In the period of slavery in Egypt, the First Israel, the chosen nation, separated itself from Satan, who was able to invade because of Abraham's failure in the offering, through circumcising (Ex. 4:25), offering sacrifices (Ex. 5:3), and keeping the Sabbath (Ex. 16:23).
Why does history repeat itsel? It is an answer that cannot be answered without viewing God's standpoint.
History repeats itself when God preordains a chosen people and nation, and they do not complete their mission. God chooses another time, nation and people through which to work his providence.
During the First Israel's slavery in Egypt, the chosen nation was able to indemnify or pay back Abraham's failure when he failed to cut the doves in half when making an offering to God.
Even though his descendants have been cursed for this failure, Abraham indemnified that mistake by having to offer Issac, God could work through Abraham's family, in order to do this, they endured 400 years of slavery.
After the 400 year period of slavery ended, Moses severed his ties to Satan by the powers of the three miracles and ten calamities, and headed for Canaan. Likewise, the period of Christian persecution by the Roman Empire.
This time period had to be indemnifie. In other words, this time period repeated. Therefore Christians indemnified the past by the offering of saints as living sacrifices, keeping the Sabbath and partaking in Holy Communion and Baptism.
Then after this 400-year persecution period, Jesus in spirit along with his followers, influenced Emperor Constantine and moved him to recognize Christianity publicly in year 313. Then Theodosius I declared Christianity the national religion.
In this way, Christians came to be restored, spiritually, out of the Satanic world. According to the law, God subjugated Pharaoh by giving Moses external miracles and signs.
After the period of slavery in Egypt had ended, Moses set up the center of the Old Testament by receiving the Ten Commandments and words on Mount Sinai. By receiving the tablets of stone, the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant, the First Israel, the chosen nation, came to set up the will to receive the Messiah.
Likewise, after the period of persecution by the Roman Empire, the Second Israel, the chosen nation, decided on the New Testament by collecting the records of the apostles to fulfill spiritually the Ten commandments and the ideal of the holy temple of the Old Testament Age.
This laid the groundwork to receive the Lord of the Second Advent, which comes at our time, by establishing churches centering on the words of the New Testament. After the period of Jesus, he and the Holy Spirit have been leading Christians directly. In all periods.
Throughout biblical history, there was always a central figure such as Noah, Abraham and Jacob. Yet, after Jesus's coming, he did not set up any one person as the central figure of the whole providence.
We do not read of anyone coming after Jesus bringing a new truth such as Noah, Abraham and Moses. God had labored to bring such a person, but there were many failures of His people to bring about such a person before our time.
In the period of the judges, after the Israelites, led by Joshua and Caleb, entered the blessed land of Canaan, they formed a new nation of God's elect, centering on the judges in the new land given to each tribe. Thus they established the foundation of the Israelite feudal society.
Likewise, in the period of Christian churches under the patriarchal system of Christianity, after its liberation from the Roman Empire, which represented the Satanic world, spread the gospel to the Germanic tribes, who had moved to Western Europe because of the invasion by the Huns in the 4th century.
By setting up the Germanic people as a new people of God's elect in the new land of Western Europe, they established the foundation of the Christian feudal society.
Feudal Society Failed
In Moses's time, the people of Israel set up the foundation of substance through the tabernacle as the symbolic being of the Messiah.
Therefore, after they entered Canaan, the Israelite nation in the period of judges should have exalted the will of the tabernacle of God under the leadership of the Judges.
But, by living among the seven tribes of Canaan, the representative of Satan's society, the tribes did not destory them as ordered by God, and the Israelites came to worship Canaan's idols and their evil customs, thus bringing about great chaos in their faith.
Likewise, in the period of Christian churches under the patriarchal system, the Christians should have exalted the will of the church as the image-entity of the Messiah.
Instead, there came about a great confusion in their faith partially due to the influence of the many miscellaneous religions of the German people.
The Israelites received Jesus only after the 400-year period of Roman persecution. Therefore, in order to restore this by indemnity, Christians now can receive the Lord of the Second Advent only after the 400-year period of preparation for the Second Coming of the Messiah. This began with the Pope's return to Rome from his life of captivity in Avignon.
Let us observe 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 which would be Jesus. He reformed Judaism, preparing Israel as the chosen nation to receive Jesus.
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. Also, in Greece He had Socrates (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.
This explains the mystery to why cultures all over the world had similar customs, religions and beliefs even though they were not in comunications. Many fables such as the city of Atlantis tries to describe such a phenomenon. Without knowing God's providence to restore man back to His ideal,possible to know the reason behind the history of events.
God prepared this basis, foundation around the world in order to unify all the regions of various religions and cultures into one sphere of Christian culture. God planned for the Christian culture to absorb and win over Judaism, Hellenism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and other religions from around the world. This was God's ideal to bring World Peace in this way.
Democratic Sphere Usher in Messiah
The Renaissance period occurred in order to restore history through indemnity. This period served as a background and environment to establish a foundation for the Second Coming of the Messiah. In addition, the rapid progress in politics, economy, culture, science and all other aspects of human endeavor that we enjoy today all began in the Renaissance period.
The political territory in Jesus's day was formed by the rise of the Roman Empire. Romans had ease of communication in all directions, and the vast cultural territory formed centering on the Hellenic language. This established the foundation to expand the ideas of the Messiah - from Israel to Jesus, to Rome centering on Israel, and then to the world centering on Rome.
Likewise, since we are living in the days of the Lord's return, the democratic sphere, which is based on freedom, is covering almost every corner of the earth. Transportation and communication shortens the extremes between East and West. Also, due to the free exchange of languages and cultures, the true ideology for the Second Advent of the Messiah can freely and swiftly flow into the hearts of all mankind.
It is easy to see this is the best foundation to spread the truth and ideology of the Second Messiah worldwide within the shortest possible time. In other words, the Internet, the ability to go anywhere in the world in under an hour was brought about to prepare a way to spread the Messiah's message to the world's people upon his returns.
Once the world accepts and follows the returned Messiah, centered on his new truth, the world will head toward God's ideal of peace.
Return for tomorrow's post: Why World History Repeats Part III
Photos courtesy of: freedigitalphotos.net
Note:
The text above was taken directly from the Korean textbook, "The Divine Principle". This has been rewritten in conversational form without changing the philosophical or spiritual nature of the text. To learn more about the teachings it is based on, Reverend Sun Myung Moon, please visit, www.unificationnews.com.
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