The Course of the Providence of Restoration

Chapter Introduction to Restoration

Section 2

The Course of the Providence of Restoration

2.1 The Ages in the Course of the Providence of Restoration

Let us now present an overview of the entire course of history since the time of Adam, as reckoned in the Bible and survey the providential Ages, which comprise it.

God’s providence to have fallen people establish the foundation upon which they could receive the Messiah, and thence complete the purpose of creation, began with Adam’s family.

However, God’s Will was frustrated when Cain murdered Abel. Ten generations later, the unfulfilled Will was passed down to Noah’s family. God judged the evil world with the flood in order to set apart Noah’s family and conduct the providence of restoration. God intended to complete the providence by establishing the foundation for the Messiah in Noah’s family and sending the Messiah on that basis. Yet due to the fallen act of Noah’s second son, Ham, the providence for Noah’s family and the ark failed. As a consequence, the ten generations and the forty-day flood which God had set up to prepare for this providence were lost to Satan.

After four hundred years had passed in order to restore through indemnity what had been lost to Heaven’s side, God’s Will was entrusted to Abraham. If Abraham had established the foundation for the Messiah on the family level exactly as God had intended, the foundation would have expanded to the national level, and thereupon the Messiah would have come. However, because Abraham failed in the symbolic offering, God’s Will was frustrated once more. Consequently, the biblical two thousand years from Adam to Abraham, during which God had sought a father of faith who could receive the Messiah, was claimed by Satan.

Yet Abraham’s situation differed from that of Noah.

Although Abraham failed in the symbolic offering, the family foundation for the Messiah was eventually fulfilled through the three generations of Abraham’s family: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. On that basis, God multiplied the chosen people in Egypt and expanded the foundation for the Messiah to the national level. For this reason, Abraham is called the father of faith.

If we judge the significance of the age strictly by its outcome, we can understand that the two-thousand-year period from Adam to Abraham was for the purpose of finding one father of faith who could lay the foundation to begin the providence of restoration. Thus, God’s work of restoration can be said to have begun with Abraham.

However, due to Abraham’s mistake in making the symbolic offering, the two thousand years from Adam to Abraham were lost to Satan.

Hence, a period had to be set up in which those lost years could be restored through indemnity to God’s side; this is the significance of the two-thousand-year period from Abraham to Jesus.

• If Abraham had not failed in making the symbolic offering, the Messiah would have come and stood upon the national foundation for the Messiah built by Abraham’s immediate descendants, and the providence of restoration would have been completed at that time.
• Likewise, had the Jewish people believed in and attended Jesus, they would have supported him to stand representing the nation as the living sacrifice before God. They then would have laid the national foundation for the Messiah. Jesus, standing as the Messiah on that foundation, could then have completed the providence of restoration.

However, just as Abraham failed in his symbolic offering, the Jewish people failed to make their offering on the national level when their leaders sent Jesus to the cross.

Thus, a period of two thousand years, this time from Abraham to Jesus—was lost yet again to Satan. As a consequence, a parallel period had to be set up in which the earlier two-thousand-year period could be restored through indemnity to God’s side. This is the significance of the two-thousand-year period from Jesus’ time until today. During this age, founded upon the cross of Jesus, Christians must establish the worldwide foundation for the Messiah.

2.2 Categorization of the Ages in the Course of the Providence of Restoration

The ages in the course of the providence of restoration show the progressive development of God’s providence. They may be categorized according to six criteria.

2.2.1 The Ages categorized with Reference to God’s Word

(i) During the two-thousand-year period from Adam to Abraham, people had not yet fulfilled sufficient indemnity conditions to receive God’s Word directly. At most, fallen people made indemnity conditions through offering sacrifices; but in doing so, they laid the foundation for the next period when God could begin to work His providence of restoration based on the Word. Hence, this period is called the age of the providence to lay the foundation for the Word.

(ii) During the two-thousand-year period from Abraham to Jesus, humanity’s spirituality and intellect developed to the formation stage based on the Word revealed in the Old Testament. Hence, this period is called the formation stage of the providence, or the Old Testament Age.

(iii) During the two-thousand-year period from Jesus until the Second Coming, humanity’s spirituality and intellect developed to the growth stage based on the Word revealed in the New Testament. Hence, this period is called the growth stage of the providence, or the New Testament Age.

(iv) During the period when the providence of restoration is to be completed after the Second Coming of Christ, humanity’s spirituality and intellect are to develop through the completion stage based on the Completed Testament Word, which will be given for the fulfillment of the providence of restoration. Hence, this period is called the completion stage of the providence, or the Completed Testament Age.

2.2.2 The Ages categorized with Reference to God’s Work of Resurrection

(i) During the two-thousand-year period from Adam to Abraham, people offered sacrifices to lay the foundation to commence the Old Testament Age, when God would begin His work of resurrection. Hence, this period is called the age of the providence to lay the foundation for resurrection.

(ii) During the two-thousand-year period from Abraham to Jesus, people could be resurrected to the form-spirit level based on the Old Testament Word and the merit of the age in the providence of restoration. Hence, this period is called the age of the providence of formation-stage resurrection.

(iii) During the two-thousand year period from Jesus to the Second Advent, people could be resurrected to the life-spirit level based on the New Testament Word and the merit of the age in the providence of restoration. Hence, this period is called the age of the providence of growth-stage resurrection.

(iv) During the period when the providence of restoration is to be completed after the Second Coming of Christ, people are to be fully resurrected to the divine-spirit level based on the Completed Testament Word and the merit of the age in the providence of restoration. Hence, this period is called the age of the providence of completion-stage.

2.2.3 The Ages categorized with reference to the Providence to restore through indemnity the lost Periods of Faith

(i) During the two-thousand-year period from Adam to Abraham, God laid the foundation for the Old Testament Age. Although this period was lost to Satan, God, by raising up Abraham, could commence the Old Testament Age, in which He would restore this first period through indemnity. Hence, this period is called the Age of the Providence to Lay the Foundation for Restoration (through indemnity).

(ii) During the two-thousand-year period from Abraham to Jesus, God restored through indemnity the previous period of two thousand years—lost to Satan due to Abraham’s mistake in the symbolic offering, by working predominantly through the people of Israel. Hence, this period is called the Age of the Providence of Restoration (through indemnity).

(iii) During the two-thousand-year period from Jesus to the Second Advent, God has been restoring through indemnity the Old Testament Age, lost to Satan due to Jesus’ crucifixion—by working predominantly through Christianity. Hence, this period is called the Age of the Prolongation of the Providence of Restoration (through indemnity).

(iv) During the period when the providence of restoration is to be completed after the Second Coming of Christ, God will work to restore through indemnity the entire course of the providence of restoration, which has been lost to Satan. Hence, this period is called the Age for Completing the Providence of Restoration (through indemnity).

2.2.4 The ages categorized with reference to the expanding scope of the Foundation for the Messiah

(i) During the two-thousand-year period from Adam to Abraham, God laid the family foundation for the Messiah by raising up Abraham’s family on the condition of the sacrifices they offered. Hence, this period is called the age of the providence to lay the family foundation for the Messiah.

(ii) During the two-thousand-year period from Abraham to Jesus, God worked to lay the national foundation for the Messiah by raising up Israel based on the Old Testament Word. Hence, this period is called the age of the providence to lay the national foundation for the Messiah.

(iii) During the two-thousand-year period from Jesus to the Second Advent, God has been laying the worldwide foundation for the Messiah by raising up worldwide Christianity based on the New Testament Word. Hence, this period is called the age of the providence to lay the worldwide foundation for the Messiah.

(iv) During the period when the providence of restoration is to be completed after the Second Coming of Christ, God will complete the cosmic foundation for the Messiah by working throughout heaven and earth based on the Completed Testament Word. Hence, this period is called the age of the providence to complete the cosmic foundation for the Messiah.

2.2.5 The ages categorized with reference to Responsibility

(i) During the two-thousand-year period from Adam to Abraham, God laid the foundation upon which to conduct His providence in the subsequent Old Testament Age, a providence, which was to be fulfilled by God shouldering the responsibility. Hence, this period is called the age of the providence to lay the foundation for God’s responsibility.

(ii) During the two-thousand-year period from Abraham to Jesus, God took responsibility as the Creator of human beings and carried out the providence of restoration at the formation stage. God worked with the prophets and personally shouldered the first responsibility to defeat Satan. Hence, this period is called the age of the providence based on God’s responsibility.

(iii) During the two-thousand-year period from Jesus to the Second Advent, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, who assumed the missions of Adam and Eve, have conducted the providence of restoration at the growth stage. Jesus and the Holy Spirit have shouldered the second responsibility to defeat Satan as they work to restore fallen people. Hence, this period is called the age of the providence based on Jesus and the Holy Spirit’s responsibility.

(iv) During the period when the providence of restoration is to be completed after the Second Coming of Christ, the people of faith on earth and in heaven are to bear the third responsibility to defeat Satan, the fallen archangel, and complete the providence of restoration. They are to achieve this in accordance with the Principle of Creation, which lays out the way for human beings to gain the qualification to rule the angels. Hence, this period is called the age of the providence based on the believers’ responsibility.

2.2.6 The Ages categorized with reference to the Parallels in the Providence

(i) During the two-thousand-year period from Adam to Abraham, the foundation for the Messiah was restored by fulfilling parallel indemnity conditions of a symbolic type. Hence, this period is called the age of symbolic parallels.

(ii) During the two-thousand-year period from Abraham to Jesus, the foundation for the Messiah was restored by fulfilling parallel indemnity conditions of an image type. Hence, this period is called the age of image parallels.

(iii) During the two-thousand-year period from Jesus to the Second Advent, the foundation for the Messiah has been restored by fulfilling parallel indemnity conditions of a substantial type. Hence, this period is called the age of substantial parallels.