Providence of Restoration centering on Jesus

Chapter Providence of Restoration centering on Moses and Jesus

Section III

The Providence of Restoration centering on Jesus

In the beginning, Adam, who was supposed to dominate the angels (I Cor. 6:3), brought about Hell by being dominated by Satan. Therefore, in order to restore Adam's domination, through indemnity, Jesus, who came as the second Adam, was supposed to subjugate Satan and restore the Kingdom of God. As stated in Section I, Satan, who had not surrendered even to God, could not be made to surrender to Jesus and his followers. Therefore, taking the responsibility in the Principle for creating man, God, by setting up Jacob and Moses, established the model course for Jesus to subjugate Satan in the future.

Jacob went through the symbolic course of subjugating Satan, while Moses walked the image-course of subjugating Satan, then, Jesus had to go through the substantial course. Therefore, Jesus had to accomplish the worldwide course of the restoration into Canaan by subjugating Satan, following the model of the nationwide course of restoration into Canaan, in which Moses had subjugated Satan.

God said to Moses:

I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. (Deut. 18:18)

By "a prophet like you" (Moses), God meant Jesus, who would go through the same course as that of Moses. Again, Jesus said "...the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father [God] doing..." (John 5:19), signifying that Jesus was treading the model course which God had foreshadowed through Moses. Details were already discussed in the providence of restoration centering on Moses, but here, let us discuss the providence of restoration centering on Jesus by comparing and contrasting the entire outline of the three courses of nationwide restoration into Canaan centering on Moses, and the three courses of worldwide restoration into Canaan centering on Jesus.

1. The First Worldwide Course of Restoration into Canaan

(1) The Foundation of Faith

The central figure to restore the foundation of faith in the first worldwide course of restoration into Canaan was John the Baptist. In what position was John the Baptist to accomplish his mission? It was discussed in "Moses' Course" that his acts of breaking the tablets of stone, and of striking the rock twice in the course of nationwide restoration into Canaan, centering on Moses, allowed Satan the possibility of striking Jesus, if the Jewish people, who should have centered on Jesus, would fall into faithlessness.

In order for Jesus to avoid this condition, the chosen people of Israel, who were preparing the foundation for his coming, should have become one in harmony, centering on the temple, which was the image-entity of the Messiah. However, the Israelites repeatedly fell into faithlessness, thus creating the condition for Satan to invade Jesus, who was to come in the future. In order to prevent this condition, Elijah, the prophet, came and worked for the separation from Satan by destroying 850 false prophets, including Baal and Ashera (I Kings 18:19), and finally ascended into heaven (II Kings 2:11). However, since Elijah's mission was not entirely realized, he had to come again to accomplish the rest of his mission (Mal. 4:5). The prophet who came as Elijah to succeed and accomplish the mission of separating from Satan, which had been left unfulfilled by Elijah, and to make straight the way of the Messiah (John 1:23), was John the Baptist (Matt. 11:14, 17:10-13).

The Israelites were suffering the 400-year slavery in Egypt without a prophet to lead them, and while doing so, they met with one man, Moses, as the personage who could lead them into the land of Canaan and help them meet the Messiah. Likewise, the Jewish people also were suffering slavery under the gentile nations of Persia, Greece, Egypt, Syria, and Rome, during the 400 years of the preparation period for the coming of the Messiah, since the time of the prophet Malachi, without even a single prophet to guide them. While doing so, they finally met John the Baptist as the personage able to lead them to the Messiah who should come for the worldwide restoration into Canaan.

Moses, who had been set up the foundation of separation from Satan of the 400-years slavery in Egypt, learned the way of loyalty and filial piety in Pharaoh's palace. John the Baptist, who was placed on the foundation of separation from Satan of the 400-year period of preparation for the coming of the messiah, also learned the way of loyalty and filial piety toward God, in order to receive the Messiah, while living on locusts and wild honey in the wilderness. Therefore, the Jewish people, including the high priests (John 1:19), thought that John the Baptist might be the Messiah (Luke 3:15). In this way, John the Baptist stood on the 40-day foundation of separation from Satan, and he could lay the foundation of faith for the first worldwide restoration of Canaan.

(2) The Foundation of Substance

John the Baptist, set up in the position of Moses, was, for the Jewish people, in the position of both the parent and the child. From the position of the parent, he could restore, through indemnity, the foundation of faith for the first worldwide restoration of Canaan. At the same time, he could establish the position of Abel in setting up the condition of indemnity on the worldwide level to remove the fallen nature, from the position of the child (cf. Part II, Ch. 2, Sec. II, 1.2--295). Consequently, John the Baptist stood on the foundation which he established on the worldwide level, magnifying the position of Moses, who, after the 40 years of indemnity in Pharaoh's palace, laid the foundation of faith for the first restoration on the nationwide level.

At the time of Moses, God intended to fulfill the "providence for the start", by having the people of Israel trust Moses, after seeing him kill the Egyptian. The Israelites of that time had to leave Egypt, the Satanic nation, and go into the land of Canaan; whereas the Jewish people, centering on John the Baptist, instead of leaving the Roman Empire to move into another land, had to remain under the regime and subjugate it, restoring the empire to Heaven. Therefore, God showed the people the signs and miracles centering on John the Baptist, and by having the Jewish people believe him, He intended to fulfill the "providence for the start".

Through the wondrous prediction of the angel concerning the conception of John the Baptist, through the miracle of his father's becoming dumb when he did not believe in this, and through many other miracles which God showed the Israelites at the time of John's birth, they knew from the time of his birth that John was the prophet God had sent to them. This is just as the Bible says:

Fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea; and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, 'What then will this child be?'. For the hand of the Lord was with him. (Luke 1:65-66)

Furthermore, because of his brilliant career of asceticism, and his life of prayer in the wilderness, the chief priests (John 1:19) and all the Jewish people (Luke 3:15) esteemed him so highly that they mistook him for the Messiah.

Moses slew the Egyptians after the 40-year period of indemnity in Pharaoh's palace. Then, if the Israelites, moved by his patriotism, had believed and followed him, they could have gone straight into Canaan through the direct way of the Philistines, without having to cross the Red Sea, without making a detour by way of the wilderness, and without need of the tablets of stone, the tabernacle, or the ark of the covenant. If the Jewish people of Jesus' day, also, had believed and followed John the Baptist, whom God had set up for them to believe, through the miracles and signs, they could have restored the foundation of substance by establishing the conditions of indemnity to remove the fallen nature, and on it they could have restored the foundation to receive the Messiah.

(3) The Failure in the First Course of Restoration into Canaan on the Worldwide Level

The Jewish people were in the position of believing and following John the Baptist on the foundation of faith established by him (John 1:19, Luke 3:15). Therefore, they could terminate the Old Testament Age and start their new course of restoration into Canaan on the worldwide level. However, as already stated (cf. Part I, Ch. 4, Sec. II--153), John the Baptist, though he himself testified to Jesus as the Messiah, finally doubted him (Matt. 11:3). By denying that he had come as Elijah, he not only blocked the way for the Jewish people to go before Jesus, but caused them to betray Jesus. Therefore, John the Baptist left the position of Abel in laying the foundation of substance and, in consequence, the Jewish people failed to establish the condition of indemnity on the worldwide level to remove the fallen nature.

In this way, the foundation to receive the Messiah was not established because the Jewish people failed to lay the foundation of substance. Therefore, the first course of restoration into Canaan on the worldwide level ended in failure, foreshadowing a second, or even a third prolongation, just as at the time of Moses.

2. The Second Course of Restoration into Canaan on the Worldwide Level

(1) The Foundation of Faith

(i) Jesus Succeeds the Mission of John the Baptist

John the Baptist was a personage in the position of a restored Adam before Jesus, who came as a perfected Adam. Therefore, John the Baptist had to establish the foundation to receive the Messiah by completing all the missions left unaccomplished by all the central figures who had come in the course of providential history until then with the purpose of restoring the foundation of faith and the foundation of substance. Then, leading the Jewish people, who would believe and follow him on this foundation, he would have handed them all over to Jesus, together with the whole foundation of the providence. After this, he himself should have followed Jesus with the utmost faith and loyalty.

John the Baptist baptized Jesus at the River Jordan (Matt. 3:16) without knowing the significance of the deed, but it was a ceremony of handing over to him all that John had done for the will of God.

Nevertheless, John the Baptist later became gradually more skeptical about Jesus and at last betrayed him. Naturally, the Jewish people, who believed and followed John the Baptist as the Messiah (Luke 3:15) were forced to stand in the position of disbelieving Jesus (cf. Part I, Ch. 4, Sec. II--153). Accordingly, the foundation of faith that John the Baptist had set up for the first worldwide course for the restoration of Canaan was, in the end, invaded by Satan. Therefore, Jesus himself was compelled to restore through indemnity that foundation of faith, succeeding the mission of John the Baptist and thus starting the second worldwide course for the restoration of Canaan. Jesus separated himself from Satan by fasting 40 days in the wilderness and this was to restore through indemnity the foundation of faith from the position of John the Baptist.

Jesus who came as the son of God and the Lord of Glory, originally should not have walked the path of tribulation (I Cor. 2:8). However, John the Baptist, who was born with the mission of preparing his way (John 1:23, Luke 1:76), failed to accomplish his mission. So Jesus, himself, had to suffer the tribulations which John the Baptist had to suffer in preparing the way for Jesus. Thus, Jesus, though being the Messiah, succeeded John the Baptist in starting the course of the providence of restoration. Therefore, he told his disciples not to make public the fact that he was the Messiah (Matt. 16:20).

(ii) Jesus' Forty-day Fast and Prayer in the Wilderness and His Three Great Temptations

We must first know the remote and primary courses of Jesus' 40-day fast and prayer and his three great temptations. In the course of the nationwide restoration of Canaan, Moses, who stood before the rock, became faithless and struck it twice. Therefore, the rock, symbolizing Christ (I Cor. 10:4) suffered Satan's invasion. This became an act showing that later, even in the course of Jesus, who would have to walk with Moses' course as a pattern it would be possible for Satan to invade if John the Baptist, who would come in order to make straight the way of Jesus, should become faithless. Consequently, this action also showed that Satan could invade the foundation of faith centering on John the Baptist, who was to come before the Messiah. Therefore, Moses' action of striking the rock twice became the remote cause compelling Jesus to go into the wilderness and suffer the 40-day fast and the three great temptations from the position succeeding John the Baptist in order to restore the foundation of faith, in case that John the Baptist should lose faith.

John the Baptist became faithless (cf. Part I, Ch. 4, Sec. II, 3--157), and Satan invaded the foundation of faith which he had laid. With this as the immediate cause, Jesus had to suffer the 40-day fast and the three great temptations in the position of John the Baptist, in order that he might restore through indemnity the foundation of faith by setting up the 40-day foundation to separate Satan.

Then, what was Satan's purpose in offering Jesus the three great temptations? In the Bible (Matt. 4:1-10) we read that Satan showed him stones and told him to command them to become loaves of bread. Then he took him to the pinnacle of the temple and told him to throw himself down. Finally he took him to a very high mountain and told Jesus that he would give him the whole world if Jesus would fall down and worship him, thus giving Jesus three temptations.

In the beginning, God created man and blessed him in three ways: the perfection of individuality, multiplication of children, and dominion over the world of creation (Gen. 1:28). God's purpose of creation was for man to accomplish all of these. However, Satan caused man to fall, making him fail to accomplish the three blessings. So the purpose of creation remained unfulfilled. Jesus came to fulfill God's purpose of creation by restoring these three blessings that God had promised. Therefore, Satan tried to prevent him from fulfilling the purpose of creation, by offering him the three temptations in order to block the way of restoring the blessings.

How then did Jesus confront and overcome these three great temptations? Let us first examine how Satan as a subjective being tempted Jesus. We have already clarified the fact that in the course of the nationwide restoration of Canaan centering on Moses, Satan came to stand in the subject position to the Israelites centered on Moses, by taking (due to the Israelites' disbelief and Moses' failure) the rock and the two tablets of stone symbolizing Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Then, in the course of the worldwide restoration of Canaan, John the Baptist, who had come with the mission of making straight the way of the Messiah (John 1:23) by separating Satan, failed to fulfill his responsibility, and the Israelites again fell into faithlessness and disobedience as in the time of Moses. Consequently, just as God had already foreshadowed in Moses' course, Satan came to stand in the subject position, which enabled him to tempt Jesus. Let us study these temptations in greater detail.

After Jesus fasted 40 days, Satan appeared before him and tempted him, saying, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." (Matt. 4:3). Meanwhile, the stone was in Satan's possession, due to Moses' action of breaking the tablets of stone and of striking the rock and due to the disbelief of John the Baptist. Therefore, in order to restore the stone, Jesus had to go into the wilderness and separate Satan by fasting for 40 days. Satan knew well enough that Jesus had come into the wilderness to restore the stone. This temptation signified that Satan would hold possession of the stone forever, if Jesus, in his wilderness course for the worldwide restoration of Canaan, should become faithless and choose to command the stone to become loaves of bread in order to fill his hungry stomach without trying to restore the stone--just as in previous days, the Israelites could not endure hunger and had fallen into faithlessness in the nationwide restoration of Canaan.

Jesus' answer to this temptation was, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." (Matt. 4:4). Originally, man was created to live on two kinds of nutriments.

That is to say, man's physical body lives on the nutriments taken from the natural world, while his spirit lives by the words proceeding from the mouth of God. However, fallen men became unable to receive God's Word directly and their spirits live by the words of Christ, who came to earth as the incarnation of God's Word, as is written in the Bible (John 1:14). Therefore, Jesus said, "I am the bread of life" (John 6:48), and went on to say, "Truly, truly I say to you unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." (John 6:53). Therefore, even if man's physical body may have life by eating bread, he cannot enjoy a wholesome life with that alone. Man can become wholesome if, in addition he lives by Christ, who came as the incarnation of God's Word and as man's food of life.

However, the stone became Satan's possession by Moses' striking the rock, which was the root of the tablets of stone. The stone in Satan's hand now truly was the rock and the tablets of stone which Moses had lost. Therefore, the stone, after all, symbolized Jesus himself, who was under Satan's temptation. This becomes even more apparent when we read about a stone symbolizing Christ (Rev. 2:17) and that "the Rock was Christ" (I Cor. 10:4). Therefore, Jesus' answer to Satan's first temptation signified that even if he were then at the point of starvation, the bread for the physical body was not a question; and he himself had to triumph from the position of receiving Satan's temptation and become the food of God's Word that could save the spiritual bodies of all mankind. The first temptation was set up so that Jesus could establish the position of the Messiah, with perfected individuality, by overcoming the temptation from the position of John the Baptist. Satan was at defeated by such words of Jesus, who confronted him with God's will from the position of the Principle, Jesus, by overcoming the first temptation and thus setting up the condition enabling the restoration of his individuality, laid the foundation for the restoration of God's first blessing.

Next, Satan set Jesus on the pinnacle of the temple and said, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down." (Matt. 4:5-6). Jesus called himself the temple (John 2:19-21), and the saints were called the temple of God (I Cor. 3:16). It is also recorded that the saints are the members of the body of Christ (I Cor. 12:27). Therefore, we can understand that Jesus is the main temple and the saints are the branch temples. Thus Jesus came as the master of the temple, and even Satan could not help but recognize his authority. So he set Jesus on the pinnacle of the temple; then he told Jesus to throw himself down from there. This signified that if Jesus threw himself down from the position of master to that of fallen man, Satan would occupy the position of the dominator of the temple in place of Jesus.

At this point Jesus answered him saying, "You shall not tempt the Lord your God." (Matt. 4:7). Originally angels were created to be dominated by a man of the original state of creation; therefore, a fallen angel was naturally to be dominated by Jesus. Consequently, the angel's attempt to stand in the position of the lord of the temple was a non-principled act. Therefore, he should not have stood in the position of tempting God with such a non-principled act, by tempting Jesus, the body of God, who works His providence by the Principle alone. Moreover, Jesus, by overcoming the first temptation, firmly established his position as master of the temple, as the substantial temple, with his individuality restored. Therefore, he was not in any position whatsoever to be tempted by Satan; Satan should have left without tempting Jesus again.

Thus, by overcoming the second temptation, Jesus, who came as the main temple and bridegroom, and the True Parent of mankind, set up the condition enabling him to restore all the saints to the position of his branch temples and brides, and true children, thus creating the foundation for the restoration of God's second blessing.

Next, Satan led Jesus to a very high mountain, and, showing all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, tempted him, saying, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." (Matt. 4:9). Originally, Adam, due to his fall, lost his authority as the master of all creation, being dominated by Satan, and naturally Satan became the dominator of all creation in place of Adam (Rom. 8:20). Jesus, who came in the capacity of a perfected Adam, was the dominator of all the creation, since it is written that God put all things in subjection under Christ (I Cor. 15:27). Therefore, Satan who knew this principle, led Jesus to a mountain top, putting him in the position of the master of all things, and them tempted him in order that Jesus, the second Adam, also might yield before him, just as Adam had yielded in the beginning.

Jesus answered this, saying, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve." (Matt. 4:10). Originally, an angel was a ministering spirit (Heb. 1:14), and was supposed to worship and serve God, his Creator. Jesus answered, signifying that it was the Principle that Satan, the fallen angel, should also worship and serve God. Naturally, it is the Principle for Satan to also worship and serve Jesus, who appeared as the body of God, the Creator, Moreover, Jesus had already established the foundation enabling him to restore God's first and second blessings, by overcoming the first two temptations. Therefore, it was natural for him to dominate all creation by restoring God's third blessing on that foundation. So he answered in accordance with the Principle, signifying that there was no reason to be further involved with temptations concerning the creation, which already stood on the victorious foundation.

Thus, Jesus overcame the third temptation to restore his domination over the whole world of creation, through which he established the foundation for the restoration of God's third blessing.

(iii) The Result of Separation from Satan by the Forty-Day Fast and the Three Great Temptations

According to the principle of creation, God's purpose of creation is to be realized only when man established the four position foundation, after going through the three-stage process of origin, division, and union. However, man had not been able to realize the purpose of creation, because he had been invaded by Satan, in his course of establishing the four positions. Therefore, God also intended to restore through indemnity all the lost things, by establishing the 40-day foundation of separation from Satan, through the three stages of prolongation of the providence.

Meanwhile, Jesus, though he was the Messiah, established the 40-day foundation of separation from Satan, by overcoming the three stages of temptation from the position of John the Baptist. Accordingly, Jesus could restore through indemnity all the conditions at once which God had intended to restore by establishing the 40-day foundation of separation from Satan through the three-stage prolongation of His providence of restoration.

First, Jesus could restore, through indemnity, all that was to be restored in order to establish the foundation of faith, through the providential course up to that time. Namely, he restored through indemnity the offerings by Cain and Abel, Noah's ark, Abraham's offering, Moses' tabernacle and Solomon's temple. Besides, Jesus at once horizontally restored through indemnity all the 40-day foundations of separation through indemnity all the 40-day foundations of separation from Satan which had been lost due to the failures of central figures whose mission had been to restore the foundation of faith, through the vertical course of history during the 4,000 years since Adam. Namely, he restored through indemnity Noah's 40-day flood judgment; Moses' three 40-year periods and two 40-day fasts; the 40 days of spying in Canaan; the Israelites' 40-year course in the wilderness; the 400 years from Noah to Abraham; the 400 years of slavery in Egypt; and all other "number 40" periods lost after that, until his own time.

Second, Jesus could set up the condition enabling him to realize God's three great blessings and to restore through indemnity the four position foundation, because he came from the position of John the Baptist to stand in the position of the Messiah. Consequently, Jesus became a substantial being having fulfilled the offering, and he could stand as the substantial being of the tablets of stone, of the tabernacle, the ark of the covenant, the rock, and the temple.

(2) The Foundation of Substance

Jesus came as the True Parent of mankind and restored through indemnity the 40-day foundation of separation from Satan from the position of John the Baptist. Therefore, he could restore the foundation of faith from the position of a parent, and at the same time he could establish the position of Abel in setting up the worldwide condition of indemnity to remove the fallen nature from the position of a child. Accordingly, Jesus came to stand in the position of having restored through indemnity on the worldwide base, the position of Moses who had established the foundation of faith for the second nationwide restoration of Canaan by going through the 40-year period of indemnity in the wilderness of Midian.

In the second course of the nationwide restoration of Canaan, God worked His "providence for the start" with the three great miracles and ten calamities. Later in the third course of the nationwide restoration of Canaan, God worked His "providence for the start" by setting up the three great graces of the tablets of stone, the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant--and the Ten Commandments, to restore through indemnity the three great miracles and ten calamities in Egypt, which were annulled because of the disbelief of the Israelites.

Since Jesus was the substantial being of the Ten Commandments and the three great graces (the tablets of stone, the tabernacle, and the ark of the covenant), he worked the "providence for the start" by his own words and miracles and signs in the second course of worldwide restoration of Canaan. If, in accordance with the "providence for the start", the Jewish people in the position of Cain had believed and followed Jesus in the position of Abel, they could have set up the condition of indemnity to remove the fallen nature and could have restored the foundation of substance, thus establishing the foundation of receive the Messiah. If so, Jesus, shifting from the position of John the Baptist, could have stood as the Messiah. Then, if all mankind had been engrafted to him (Rom. 11:17), had been reborn, cleansed of the original sin, and had become one body in heart with God, they could have restored the original nature endowed at the creation, thus realizing the Kingdom of God on earth at that time.

(3) The Failure of the Second Course of the Worldwide Restoration of Canaan

When, due to the disbelief of John the Baptist, the first providence of the worldwide restoration of Canaan ended in a failure, Jesus restored through indemnity the foundation of faith for the second worldwide restoration of Canaan by suffering by himself the 40-day tribulation in the wilderness, succeeding the mission of John the Baptist. Meanwhile, Satan, who was defeated in the three great temptations, departed from Jesus until an opportune time (Luke 4:13). Satan's having departed from him "until an opportune time" implies that he did not leave Jesus completely, but could come again before Jesus. As a matter of fact, Satan confronted Jesus, working through the Jewish people, centering on the chief priests and scribes who had fallen faithless, and especially through Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus.

In this manner, due to the faithlessness of the Jewish people, the foundation of substance for the second course of the worldwide restoration of Canaan resulted in a failure; accordingly, the foundation to receive the Messiah for this providence was a failure. Naturally, the second course of the worldwide restoration of Canaan also failed.

3. The Third Course of the Worldwide Restoration of Canaan

(1) The Course of the Spiritual Restoration of Canaan, Centering on Jesus

Before discussing the problems concerning the third course of the worldwide restoration, we must first know in what respect it differs from the third course of nationwide restoration of Canaan. As already discussed in detail, the center of the Israelite faith in the third course of the nationwide restoration of Canaan was the tabernacle, which was the symbolic body of the Messiah. Thus, even when the Israelite nation fell into faithlessness, this tabernacle remained intact, standing on the foundation of faith for the tabernacle, which Moses had set up by his 40-day fast. When Moses, too, fell into faithlessness, it remained standing, centering on Joshua, who continued to serve the will on the foundation for the tabernacle, which had been established by Joshua's 40-day spying period to separate Satan on the foundation of faith that Moses had set up.

However, the object of faith of the Jewish people, in their course of the worldwide restoration of Canaan, was Jesus himself, who came as the substantial body of the temple. When even his disciples fell into disbelief, Jesus was forced to go the way of death, by giving his physical body to the cross, as it was written, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the son of man be lifted up." (John 3:14). In this way, the Jewish people lost their object of faith, both in spirit and flesh. Therefore, they could not start their third course of the worldwide restoration of Canaan directly as a substantial course. But the Christians as the Second Israel started first a spiritual course, by setting up the resurrected Jesus as their object of faith.

Here lies the reason Jesus said, "Destroy this temple (Jesus himself), and in three days I will raise it up." (John 2:19). The Lord will come and, succeeding the mission of Jesus, he will accomplish, both spiritually and physically, the third course of the worldwide restoration of Canaan, just as Joshua had accomplished the third course of the nationwide restoration of Canaan, succeeding Moses' mission.

Seeing such a providential course of restoration alone, we can well understand that unless the Lord would come again in flesh, as in the time of Jesus, he cannot succeed and fulfill the purpose of the providence of restoration which he intended to accomplish at the first coming.

(i) The Spiritual Foundation of Faith

Since the second course of the worldwide restoration of Canaan ended in failure due to the Israelites' betrayal of Jesus, the foundation of faith which Jesus had set up, through the 40-day fast from the position of John the Baptist, was helplessly handed over to Satan. Therefore, after giving his physical body to Satan, through the cross, Jesus set up the spiritual foundation of separation from Satan by his 40-day resurrection period, from the position of the spiritual mission-bearer of John the Baptist. By doing this, he could restore the spiritual foundation of faith for the spiritual course of the third worldwide restoration of Canaan. There has not been even a single man, until today, who knew that this was the reason the 40-day resurrection period was set up after Jesus' crucifixion. How then did Jesus establish the spiritual foundation of faith?

God had been with the chosen nation of Israel until the time when Jesus appeared as the Messiah. Nevertheless, from the moment of their rebellion against Jesus, who appeared as the Messiah, God was compelled to deliver them, His elect, into the hands of Satan. Thus, God, together with His son, who was betrayed by the Israelites, had to abandon and turn against His chosen nation. Nevertheless, God's purpose of sending the Messiah was to save not only the chosen nation but also the whole of mankind. Therefore, God intended to save the whole of mankind, even though He might have to deliver Jesus into the hands of Satan. On the other hand, Satan tried to kill one man, Jesus, the Messiah, even if he might have to hand over to God the whole of mankind, including the chosen nation, which was now on his side. This was because Satan thought that he could break the purpose of the whole providence of God by killing the Messiah, for he knew that the first purpose of God's 4,000-year providence of restoration had been to set up one man, the Messiah. Thus, God finally handed Jesus over to Satan, as the condition of indemnity, in order to save the whole of mankind, including the Jewish people, who turned against Jesus, and were now on Satan's side.

Satan thus attained what he had intended through the 4,000-year course of history, by crucifying Jesus, with the exercise of his maximum power. God, who thus handed over Jesus into Satan's hands, could, at that price, set up the condition to save the whole of mankind, including the Israelites.

How, then, did God come to be able to save sinful men? Since Satan had killed Jesus by exercising his maximum power, the position for God now to exercise His maximum power was created, according to the principle of restoration through indemnity. The exercise of maximum power on God's part was to bring the dead back to life, while that of Satan was to kill man. Here God exercised His maximum power as the condition of indemnity against Satan's act of killing Jesus through the exercise of his maximum power, and He brought Jesus back to life. By grafting the whole of mankind into the resurrected Jesus (Rom. 11:24) and giving them rebirth, God intended to save all mankind.

As we well know through the Bible, Jesus after the resurrection was not the same Jesus who had lived with his disciples before his crucifixion. He was no longer a man seen through physical eyes, because he was a being transcendent of time and space. He once suddenly appeared in a closed room where his disciples were gathered (John 20:19), while in another instance he appeared before two disciples going to Emmaus, and accompanied them for a long distance. But their eyes were kept from recognizing Jesus, who appeared, would again disappear suddenly. Jesus, in order to save mankind, had established the spiritual foundation of faith through the 40-day resurrection period to separate Satan, after giving up his physical body to the cross as a sacrifice. By doing this, he pioneered the way for the redemption of the sins of all men.

(ii) The Spiritual Foundation of Substance

Jesus, by establishing the spiritual 40-day foundation to separate Satan through resurrection, from the position of the spiritual mission-bearer of John the Baptist, could then restore the spiritual foundation of faith from the position of a spiritual parent. At the same time, he also established the position of a spiritual Abel in setting up the worldwide condition of indemnity to remove the fallen nature from the position of a spiritual child. Thus, Jesus could establish a spiritual foundation of faith for the third worldwide restoration of Canaan, just as Moses could establish the foundation of faith for the third nationwide restoration of Canaan, by going through the indemnity period of the 40-year wandering in the wilderness while leading the Israelites.

At the time of Moses, God worked His "providence for the start" by having him establish the foundation for the tabernacle. However the resurrected Jesus worked the "providence for the start" by gathering his disciples, scattered in Galilee, and giving them the power to perform miracles and signs, since he himself was the spiritual substantial body of the tablets of stone, tabernacle, and the ark (Matt. 28:16-20).

Now, the saints in the position of Cain came to restore the spiritual foundation of substance by setting up the spiritual condition of indemnity to remove the fallen nature, through their believing, serving, and following the resurrected Jesus, who was spiritually in the position of Abel, as the spiritual mission-bearer of John the Baptist.

(iii) The Spiritual Foundation to Receive the Messiah

After Jesus' crucifixion, the remaining eleven disciples scattered in utter helplessness. Jesus, after his resurrection, gathered them again in one place and started his new providence of the spiritual restoration of Canaan. The disciples chose Matthias in place of Judas Iscariot to fill the number of 12 disciples, and believed, served, and followed the resurrected Jesus, thus establishing the spiritual foundation of substance. By doing this, they could restore the spiritual foundation to receive the Messiah.

On this foundation, Jesus could establish the position of the spiritual Messiah from the position of spiritual mission-bearer of John the Baptist and restore the Holy Spirit. By doing this, he became the spiritual True Parent and came to perform the work of rebirth. That is, as it is written in the Bible (Acts. 2:1-4), after the advent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the resurrected Jesus became the spiritual True Father and, working in oneness with the Holy Spirit as the spiritual True Mother, spiritually grafted saints to them, thus beginning the work of spiritual rebirth. By doing this, Jesus could accomplish the providence of spiritual salvation (cf. Part I, Ch. 4, Sec. I, 4--147). Consequently, in the sphere of the resurrected Jesus, Satan's spiritual condition for accusation was completely liquidated, and thus, spiritually, this became a sphere inviolable by Satan.

Fallen man's physical salvation would remain unaccomplished, though he may in faith become one with Jesus, because his body is still in the position of being invaded by Satan, just like Jesus himself. However, if we believe in the resurrected Jesus, we will be with Jesus spiritually in the sphere inviolable by Satan, and thus we will be able to accomplish spiritual salvation free from the spiritual condition of accusation by Satan.

(iv) The Spiritual Restoration of Canaan

Christians could accomplish only the spiritual restoration of Canaan by believing and serving Jesus, who came to stand as the spiritual Messiah, on the spiritual foundation to receive the Messiah. Thus the physical bodies of the saints, who were in the sphere of grace for the spiritual restoration of Canaan, stood in the same position as the physical body of Jesus, invaded by Satan through the cross. Therefore, they were being invaded by Satan, just as in the time before the coming of Jesus, with original sin still remaining in them (Rom. 7:25). Naturally, the saints also had to go through the course of separating from Satan again for the Second Advent of the Lord (cf. Part I, Ch. 4, Sec. I, 4--147).

The ideal of the tabernacle in the nationwide course of the restoration of Canaan, through which God worked His providence centering on Moses, came now to be realized on the worldwide base centering on the spiritual temple of the resurrected Jesus. Since the ideal of the mercy seat was realized through the work of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, God could appear and speak. Thus, in the mercy seat, where God's words were heard, the cherubim that had blocked the way since the fall of the first human ancestors would be put aside, so that one might enter the ark to meet Jesus, the Tree of Life, to eat the manna given by God, and to manifest the power of God represented by Aaron's rod that budded (Heb. 9:4-5). In this way, we can understand that the crucifixion of Jesus and the Second Advent was not a determined providence, when seen through Moses' course.

(2) The Course of the Substantial Restoration of Canaan Centering on the Lord of the Second Advent

We have discussed why God's chosen people started the third course of the worldwide restoration of Canaan as a spiritual course, not being able to start it as a substantial course as they had done in their third course of the nationwide restoration of Canaan. The spiritual providence of the third worldwide restoration of Canaan, which they started on the spiritual foundation for the Messiah, by believing and obeying Jesus, the spiritual Messiah, has today broadened its spiritual territory, on a worldwide basis, after having passed the 2,000-year course of history.

Just as Joshua, who substituted for Moses in the spiritual course of the restoration of Canaan, accomplished the nationwide restoration of Canaan by going through the substantial course, so the Lord of the Second Advent has to realize the earthly Kingdom of God, by coming to walk the spiritual course of the restoration of Canaan as a substantial course, and by accomplishing the worldwide restoration of Canaan. In this manner, the Lord of the Second Advent, who is to realize the same Kingdom of God on earth as God intended to realize substantially at the time of Jesus, must be born on earth as a substantial man in flesh (cf. Part I, Ch. 7, Sec. II, 2--209).

The Lord of the Second Advent must restore through indemnity the providential course of restoration left unachieved at the time of the first coming. Therefore, just as Jesus had to walk the bitter course of the spiritual providence of restoration, due to the faithlessness of the Jewish people, the Lord must restore through indemnity the spiritual course of tribulation, this time substantially in flesh, if and when Christians, the Second Israel, should fall into faithlessness. Jesus said, "But first he [Christ] must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation." (Luke 17:25).

Therefore, just as Jesus form the time of his coming onwards, had to walk anew on his spiritual course of providence by abandoning the First Israel of God's summons and by setting up Christians as his second chosen nation, the Lord of the Second Advent, may have to achieve the providential course, substantially, by abandoning the Christians of the second summons, and calling anew the Third Israel, if the Christians should fall into faithlessness. If, at the Second Advent, the heralds, coming with the mission of John the Baptist (John 1:23), to make his way straight should fail in carrying out their mission, just as at the first coming, the Lord of the Second Advent himself must establish substantially the foundation of faith for the third providence of the worldwide restoration of Canaan from the position of John the Baptist, thus having to walk the path of tribulation.

However bitter a way he may walk, the Lord of the Second Advent will never come to die, not fulfilling the providence of restoration, as in the time of Jesus. This is because God's providence to fulfill His purpose of creation, through the True Parents of mankind, has come down from Adam through Jesus, to the Lord of the Second Advent, and in the third instance, the providence will not fail to be realized. Further, as will be later discussed (cf. Part II, Ch. 6, Sec. IV--532), the spiritual providence of restoration for the 2,000 years after Jesus has achieved the age of democracy in order to create the society beneficial for the providence. Jesus was killed after being branded as a rebel against Judaism, but in the democratic society at the Second Advent, the Lord cannot walk the path of death, even though he may be bitterly persecuted as a heretic.

Therefore, however difficult a way the Lord of the Second Advent may walk, there will gather saints believing and serving him absolutely on the substantial foundation of faith which he will establish; and it will be certain that they will be able to set up the substantial foundation to receive the Messiah by setting up the foundation of substance, for the sake of the substantial course of the third worldwide restoration of Canaan.

In the third nationwide course of the restoration of Canaan, at the time of Moses, God was to work His "providence for the start", centering on the rock. At the time of Joshua, He worked His "providence for the start", centering on the water, which was more internal than the rock. In a like manner, Jesus worked the "providence for the start" by the miracles and signs at the first coming, but at the Second Advent, Christ will work the "providence for the start", centering on the Word, which is internal. That is because, as discussed earlier (cf. Part I, Ch. 3, Sec. III, 2--113), man, who was created by the Word (John 1:3), failed to accomplish the purpose of the Word due to the fall. God, who has been working His providence of restoration by setting up the external condition of the Word, in order to accomplish the purpose of the Word, must send Christ, who is the substance of the Word (John 1:14), at the close of providential history, and must work His providence of salvation, centering on the Word.

When we see God's purpose of creation, centering on the connection of heart, God, as the spiritual Parent, created men as His substantial children. Adam and Eve, who were created first as the substantial objects in the image and likeness of God's dual essentialities, are God's first substantial objects and the first parents of mankind. Thus, by joining as husband and wife and multiplying children, they should have established a family connected and united in the hearts of the parents, couple, and children representing parental love, conjugal love and children's love. This is truly the four position foundation which has realized the three objective purposes (cf. Part I, Ch. 1, Sec. II, 3--31).

In this manner, God intended to establish the Kingdom of God on earth, with His children of direct descent. However, as discussed in the "Fall of Man", all men, due to the first human ancestor's blood relationship with the archangel Lucifer, have become the children of the devil, inheriting Satan's blood lineage (Matt. 3:7, 23:33, John 8:44). Thus, the first human ancestors fell into a position in which they were cut off from the lineage of God, and this is the fall (cf. Part I, Ch. 2--65).

Therefore, the purpose of God's providence of restoration is to restore the fallen men who were cut off from the lineage of God and to set them up as the children of God's direct line. Let us find out God's secret of the providence of restoration in the Bible.

As was previously discussed, Adam's family, which was so degraded as to commit murder, was cut off from a relationship with God. At the time of Noah the direct relationship with God could not be restored, due to the failure of Ham, the second son, who was in the position of Abel. However, man could stand in the position of the slave of slaves (Gen. 9:25), because there was the foundation of Noah's loyalty. Thus, man could have an indirect relationship with God. This was the actual relationship of God and man in the period before the Old Testament Age.

In his own time Abraham, the father of faith, could set up God's elect by establishing the family-level foundation to receive the Messiah. Thus, for the first time, the position of God's servant was restore (Lev. 25:55). This was the relationship of God and man in the Old Testament Age. After the coming of Jesus, his disciples, who stood on the foundation of faith which he had established from the position of John the Baptist, were for the first time restored from the position of servants of the Old Testament Age to the position of adopted children. In order for them to become children of God's direct lineage, they had to establish the foundation of substance in absolute obedience to Jesus; and by grafting (Rom. 11:17) themselves both spiritually and physically into Jesus, who stood on that foundation, they had to become one body with him.

Jesus came as the Son of God, without original sin, from God's direct lineage, and by making the whole of fallen mankind into one body by engrafting them to him, he was to restore them to be the children of God's direct lineage, having removed the original sin. Jesus and the Holy Spirit came as the spiritual True Parents to make men restore their lineal connection with God, as endowed at the creation, by having the fallen men remove their original sin by engrafting them to themselves. We call the work of Jesus and the Holy Spirit "Rebirth" (cf. Part I, Ch. 7, Sec. IV--213). Therefore, we must know that Jesus came as the center, the true olive tree, in order to engraft fallen men, who are the branches of wild olive trees, to himself.

Nevertheless, even his disciples fell into faithlessness, and so, Jesus was crucified in the position of John the Baptist, without being able to perform the duties of the Messiah. In this way, the resurrected Jesus had established the spiritual foundation of faith through the 40-day resurrection period to separate Satan, set up from the position of the spiritual John the Baptist. After that the spiritual foundation of substance was set up by the faith and loyalty of his disciples, who returned to him in repentance; and hence, the spiritual foundation to receive the Messiah was established for the first time. Finally, on that spiritual foundation the saints came to stand as spiritual children by being spiritually engrafted to Jesus, who stands as the spiritual Messiah. This has been the relationship of God and fallen men, according to the spiritual providence of restoration after Jesus, up to the present moment. Therefore, fallen men can as yet stand only as spiritual objects of God, because the spiritual providence of restoration after Jesus has been to restore the spirit world first, just as God had created the spirit world first. Accordingly, however devout a Christian may be, since he has not been able to liquidate original sin coming down through the flesh, no difference is found between him and the saints of the Old Testament Age in light of their both not having been able to remove themselves from the lineage of Satan (cf. Part I, Ch. 4, Sec. I, 4--147). Christians are at best adopted sons before God, because they are children of a different lineage. For that very reason, Paul said:

Not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons... (Rom. 8:23)

Therefore, the Lord of the Second Advent must come to restore the whole of mankind to be children of God's direct lineage. Consequently, he must be born on earth, in flesh, as Jesus was. By so doing he must restore through indemnity the course of Jesus, by walking it again. Therefore, the Lord of the Second Advent must establish substantially, the foundation to receive the Messiah, according to the "providence for the start", centering on the Word; and by engrafting the whole of mankind both spiritually and physically on this foundation, he must restore them to be children of God's direct lineage, having removed the original sin.

Jesus established the family-level foundation by setting up twelve apostles centering on the three main ones, and then broadened it to the tribe-level foundation by setting up the 70 disciples, in order to restore through indemnity the position of Jacob, who had been the central figure of the family-level foundation for the Messiah. In the same manner, the Lord of the Second Advent, must also restore the foundation to receive the Messiah substantially, starting from family level, and gradually broadening it to tribal level, racial level, national level, world level and then to the cosmic level. On that foundation, he must finally be able to establish the Kingdom of heaven on earth.

God, by setting up the chosen nation of the First Israel, prepared the base for Jesus to come and fulfill rapidly the purpose of erecting the Kingdom of Heaven, but due to their rebellion, He had to set up anew the Christians as the Second Israel. Likewise, if the Christians, who have been set up as the Second Israel for the ideal of the erection of the Kingdom of Heaven by the Lord of the Second Advent, should also turn again him, God will be compelled to abandon His elect of the Second Israel and choose anew His elect of the Third Israel. Therefore, Christians of the Last Days, like the Jewish people of the days of Jesus, are situated in very blessed circumstances, but on the other hand, are in the position where they are liable to become very miserable.

4. Lessons learned from Jesus' Course

First, in this case, God showed us what His predestination of His will was like. God always predestines His will to be absolutely fulfilled in the end. When John the Baptist failed to accomplish his mission, Jesus himself, who came as the Messiah, intended to fulfill the will even by substituting for John. Since the earthly Kingdom of Heaven was not realized due to faithlessness of the Jewish people, Christ will come again to fulfill this will.

In the next place, God showed us that His predestination concerning the fulfillment of the will, centering on a certain individual or nation of His elect, is not absolute, but relative. That is to say, though God may have set up a certain individual or a nation to fulfill the purpose of His providence of restoration, He would set up a new mission-bearer to succeed in the work, if the former should fail to carry out his portion of responsibility. Jesus had chosen John the Baptist as his main disciple, but when he failed to carry out his responsibility, Jesus chose Peter in his place. In another case, he chose Judas Iscariot as one of his 12 disciples, but when Judas failed to fulfill his responsibility, Jesus chose Matthias in his place (Acts 1:26). In a like manner, God chose the Jewish people to fulfill the purpose of His providence of restoration, but when they failed to carry out their responsibility, He shifted the mission to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46, Matt. 21:33-43). In this way, even though God may have chosen a certain man to fulfill His will, He can never absolutely predestine the fulfillment of the will centering on any one person.

Third, God showed us that He does not interfere with man's own portion of responsibility, but dominates only its result. When John the Baptist or Judas Iscariot fell into faithlessness, it was not that God did not know it nor that He was unable to stop it, but He did not interfere at all with their faith, but dominated only the result of their deeds.

Finally, God showed us that the greater the mission of the person, the more bitter the trial facing him. Since Adam turned against God in faithlessness, Jesus, who came as the second Adam, in order to fulfill the purpose of the providence of restoration, had to restore through indemnity the position before the fall by showing good faith, from the position where he is abandoned by God in place of Adam. Therefore, Jesus had to go through Satan's temptations in the wilderness, and had to suffer on the cross, completely abandoned by God (Matt. 27:46).