Chapter Preparation Period for the Second Advent of the Messiah
The
preparation period for the Second Advent of the Messiah is the 400-year period
from the Religious Reformation of 1517 to the end of World War I in 1918. The
summary of the character of this period was already discussed in the section
comparing it with the preparation period for the coming of the Messiah viewed
from time-identity, but a more detailed study will be made here. Seen from the
viewpoint of the providence of restoration, this era is divided into three
periods: the period of religious reformation, the period of struggle between
religion and ideology, and the period of maturity for politics, economy, and
ideology.
Section IV
The Great World Wars
1. The Cause of the Great World Wars viewed from the
Providence of Restoration through Indemnity
Wars
always break out because of political, economic and ideological causes. But
these are no more than external causes. We must know that there are internal
causes, just as there are both internal and external causes in human action.
That is human action is decided not only by man's external free will, which
tends to cope with the reality with which he is confronted, but also by man's
internal free will, which tends to adjust to God's will by heading for the
purpose of the providence of restoration. Therefore, the good or evil of human
actions must not be judged by the external cause alone. The worldwide conflict
between opposing actions, both of which occur in accordance with men's free
will, has resulted in the great world wars, so we must know that also, in this
case, there should be both internal and external causes. Consequently, we can
never grasp the providential significance of the great world wars if we
consider only the external causes such as politics, economy and ideology.
What,
then, must be the internal cause of the great world wars, as interpreted by the
providence of restoration by indemnity? First, the great world wars broke out
because of the last struggle of Satan trying not to let his opponent take away
his sovereignty. As we have already seen, due to the fall of the first human
ancestors, Satan has always realized, in advance, the non-principled world in
the pattern of the Principle, imitating the world of Principle God was going to
realize. God, working after him, has performed His providence to restore His
world of Principle, gradually broadening the territory of goodness out of the
non-principled world that had been under Satanic domination. In the course of
the providence of restoration, a false one would always appear before the true
one comes. As a representative example, the Bible says an antichrist would come
before the true Christ.
The
history of evil sovereignty centering on Satan will end with the appearance of
the Lord of the Second Advent, and the history of evil sovereignty will be
changed into the history of good sovereignty centered on God. Therefore, Satan
at this time will put up his last struggle. In the nationwide course of the
restoration into Canaan centering on Moses, Satan caused Pharaoh to display his
last struggle against the chosen people of Israel who were going to leave
Egypt. Therefore, the Heavenly side smote him with three great miracles, thus
letting the people leave. Likewise, in the consummation of history, Satan would
display his last struggle against the people of the Heavenly side who are to
start their worldwide course of restoration into Canaan. Therefore, the act of
smiting Satan three times appeared in the three great world wars.
Second,
as Satan has realized in advance the type of world in which God would have
fulfilled His three great blessings to men in a non-principled way, the great
world wars are inevitable in order to set up the worldwide condition of
indemnity to restore God's three great blessings. God created man and blessed
him with three great blessings: that he should perfect his individuality, that
he should multiply, and that he should dominate the world of creation (Gen.
1:28). Consequently, man should have realized the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth by
fulfilling these great blessings.
Since
God, having created man, blessed him with such blessings, He could not annul
the blessings, even though man fell. So, He could not but allow fallen men to
realize in advance the non-principled world in the pattern of the blessings,
centering on Satan. Accordingly, at the close of human history there is to be
realized a non-principled world which follows the pattern of having perfected
the three great blessings: that is, the individuality centered on Satan,
multiplication centering on Satan, and domination of the created world
centering on Satan. Therefore, in order to set up the worldwide condition of
indemnity to restore God's three great blessings, three great world wars must
occur to smite, through the three stages of formation, growth and perfection,
the non-principled world which follows the pattern of fulfilling the three
great blessings, centering on Satan.
Third,
great world wars are inevitable in order for earthly men to overcome Satan's
three temptations to Jesus on the worldwide base. Christians should overcome
the three temptations which Jesus suffered in the wilderness on the individual,
family, national and worldwide levels. Therefore, three great world wars
occurred so that mankind may overcome the three temptations of Jesus three
times on the worldwide level.
Fourth,
great world wars are inevitable in order to set up the worldwide condition of
indemnity for the restoration of the heavenly sovereignty. If man had perfected
himself through the three stages of the growth period without falling, the
world under the sovereignty of God would have been realized. Therefore, God has
to wage the last war to restore the world of heavenly sovereignty by dividing
this fallen world into the two types--the Cain-type and the Abel-type--and by
having the Heavenly world of the Abel-type smite the Satanic world of the
Cain-type, thus restoring worldwide, by indemnity, the act of Cain's having
killed Abel. Even in doing that, the three stages must be undergone and thus,
three great world wars are inevitable. Therefore, the great world wars are the
last wars in which to restore by indemnity, horizontally, the purpose of all
the wars that have been waged for the restoration of heavenly sovereignty in
the vertical course of the providence.
2. The First Great World War
(1) Summary of the Providence for the First World War
Government
under absolute monarchy collapsed as the consequence of two types of democratic
revolution, the Cain-type and the Abel-type, which had been brought about by
the two views-of-life. The Industrial Revolution, which followed, led the
feudalistic society into a capitalistic one, finally giving birth to
imperialistic society. Therefore, the first world war, seen from the political
aspect, was the war between the democratic government heading for the
providence of restoration according to Abel-type democracy, and the
totalitarian government which was against the purpose of the providence of restoration,
according to Cain-type democracy.
Seen
from the economic aspect, it was a war between imperialism of the Heavenly side
and that of the Satanic side. This great world war was, in a certain respect,
also a war waged between advanced capitalistic nations and the less advanced
ones, to obtain colonies.
The
First Great World War, seen from the ideological aspect, was a war between the
Cain-type nations such as Turkey, the Moslem nation persecuting Christianity at
that time, together with Germany and Austria-Hungary, who supported Turkey and
the Abel-type nations, such as England, America, and France, who believed in
Christianity. To conclude, the First World War was one in which democracy,
which was to realize the purpose of the Abel-type view of life, could create
the basis of victory on the formation level.
(2) What Decides the Heavenly Side and the Satanic
Side?
The
Heavenly side and Satanic side are decided according to standard of direction
of God's providence of restoration. The position of taking the same direction
as that of God's providence of restoration and at least of acting in concert
with the direction, even in an indirect way, is called the "heavenly
side", and a position contrary to it is called the "Satanic
side". Therefore, its position on the Heavenly side or the Satanic side
may not necessarily agree with our common sense, conscience or judgment. The
fact that Moses killed the Egyptian may be considered evil by those who do not
know God's providence. Nevertheless, when seen from the standpoint of the
providence of restoration, it was good. Besides, when seen from the standpoint
of not knowing God's providence, we must also regard as evil the Israelites'
invasion of the land of Canaan, during which they destroyed all the gentiles
without reason. However, this was also good when seen from the standpoint of
the providence of restoration. Although there may have been among the
Canaanites those who were more conscientious than the Israelites, the
Canaanites at that time were uniformly on the Satanic side while the Israelites
were uniformly on the Heavenly Side.
Further,
let us take an example from the religious viewpoint. All religions, having
their purpose equally in "goodness", are on the Heavenly side.
However, when a certain religion should block the way of another religion
closer to God, seen from its mission, that religion may belong to the Satanic
side. Since every religion has a certain mission it its age, any religion is
apt to fall on the satanic side when, after having passed its mission-period,
it should stand in the way, as an obstacle, to the religion that would appear
to carry on a new mission of the next age. Before the coming of Jesus, Judaism
and the Jewish people were all on the Heavenly side. But, when they persecuted
Jesus, who had come with a new mission in order to fulfill the purpose of
Judaism, they fell on the side of Satan, regardless of how well they may have
served God in the past.
Since
the modern age, all the lineage of the Abel-type view of life is on the Heavenly
side, while all other lineage of the Cain-type view of life is on the Satanic
side. In that sense, materialists, being the fruit of the Cain-type view of
life, are on the Satanic side, no matter how conscientious and devoted to
others they may seem from the humanistic point of view. Accordingly, the
communist world belongs to the Satanic side. On the other hand, the democratic
world where freedom of faith is allowed, being the world existing under the
Abel-type view of life, is on the Heavenly side.
As
already discussed in Part I, Christianity was set up as the central religion
with the final mission to fulfill the purpose of all religions. Therefore, seen
from the standpoint of the providence of restoration, anything blocking the way
of Christianity toward fulfilling the purpose of this providence belongs to the
Satanic side. Consequently, any nation persecuting Christianity or blocking its
development, either directly or indirectly, belongs to the Satanic side.
Therefore, in World War I, the leading nations on the side of the allies, such
as England America, France and Russia, were not only the Christian nations, but
also the nations who tried to liberate the Christians under persecution in
Turkey, the Moslem nation. So, all came out belonging to the Heavenly side. The
other leading nations, such as Germany and Austria-Hungary, those who supported
Turkey, the Moslem nation that persecuted Christianity, all belonged to the
Satanic side, together with Turkey herself.
(3) The Cause of World War I Viewed from the
Providence of Restoration
Seen
from the providence of restoration, the internal cause of World War I was,
first, to set up, worldwide, the condition of indemnity on the formation level
to restore God's three great blessings to man. As already clarified above,
Satan has realized, in advance, a type of world similar to that which God
intended to realized centering on Adam. Therefore, at the consummation of
history, there will necessarily appear a non-principled world imitating the
formation-degree fulfillment of the three great blessings, centering on the
Adam-type personage on Satan's side, In consequence, God's side must smite this
world, and set up, worldwide, the condition of indemnity in the formation
degree to restore the principled world having perfected the three blessings
centered on God. The First World War occurred for that purpose.
Therefore,
the Kaiser of Germany, who provoked the First World War, was the personage of
the Adam model, with perfected individuality in the formation stage on Satan's
side and fulfilled the pattern of multiplying children by advocating
Pan-Germanism. He then realized the pattern of dominating the whole creation by
setting up the policy of world conquest, thus realizing the non-principled
world in the type of perfection in formation stage of the three great
blessings, centering on Satan. Therefore, in order for the Heavenly side to
attain victory by smiting the Satanic side and to set up, worldwide, the
condition of indemnity in the formation level to restore the world having
perfected the three great blessings centering on God, the First World War was
inevitable.
Second,
in order to have an earthly man of the Heavenly side overcome Satan's first
temptation of Jesus on the worldwide basis, there had to be the First World
War. Therefore, seen from the viewpoint centering on the temptation that Jesus
had undergone, God's side had to set up the condition of indemnity to restore,
worldwide, God's first blessing to man by winning the victory in the First
World War. Jesus had established the foundation of restoring his perfect
individuality and restored the stone as himself represented in it by overcoming
the first temptation in the wilderness. Likewise, God's side had to destroy the
Satanic world, with its central figure, by winning the victory in the First
World War and had to establish the world of the Heavenly side with the Lord of
the Second Advent as the center, thus laying the foundation for him to restore
his perfect individuality.
Third,
the First World War was inevitable in order to establish the foundation in the
formation stage to restore the Heavenly sovereignty. As we have already
discussed (cf. Part II, Ch. 4, Sec. VII, 2.6--441) the democratic system
appeared as the final type of government to restore God's sovereignty, after
having subjugated the society under absolutism. As the facts later proved,
nations on the Heavenly side won the victory in the First World War and
Christianized the world by broadening their political territory. This they
established the foundation in the formation stage for democracy and at the same
time laid the foundation in the formation stage to restore the Heavenly
sovereignty by forming a wide and firm basis of politics and economy on the
Heavenly side.
(4) Result of World War I Viewed from the Providence
of Restoration
Due
to the victory of the Heavenly side in World War I, there was established the
condition of indemnity in the formation stage to restore, worldwide, God's
three great blessings to man. Seen from the viewpoint of overcoming on the
worldwide level Satan's temptation to Jesus, the condition of indemnity to
restore, worldwide, God's first blessing to man was established. Then through
the democratic nations' victory, the foundation in the formation stage in the
world on the Heavenly side was established; the foundation was established on
which the Lord of the Second Advent could be born as the King of the World on
the heavenly side.
Following this, the communist world rose, centering on Stalin, who was the symbolic representation of the Lord of the Second Advent on the Satanic side. The Satanic side intended to realize the pseudo-form of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth centering on a personage in the pattern of the Lord of the Second Advent on the Satanic side in order to realize, in advance, the ideal of the Heavenly side before the Lord of the Second Advent establishes the ideal of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth under the principles of coexistence, co-prosperity, and common-cause. Therefore, with the victory of the Heavenly side in the First World War, the foundation for the Second Advent of the Messiah was established.
From that time began the formation period for the ministry of the Second Advent.
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