation.Second, NT Christian theology affirms that one day we could be without sin in three different ways. 1. The doctrine of perfection in Christian theology states that once a regenerate believer has been fully sanctified through the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit, he will reach a state where he cannot sin. Even among Christian circles there is debate on whether this full sanctification is only possible when we arrive in heaven or attainable on this material plane. We would obviously take the latter position. Paul seems to concur with this vision when he writes in Ephesians 4:13, quote “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the klnowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Chri¥st2. The reality of heaven is a state where the believer is finally united with the eternal weight of glory resulting in the believer not living in sin. 3. Finally, According to Christian eschatology, after the resurrection of the dead and the recreation of heaven and earth, Christians, with Christ, would reign in a perfect and sinless world. Therefore, the notion that believers will reach a point of sinlessness has overwhelming precedence in the Christian tradition.What about the second blessing? When united as mature individuals, Adam and Eve would not be false parents, but true parents. Consequently, all posterity would look to the True Parents of humanity for guidance and instruction. Further, as original sin was a consequence of the Fall of man, their descendants would not possess original sin, creating a perfect sinless society. As a result sinless human beings would fulfill the God given mandate to have dominion over creation thereby fulfilling the third blessing. The third blessing entails that although we can use the environment to the betterment of the human race, we are to be responsible and steward the gift that God has given us, reflecting love and beauty to God through his handiwork.Within the three great blessings, there is both the subject, which is the one that starts the giving and the object which receives the gift and multiplies beauty. Through the reciprocal give and take of both subject and object, a resulting union is formed.In the first blessing the mind stands in the subject position over the body as the body controls the mind. The absolute union between mind and body would create an ideal person, one whose mind is directly aligned with the will of God. In the second blessing, the man who stands in the subject position initiates by giving love in which the woman responds with beauty. Far from being a patriarchal hierarchy, the man is commanded by God to lay down his life for her, to love, cherish (Ephesians 5:25-27) and serve her by leading her as a king and priest (Revelation 5:10). In return, God commands her to respect and to be obedient to him. This is the biblical command, not a one sided patriarchal concoction.. As a result of their love, children would be produced. For the third blessing, as human beings relate with God’s creation, we return joy to God when we experience happiness through that object of creation. As a result, the world that would ensue would be the renewal of creation: the kingdom of heaven on earth.As they fulfill the first blessing they would perfect their individual selves. With the completion of the second blessing, Adam and Eve would have created a sinless family, expanding this ideal family into a tribe, society, nation and world. The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth would be established in Adam and Eve’s lifetime. Finally, with the fulfillment of the third blessing, Adam and Eve, as the True parents of posterity, would have dominion over the entire cosmos, thereby creating an entire human civilization centered upon God. God’s wish was that after Adam and Eve became the perfect individuals they would branch out this sinless state into the family, tribe, society, nation, world and cosmos… The big question is… what went wrong?

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Principle Series 2a - Proof that the Bible States Lucifer Had Sex with Eve

As we have seen, God had a utopian vision for man to live in prosperity and in unity with his Creator. Unfortunately however this fervent desire was unfulfilled due to the Fall. Let us search the Scriptures to investigate what truly took place at the Fall. With exception to characters already identified (God, Adam, and Eve) there are four symbolic representations within the Genesis narrative: the Tree of life, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the Serpent, and the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Let's start with the serpent. Scripture identifies the serpent outright “And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan…” (Revelation 12:9). Therefore, Satan was symbolically represented by the serpent as its forked tongue signals that it had a nature of deception. We can go further however. Satan could not have originally been an evil being, as God called the totality of His created order “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Thus, Satan must have originally been a good creature. The rest of Rev 12:9 states that “his angels were thrown down with him.” That means that before being banished, Satan enjoyed a position of status in which he had angels under his command. This is not all. In Rev 12:7, it contrasts Michael and his angels and the dragon and his angels. Jude 1:9 tells us that Michael is an archangel. Therefore, through inference, we can logically conclude that satan was originally an archangel. According to Isaiah 14:12, the name of the one who was cast down from heaven is named “Shining One, Son of the Dawn'' or Lucifer in Latin. Thus the serpent in the garden is the archangel Lucifer who had hosts of angels under his command. Lets come back to him later.What about the tree of life? As the Bible describes, the attainment of the tree of life is the fundamental desire of humanity. This was also Adam’s desire as indicated by God having to repel Adam from entering into Eden subsequent to the Fall. According to the previous video (Principle of Creation), we concluded that among others, Adam’s mission was to unite mind and body and achieve perfection. However as there is a growing period, Adam must first be obedient to not eat of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. Therefore, if Adam’s desire is the tree of life and to achieve mind and body unity, it is evidence to suggest that these two desires are actually one in the same. In other words the tree of life is what Adam should have pursued to become: The ideal man. Further evidence from Scripture indicates this fact. Proverbs 11:30 states “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life…” and “The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.” From these Scriptures we can thus argue that the tree of life is symbolically represented as the ideal, righteous man who is filled with wisdom. What of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? Well, if the tree of life symbolizes the Tree of Life, it would naturally make sense that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil represents the ideal woman. Further indication of this is found when we see that these two trees are planted next to each other in the center of the garden. The only reason that the tree of life is only mentioned in the rest of the Bible is because it is only through engrafting on to the perfect man, the Messiah, that we are able to enter the Kingdom of heaven.If we say that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil represents the ideal woman what would its fruit mean? Well first off, let's conclude that it is not a literal fruit. Among others, the strongest negation of a literal fruit is Jesus’ words in Matthew 15:11 “it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” Is our Lord’s words not clear enough that the fruit was not a literal fruit? Not only that, original sin is not passed on throughout humanity by the eating of a fruit. So what could the fruit symbolize? Lets turn to the Bible once again. The author of the Song of Solomon writes “A garden locked is my sister, my bride, a spring locked, a fountain sealed. Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates with all choicest fruits… (bride) let my beloved come to his garden, and eat its choicest fruits” (4:12-16). Proverbs 30:20 “This is the way of an adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I have done no wrong,” Thus, the fruit symbolizes love on the sexual level. With this fact, we can understand more deeply why the tree of the knowledge of good and evil symbolized what Eve should’ve become, the ideal woman. It would be through her fruit and the life that Adam would give (the tree of life) whether a good or an evil civilization would result.What did Adam and Eve do immediately after the Fall took place? They sewed fig leaves to hide their lower parts. Does this not indicate that the Fall was a misuse of their sexual organ? It is human nature to cover the place where they have sinned. A couple of years ago, a friend of mine had taken some candy from my cousin’s candy box. When confronted about where the candy could have possibly went, did he immediately sewed fig leaves together and hide his lower parts. No! That's not what he did! He covered his mouth where he was eating the jolly rancher that he took. In the same way, Adam and Eve would have covered their mouths, not their sexual organs if it was a literal fruit. Therefore the fall of Adam and Eve was a sexual fall. However, what about Lucifer? Notice that after the sexual fall of Adam and Eve, Adam points his finger at Eve, in which Eve points her finger at Lucifer, quote “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” We know that the fruit represents love on the sexual level and that one cannot have sex with themself. By definition there must be another person in which you are reciprocating love. If she is claiming that Lucifer made her do it, that would mean that Lucifer had sex with Eve.Wait what? How can an angel have sex with a human being? First, remember that we are both spiritual and physical beings. When we make love, there is not only the physical component of sex, but also spiritual and emotional components inherent within it. This is what we believe happened. Since Eve and Lucifer both had spiritual components, their sexual relationship must have happened on the spiritual level. Moreover, this is not the only instance that the Bible claims angels can have sex with human beings (other verses include) Genesis 6 where fallen angels came down, took women and made the nephilim, Genesis 19 where the men of Sodom try to rape the angels, and Jude 6-7 where it explicitly states that angels fell because of sexual immorality).Subsequent to the spiritual sexual fall, Eve, having guilty pangs of conscience, realized that her rightful companion was Adam, not Lucifer. She therefore (Now the fallen Eve) persuaded Adam to lie with her, thereby resulting in the physical sexual fall. More evidence supporting this notion of a sexual fall is indicated by God commanding his chosen people to perform circumcision. Every aspect of the Israelites lives were symbolized the separation of good and evil, clean and unclean. From the seeds that they planted, the clothing they wore and etc, every little thing was a constant reminder to separate from Satan. This is exactly what they did with circumcision. More on this later but as Satan claimed humanity with the sexual fall, by performing circumcision, they symbolically separated themselves from Satan’s lineage thereby making a condition to be God’s chosen people. The explanation of the sexual fall would correlate with the punishment to Eve for the fall: pains in childbirth and in childbearing.
Scripture is clear. The fall of man was a sexual fall that began with Lucifer and Eve, and then with Adam and Eve. Now obviously, there are consequences to our actions. As such, we will discuss in more detail what happened due to the tragedy of the fall in part two of the fall.

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Responses to Biblical Proof that Lucifer had Sex with Eve

Hello everyone, welcome back to the Advent. I actually didn't intend to make a separate video for answering comments, but as there were many genuine questions from you all, I thought that it would be productive to dedicate a video solely to answering objections. If you have not watched the video “Biblical proof that Lucifer had sex with Eve,” please watch it to get the full context (please include the I icon in the top right)Briefly summarizing, we saw that in the Genesis narrative, the serpent represented Satan, the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil represented the ideal man and ideal woman respectively. The fruit symbolized Eve’s love. Satan persuaded Eve to eat of the fruit- she then gave some to Adam, which he ate. This was the spiritual and physical fall of the first human ancestors. In the previous video, these conclusions were presented with solid Biblical evidence. Let’s take just one example, the fruit. I demonstrated that it wasn't a literal fruit with 6 different proofs: 1. Jesus’ words in Matthew 15:11 2. The Christian doctrine of Original sin 3. Other verses in the Bible saying or indicating the fruit is of a sexual nature e.g. Song of Songs 4:12-16, Proverbs 30:20. 4. Adam and Eve cover their lower parts after their fall 5. The Israelite law of circumcision 6. Punishment of Eve being related to a sexual fall. I gave numerous scriptural and doctrinal reasons as to why the fruit was not a literal fruit. It was not just asserted without evidence to support it. Thus to disprove the case, one must give actual reasons why the conclusions that were drawn were incorrect. Let's look at the various questions and objections that were raised in the previous video.So you are saying that sex was the fruit? Then how do you reconcile the part of scripture which says be fruitful and multiply?First, Thank you for watching the video and thank you for your question. With respect to your question, we are not saying that the fruit is Eve’s sexual organ but rather that it represents the love of Eve. However, the way that the love of Eve (fruit) was manifested was in the spiritual sexual union between Lucifer and Eve and the physical sexual fall between Eve and Adam.On your second question, that was answered in the previous video, “Principle series 1b - Back to the Blueprint.” I recommend to watch that video not only for the answer to this question but because we will be referring to that video in the future as well. But to keep it short, notice the order of the command given in Genesis 1:28: be fruitful and multiply. To be fruitful is the criterion for the allowance of the second blessing: multiply. It is only after Adam and Eve had reached fruitfulness that they are allowed to multiply. Again this is answered in more depth in Back to the Blueprint. Let's move on to the next question.Okay but if that fruit was sex then Satan had sex with Adam too? Because Adam also ate from that fruit. Please read (Genesis 3:6-7) please don’t ignore this comment and clear me on this point. And I don’t think it happened because Adam’s wife gave him from the fruit she ate. And if she did sex with Adam so it should not be counted a sin because God made Eve for Adam and said they will become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24)Thank you for your comment. As I stated earlier, the fruit represented the love of Eve. More importantly, however, the Bible does not state that Satan had sex with Adam. This is because after the fall, Adam says Eve, not Satan, made him eat of the fruit. With respect to the second question, I believe another gentlemen raised the same question So ill answer the genesis 2;24 then.He says Lucifer was an archangel. Bible says cherub.I saw various comments that stated Lucifer was just a cherub rather than an archangel. However, the two are not mutually contradictory; an angel can be both an archangel and a cherub at the same time. The word archangel in Greek: ἀρχάγγελος is made up of two separate words: ἄρχω (archo) and άγγελος (angelos). Archo means “to be first (in political rank or power), reign over and angelos meaning angel, or messenger. When put together, it just means chief angel. Therefore, an angel can be both. Lucifer is an archangel as Ezekiel 28:14, states that the one who was cast down was originally quote “anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you.” What does anointing mean in the Bible? Examples of King David or Jesus’ anointing tell us that if you were anointed, you were given status or authority over a certain group. This means that Satan was an ordained archangel because he was a chief angel over other angels.Something analogous to this is a prince. The prince is part of the human race but he also has a position of legal status (not intrinsic worth) over the inhabitants of a nation. In a similar manner, an archangel is an angel (or a cherub in this case) who has a position of authority over the other angels.Nice video but I think your argument is flawed. The fruit does not represent love on the sexual level. This is because of the following:1. Genesis 16-18 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. 18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. It is seen here Eve was not created when God gave Adam the command. So how come the fruit represents love on the sexual level? Who was Adam going to have sexual love with? Adam didn't even know he needed a woman until God created the woman for himThis objection is also answered in part in the previous videos. God had planned from the beginning that there was going to be a female counterpart to Adam. God’s vision for humanity was for Adam and Eve to dwell in His love in the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. As the substantial representation of masculine and feminine characteristics, God had planned both Adam and Eve before creating the entire cosmos. God is not so stupid that he just created a man and then afterwards in hindsight, realized there had to be a woman. Moreover, we see previous indication of Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter 1:27, where God said that he created them male and female. Therefore not only is there evidence before Genesis chapter 2, the principle of creation (1a and 1b) evidences that God had a grandiose vision prior to the creation of the world.Gen 1:27 God created male and female before the Gen 22. In Genesis 1:28 KJV And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. God Himself blessed Adam and Eve and said unto them to be fruitful and multiply. What does it mean to be fruitful and multiply? There are many ways to be fruitful and multiply. For sure sexual love is a way and God didn't mention it.We already answered 23. Genesis 2:24 KJV Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. The Bible already described Adam as the wife of Eve. A man is allowed by God to have sexual love with his wife. Thank you.Let me first clarify this. Sex is not inherently a bad thing. It's a good thing. God created sex to be pleasurable and enjoyable in the context of a heavenly-ordained marriage. It depends on whether we have sex to bring joy to God or to spread Satan's kingdom on the earth. To your objection however, we point you back to the original blueprint of creation: Be fruitful, multiply and have dominion. The order is to be fruitful then to multiply not multiply then be fruitful. I won't go more into this because I think we'll just be beating a dead horse. More importantly however, this verse is not talking about Adam and Eve. It is talking about the future generations. This is evidenced by the narrator stating that a man shall leave his father and mother. Because Adam and Eve are the first human ancestors, obviously they don't have a father and mother. In the next verse, verse 25 “Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.” However the Hebrew word translated as wife in that verse is נשׁים אשּׁה (nawasheem) which is primarily used as just a word that is opposite to man. In conclusion to this comment I think there is still ample grounds to conclude that the fruit was represented as the love of Eve (6 reasons).There were a couple of other objections but I believe they were discussed to some detail in the comment section in the previous video by me and others (can you do a wink emoji or meme with jonathan email on a black screen). For all who genuinely asked for my thoughts, rather than just claiming that I was wrong, thank you for your comment and your willingness to have an actual discussion. Not only is this staying obedient to the command of Scripture, it is only with the spirit of cordiality and intellectual respect that we can move these discussions forward.

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Principle Series 2b - We are the Children of the Devil

As a result of the fall, our blissful dwelling with our Heavenly Father was severed. God’s glorious vision for His children had been derailed by the beguilement of Lucifer and the misuse of free will by Adam and Eve. Although the original ideal was for mankind to create a family, and by extension, a civilization centered upon God, mankind established a civilization centered upon Satan. As we ousted our Heavenly Father and replaced Him with Satan as our Father, the three great blessings became the three curses that Satan used to dominate mankind with sin. Thus, man became a contradictory being: an unprincipled being who served two masters. Standing in a midway position between God and Satan, the vast majority of humanity (knowingly or not) has chosen to serve Satan as their Lord (This is not to say that God and Satan are equal)In Jesus’ words, Satan had effectively murdered humanity (John 8:44) at the fall. This death was a spiritual death. In other words, our physical bodies were not immortal before the fall. Reflecting the growth stages in His principles of creation, God created humanity to go through three stages of life. As such, we believe that physical death is a natural part of God’s creation. The first stage of life is the world of water or the womb. In this period, we are accustomed to the things of that world but slowly grow for another world, the world of the earth. At first, we didn't want to leave the old world. We don't know what lies beyond that world. And so we come into this world screaming and mourning our death in the world of water. In the same way, our physical lives on earth are a preparation period for the spirit world. As such, physical death is just a natural stage in God’s “very good” creation. If physical death did not occur before the fall, wouldn't the Garden of Eden have so many bugs and other animals that it would be impossible for it to be called a utopia? Moreover, spiritual death is so much more significant than physical death as dying spiritually determines our place in the eternal spirit world. Furthermore, when God commanded them not to eat of the fruit, God states quote “On the day that you eat of the tree you shall surely die” (Gen 2:17). However, instead of dying on that day, Adam lived to the age of 930 as written in Genesis 5:5. On the flipside, Adam and Eve’s relationship with God was severed on the day of the fall as they were cast out of the garden. As such the fall resulted in the spiritual death of mankind.As a result of the fall, we see that there are 4 types of sins that Satan uses to dominate humanity: Original sin, hereditary sin, collective sin, and individual sin. As we are most familiar with individual sin, let's start there. This type of sin refers to the sins that we commit on an individual level. Examples of this type of sin would be sins that are listed in the ten commandments like You shall have no other gods before me and do not murder. The next type of sin, collective sin, is the sin when an entire group of people is punished for the sin of a central person(s). Let's take 2 examples. In 1 Chronicles 21, King David, relying on human strength rather than God’s strength, performs a census over Israel. To punish David for his prideful behavior, God gives the monarch 3 choices. As such, David chooses 3 days of pestilence causing 70000 Israelites to perish. Another example of collective sin is Leviticus 4:3 where it states, “If it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people…” These two examples serve to clarify that collective sin, a punishment of a larger group due to a failure of the central person(s) , is a notion that has biblical precedence. Let’s move on to hereditary sin. Hereditary sin is when an ancestor, due to a sin that they had committed, is passed on to generations. A key example of this would be Yahweh casting Abraham’s descendants into 400 years of slavery because he failed to cut a dove in half (Genesis 15:13). “Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.” Further, 2 Kings 5:27 states that the servant of Elisha, Gehazi, was cursed with a hereditary curse of leprosy. Exodus 20:5, Exodus 34:7 and Deuteronomy 5:9 states that Lord will visit the “iniquity of the fathers to the third and fourth generations.” Therefore, with individual, collective, and hereditary sin being biblically defended, let's move on to original sin.Original sin, as the name indicates, is sin that is passed down through lineage because of the original sin: the sexual fall between Lucifer and Eve and Eve and Adam. Due to the spiritual and physical sexual fall, Satan dominates both spirit and body with sin. This is why Even Christians, who serve their Heavenly Father as Lord, lament their inclination to sin. As the apostle Paul writes,“In my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” (Romans 7:22-23)We see here that even the apostle Paul is mournful of his body that is in bondage to sin as an effect of the fall. This is because although we are spiritually liberated from Satan’s grasp by faith in Jesus, our bodies still remain under the authority of Satan (by means of original sin). This is precisely why Paul in the very next chapter of Romans states “Even we ourselves, groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23). We know that our bodies are not inherently bad. We were originally created as the “very good (Genesis 1:31)” “image bearers of God (Genesis 1:27).” However, due to the sexual fall and, as a result, original sin, Satan has become the father of humanity and has a claim over our bodies (and spirit if one is not a Christian). This bodily (and spiritual if not Christian) claim over all humanity is how Satan became the god of this world and the prince/ruler of the air as spoken of in 2 Corinthians 4:4 and Ephesians 2:2 respectively. Furthermore, the terminology of adoption supports this notion of original sin. Romans 8:23, Ephesians 1:5, and Galatians 4:3-7 all testify that when we receive salvation, we are adopted into God’s family. Let me ask this however: What does it mean to be adopted? It means that although we were born of another lineage, we are taken into a new lineage and family. Not only that, the fact that Paul says that we are bought at a price shows that we are under the rule of Satan until we are purchased by Christ. Lastly, the Jewish custom of circumcision, as being the prerequisite for being an Israelite, evidences that we are symbolically separating from the lineage of Satan. This custom of circumcision was then transformed into the rite of infant baptism in early Christianity. As Paul says in Colossians 2:11-12 : “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands… having been buried with him in baptism.” Thus, original sin, the method by which Satan has grasped control over humanity is authenticated by numerous lines of Scripture. Unless and until Christ returns to reverse the process of the fall, original sin will be the means by which Satan claims us as his children. Although we will discuss the mission of the messiah in greater depth, we can ascertain that the removal of original sin will play a key part in His ministry. Thus, we wait with eager longing for the advent of the Messiah.To summarize, because of the cataclysmic event of the fall, Satan used the 4 types of sin to have dominion over humanity with the majority of mankind choosing to serve Satan as their Lord. Due to the sexual fall, humanity was engrafted to Satan’s lineage and serve Satan as their Father. As even Christians still have original sin, we must look to the return of Christ to rescue us from the grip of Satan. But if the fall was such a catastrophe, why didn't the omnipotent, omnibenevolent God of the universe intervene? Not only will we be answering this question in the following video, we will also explore further results of the fall (e.g. Cain and Abel, the status of fallen man) in the next video.

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Principle Series 2c - Why Didn't God Stop the Fall?

As we have seen from the previous video, the fall resulted in Satan becoming the father of humanity, claiming and ruling mankind with 4 types of sin: original, hereditary, collective, and individual sin. Although our original value as human beings was the apex of God’s creation, the event of the fall plunged fallen mankind below the level of God’s creation. Even a worm, as God’s creation, serves God as its original Creator and master. In stark contrast, the fallen man, dominated by Satan with 4 types of sin, serves a false “god” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and “ruler” (Ephesians 2:2). Thus, he fell to a status lower than the angels or even animals. Many Christian circles have claimed that angels are higher in status than us. This was definitely true for the majority of human history as man was unable to escape the vice grip of Satan by the 4 sins mentioned above. However, with the providence of restoration, and with Jesus’ sacrifice, those who were spiritually born again were elevated as adopted sons and daughters of God. Thus, humanity through God’s providence, is slowly getting back to the original value of human beings prior to the fall. At the culmination of this divine providence is when the Messiah will come, removing original sin.It was only because we had become “deceitful above all things” that we were below the angels. Paul indicates clearly that as adopted children of God, we are above the angels when he states in 1 Corinthians 6:3, “Do you not know that we shall judge the angels?” The writer of Hebrews further clarifies that angels are “ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation (Heb 1:14).” Further, as God is our Heavenly Father, we enjoy a parent-child relationship with God, something entirely different than the master-servant relationship with God and angels. It is only due to the fall that we descended to a level lower than the angels. We had become the servants of servants.Originally, God created man to serve one master. However, with the fall, man now stood in a midway position, a position in which he could serve God or Satan. As such, if God tried to use Adam, Satan had a condition in which he could claim Adam as a result of the blood ties formed at the sexual fall. Although we were claimed by Satan, God still had a way to relate to us because He was our original Creator.Thus, in order to reclaim His children from the subjugation of Satan, God immediately tried to separate good and evil from the generation just subsequent to Adam and Eve: Cain and Abel. Just as Jesus separated wheat and chaff, sheep and goat as symbolic of God’s method of separating good and evil, (Luke 3:17, Matthew 25:32-33) God had to symbolically divide good and evil which was represented by Abel and Cain respectively.This is why the Lord stated, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated” in the first chapter of Malachi 1:2-3 which Paul repeats in Romans 9:13. A popular response is that in its ancient context, the word for hate doesn't imply what it seems to us; it just means disfavored. That’s fine. To that, we would ask “Why was Esau disfavored?” Was it because Esau was predestined to a prior eternal decree of damnation and everlasting fire? Why did God curse Esau before he was even born in Genesis 25:23? What was the reason behind this? Why did God accept Abel’s offering but not Cain’s? Why did He disfavor Cain? It was because Cain stood in a position to relate with Satan as a result of the first sexual fall. As we have proved, the sexual fall occurred in two stages: the spiritual sexual fall between Lucifer and Eve and the physical sexual fall between Eve and Adam. As the second sexual fall, although still a sin, was more in line with God’s original principle of creation, the second son, Abel, was chosen to symbolize good. On the flip side, as the elder son represented the completely unprincipled act of sex between Lucifer and Eve, Cain naturally symbolized evil. However, if Cain set up the necessary conditions to God, God would’ve received his sacrifice as he did with Abel’s as seen in the Lord’s statement, “ If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”This verse shows that Cain should been faithful to God’s Word and to uplift Abel even though God did not receive his offering.Well, isn't this the serpent seed doctrine? No. Although it may look to be similar at first glance, the Serpent seed theorist claims that Cain and his posterity are the direct lineage of Satan. Furthermore, the SS theorist claims that Abel and Seth (the rest of humanity), differing from Cain and his lineage, is born of God. However, this view largely depends upon arguments from silence and the Targum (ancient Aramaic translation of the Hebrew Bible) rather than the original Old Testament. If the same verses that the serpent seed theorist claims are read in the context of the original genesis narrative, this interpretation falls apart [check out this video for more information https://youtu.be/4Dxkn27HBo?si=aKfr2fDNe1FQwNC.To clarify our point, we are not saying that Lucifer, who is a purely spiritual being, had a human baby with Eve. Multiplication is a blessing only given to God’s children not to angels. In contrast, we are claiming that all humanity has been claimed due to the spiritual and sexual fall by means of original sin. It is not only Cain that is of the devil, it is the entire human race. More importantly however, we are not arguing that Cain was disfavored by God because he was literally of the devil. Rather, due to the order of the sexual fall, Cain was disfavored by God because he stood in a position to relate with Satan as he symbolically stood in the position of evil. We will definitely return to this topic in later episodes but this is exactly why God had loved Abel but hated Cain.All this time, we have been talking about the disastrous consequences of the fall of man. But, why couldn’t just stop the fall in the first place? If due to the fall, all of God’s children were enslaved and tarnished by the vicegrip of sin, why didnt God stop this calamity from ever taking place? We believe that he didn’t stop the fall because of two reasons.1. For God to maintain the absoluteness of the Principle of Creation.As you might recall from our second video, we saw that there were three growth stages that man had to go through in order to fulfill the first blessing: be fruitful (i.e. unification of mind and body centered upon God). Only once Adam and Eve fulfilled the first blessing, God could directly govern their minds which would render them (basically) incapable of sin. However, if God were to interfere within this growing period, that would be tantamount to God ignoring the system which He had created. However, as God’s nature is of perfection and absolutness, the principles by which He created is perfect and absolute. God lays out this character of absoluteness when He states in Isaiah 46:11 “I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.” Thus, God could not have stopped the fall as He would be violating the absolute nature of His eternal principles.2. To maintain the Lordship of humanity of creationFinally, God could not intervene in the human fall as God gave Adam and Eve free will. By definition, love requires a free choice to will the good of another. As such, if God forced Adam and Eve not to partake in the sexual fall, it would be as if God were ignoring human responsibility to choose to love him. God does not want a world full of automatons however. God (and us mind you!) desires an actual love relationship rather than a being that is programmed to “love” you in return.As such, God is deeply grieved as He watches the majority of humanity run to the father of lies rather than to Him. Genesis 6:6-7 describes the heart-rending sorrow that our Heavenly Father endures due to the Fall of man “And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart… I am sorry that I have made them.” To restore this fallen world into a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1), God has worked relentlessly to bring His Son, the Messiah, onto this earth. Although God sends the Messiah, it is our portion of responsibility to “believe in the one whom He (Heavenly Father) has sent” (John 6:29). Before we can talk about the Mission of the Messiah, however, it is essential to grasp how God dynamically relates to us in the flow of time. Not only that, as the method of how God interacts with us is critical for creating a coherent, biblical theology, let us explore the question… What does Scripture indicate about how God relates with us?

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Principle Series 3a -
Can God's Plan Fail?

How does God deal with His children according to the Bible? Well, God tells us outright in the book of Deuteronomy, “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God…” (Deuteronomy 11:26-28). The Lord repeats this sentiment in later chapters “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live…” (Deuteronomy 30:19). As we see in this passage, God always wishes for His children to choose the path of blessing. However, it is due to His loving nature that God gave us free will thereby permitting us to defy Him to our detriment. Furthermore, the Lord presents two diverging paths that His people could choose: blessing or curse. Although it is explicitly mentioned in the book of Deuteronomy, the notion of blessing or curse, life or death is implied in all of God’s decrees: from Genesis to Revelation. In the Garden, good or evil (blessing or curse) would result depending on whether Adam and Eve restrained themselves until God’s anointed time. Unfortunately, they chose the latter. In the last days, those who choose to serve Christ will inherit the Kingdom of God, while those who pursue the world will be separated from the Holy One. Two conclusions flow from this narrative of blessing or curse. First, it is that God’s statements (of blessing or curse) are almost always contingent upon the obedience of the people. Second, that we bear a portion of responsibility as God’s children. Let us first examine the former in more depth.There are numerous instances where God uses conditional language, (i.e. words like “if,” “may,” and “perhaps”) throughout Scripture (e.g. Exodus 4:8-9, Jeremiah 26:3, Ezekiel 12:3). Further, even though God may not explicitly address that a command is conditional, Scripture states that God’s decrees are almost always contingent upon the response of the people. This notion is nowhere more clearly illustrated than Jeremiah 18,“If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.”This principle of divine repentance (changing one’s mind NOT confession and turning away from sin) and unspoken conditionals as expressed in Jeremiah is evidenced by Jonah’s unequivocal proclamation, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown!” (Jonah 3:4). With this grave warning of destruction (or curse), the entire city repents from its debauchery, resulting in the city not being laid waste. Notice that there was no conditional element within Jonah’s declaration. Not only is this evidenced by the Ninevites’ uncertainty about whether God would forgive them (Jonah 3:9), but this merciful nature of God is precisely why Jonah resisted traveling to Nineveh in the first place! (Jonah 4:2). Although there are considerably more examples of divine repentance (same use of the word!), I think an analogy will help us better understand this notion of God changing His mind.Imagine the following: you are a king over a powerful nation. As you start to reach an old age, you must transfer the kingdom to one of your sons who carries the same heart and mission as yourself. As your first son starts to show signs of faithfulness, you start to think and give indications of divesting your kingdom into him. But just weeks before the transferral of the kingdom, he unjustly rallies and attacks an ally nation. As such, even though you had said that he would get the heirship, in light of the change in his behavior, he will not be the heir to the kingdom; another will take his place. Notice that you are not changing your mind because you are fickle or “just because.” Rather the crown was contingent upon the continued faithful behavior of the first son. In other words it was implicit within your seemingly unconditional statement that there is a conditional element within it. This is common sense for everyone in the real world! But for some mysterious reason when we do theology, we divorce this self-evident concept from the living and personal God of Scripture.In a similar manner, when God declares something, the conditional is implicit even in a seemingly unconditional statement. Let me clarify this so there can be no possibility of misunderstanding. God is faithful and will carry out His promises. God expounds on the absoluteness of His character when He states in Isaiah 46:11 “I have spoken, I will bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will do it.” But, as stated in Jeremiah, when He proclaims a blessing over a nation, He will fulfill His promise, provided that the nation continually adheres to His commandments. To bring up another biblical example, God originally had intended to keep Saul’s kingdom over Israel forever (1 Samuel 13:13). However, with Saul’s repeated disobedience, God laments that He ever made Saul king in 1 Samuel 15:11 and 35.With these examples, it must be clarified that, strictly speaking, it is not God that changes first. Rather it is because of our disobedience that God must change His plans. On the individual level all the way to the national level, there are two paths that one could tread when faced with God’s command: either be obedient to God and, as a consequence, know true happiness and inherit everlasting life, or chase the world resulting in short-term pleasures and spiritual death. We call this dual nature of prophecy, dual prophecy. To say it another way, the outcome of prophecy is largely contingent upon the response of the people. However, even though there are two paths that Israel can walk, it is evident from God’s loving character (and the texts mentioned above) that God fervently desires Israel to choose blessing over curse; there is a path that our Heavenly Father wishes for us to tread. However, it is up to our free will to decide.Us having a portion of responsibility is not to say that we do everything and God does little to nothing. To the contrary. Although the entire council of Scripture testifies to this, Isaiah 5:1-5 proves to be particularly significant. Within this story, God is described as the owner of a vineyard with the vineyard symbolizing Israel. God does everything possible to try to produce a plentiful harvest. He plants the choicest vines, clears stones, chooses a fertile hill, places a watchtower, and rightfully expects a bountiful harvest. However, instead of good grapes, the vineyard produces wild grapes. As such, God states “What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it?” To symbolically illustrate this mass difference in responsibility, we represent God’s portion of responsibility as 95% while man’s is 5%. After all, the very fact of our existence is by the grace of God. Our portion of responsibility is to hear the Word, believe it, and actualize His commandments in our life till the day we reach the third stage of life: the spirit world. Although our 5% may be a meager number compared to God’s 95%, that small 5% percent takes 100% of our effort.However, let me be clear on this: This is not to say that we can merit salvation. Salvation is a gift that is 100% from the grace of God. But to believe in God to whom you are receiving the gift, accepting the gift, dedicating your life, and living for Him is represented by the 5%. In other words, through cooperation with grace, we are vindicated as true Christians. As our Lord stated in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Thus, even that 5% is possible only through the grace of God who uses us as His hands and feet in the world. In the fulfillment of the blessing or curse, we must fulfill our portion of responsibility to believe in God’s Word and actualize it; It is not enough to just have intellectual assent or hear the command of God. As the Lord states, you must “obey commandments of the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 11:26-28).”Thus, because prophecy is by nature, a forked road, we must be careful to heed God’s commandments and to actualize them in our life as we must fulfill our portion of responsibility. However, this critical realization is not only vital for our personal lives; recognizing this profound biblical axiom that prophecy is inseparably linked with a portion of responsibility will allow us to navigate the dual prophetic nature concerning Messianic prophecy. With this Scriptural concept being firmly established we ask, what was the Mission of the Messiah?

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Principle Series 4a - Why Jesus is a False Messiah for Jews

Was Jesus a false messiah? No! But it makes sense why people (especially Jews) think so. Here’s why. As we have seen in the last video, the full completion of prophecy hinges upon the human portion of responsibility (e.g. Jer 18, Jon 4, Exodus 4:8-9); In other words, prophecy, by nature, exists in a dual fashion. Thus, there are two sets of Messianic prophecy in the Old Testament. The overwhelming majority of Old Testament prophecy foretells a Messianic king who, by charismatic diplomatic relations and righteous judgment, would revitalize and establish the eternal Jerusalem, publishing peace and prosperity to the world. On the flipside, there are a handful of prophecies that (purportedly) testify to the course of the suffering servant.Although these prophecies outline the Messianic age in varying detail (some more some less), as it stands, there are 80 prophecies (that I could find) testifying of the reigning king in comparison to the handful of prophecies of a suffering Messiah (i.e. Isaiah 53, Psalm 22).
1. Genesis 12:1-3
2. Genesis 22:17-18
3. Genesis 49:8-11
4. Numbers 24:17-19
5. 1 Samuel 2:10
6. 2 Samuel 7:24-26
7. 2 Samuel 22:50-51
8. 2 Samuel 23:5a
9. 1 Kings 2:45
10. 2 Kings 8:19
11. 1 Chronicles 17:11-14; 17:22
12. 1 Chronicles 22:10
13. 2 Chronicles 33:4; 33:7b
14. Psalm 2:2; 6-12
15. Psalm 18:50
16. Psalm 48:8
17. Psalms 72
18. Psalm 89:3-4
19. Psalms 89:20-29
20. Psalm 105:8-10
21. Psalm 110
22. Psalm 111:5; 111:9b
23. Psalm 125:1
24. Psalm 132:13-18
25. Psalms 145:10-13
26. Isaiah 2:1-4
27. Isaiah 9:1-7
28. Isaiah 10:20-34
29. Isaiah 11:1; 4-16
30. Isaiah 14:1-4a
31. Isaiah 16:5
32. Isaiah 19:18-25
33. Isaiah 24-26
34. Isaiah 27:1-6; 27:12-13
35. Isaiah 29:17-24
36. Isaiah 42:1-17
37. Isaiah 49:1-12; 22-23
38. Isaiah 51:4-5
39. Isaiah 52:1-10
40. Isaiah 59:15b-21
41. Isaiah 60
42. Isaiah 62
43. Isaiah 65:17-25
44. Isaiah 66:12-24
45. Jeremiah 3:14-18
46. Jeremiah 16:14-15
47. Jeremiah 23:5-6
48. Jeremiah 30:8-9
49. Jeremiah 31:1-36
50. Jeremiah 33:14-22
51. Ezekiel 16:59-60
52. Ezekiel 28:25-26
53. Ezekiel 34:23-29
54. Ezekiel 36:8-15
55. Ezekiel 36:33-38
56. Ezekiel 37:15-28
57. Ezekiel 40-48
58. Daniel 2:36-44
59. Daniel 4:3
60. Daniel 7:13-14
61. Daniel 7:26-27
62. Hosea 2:16-20
63. Hosea 3:4-5
64. Joel 3
65. Amos 9:11-15
66. Obadiah 1:17-21
67. Micah 4:1-8
68. Micah 5:2-14
69. Zephaniah 3:9-20
70. Haggai 2:6-9
71. Zechariah 2:1-12
72. Zechariah 6:12-15
73. Zechariah 8:3-17 ; Zechariah 8:20-23
74. Zechariah 9:9-16
75. Zechariah 10
76. Zechariah 12:6-9
77. Zechariah 13:1-2
78.Zechariah 14:3-12
79. Malachi 3:1-5
80. Malachi 4
13/17 prophetic booksAs we can see, the vast number scale between these two sets of prophecies indicates that God’s intended plan is that Israel obey the Messiah to establish and inherit the eternal city. Lets take at some of these in more depth.Being one of the most famous Messianic passages, Isaiah 9:1-7 states,But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. 4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.As we can see, the prophet foretells of an era in which Jerusalem will no longer be in anguish, as the Messiah shall rule His kingdom with order and justice. The Son, who is given to the people of Israel, is positively identified as the Christ due to the various messianic titles bestowed upon Him, such as “Mighty God,” “Everlasting Father,” and the “Prince of Peace.” Having “the government upon His shoulder” which “of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end,” He will sit upon the throne of David “to order it and establish [His everlasting kingdom] with judgment and justice.”Shifting gears to the book of Micah, the prophet outlines the future glorious status of Jerusalem in extraordinary detail“Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the Lord’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And peoples shall flow to it. 2 Many nations shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion the law shall go forth, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem…” (Micah 4:1-2).Continuing in the next chapter the prophet continues,“out of you [Bethlehem] shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting…And He shall stand and feed His flock In the strength of the Lord, In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God; And they shall abide, For now He shall be great To the ends of the earth; 5 And this One shall be peace. they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod at its entrances; and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian when he comes into our land and treads within our border…Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries, and all your enemies shall be cut off…And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance on the nations that did not obey.” (Micah 5:2-14)It is quite self-evident what the prophet Micah envisioned when he prophesied of the messianic age. With the New Jerusalem being established on the peak of the mountains, the law would go forth out of Jerusalem, publishing peace and executing justice among the nations, resulting in a posterity that no longer knows of war.Although it is impossible to cover all these prophecies in this video, the Messianic expectation from the Old Testament cannot be more clear. These 80+ prophecies (with varying detail) foretell of a time when the declaration of the Lord would culminate into the advent of the righteous Branch of David, who “shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely” (Jeremiah 23:5-6). With the incarnation of The Messiah, He would “raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old,” (Amos 9:11-15) in which “The nations will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore” (Ezekiel 37:15-28). With all nations flowing to the house of the Lord (Isaiah 2:1-4) the Messiah would have “the government upon His shoulders and of the increase of His government there will be no end” (Isaiah 9:1-7). With the sun of righteousness with healing in its wings (Malachi 4) shining behind them, the “Root of Jesse… shall stand as a banner to the nations” (Isaiah 11:1;4-16) “execut[ing] justice and righteousness in the land” (Jeremiah 33:14-22). In those days, the law shall go forth out of Zion (Micah 4:1-8), and “all peoples, nations and languages should serve [the Messiah],” (Daniel 7:13-14) making all His enemies His footstool (Psalm 110). Although “all nations will serve Him” (Psalm 72), this will not be a tyrannical sovereignty as “the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 29:17-24) because of the Messiah’s peaceful and righteous dominion (e.g. Isaiah 10:20-34, 11:1;4-16, 19:18-25, 60, Ezekiel 36:8-15, Zechariah 9:9-16). Rather than fearing this new sovereignty, the peoples of all nations will rejoice, awaiting the light of Zion to proclaim liberty to those held captive under the iron fist of tyrannical rulers (Isaiah 42:1-4). The Lord will “give the ends of the earth for [His Son’s] possessions” (Psalm 2:2-12), and “establish Him in My house and in My kingdom forever” (1 Chronicles 17:11-14). In that day as ten men from varying nations will grab ahold of the Jew saying “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you” (Zechariah 8:23) because “Violence shall no more be heard in your land” (Isaiah 60).As we have seen, the verdict of the messianic expectation is illustrated with extraordinary detail in the Old Testament. It is precisely because of the exceptional Scriptural backing (remember 80 prophecies!) why the Jewish people living contemporaneously with Jesus zealously expected a glorious king (e.g. Mark 15:43, Luke 1:71-74; 23:50-51) and have clutched on to this belief until this present day.
However what about the sacrifical lamb prophecies like Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22? Wasn't the Messiah supposed to die the first time and come back as the Lord of glory in the second Advent? In addition to these pressing questions, we will also examine prophecies in the New Testament to show that the Messianic belief was consistent between the Old and New Testament. Thank you for watching.

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Principle Series 4b - The Real Reason God Sent Jesus

Through several centuries of faithful prophets and messengers, God eventually provided a complete Messianic framework for His covenant people: A glorious judge and justifier, a righteous ruler and redeemer, a victorious Prince of Peace who was to establish the imperishable city of God. This grandiose vision of the Messiah, however, is not only isolated within the Old Testament. With the imminent incarnation of the King of Kings, Heaven influenced major figures in the life of Jesus in order to prepare them for Jesus’ Mission.Zechariah prophesying by the Holy Spirit states (Luke 1:67),
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath which He swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered up from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days” (Luke 1:68-75).We see that Zechariah, through his faithful declaration, held the same conviction of the Messiah that His people had held for over a millennia.The horn that Zechariah mentions likely harkens back to Psalm 132:17-18,
“There I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed. His enemies I will clothe with shame, but on him his crown will shine.”A priest at the temple, Zechariah was intimately familiar with the Tanakh from a young age. As such, it is no surprise that he harkens back to his predecessors' covenant promise, reminding contemporary and future audiences about the Mission of the Messiah. [the two are “as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old”, “to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath which He swore to our father Abraham”].When we look at the Magnificat of Mary, we observe that she also held to the same Messianic vision of Zechariah. Chosen to bear the savior of the world (Luke 1:46-56), Mary magnifies the Lord with praises of deliverance from satanic sovereignties that have trampled the Israelites for centuries. Furthermore, in remembrance of His mercy to Israel, God will show His mighty hand and scatter the proud in heart, fulfilling His original promise to Abraham. These powerful prophecies of the Old Testament is the exact reason the three wise men came to the manger, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him” (Matt 2:2). Although likely Zoroastrian, they nevertheless had the revelation and spiritual openness to recognize that the one to be king of the world had been born. Lastly, when Jesus is presented at the temple, the prophetess, Anna blesses the Lord for the imminent redemption of Israel. Thus we see in all stratas of Israel, from rich to poor, young and old, male and female having the same messianic expectation as the prophets of old.Although the aforementioned declarations provide a secure messianic expectation of a victorious liberator, the prophecy that had originally sparked the praise is even more exceptional. Directly conveying the will of God, Angel Gabriel prophesies before Mary: “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:32-33). Standing on the firm foundation of Old Testament prophecies, Gabriel’s prophecy concerning Christ represented the entirety of the promise to the house of David: The Messiah, coming from the seed of David, would usher in an everlasting physical and spiritual kingdom, spreading its blessings to the entire world. Thus, not only did all of Jewish society believe in the coming redeemer of Jerusalem, Scripture reveals that the primary messenger of God had the same expectation of the mission of the Messiah.However, isn't it that the Jews misunderstood what the Mission of the Messiah was? Wasn’t Christ supposed to come, die on the cross the first time, and then in His second advent establish Jerusalem? Well, If it was the case that Jews held a false conception of the Messiah from generation to generation for over a thousand years, why didn't God correct this monumentally erroneous expectation? That means that every messenger, prophet, and angel, who all knew the will of God were conveying a message that they knew to be happening not at the first coming of the Messiah but at the second coming! Not only that, among the 80 prophecies where God is directly speaking, that means that God, although He Himself knows that the vast majority of prophecy is going to be fulfilled in the second coming, is speaking as if it is going to be fulfilled in the first coming. Every single one of the 80 reigning king prophecies was an opportunity for the Lord to clarify this doctrine of paramount value. [This is not saying that The Lord was obligated to reveal this but that if it was that important He probably would have] If we take this theory to be true, that means that God had basically deceived His chosen people for over a millennia, something that we know our thrice holy God is incapable of doing. Listed as one of the thirteen principles of the faith by the great Jewish teacher Maimonedes, the person of the Messiah is one of the most central tenets in Judaism. It is inconceivable that God would intentionally keep this core tenet of the faith hidden in the face of His chosen people.That does not mean that Jesus was a false Messiah however. As we will see later, several key moments in Jesus’ ministry (along with Christian theology and history) indicate that He was not supposed to walk the tragic path of the sacrificial lamb.Then what about Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, and other verses that supposedly prove that Jesus was supposed to die? Well, we saw that in the last video, God’s plan in dealing with His children is always dual-faceted: blessing or curse (Deut 11:26-28). If the people obey God’s voice and heed His commandments, the path of life and blessing will be granted. However, if they turn their back on the Lord and destroy what is good and holy, then God would inevitably have to punish the people. Thus, in the Old Testament, there are two sets of prophecies concerning the destiny of the Messiah consistent with the aforementioned pattern of dual prophecy: the reigning king prophecies and the sacrificial lamb prophecies. If the people received the Messiah, the everlasting holy city would be constructed, publishing peace and prosperity to the entire world. On the other hand, if the people did not receive the Messiah, He would be killed, resulting in another people to inherit Israel and later requiring a second advent of Christ.We see this exact indication of the notion of a blessing and a curse in the last chapter of Malachi. As the last prophet in the Old Testament before 400 years of silence, Malachi represents a significant vision concerning the mission of the Messiah. He writes,“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts. “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction. (Malachi 4).As seen here, in the latter days, there are two paths Israel can walk. It is contingent upon Israel’s decision whether “the Sun of righteousness will arise with healing in its wings” or “the land be struck with a decree of utter destruction” (Malachi 4:2, 6). Promising the advent of Elijah, this stern warning to the Israelites serves as a template for the dual nature of Old Testament messianic prophecy.With the incarnation of the Son of God, the eschatological vision moved beyond the realm of prophecy. In a humble manger, all of the messianic predictions disseminated throughout the Old Testament had finally reached their potential for fulfillment: The kingdom of Heaven was at hand. The question is, what did the Messiah think His mission was?

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Principle Series 4c - Jesus' Secret Mission

As we have seen, the vast majority of both Old and New Testament prophecy points to a messianic liberator who would rescue and revitalize the battered house of David, spreading the bountiful fruits of God’s righteous Kingdom into all nations. But, what did the Messiah think His mission was?When asked by His disciples how to pray, Jesus gives the model prayer for all subsequent followers of Christ, “Pray then like this… Thy Kingdom come Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10). By providing this model for all future believers, Christ instructs all of us to possess the same fervent desire to bring God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven There is no indication of His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection even found in the model prayer. On the contrary, we see that Jesus expressed the same expectation of the physical Kingdom of God that His people had held for over a thousand years. Thus, this representative proclamation reveals that Jesus’ primary desire was to build God’s Kingdom on earth rather than to walk the lonely path of the suffering servant.Next, Jesus’ self-identification as the second Lord (Matthew 22:42-45) in David’s psalm (Psalm 110) directly evidences His mission as the victorious liberator foretold by the prophets. Christ inquires the Pharisees, “What do you think about the Christ? Who’s son is He?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord... If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” Despite being a physical descendant of David, by indirectly identifying Himself as the Lord over David, Jesus points to His divine status all the while claiming to be the second Lord in Psalm 110. When we realize the implications of Jesus’ association as the second Lord within David’s psalm, Christ’s desire becomes quite plain,The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! Your people shall be volunteers In the day of Your power; In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, You have the dew of Your youth. The Lord has sworn And will not relent, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” The Lord is at Your right hand; He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath. He shall judge among the nations, He shall fill the places with dead bodies, He shall execute the heads of many countries.Thus, the Messianic link between David’s psalm and Jesus’ claim indicates Christ’s desire to fulfill the psalmic prophecy.Old Testament prophecy as well as Jesus’ statements evidence that Jesus’ mission was initially directed to the Jewish people, “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel” (Matthew 10:5-6) and “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). Further indication of this is in what scholars call the “messianic secret.” Within the early sections of the synoptic gospels, Jesus maintained secrecy of the proof of His messiahship to the wider community with exception to the leadership of Israel, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them” (Matthew 8:4). Jesus singling out the priestly class of Jewish society indicates that Jesus was trying to persuade them to believe in the King of Jerusalem. Tragically however, wherever Jesus went to prove His messiahship, He was only met with scorn and animosity.Thus, Jesus righteously rebukes them:“I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.” “Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the works of your own father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they protested … Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God… You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires… because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? (John 8:37-46).Jesus rebukes the leadership of Israel for “having no room for His word” because they were trying to kill Him. If Jesus’ original mission is to be crucified at the hands of Jewish religious leaders, then why is He chastising them for not abiding by His teachings? The very fact that Jesus reprimands the Pharisees numerous times for their unbelief indicates that they were supposed to believe in their Savior. Further, although acknowledging their physical descent from Abraham, Jesus states that their current actions of attempting to crucify Him are in diametric opposition to what Abraham would have done. As such, Jesus essentially states that their schemes of murder will be in total contradiction to God’s desired will. Jesus negates the Pharisees' claim that they are, in fact, spiritually descended from Father Abraham. Rather, they are of their father the devil as they “want to carry out [his] desires.” Is this not furnished proof that the path of the cross is an inversion of God’s original intention? Hindering God’s plans for thousands of years, the devil is not so dumb as to unintentionally contribute to God’s plan of salvation. Jesus states that the cross is not God’s primary will–His admonishment of the scribes and Pharisees directly infer that they were to uplift the Messiah rather than to follow Satan’s desire to crucify the King of Kings.Similar to the previous narrative, as Israel repeatedly fails to recognize the One who is far more exalted than prophets (Jonah) or kings (Solomon) Jesus pronounces that the men of Nineveh and the queen of the south will rise up with judgment against that generation of Israel. The obvious implication of Jesus’ rebuke is that Israel should have been faithful to the Son of God rather than to contrive devious plots to murder God-incarnate. Otherwise, why does Jesus denounce Israel’s obstinacy? Jesus, embodying the perfect heart of Heavenly Father is expressing that Israel should unite with Him. Not only that, Jesus' denunciation to the various cities for their lack of repentance is further indication that Israel should have welcomed their King (Matthew 11:20-24, Luke 10:13-16).Let's turn to Luke 4:17-21. When Jesus was handed the Isaiah scroll to choose a certain passage for the Sabbath, Jesus reads Isaiah 61:1-2. After the reading, He announces before everybody present at the synagogue that today this Scripture was fulfilled. This is significant for two different reasons. First, the rest of Isaiah 61 foretells that in the year of the Lord’s favor, centering upon a Spirit-filled man, He would liberate and gather the Jewish people, resulting in bountiful blessings and everlasting peace. This notion is further supported by the passages surrounding Isaiah 61 (60 and 62), both of which follow the same messianic vision. By proclaiming that this Scripture was fulfilled in that hearing, Jesus was in effect saying that the Spirit-filled man who was to rescue Israel was present. He was that man. Moreover, if Jesus was supposed to be the sacrificial lamb as stated in traditional theology, then why did Jesus deliberately skip Isaiah 53 and instead go to a passage of liberty being proclaimed to the Jews? Located only a few passages away, this would be the opportune time to correct the centuries-held misconception and declare His original mission as the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. Instead, we see that Jesus is being consistent with the vast majority of Old Testament prophecy when he states that He is the Spirit-filled man who is to bring forth the year of the Lord’s favor. Furthermore, how could Isaiah 61 be fulfilled “today” if it was going to be realized in the second advent of Christ? It is only when we look through the same lens of the vast majority of both Old and New Testament prophecy that Luke 4 serves as a powerful representation of Christ’s original mission; the year of the Lord’s favor was upon the Jewish people; the fulfillment of God’s desire however, hinged upon whether the prepared people accepted the Messiah.However, what happened to this promised year of the Lord’s favor? As I will explain in the next episode, in addition to more evidence for Jesus’ primary mission, we will be able to pinpoint this gradual shift from the primary course to the tragic secondary course. Until then, thank you for watching, and have a blessed day.

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Principle Series 4d - Biblical Proof that Jesus was Not Supposed to Die

We have seen that the notion that the Messiah was not supposed to die has strong biblical foundation in both Old and New Testament prophecy, as well as testimony from Jesus Himself. Before looking at more proof that Jesus was not supposed to die, we must first ask: when did the gradual shift from the desired primary course to the tragic secondary course begin to take place? First, we know from the gospel of John that there were 4 Passovers (John 2:13; 5:1; 6:4; 13:1) in the ministry of Christ. Knowing this, we can know that the shift from primary to secondary started to take place in near the third year of Christ’s ministry (i.e. Matthew 14:13, Mark 6:31-32, Luke 9:10, and John 6:1-4). During the (roughly) first two years, Jesus emphatically proclaimed the imminent kingdom of God, e.g. “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15) and “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). The gospel that Jesus identifies is not the death, burial and resurrection of Christ; the gospel is the good news of the kingdom and to “believe in Him whom He has sent” (John 6:29).We only begin to witness the pronouncements of the suffering course in His third year of ministry. Matthew 16:21 states: “From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” The qualifier “from that time,” indicates that the disciples had not heard of the destiny of crucifixion up until that moment. The sudden shift in the mission is also evident in the disciples’ confused reaction after Christ announces that He must walk the suffering course: “The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, they did not know what He was talking about” (Luke 18:34, also see Luke 9:45, Mark 9:32). Furthermore, the question that the disciples ask Jesus just prior to His ascension, “Lord will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6) evidences the expectation that Jesus was supposed to herald the physical kingdom of God through Israel. Why would the disciples, who had spent every day for the last 3 years (roughly) together with Jesus, expect that Jesus was going to restore the kingdom if He was preaching the message of Calvary from the very beginning? The disciples were not so stupid as to hold a false conception of the Messiah’s mission when they had the priceless opportunity to talk with the Son of God everyday for 3 years! Thus, all of the aforementioned reasons on top of Christ’s statements are evidence of an acute alteration of the Messiah’s original mission.Realizing Israel’s failure of unity with Him, Christ weeps over Israel, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate.” (Matthew 23:37-38, ). His lamentation over Jerusalem’s willful insubordination provides yet another scriptural testimony of Jesus’ wish that Israel would heed God’s gracious calls instead of scheming to crucify Him. Jesus is stating that Israel’s constant pattern of killing the prophets of God, including Himself, are in diametric opposition to the will of Heavenly Father! It is because of their decision to be obstinate when faced with unconditional love, that God could not fulfill His expressed desire of gathering His children as a hen gathers her brood. Jesus proclaiming that Israel will be left “forsaken” in Luke and “desolate” in Matthew directly contradicts the prophecy of Isaiah 62 concerning the messianic age, “You shall also be a crown of glory… and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate…” (Isaiah 62:3-4a). Jesus is weeping and telling His audience outright that Israel has failed in her mission to accept the one who was to bring about the golden age of Israel. Therefore, Israel will be “forsaken” and laid in desolation as they crucified their Savior.In Luke 19:41-44 Jesus goes further, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace!” In verse 44, Jesus proclaims judgment and curses Israel precisely because “they did not know the time of their visitation.” Jesus specifying “on this day” is proof that the Israelites contemporary to Jesus should have “known the things that make for peace” (v. 42) Otherwise, why would Jesus be lamenting that “they did not know the time of their visitation” if it was God’s original will that Jesus be crucified by the hands of the chief priests and scribes? Jesus was weeping because He realized that due to the physical kingdom not being established at His first coming, He would have to return to fulfill God’s primary desire. Thus, Jesus’ mournful utterances concerning Jerusalem indicate that the will of God could not be accomplished through Israel.Lamenting the shift in God’s providence is not limited to Jesus alone however. Standing in the audience of the Sanhedrin, Stephen reproves the Jewish leaders with righteous indignation, “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered Him—you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it” (Acts 7:51-53). Comparing the Jewish people’s behavior to their sinful fathers, Stephen is claiming that they had betrayed the Righteous One who was sent to save them. But why would the crucifixion of Christ be a betrayal and a murder if it was God’s will from the foundation of the world? By declaring that the Jewish leaders had resisted the Holy Spirit, Stephen clearly denotes that their actions were in opposition to God’s desired will. Furthermore, the first martyr’s anger towards the obdurate Pharisees indicates that Jesus was not originally supposed to be killed by the Jewish leaders. Otherwise, his affront towards them would be completely unfounded, due to Jesus’ crucifixion being the primordial will of God. If the Jewish people were only doing the primary will of God by crucifying Jesus, why didn't Stephen instead shout praises of joy that God‘s desired will was now accomplished? Was there ever a time in history when God’s will was to be accomplished through the rejection and the murder of His prophets, and His saints? Consequently, Stephen’s condemnation of the Israelites provides yet another example that Jesus was not supposed to be “betrayed and murdered” by the hands of the Jewish people. God wanted to commence His Kingdom on Earth through Israel. Israel was to unite with Christ.Traditional Christian theology has interpreted Jesus’ Gethsemane plea “If it is possible, let this cup pass from me,” as an expression of His human nature. This explanation fails for one central reason. If it is true that Jesus’ sole mission was the cross, would He who “came down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of Him who sent me” (John 6:38) falter in the most crucial hour of His ministry? Would He who chastised Peter, calling Him Satan, for “not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (Matthew 16:23) proceed to then crumble under His own mortal nature? Is Jesus such a hypocrite that he commands His core disciples to “pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Luke 22:40), while in the very next breath entering temptation, pleading, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me” (Luke 22:42)? To posit that Christ’s sorrow is the consequence of His wavering faith inevitably results in every subsequent Christian martyr having greater love and faith than He who is one with God (John 10:30). This is a position which, I contend, is tantamount to heresy. Rather than trying to avoid the cross, the explanation that Christ was concerned for the providence of God and the Israelites provides a more coherent account of His motivation for such a prayer. However, notice that this understanding is not possible on traditional views of the Mission of the Messiah which contend that the cross was the only option to save fallen humanity.The Old and New Testament support for the establishment of the physical kingdom overwhelmingly indicates that God’s primary desire was for the Messiah to bring God’s sovereignty throughout the entire world. Based on Jesus’ words and actions in all that have been previously mentioned, Jesus would have been cognisant of the Father’s desire. Jesus beseeching the Lord to grant Him just a little more time to accomplish God’s original will is the only explanation that does not demean the absolute faithfulness of Christ. It was Jesus’ filial attitude towards Heavenly Father’s fervent desire for an earthly kingdom that caused Him to utter His desperate plea to “Let this cup pass from me.” Covered in sweating blood (Luke 22:44), He made this request not once, but three separate times. However, due to the obstinacy of the Jewish people, God knew that His intentions could not be manifested within Jesus’ generation. Contrary to the traditional Christian interpretation, this exegesis highlights Jesus’ loyalty to His Father, whilst providing another indication of Jesus’ intention to be the reigning king spoken by the prophets of old. Again however, this explication is only coherent if we present the idea that Christ’s original mission was not the destiny of crucifixion.Thus we have gone over a vast array of OT and NT different evidences showing that Christ’s destiny was not of the cross. As we dive into an aspect of Christian theology that is intertwined with history, we will begin to see the continuation of God’s blessing directed towards the new “Israel of God” (Gal 6:16). This shift will have tremendous effects on history and the ongoing providence of restoration. Until then I hope you and your family have a very blessed day.

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Response: Jesus was Not
Supposed to Die

Welcome back to the Advent. Throughout our (still ongoing) series of the mission of the Messiah, there were many questions that were raised and I thought it would be productive to discuss the objections that were made in good faith. Briefly summarizing my case however, we saw that the explanation of Jesus not coming to die was laden with an incredible array of both biblical and theological evidence. This was shown by the overwhelming preponderance of Old Testament prophecy, a handful of New Testament prophecy, aspects of Jewish theology, Jesus’ self-perception, Christ denouncing the schemes of crucifixion and, as a consequence, Him weeping over Jerusalem. In addition, not only does the explanation that Christ’s destiny was not the crucifixion uphold the faithfulness of our Lord to our Heavenly Father in the garden, it also explains the disciples’ grief-stricken and indignant reaction to the crucifixion. Thus far, I have presented a tremendous amount of evidence that Jesus did not come to die. Therefore, one must actually give reasons to disprove the thesis rather than repeating preconceived theological concepts that are not found in the pages of Scripture. With that being said, let's go through the various objections that were raised in the previous videos.First and foremost, as many commenters asked, what of the instances that Christ, on numerous occasions, seems to unequivocally state that His mission is to be crucified by the Jewish leaders? For example, John 12:27“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.” Aren't Christ’s words in direct contradiction to the notion that He was not supposed to die? In response, I affirm, along with the entirety of Christendom, that “it was the will of the Lord to crush Him” (Isaiah 53:10). Although the path of the cross was the secondary dispensation, the will of God was accomplished through Christ's death on the cross. However, evidenced by the aforementioned reasons, Jesus’ original mission was to bring the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Nevertheless, if Israel failed to recognize their King, then, their choice of the curse described in Malachi 4:6 would lead the Messiah to the suffering course prophesied in Isaiah 53. In other words, the crucifixion was in accordance with the “definite plan… of God” (Acts 2:23) if the Jewish people failed to unite with Jesus. Unfortunately, with the resulting rejection of Jesus, the stark secondary path of the cross was the only alternative option left for the Son of God.I think an analogy will help for some clarification. Suppose a general was writing down his war plans. Naturally when strategizing, he would not just have a single plan of action, since there is always a possibility that his initial, preferred plan may be thwarted. As such, he would have at least one other secondary plan. Now suppose that the original plan failed to be completed due to a terrible betrayal, resulting in the general to follow the secondary plan. Although the less favorable secondary plan would prolong the war, the plan would eventually lead to their ultimate victory. If a historian later found the written plans of the general, he would correctly conclude that the general’s plans were indeed followed. Likewise, God’s primary plan for Christ was to be welcomed by the people of Israel based on their own free will. But God also had a secondary plan for Christ, the path of the cross if the people rejected the Messiah. Both plans are written in the Bible and reflect the will of God. So, although the crucifixion of Christ was indeed a less preferred route in God’s providence, it did reflect God’s plan for Christ.Moreover, Jesus’ statements of the destiny of His crucifixion all occur near the end of the second year and within the third year of His ministry. As we have discussed previously, the 4 Passovers that are recorded in the book of John (2:13; 5:1; 6:4; 13:1) tell us when a new year in Christ’s ministry had begun. As such, the third year of Christ’s ministry begins in these verses: Matthew 14:13, Mark 6:31-32, Luke 9:10, and John 6:1. When we are cognisant of the timeframe in which the gospels record all of Jesus’ destiny of crucifixion statements (Matthew 12:40, Matthew 16:21, Matthew 17:22-23, Matthew 19:23-24, Matthew 20:18-19, Matthew 20:28, Mark 8:31, Mark, 9:31, Mark 10:23-25, Mark 10:33-34, Mark 10:45, Luke 9:22, Luke 9:44, Luke 17:20, Luke 17:25, Luke 18:32-33, Luke 24:25-26, John 2:18-22, John 12:27, John 18:36), we see that all of Jesus’ statements of crucifixion happen in the end of the second year and the beginning of the third year. Thus, as Matthew 16:21 states, it is only “From that time” near the end of the second year and the beginning of the third year that the providence was shifting for the cross to be more probable.Moving on to the second objection this person asks “[what about] the lamb slain at the beginning of the world?” I believe the verse he is referring to is Rev 13:8, which, in the KJV states, “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship [the beast], whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Thus, traditionally it had been taught that the lamb was crucified before even time began. However, most modern translations have indicated various problems regarding this specific version. For starters, the big question is, what is the phrase “foundation of the world” referring to? The names that are not written in the book of life? Or the Lamb who was slain? It is after much debate that most modern translations, (ESV, RSV, Berean Standard Bible, NIV (in a footnote) Berean Literal Bible, New American Standard Bible, NASB 1995, NASB 1977, Legacy Standard Bible, Amplified Bible, Christian Standard Bible, American Standard Version, NRSV and more…) attach the phrase “foundation of the world” to the “names not written in the book of life” rather than the “lamb who was slain.” Thus the correct rendering of the verse should be “all who dwell on earth will worship [the beast], everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.” We see further confirmation of the correct translation just four chapters later when Revelation 17:8 attaches the phrase “foundation of the world” to the names not written in the Book of Life, “And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast…” Thus, there is no contradiction between Revelation 13:8 and the notion that Christ was not supposed to die when rendering a correct translation of the verse.Shifting gears into another comment, this person writes “If Jesus was not supposed to die, then why did John the Baptist say that Jesus is the sacrificial lamb that was prophesied in the old testament by saying "Behold, The Lamb of God, who will take away the sins of the world!” (John 1:29)? Thank you for your comment. In regards to your question, the lamb does not only represent sacrifice throughout the Scriptures. In both the Old and New Testament, the lamb also represents purity, something that is unstained by sin, or absolute trust. Particularly in the new Testament, Christ compares sheep to believers because we represent the ones who heed the shepherd’s call and become unblemished. However, Christ, as the perfect sinless man represents the perfect unblemished lamb, and He alone can take away the sins of the world.Further, the principle behind the animal sacrifices is of critical importance here. Even in the Old Testament, God does not delight in animal sacrifices if the heart did not perform the sacrifice through faith and obedience to God’s command. An example of this notion is found in 1 Samuel 15 when God commands Saul to also kill the livestock of the Amalekites. However, Saul disobeys and spares King Agag along with the livestock which results in God revoking the blessing of kingship from Saul. When Saul protests that he had saved the livestock to sacrifice to the Lord, the prophet Samuel, as the Lord’s mouthpiece, states, “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice…”(1 Samuel 15:22). Thus we see the underlying principle of sacrifice: the heart must be acting out of faith and in accordance with God’s command when making an offering. In this we can see the purpose of the Passover. It was not the blood of the lamb itself that saved the Israelites sons in the 10th plague. It was faith, and as an extension, the obedience of God’s command of sacrificing a treasured lamb, that saved the sons of Israel. In the same way, it would be faith in the unblemished lamb, Jesus Christ, that would save Israel and their sons in the first century. But can we really say that 1st century Israel offered Jesus up as a sacrifice due to their faith? No! It can only be described as an act of faithlessness rather than an offering motivated by faith and obedience to God.When Jesus was asked, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”, He answered “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent” (John 6:28-29). If the people did God’s will and believed in Him, Jesus would not have been killed. This is perhaps most poignantly illustrated when Jesus weeps over Israel lamenting that although God has always wanted to embrace Israel, Israel has killed the messengers of God and rejected Christ (Matthew 23:37-38). God always wants the people to obey His Word and welcome His representatives as the preferred path.This was the primary path of the kingdom. God wanted Israel to have faith in Jesus Christ. Although this can merit an entire lengthy video on its own, we see that multiple times in the Old Testament, the blood sacrificial system is declared to be less favorable than faith and obedience in God (Hosea 6:6, 1 Samuel 15:22, Micah 6:6-8, Proverbs 16:6, Lev 16:10). Indeed, even in Jesus’ ministry, it was when Jesus had encountered absolute faith, absolute love and absolute obedience towards Him that He forgave sins (Matthew 9:1-6, Luke 7:44-50). Jesus did not say that the sinner’s sin was going to be forgiven soon or will be forgiven, like getting a check that you get cash in later. Rather, He said that your sins are forgiven and that “Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:50). Notice that it was faith in Christ that saved sinners, not the sacrifice of Christ that would take place years later! In conclusion to this objection, we clarify that Jesus was our sacrifice. However, the path of the cross was the less preferred and tragic path when compared Israel’s potential to have faith in and obedience to Christ.Thus, through discussing these objections in some depth, I believe we still have strong grounds to conclude that the mission of the Messiah was not the crucifixion. Thank you to all who were willing to have an actual discussion rather than to dismiss the case off-hand. As I have said before, I believe it is only with the spirit of cordiality and intellectual respect that moves these critical discussions forward. As such if there are more questions concerning the mission of the Messiah, please leave your thoughts in the comments below. Thank you for watching and have a blessed day.

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Principle Series 4e - Church's Role as the New Israel

Although some have twisted the Scriptural doctrine of supersessionism (also called replacement or fulfillment theology) to further their anti-semitic ends, the New Testament clearly tells us that God’s blessing has departed from Israel and been given to the new “Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16), the church. Before we talk about this doctrine, one thing must be clear. As Christians, of course we love the Jewish people. However, that does not mean that we cannot remain Scripturally faithful in our doctrine and rebuke the 1st-century Jewish people's (especially the leaders) action of crucifying Christ. It is not an either/or. It is a both/and, as we have seen in the words of Stephen, the apostles and Jesus Christ Himself. We are not being anti-semitic; we are trying to stay faithful to what the Word of God states all the while being consistent with vast majority of Christian history. With that being clearly distinguished, lets turn to Scripture, beginning with the famous parable of the tenants.The owner of the vineyard, who had taken care of his vineyard for a long time must make a journey far off. As such the owner leases the vineyard to some tenants who will take care of the vineyard in his stead. When the time for the harvest came, the owner sends some servants to the tenants to gather the fruits from his vineyard. However, upon reaching the vineyard, the numerous servants that were sent are bruised, beaten or killed. Thus, the owner sends his son, thinking that they would at least respect his heir. Yet, blinded by pride and greed, they seize and kill the son. Upon reaching the conclusion of the parable, Jesus asks the pharisees “When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” The Pharisees’ own response, pronounces them guilty, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.” Affirming their verdict, Jesus announces, “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.” Jesus saying that the kingdom will be “taken away from you” implies that the kingdom of God was originally supposed to come to 1st century Israel. However, because Israel had rejected Christ, the physical kingdom of God would come upon the foundation of another people who would bear fruit, the body of Christ.Next, the withering of the fig tree (Matthew 21:18-19, Mark 11:12-13) serves as yet another powerful example of the removal of God’s blessing upon Israel. Throughout the Old Testament, the fig tree represented the Israelite nation’s prosperity and health (Joel 2:22, 1 Kings 4:25, Deuteronomy 8:8-10). As such, the fig tree was often used as an image that was symbolically synonymous with Israel/Jerusalem. Thus, Bethany, the town in which Christ had withered the fig tree means the “house of figs.” This further demonstrates Jesus’ expectation of a plentiful harvest within Israel. However, when Jesus sees that the tree has not borne any fruit, He withers it saying, “May you never bear fruit again!” demonstrating that Israel had failed in her relationship to Christ. After He declares that God has forsaken the house of Israel, leaving it desolate until Christ’s return, Jesus prophesizes over Jerusalem, “Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down” (Matthew 24:2).This prophecy of desolation is fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian, comments: “[The walls of Jerusalem were] thoroughly laid even with the ground by those that dug it up to the foundation, {so} that there was left nothing to make those that came there believe [Jerusalem] had ever been inhabited” (Whiston 1999). Was this the destiny of the Israelites whom God had promised to “[make] Jerusalem a praise in the earth” (Isaiah 62:7) and that “all nations shall gather to” (Jeremiah 3:14-18)? No. It was not supposed to be this way. This was not God’s desire.Malachi 4 narrates the two alternatives that Israel could walk when the savior would come. If they choose to believe in the Messiah, “the sun of righteousness would rise with healing in its wings” (Malachi 4:2). However, if they did not believe in the Messiah, “the land would be struck with a decree of utter destruction” (Malachi 4:6). This is exactly what happened. As the Jewish people “denied the Holy and Righteous One… and killed the Author of Life” (Acts 3:14-15), Israel chose the path of the curse. We see this choice of the curse when Pontius Pilate presents Jesus before the crowd. Despite Pontius Pilate’s repeated attempts to calm the crowd, the people of Israel cursed themselves when they declared those harrowing words concerning God-Incarnate, “May His blood be on us and our children!” (Matthew 27:25). Lastly, the departure of God’s blessing is further solidified by the decimation of the Jews in the second Jewish revolt (AD 132-135) which the early church fathers saw as further confirmation for the truth of Christianity.But didn't God say that He would bless Israel forever? Aren't we demeaning the veracious character of God? So, what could cause God to change His stated will of His eternal promise to David? Scripture reveals many divine reversals resulting directly from the chosen person(s)’ decisions (e.g. 1 Samuel 2:30, Jeremiah 18:6-10, 2 Kings 20, Jonah 3). Consequently, we can infer that if the chosen people in Jesus’ day failed on a monumental scale, this could cause God to reevaluate His original declaration. This is exactly what happened. They had killed the Son of God. The blessings that were concerning the physical Israel were now transferred to the spiritual Israel of the church. Building upon Jesus’ abrogation of God’s blessing towards Israel, the epistles further bolster the claim that the church is now the second Israel. In 1 Peter 2:9, the apostle states to Christians, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Similarly, the author of Hebrews compares Christians, who share the new heavenly calling with Christ, as God’s house (Hebrews 3:1-6). Likewise, Paul refers to the church as the new “Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16). Further illustrating the abrogation of God’s blessing, the Jewish people have lived as persecuted nomads, waiting for two millennia to reclaim their homeland. It is due to these biblical proclamations and historical narratives that there appeared a dominant view of punitive supersessionism by the church fathers. To take just one example, Origen, a 3rd century Greek early church father, states, “…[The Jews] committed a crime of the most unhallowed kind, in conspiring against the Savior of the human race…” Rendering a verdict upon the relationship of Israel and the church, Millard J. Erickson concludes, “To sum up then: the church is the new Israel. It occupies the place in the new covenant that Israel occupied in the old“ (2013). Therefore, Scriptural verses, historical events and the near consensus of the patristic era demonstrate that God cast the Jewish people out of His vineyard, replacing them with ones who would bear fruit in their seasons.However, from the viewpoint of traditional theology, why would God revoke His blessing if the cross was the intended course for His Son? Why did God “strike the land with a decree of utter destruction” (Malachi 4:6) in AD 70 if the Jewish people were aiding God’s predetermined plan for Israel? It is only when we present the idea that Christ was not to be killed that we have a coherent argument for the biblical doctrine of supersessionism. Thus, the Christian doctrine of supersessionism provides yet another proof that Jesus did not originally come to die. In conclusion, we have an incredible array of evidence behind the claim that Jesus did not come to die. By looking at over 80 prophecies in the Old Testament, prophecies in the New Testament, Jewish theology, Christ’s words, Christ’s actions, the confused behavior of the apostles, the righteous indignation from the early disciples, the history of Israel and Christian theology, we can firmly establish that Jesus Christ was not supposed to be crucified. However, if Christ was not supposed to die, then what was He supposed to do? We will answer this question with a very surprising answer in the next part of our series. Stay tuned and have a blessed day.

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Principle Series 4f - Jesus and Adam's Shared Mission

Throughout our series on the Mission of the Messiah, the belief that Jesus was not supposed to die has been authenticated by numerous lines of Scripture, theological doctrines and history. This was proven by the overwhelming preponderance of Old Testament prophecy, New Testament prophecy, aspects of Jewish theology, Jesus’ words and actions, preserving the absolute faithfulness of Christ, the apostles’ confused reaction to the crucifixion, the righteous indignation from the earliest disciples, the history of the Jewish people and, finally, Christian theology. Thus as we stand on the unyielding Scriptural foundation that Jesus was not supposed to die, we ask, what was Christ’s mission supposed to be?Well, we know that the entire narrative of the Bible is the ultimate restoration of the garden of Eden: a world without sin, where God lives amongst His children. In Genesis, the original beatific plan of God was prolonged due to the misguided free will decision of Adam and Eve. When we flip to the final book of the Bible, Revelation, we see that the paradisiac garden is reclaimed through Christ’s victory of bringing the original Edenic plan of God into fruition. As God is by nature, unchanging, eternal and true, His principles are also unchanging, eternal and true. Therefore, God has the same grandiose vision for humanity since creation. In other words, Christ, as the second or last Adam as spoken of in 1 Corinthians 15:45, comes to fulfill the mission, left incomplete by the original Adam. Then, what was the mission of Adam? In the pre fallen world of Genesis, God proclaimed the Three Great Blessings upon the first human ancestors, “Be fruitful, multiply and have dominion over all creation…” (Genesis 1:28). Thus, by examining the original creation blueprint, Christ as the second Adam inherits the same mission as Adam: Be fruitful, multiply and have dominion over creation. Let’s begin with the first blessing: be fruitful. It is only when our mind and body are completely in alignment with God’s will that we produce real fruit for His kingdom. However, attaining the level of absolute faith, love and obedience necessary to achieve the first blessing is only possible by going through the necessary growth stages.Scripture indicates that this period of growth entails the possibility of sinning, even in the case of the Son of God; even Christ, “increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man” as Luke 2:52 states. As this passage states, although Jesus was born sinless, Jesus had to grow, intellectually (wisdom), physically (stature), socially (favor with… man) and spiritually (increased… in favor with God). Additionally, the writer of Hebrews states that Jesus also grew to be heartistically united with God in His moral character, “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, …and was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest…” (Hebrews 5:7-10). As the Scriptures indicate, although Jesus was born sinless, He, like Adam, was not born intellectually, physically, socially, spiritually and morally perfect. Rather with Heavenly Father guidance’s and fulfilling His own portion of responsibility Christ was “made perfect.” Even Satan knew that there could be a possibility, no matter how miniscule, that Jesus could sin. This is not only evidenced by Satan attempting to tempt Jesus “in every way, just as we are” (Hebrews 4:15) but also in the 3 temptations in the wilderness. Lucifer, the chief opposer of God ever since the fall, would know whether or not the Messiah could have sinned or not. To clarify however, the possibility for sin does not mean that Jesus did sin. As another chapter of Hebrews so eloquently expresses, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus was born in the same condition as Adam, unstained with original sin and in a pure state. However, in stark contrast to the first Adam falling into temptation, the second Adam maintained His proper position as the Son of God and overcame sin. Consequently, because He had completed His portion of responsibility and was made perfect, Jesus “became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.” Thus, Jesus ultimately did fulfill the first blessing, centering His mind and body upon the absolute completion of God's Will.Regarding the second blessing, Multiply, I thought it would be better to solely dedicate a video upon that topic. So let's take a look at the third blessing in more detail. God’s original plan for humanity was for Adam and Eve to obey His commandment and reach fruitfulness. Upon becoming completed individuals, they would be able to perfectly relate with the rest of Creation, eventually resulting in the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth; A kingdom in which God could reign eternally in both the physical and spiritual realm through the lineage of Adam and Eve.. Rather than “the whole creation… groaning as in the pains of childbirth” (Romans 8:22), Adam and Eve and their descendants would reciprocate love with creation, returning that joy to God. Thus, by unfallen humanity returning love and beauty to God through creation, God would be able to experience His own magnificent handiwork through Adam and Eve.With the incarnation of the second Adam, the priceless opportunity for Creation to be liberated from the bondage of Satan arose for the first time in human history. If the chosen people of Jesus’ day had heeded His words to believe in Him (John 6:28-29), then Jesus’s perfect reciprocation with creation would have resulted in the everlasting Jerusalem: the new, restored Garden of Eden. It was the very kingdom that Jesus had fervently prayed for, “thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10). However, drowning out Christ’s call to believe and magnify the Son of God, the Pharisees betrayed and murdered God’s only Son, prompting judgment upon them and their posterity.As such, the liberation of creation was delayed until the second advent of Christ, “creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.” As such, all of creation waits with eager longing for the return of their King.In conclusion we have seen that the framework for the Messiah was the very same mission that God had envisioned from the beginning of the world starting with Adam. As we have surveyed the different biblical examples of the first and third blessing, we will talk more in depth about the biblical proof that Jesus came to fulfill the second blessing, multiply, in the next video. Until next time, thank you for watching and have a blessed day.

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Principle Series 4g - Why Jesus Was Supposed to Have Kids

The Theology of the
Moonies in 6 Minutes

Hi, you’re probably wondering about the theology of the Unification Church (or the Moonies), so here is what we believe in 5 minutes. God (who originally existed alone) created the universe with the purpose of experiencing joy and happiness when reciprocating love with and through His substantial body, Adam. God specifies the way He would achieve this by giving the blueprint for Adam and all of posterity, “Be fruitful, multiply and have dominion over all creation” (Genesis 1:28). Evidenced by the order, Adam and Eve were to have started their family (i.e. multiply) only after they had achieved fruitfulness and became completed individuals (Matthew 5:48) by centering themselves upon God (Matthew 22:37) and His Word. In this manner, Adam and Eve would not be false parents, but the True Parents of all humankind. Centering upon the True Parents, God’s plan was to extend this ideal family into the tribe, society, nation, world, and cosmos resulting in worldwide recognition of God and a moral sinless society under the fatherhood of God; the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. With True Parents as our example, each individual, by fulfilling the 3 great blessings, was to have reciprocated love and beauty with God, returning glory and joy to our Heavenly Father.This was God’s sublime vision for humanity. What went wrong? Scripture tells us: the Fall of Man (Genesis 3). Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command of “do not eat” (Genesis 2:17). Based upon Scripture, Christian theology, Israelite law, and reason, we believe that the event of the fall was a sexual fall, a misuse of love. We believe that the fruit was not a literal fruit but symbolic of the love of Eve due to the following Biblical evidence [1. Jesus’ words in Matthew 15:11 2. Adam and Eve covered their lower parts after the fall not their mouths if it was a fruit 3. Other passages in the Bible that speak of the fruit in a sexual way (e.g. Song of Songs 4:12-16 and Proverbs 30:20 4. The Christian doctrine of original sin 5. The Israelite law of circumcision 6. The punishment of Eve relating to a sexual fall] If the fruit is the representation of Eve’s love, the Bible tells us that “the ancient serpent” (Revelation 12:9) or Lucifer (“Satan” after the fall) had sex with Eve evidenced by Eve’s accusation posterior or to Adam’s accusation, “The serpent deceived me and I ate” (Genesis 3:13). As a result of the sexual fall, Satan became the “god” (2 Corinthians 4:4), king (Matthew 4:8-10) and “ruler” (Ephesians 2:2) of the world and dominates humanity with sin. Satan has maintained this control over both body and spirit by means of original sin. Thus, this is the fundamental problem of humanity: All humanity has been claimed by Satan by means of original sin (but not spirit if one is Christian). Only the Messiah, the perfect God-man, will be able to save us from the grasp of Satan by reversing the process of the fall and restoring sinless lineage.Thus, in a process called “the history of restoration,” God immediately began to try and send the Messiah in Adam’s family, through Cain and Abel. What conditions needed to be set for the advent of the Messiah? First, there must be a foundation of faith because the fall resulted due to the dereliction of God’s Word. Second, in what we call the foundation of substance, Satan’s side must voluntarily surrender to God’s side. Because of the order of the sexual fall (Lucifer and Eve and then Eve and Adam) Satan had a condition to claim Cain while Abel represented the side of God. With the failure of Cain to overcome Satan, there resulted a division of two sides in (nearly) every aspect of humanity (from the micro to macro): an Abel-side and a Cain-side, or God’s side vs Satan’s side [e.g. democracy (Abel) & communism (Cain), Christianity (Abel) secular (Cain), 1st century Israel (Abel) & Rome, Allied (Abel) & Axis powers (Cain)]. Thus, for the Messiah to come, Abel must maintain a vertical relationship with God (foundation of faith) while Cain must be obedient to Abel (foundation of substance) in the microcosm. This is why there are biblical examples of a reversal between older and younger (Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25:22-23, 25:29-34, 27) Manasseh and Ephraim (Genesis 48:14)) and why God loved Abel but hated Cain (Malachi 1:2-3, Romans 9:13). Although multiple failures took place previously, Jacob and Esau fulfilled both conditions, setting the foundation for the Messiah. However, as Satan’s foundation had already expanded to the national level, God focused on the cultivation of a nation to send His Son. Through Israel’s arduous history of repeated failures, the chosen nation was finally prepared to receive the long-awaited Messiah. Wait but who’s this Messiah guy and what’s he supposed to do? Just as an engineer looks to the original blueprint to rebuild a destroyed house, the Messiah, as the second Adam, comes to rebuild the tarnished world inheriting the same mission as Adam. [be fruitful, multiply and have dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:28)] Despite traditional theology maintaining that Jesus came to die, 80 prophecies in the Old Testament, prophecies in the New Testament [e.g. Matthew 2:2-11, Luke 1:32-33; 1:46-56; 1:68-75; 2:36-38], Jesus’ words and actions [e.g. Matthew 6:10, Luke 19:41-44, John 8:37-44] and the disciples’ reaction to the crucifixion [e.g. Acts Acts 1:6; 7:51-53] paint a very different picture. Although Heavenly Father and Jesus’ fervent desire was to establish the everlasting Jerusalem, publishing its plentiful fruits of peace and prosperity to the entire cosmos (80 prophecies!) the Jewish people “denied the Holy and Righteous One… and killed the Author of life” (Acts 3:14-15). Thus, Jesus was tragically killed, prevented from establishing a physical lineage, and incapable of fulfilling His prayer, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Jesus did not fail however. The chosen people did. Despite walking the secondary course, Christ was able to accomplish the incredible gift of spiritual salvation through absolute love, faith, and obedience to God. Upon this victory, He promised to return. But due to the murder of the Son of God, Jesus states that the kingdom of God will be taken from them and given (Matthew 21:43) to the new “Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16). With heavenly confirmation for the church (AD 70 and AD 135), God worked through the new Israel, Christianity, for Christ’s return. In a chart we call the parallels of history, we see that 3 eras (Creation to Jacob and Esau’s victory, Jacob to Jesus, Jesus to second advent) parallel each other with the culmination being the advent of the Messiah. Although hard to do it justice in a short time, mathematical calculation and the parallels between each periods evidence that the Messiah is to come between 1917-1930. We believe that this Messiah, whom all of human history has been waiting for, came again “with a new name” (Revelation 3:12) in 1920 in the person of Sun Myung Moon. With the hand of God, He rose up from the formerly war-torn and destitute nation of Korea (GDP per capita >100$ in the early 1960s) and to impacting geopolitical leaders and shifting world economies. Not only embodying the heart of God throughout His entire bloodstained life course, He exegeted the Scriptures with profound depth and clarity on a level impossible to even the greatest scholars. Through God’s guidance and the fulfillment of His own portion of responsibility, He achieved the 3 great blessings as the True Parent of humanity. By engrafting onto the returning Christ through a transferral of blood lineage by means of a special wedding ceremony, both body and spirit are restored to the Heavenly lineage, thus solving the fundamental problem of humanity. Our True Father now leads from heaven through His appointed heir whom He crowned on 3 separate occasions. The only question is, will you “believe in the one whom [God] has sent?” (John 6:29).

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The Man Behind Christmas

Let's set the stage. Jesus of Nazareth was a poor carpenter who had been working in His father’s carpentry shop for ~30 years. Despite his age, he still was not married, something that was frowned upon in Jewish culture. Even worse, virtually all of His contemporaries believed that He was born from an adulterous affair, as evidenced by people’s accusations (Mark 6:3, John 8:41). As a result, Jesus would have automatically been cast as a pariah in the eyes of Jewish society. This very man suddenly appears before the Jewish people proclaiming radical statements like “I and the Father are One” (John 10:30), “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me” (John 14:6). Further, he denounces the “holy” men of His day, calling them “whitewashed tombs” (Mathew 23:27-28) and children of Satan (John 8:37-44) all the while dining with tax collectors and prostitutes.Who was this man? In the eyes of the Jews, He was a liar. In the eyes of His family, He was a lunatic (Mark 3:21). However, in the eyes of those who know Him, He is Lord. Crafted by the renowned British scholar and author, CS Lewis, this famous liar, lunatic, or Lord trilemma serves as a basis for examining the identity of Jesus, “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said… would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell… You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” In this month of December, as Nativity scenes are set up across the globe, I want to narrow in upon the last of the trilemma: Lord. Who is the person of the Messiah? To answer that question, we must go back to the garden, the original model for the entirety of Creation.Our Heavenly Father created humanity with the purpose of experiencing joy and happiness through the centerpoint of His heavenly lineage: Adam. With the creation of Eve and their future sacred union, a God-centered lineage would result. However, while they were still in the process of growing to maturity, Adam and Eve fell, tarnishing the world with sin. To reverse the process of the fall and to engraft mankind back into His lineage, God sent the second Adam—the substantial body of God—Jesus Christ. He is by essence, God in human flesh, because He is the physical incarnation of the divine Logos (John 1:1). By virtue of His complete union with God (John 10:30), He carries the same heavenly heart as Heavenly Father: the heart of absolute love. We see the escalation and the culmination of this beautiful display of love in the path of the cross. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus sweated blood and wept in deep anguish due to His unwavering filial love toward His Father. He did not want God to wait any longer for the realization of His kingdom. However, because of Israel’s rejection, there was no other option; the King of Kings would have to walk the path of the suffering servant. As a result, He was bludgeoned, spat upon, whipped, tortured, mocked, scorned, and crucified. Despite all of this, His heart towards His enemies did not waver, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34). Through this beautiful example of sacrificial love, we witness Christ’s heart of total alignment with Heavenly Father.Christ, as the embodiment of the invisible God, is the only being since Adam who came into this world without the curse of original sin. He alone is uniquely qualified to save the fallen human race; He alone is the savior of the world. Thus, our only hope as fallen human beings is to engraft ourselves to the true vine (John 15:4-6) for our salvation. However, the Messiah can't just appear without a foundation. If he does, he’ll just be killed by Satan. This is why God toiled for 2000 years before Jesus to create a foundation which His Son could stand upon. God immediately began working right after the fall for 2000 years in order to send one man. Jesus Christ was that man. Upon this foundation, Christ desired to bring the original ideal of God’s creation into fulfillment and defeat sin once and for all. He was to create the Kingdom of Heaven of Earth (Matthew 6:10): A moral and sinless society of tranquility and abundance, shepherding all nations through righteous judgment. Christ alone is qualified and capable of bringing this utopic vision into fruition. Thus, this one man, although from the physical perspective was like us in every respect (Hebrews 2:17) , is the most valuable man to have ever existed."That one man is worth more than all of them put together! You take mountains and mole hills, crickets and clowns you take everything- every planet every star every form of beauty everything that sings everything that brings the light and you put it all in the scale then you
put Christ on the other side and he outweighs them all."
- Paul WasherThe person of Christ is the foundation of our hope as Christians. Although falling short day after day we look to Christ as our example to spread the good news of the Kingdom. So this Christmas, although we enjoy the festivities, gifts, and time with family, let us focus on the man behind Christmas. Let us see Him for what He truly is, not as a liar or lunatic or just another wise teacher. Rather, let us flock to the good shepherd, our Lord and our Savior, for He alone is mighty to save. Have a Merry Christmas.

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A Video for the Suffering Soul

I recently heard of a story of a mother who had lost her entire family and livelihood. It had been just another ordinary day. Then it struck. An earthquake of a force equivalent to 25,000 nuclear bombs sent 60 ft waves rocketing towards her village at 500mph. The tsunami started to violently crash and destroy anything in its path; she had to flee to higher ground. In just a matter of a few hours, she had lost it all. Her husband, her children, her livelihood; not a piece was left intact. When faced with such unbelievable tragedies caused by war, poverty, and natural disasters, it is natural to question if God even exists. When confronted by the death of his beloved, even CS Lewis, one of the most prominent Christians of the 20th century, asked and expressed a similar feeling: “Where is God?… When your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, what do you find? A door slammed in your face and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that silence.”We are told that our God is a God distinct from every other religion. A God of relationship. A God of absolute justice. A God of love. But where is the justice in losing my loved ones? How are families being shattered, women being brutalized and children dying of starvation anything even resembling a God of love? This broken world was the grand plan of the omniscient mind of God? No.God originally created the world with the intention for it to be a reflection of heaven: the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, the exact opposite of the Kingdom of hell on this earth. Had Adam and Eve succeeded in their portion of responsibility, the kingdom of God, the very kingdom which our Lord had commanded all of His disciples to pray for, (Matthew 6:10) would have been established at the beginning of the human race. Our world was to have been a moral and sinless society governed by love expanding Eden’s glory to the entire cosmos. This was God’s desire. Tragically however, mankind pursued sin and became a slave to it (John 8:34) tarnishing the “very good” (Genesis 1:31) world as a consequence. The original creation plan was diverted by the misuse of free will by God’s children. If not for the fall, our entire civilization would be absolutely centered upon God, resulting in a near absence of moral evils (e.g. murder, rape, theft). Without sin entering the world, our spiritual and intellectual capacities would have allowed us to “have dominion over” (Genesis 1:28) natural disasters; we would have subjugated natural disasters in a manner similar to how we have learned to deal with rain or snow. However, because the fall did happen, creation and humanity, being dominated by Satan, spiraled downwards into the evils and suffering that we see today.Because of the fall, God was deeply anguished. “And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” (Genesis 6:6). How is that possible? How can the grand architect, the one who spins the wheels of the entire universe and meshes the fabric of reality, have his heart torn apart? It is because He is our Heavenly Father. He sees us as His children with a love that is incomparably greater than paternal human love. He loves us more than we could even love ourselves. So, when we are faced with tremendous instances of suffering, we must realize that our Heavenly Father knows our suffering. God did not orchestrate your child to painfully die of cancer to glorify Himself. He is not to blame for she who lost her entire family by a natural disaster. He is not at fault for the millions herded and slaughtered under Communist regimes. Rather it is He who weeps with us; He is a God who is not detached from our sorrows. Our Heavenly Father is the one suffering the most. As Jeremiah 9:1 expresses, “Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!”However, let us look at what our Heavenly Father has done in the face of suffering. Despite the mind-boggling examples of evils that our Heavenly Father has endured for thousands of years, He still has not given up. He will never give up. Despite all the suffering, all the grief, all the agony, He has still fervently pressed on, actively longing for the day when this world could be restored. God speaks to this spirit of unyielding determination in Isaiah 46:11, “I have spoken, I will bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will do it.” Even with tears streaming down His face, He has become the great light by arduous efforts to make this world a better place. So we must be also. Even though in certain seasons, we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we can rest assured that He is with us (Psalm 23). With this hope, although we can never shine like the light of God, who shines like a thousand suns, we can strive to become a small candle in the darkness. Amidst all the evil in the world, we can strive to be a small light illuminating the darkness. Just like our Heavenly Father, we must never give up. Even in instances where we suffer for no fault of our own, we must persevere through the darkness and become a hope to those around us, testifying of His faithfulness in adversity. We must lean upon God to lead us through the suffering as we ourselves are weak. As the apostle Paul, who was no stranger to suffering (e.g. 2 Corinthians 11:23-27) testified, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).Through the grace of God, when we persevere despite our suffering, God can create good out of any evil (moral or natural) that was perpetrated on us. God can turn any instance of evil into something that positively affects His providence. As the great physician, He will heal and reshape our broken vessels to be used for the fulfillment of His will. After all, that is the story of the entire Bible. It tells the story of restoring Eden, and ending Satan’s sovereignty once and for all. The culmination of this providence of restoration is when the Messiah appears, establishing the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, the new Jerusalem. A kingdom in which there is no more “death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4). Although the kingdom may initially sprout as just a tiny sapling, this model society will eventually branch out into the entire cosmos, giving its plentiful fruits to all peoples. Thus, as Christians, we rest assured that our sufferings will not be in vain. We pray that even our worst moments will shape us into stronger vessels for Christ. As the apostle Paul wrote, “We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3-4).We know that our future hope after this life lies in the Kingdom of Heaven. I am reminded of a faithful Christian who was on his deathbed, whispering his last words, “My light, my light, my light is fading away, for the sun has risen.” Reflecting on this future glory that awaits us, the apostle Paul writes “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). When we are finally united with the one whom we have chased after our entire lives, the suffering we have faced will pale in comparison with the eternal weight of glory. As CS Lewis wrote in The Great Divorce, “They say of some temporal suffering, `No future bliss can make up for it,’ not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even that agony into a glory.” It seems our present moments of suffering are akin to how we have forgotten the pains of a scraped knee while we were still in our youth. In heaven, in both a qualitative and quantitative sense, we will have inherited it all. We will finally be home with Christ.Lastly, we must remember that a powerful answer to a world wrought with incomprehensible evils is found in the Incarnation. As Sharon Dircxx queries, “[isn't] the solution to a broken world… something or someone who isn’t broken? Something or someone who understands the brokenness, but isn’t part of it?” or in other words, Christ. The divine becoming man. When God went “from a throne of endless glory to a cradle in the dirt” He bore all the sufferings that we encounter through the secondary path of the cross. Suffering, betrayal, pain, death; He bore it all. How did Jesus respond when faced with such evils? He didn't lash out with anger or curse those who crucified Him. He didn't even raise His fist at God. Rather, He responded with love and forgiveness, quote “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34). So we must also. Although we stumble daily to emulate this caliber of absolute love, we must strive to conform ourselves to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29) and overcome our suffering with love. Christ had to walk an unimaginable suffering course to atone for the sins of humanity. Even though Heavenly Father and Christ are the ones suffering the most, they still invite us to cast our burdens upon them. Through overcoming suffering with the grace of God, God can remold the suffering to be suited for His providence to bring the kingdom of heaven on earth. With this beautiful and unfathomable display of love, we rest assured that no matter how great the suffering, we know that God is faithful.“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:27-29)]

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The Kingdom Constitution
Revealed in 7 minutes

Hi, you may have heard that the Unification church has a Constitution so here it is summarized in 5 minutes. The first thing you should know is that this is not a church constitution, but rather, a constitution for an actual nation that will exist sometime in the future. This nation will have citizens, land, and sovereignty. The Cheon Il Guk constitution, a libertarian monarchical republic that is at its core, pro God, pro-life, pro-freedom, pro-gun, and anti-communist. Let's focus on the monarchy aspect first. All Christians believe that when Christ returns, He will bring the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, creating an eternal monarchy. As we believe that Christ has returned in the person of Sun Myung Moon, His heir and successor will stand in the office of the king. However, this monarchy will not be like the satanic, tyrannical monarchies of the past. All previous monarchies have had a major flaw; the king has had control over all branches of government-legislative, executive and judicial. One man is vested too much power. As such, the king falls prey to Lord Acton’s famous statement, “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” History is unfortunately replete with kings abusing their power, manufacturing unjust laws and crushing any who oppose them with military power.In stark contrast to the satanic sovereignties of the past, the King of CIG has no power in both the executive and legislative branch, but stands in the judicial branch, having the task of protecting the constitution and maintaining Heavenly culture with sacred Scripture and tradition. Even in the worst event of a corrupt king, there's not alot that he can do as there is no standing army that he can use to control the citizens. Not only that, he would be severely limited by the other branches of government, not to mention engendering the disdain and physical opposition of the people as the standing army (NOT the NAVY, AIRFORCE, SPACEFORCE etc) is replaced by local and state level militias. This further decentralizes power and prevents corrupt politicians from waging unjust wars sending other people’s sons and daughters to the meat grinder while profiting millions themselves.Shifting gears and looking at the republic aspect of CIG in more detail, we see that there are various critical differences between the United States Constitution and the Kingdom of God constitution. First and foremost, there are term limits to prevent the accretion of a deep state. Without term limits, corrupt politicians are able to be installed into office permanently, serving unconstitutional laws as an enemy of the people. Further decentralizing the seats of power particularly in the house, each member of the house will represent 2100 people. Not only will the sheer number of representatives allow for a highly accurate depiction on what the citizens of CIG want, it will force representatives to be accountable and honest with people. The citizens’ interests will reign above the interests of the state. After all, it is because politicians are so detached from their voter base (e.g. California 39 million people with 52 representatives which comes to about 1 representative per 750,000 people), that a deep state has formed. Thus term limits along with the mass scale of representatives will decentralize power, giving that power to the people of the Kingdom of God.Focusing on the pro-life aspect of the constitution, and as an logical extension, pro-family, the constitution prohibits infanticide and upholds the ideal of Godly ordained marriage between man and woman. Within the family, the federal government cannot be involved in education, moving education to the private sector. This is because centralized government education always leads to the youth being taught only government backed and “approved” ideology, creating slaves of the state. However, the most significant part of defending the family however is to ban welfare on the federal level and move it down to the private sector. To take American policy as an example, Lyndon B Johnson’s War on Poverty in 1964 proved to be of almost no effect despite spending . Rather, because the free welfare checks are not tied to responsibility, it encourages a culture of promiscuity, sex-outside marriage and nonchalant divorce, collapsing the foundational family structure of society. This in turn encourages a society of single parent households which increases homelessness, drug use, teen suicide, behavioral disorder, teen pregnancies, incarceration rates, abortion rates and so many more societal problems. Transferring welfare to the private sector will still allow for welfare. But critically, it will be inseparably linked with responsibility tied with a change in the person’s behavior. Similarly with the ban on welfare, CIG also bans the federal government from having centralized healthcare, and the previously mentioned education. When healthcare, education and welfare can no longer be centralized, there will be an abundance of healthcare, education and welfare, as one group cannot maintain a monopoly over it. When one group cannot maintain a monopoly, the free market will naturally drop prices. As a consequence not only will you be able to choose the best healthcare and education that is best for you, the prices of both will be highly affordable. In other words, in healthcare, education and welfare, the kingdom of God will have more of them in both a quantitative and a qualitative sense. And critically it will be up to the people to decide.To prevent further concentration of power, the Kingdom Constitution prohibits Congress from spending more than 10% of the nation’s GDP in times of peace. Furthermore there will be no central bank to prevent central planning for the economy. Rather, the “invisible hand’ that moves all economies will organically control the free market.Although we have discussed some major aspects of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth which promote freedom, we also believe what Jefferson had penned nearly two and a half centuries ago in the Declaration of Independence, “all men are created equal [and] that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” As a consequence, the Bill of Rights (with some minor edits) will be instituted in CIG, among which lies freedom of speech, of religion, and the right to bear arms. Further, the constitution prohibits Congress to institute income tax, property tax, and inheritance tax as the people should have the right to use their own hard earned money. Thus with all of these aforementioned examples we can see that there is an unprecedented amount of freedom in CIG. People will truly be the kings and queens of the society with the government remaining in its proper position as the servant. However, this level of freedom is fundamentally intertwined with responsibility. You cannot just have one of them. As holocaust survivor and prominent psychotherapist, Viktor Frankl wrote on the relationship between freedom and responsibility, “Freedom… is not the last word. Freedom is only…half the truth… Freedom is in danger of degenerating into mere arbitrariness unless it is lived in terms of responsibleness.” Thus, fundamentally, the kingdom of God is a kingdom of freedom and responsibility. The unparalleled level of freedom that will result from such a vision will be a powerful testament to the good tree resulting in the good fruit (Matthew 7:16-20) of the constitution. Christ, as the King of Kings, will shepherd the nations with His people ruling with justice and righteousness. Godly people, with the heavenly culture as our foundation, will prosper and be able to fulfill the original mission that God had endowed humanity. Until this kingdom comes, we, as Christians, eagerly pray, “Thy Kingdom come Thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

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