The Last Days and the New Truth

Chapter The Consummation of human history

Section V

The Last Days, the New Truth, and Our Attitude

1. The Last Days and the New Truth

Fallen men overcome their internal ignorance by raising their spiritual and intellectual standard through "spirit and truth" (John 4:23), according to their religion. Regarding truth, there are two kinds: internal truth (religion), which will overcome internal ignorance, and external truth (science), which will overcome external ignorance.

Accordingly, man has two kinds of intellect: internal intellect, which is awakened by internal truth, and external intellect, which is awakened by external truth. Therefore, internal intellect in its pursuit of internal truth has set up religion, while external intellect in its pursuit of external truth has set up science. Spiritual matters pertaining to the invisible world first come into spiritual cognition through our spirit men by means of the five spiritual senses; then they are physiologically recognized through the resonance of the five physical senses. The truth from the visible world, however, comes directly into our cognition by means of the five physical senses. Thus, the process of cognition takes place through both the spiritual and physical courses.

Since man was made so that he could be perfect only when his spirit man and physical man are united, spirit and truth must be in perfect harmony, awakening man's spiritual and intellectual standard, before the two-sided cognition through both the spiritual and physical courses can completely coincide. Then, for the first time, man will come to have perfect cognition of the world of creation.

In this manner, God is conducting His providence of restoring men to the original nature intended at the creation by raising through both spirit and truth, the spiritual and intellectual standard of men, who fell into utter ignorance due to the fall. Man, sharing the benefit of the age in God's providence of restoration, is gradually being elevated in his spiritual and intellectual standard as history progresses. Therefore, both spirit and truth, which are the means for raising the spiritual and intellectual standard, must also be elevated to higher levels by degrees. Although spirit and truth must be unique, eternal and unchanging, the extent, degree and method of teaching and expressing them to men, who are in the process of restoration from the status of ignorance, should vary according to the age.

For example, in the age before the Old Testament (from Adam to Moses), God did not provide the people with words of truth, but merely commanded them to offer sacrifices. Men in that age, being ignorant, could not receive the truth directly from Him. When the spiritual and intellectual standard of the people was elevated, He gave the Law to the people of Moses' day, and the Gospel to those of Jesus' day. Jesus did not say that his word was the truth, but that he himself was the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). This is because his words were only a means of expressing himself as the truth; and the extent, degree and method of expressing the truth should vary according to those who receive the words.

From this, we must realize that Biblical words are a means of expressing the truth and are not the truth itself. Seeing matters from this point of view, we can understand that the new Testament was given as a textbook for the teaching of truth to the people of 2,000 years ago, people whose spiritual and intellectual standard was very low compared to that of today. It is thus impossible to satisfy completely man's desire for truth, in this modern scientific civilization, by using the same method of expressing the truth, in parables and symbols, which was used to awaken the people of an earlier age. In consequence, today the truth must appear with a higher standard and with a scientific method of expression in order to enable intelligent modern man to understand it.

We call this the new truth. This new truth, as discussed in the "General Introduction", should be able to resolve completely the problems of religion and science according to one unified theme and thus overcome man's internal and external ignorance.

Let us investigate other reasons that the new truth must appear.

As noted, the Bible is not the truth itself but a textbook teaching us the truth. In this textbook, most of the important parts of the truth are revealed in parables and symbols. Consequently, the method of interpretation can differ according to the reader. Differences in interpretation have produced many denominations. Since the source of denominational divisions is not in man but in the expressions used in the Bible, the divisions and quarrels cannot but increase. Therefore, we cannot expect the divisions and quarrels between denominations to come to an end. This will hinder the fulfillment of the providence of restoration under the unification of Christianity, unless there appears a new truth that can elucidate the fundamental contents of the Bible so clearly that everyone can recognize and agree with it. Therefore, Jesus promised to give us new words of truth in the Last Days, saying:

I have said this to you in figures; the hour is coming when I shall no longer speak to you in figures but tell you plainly of the Father. (John 16:25)

Jesus died on the cross without being able to say all that he wanted to say because of the disbelief of the people. As he said, "If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?" (John 3:12). Jesus also said to his disciples, "I have yet many things to say to you but you cannot bear them now." (John 16:12). This disclosed how sorrowful he was, because he could not tell even his own disciples what he had deep in his heart.

The words Jesus left unuttered will not forever remain a secret, but are to be revealed some day as a new truth through the Holy Spirit, as Jesus told us:

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. (John 16:13)

Again we read:

I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. (Rev. 5:1)

On this very scroll were the words the Lord is to give us in the Last Days. When John wept because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it, since there was no such person in heaven, on earth, or under the earth, one of the elders said:

...the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals. (Rev. 5:3-5)

The Lion born of the Root of David signifies Christ. Thus, the day must come when Christ will open the sealed scroll, which has long remained a secret to mankind, and reveal the new truth to all the saints. Therefore, it is said, "You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and tongues and kings." (Rev. 10:11). Again, it is said:

And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour our my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; yea, and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. (Acts. 2:17-18)

Thus, from many standpoints the new truth must come in the Last Days.