The Period of Preparation for the coming of the
Messiah and the Period of Preparation for the Second coming of the Messiah
The Israelites
received Jesus only after the 400-year period of preparation for the coming of
the Messiah, after their return to Jerusalem from Babylon. Therefore, in order
to restore this by indemnity, Christians also can receive the Lord of the
Second Advent only after the 400-year period of preparation for the Second
Coming of the Messiah, which began with the Pope's return to Rome from his life
of captivity in Avignon.
The vertical
condition of indemnity for the 4000-year history of the providence of restoration
since Adam, in which the providence to restore the foundation of faith through
the 40-day period of separation from Satan was prolonged again and again by
continual invasion of Satan, was to be restored by indemnity horizontally in
this final period of providential history. For this, there came the period of
preparation for the coming of the Messiah. Therefore, in order to restore this
period, by indemnity, as the substantial time-identity, there must be the
period of preparation for the Second Coming of the Messiah in which to restore
by indemnity, horizontally, in this final period of providential history, the
vertical condition of indemnity for the 6000-year history of the providence of
restoration since Adam.
The Israelites, who
had returned from their captivity in Babylon, were restoring the foundation of
faith by erecting the temple destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar and by studying
the law, thus arousing the movement of reformation in their faith under the
guidance of the prophet Malachi, in repentance of their past sin of having
worshipped evil spirits. Likewise, the medieval Christians after the pope's
return to Rome were restoring the foundation of faith by arousing the movement
of religious reformation centering on Luther, and by pioneering a new way of
faith, according to the light of the gospel, breaking through the gloom of the
medieval Dark Ages.
The period of
preparation for the coming of the Messiah was the period in which to restore by
indemnity as the image time-identity, the approximately 40 years of preparation
period, from the time of Jacob's return from Haran to Canaan until his entering
into Egypt. The period of preparation for the Second Coming of the Messiah is
the period in which to restore this period by indemnity, as the substantial
time-identity.
Accordingly, all the
Christians of this age had to walk the way of many hardships and tribulations,
just like Jacob's family until they met Joseph in Egypt, or the Israelites
until they met Jesus. Since the providential age of restoration was the age in
which to set up the faith toward God by the external conditions of the Law and
offerings, the First Israel, in the period of preparation for the coming of the
Messiah, walked the way of external tribulations under the rule of the Gentile
nations such as Persia, Greece, Egypt, Syria, and Rome. However, since the
providential age of the prolongation of restoration was the period in which to
set up faith toward God by the internal conditions of prayer and faith
centering on Jesus' words, the Second Israel, in the period of preparation for
the Second Coming of the Messiah, had to walk the way of internal tribulations.
In this period, as a result of humanism, which was the leading ideology of
Renaissance (the ideology of Enlightenment following it), and the freedom of
faith propagated after the Religious Reformation, religion and ideology
experienced a great chaos. Also, the Christians had to suffer unspeakable
internal trials.
Thus, in order to
restore by indemnity, as the substantial time-identity, the 400-year period of
preparation for the coming of the Messiah, the 400-year period of preparation
for the Second Coming of the Messiah came about. Let us here study how the
background and environment were formed in each of the two periods which were
the preparation periods to receive the Messiah.
At the time of the
first coming of the Messiah, God sent the prophet Malachi to His chosen nation
430 years in advance, having him prophesy the coming of the Messiah. He
reformed Judaism, preparing Israel as the chosen nation to receive the Messiah.
Meanwhile, among the Gentiles, at about the same time, God had Gautama Buddha
of India (565-485 B.C.) pioneer a new base for Buddhism by improving Hinduism,
and had Socrates of Greece (470-399 B.C.) pioneer the period of Hellenic
culture. In the Orient, He had Confucius (552-479 B.C.) set up human ethics and
morality through Confucianism, thus having them establish the culture and
religion suitable for the place and people in order that they may make
necessary spiritual preparation to receive the coming Messiah. Jesus, coming on
the prepared basis, intended to unify all the regions of various religions and
cultures into one sphere of Christian culture by absorbing and winning over
Judaism, Hellenism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and all the rest of the religions.
The period of the
Renaissance occurred in order to restore by indemnity, as the substantial
time-identity, the period of making the environment which God provided to
prepare for the coming of the Messiah, when his coming was imminent. Therefore,
the period of the Renaissance served to establish the background and
environment of the period for the Second Coming of the Messiah. Accordingly,
the rapid progress in politics, economy, culture, science and all other aspects
of human endeavor as we see today began abruptly in the period of the
Renaissance. This progress developed the background and environment of the
period so that we may today receive the Messiah. In Jesus' day, the vast
political territory formed around the Mediterranean Sea by the rise of the
Roman Empire with its ease of communication in any direction and the vast
cultural territory formed centering on the hellenic language could establish
the level foundation on which to be able to expand rapidly the ideas of the
Messiah--from Israel centering on Christ, to Rome centering on Israel, and then
to the world centering on Rome.
Likewise, since today
is the day of the Second Coming, the democratic political sphere, based on
freedom, is covering almost every corner of the earth with the rise of the
great powers. The distance between East and West is extremely shortened owing
to the rapid progress in transportation and communication, and due to the free
interchange of languages and cultures, the ideology for the Second Advent of
the Messiah can freely and swiftly flow into the hearts of all mankind. All
these are the level territory perfectly provided by God. There is no question
of this becoming the best foundation on which to make the truth and ideology of
the Messiah worldwide within the shortest possible time by rapidly spreading
it, when the Lord of the Second Advent comes.
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