There are many students who have studied the history of mankind, but no one has thus far discovered the ultimate purpose of human history. It cannot be found unless the purpose of the creation and the Divine providence of salvation are explained. We will deal with the problem of the consummation of human history alone in this chapter, and the Divine providence of the entire history in later chapters.

The Divine providence of salvation ultimately means the providence of restoration. Accordingly, God has been interceding with human history in order to direct it toward the restoration of the original world of creation.

In the original world, Adam and Eve could have enjoyed the perfect union of love in God's blessing, and from this union, sinless children could have come forth to spread over all the surface of the earth -- if the first man and woman had not fallen. In spite of God's planning and blessing, however, the Garden of Eden was not realized on earth, and instead the earthly hell, the kingdom of Satan, was established on earth. Because of this universal catastrophe, even the inanimate creation began to groan. We can now see why St. Paul said,

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:19)

God is Almighty and All-willing, and He does not give up His original ideal of creation and the fulfillment of His ideal. God is ever trustworthy and He does not forget the accomplishment of His promise and the realization of His blessing for man.

I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it. (Isaiah 46:11)

For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. (Matt. 5:18)

Even a feeble man accomplishes at all cost a good work that he has started; hence how much more will God the Creator and the world potentate accomplish in all cost that which He has begun. Many Christians believe that in the last days the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from heaven, the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up. (Matt. 24:29, II Peter 3:10) If these things were to occur without the Divine ideal of creation being fulfilled, God's purpose of the creation would be nullified. If God can not fulfill His promise and words, He can not be Almighty. As it is said in the Ecclesiastes, "A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever", this earth will never be destroyed. God will never fail in fulfilling His Word and the ideal of the Garden of Eden, the Kingdom of God. God has never ceased working toward the fulfillment of His promise. By regenerating and resurrecting those who believe in Him, God is ever working hard toward the accomplishment of His original ideal of creation. Jesus Christ accomplished only spiritual salvation, and by his Second Advent, bodily redemption or physical salvation will be accomplished. Thus, with the fulfillment of salvation of both spirit and body, the Divine providence of restoration of the lost world will be accomplished. Now is the time when the Kingdom of God is established on earth. It is for this definite purpose that God has been interceding with the history of men and directing it toward the restoration of the lost world.

Then what do "the last days" mean? All creation, including man, was made through the Word of God, and with the perfection of man, the Word of God would have been fulfilled. Therefore, in order to re-create the lost image of God, He gave the Word to man, which were the Old and New Testaments. Therefore the restoration is accomplished through the Word of God even as the creation was.

The Old Testament was the Divine Word given to the Hebrews for the purpose of the resurrection and restoration of the fallen man. Through the means of the Old Testament, therefore, the devoted Hebrews were able to achieve their resurrection as far as the highest degree of the Formation Stage.

The Gospel of Christ is the Word given for the purpose of resurrection of man as far as the highest degree of Growth Stage. Through the means of the New Testament, therefore, Christians have been able to achieve a higher stage than the believers of the Old Testament Age could. However, Jesus was not able to speak any further and He reserved many things concerning the stage of perfection.

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)

I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 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 16:12,13)

The Holy Spirit will disclose the words that Jesus has reserved and could not speak in his life time. The words that the Holy Spirit will speak to us will be the words which will lead mankind into the stage of perfection.

These words will be given through the Holy Spirit at the time when the Second Advent is very near. With the Second Advent, the providence of restoration will be accomplished, the Garden of Eden will be restored, and the Word of God will be fulfilled. Therefore, the Word which will be given through the Holy Spirit is going to be a Completed Testament. Now is the end of the New Testament Age as well as the beginning of the Completed Testament Age. The term "the last days" means the end of the New Testament Age as well as the beginning of the Completed Testament Age.

The earth which the eternal God created and blessed will last forever. Today many Christians believe that in the last days an extraordinary appearance of the heaven and earth will take place. God said to Noah,

I have determined to make an end of all flesh; for the earth is filled with violence through them; behold, I will destroy them with the earth. (Genesis 6:13)

At that time, the earth was not destroyed but only evil was destroyed. On the day of the Messiah, the prophecy of Malachi did not take place literally,

For behold, the day comes, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. (4:1)

Likewise there will be no such thing as a natural disaster on a global scale, but the Satanic sovereign will collapse. A decline or collapse of a nation does not mean the total destruction of the land and its people, but it means the decline of its sovereignty. In the last days, there will be the final great battle to defeat the Satanic power, and the world will be restored to God. Therefore, the earth and its people will remain as they are, but the sovereign of the world will be transferred and the people will come under the direct dominion of God.

Then what do the following verses mean?

Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not given its light, and stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heaven will be shaken. (Matt. 24:29)

In the age of Mosaic Law, the figure of Moses glowed with a great light; since the arrival of the Messiah, however, Jesus and the Holy Spirit have emitted a much brighter light than Moses, who would shine no longer in the New Testament Age. Jesus was symbolized as the sun and the Holy Spirit was symbolized by the moon. With the end of the New Testament Age, the Completed Testament Age will start just as the New Testament Age succeeded the Old Testament Age.

In the Completed Testament Age, the Lord will descend to the earth shining far brighter than ever before. Consequently, Jesus and the Holy Spirit will no longer shine as before. By the stars, the saints in the Paradise and the Christians on earth are symbolized. The saints in the Paradise will descend to the earth and will no longer shine in the Paradise. Spiritually the Christians of the last days will fall down to disbelief and faithlessness, for the Lord will come again in an utterly unexpected way -- just as the leaders of Judaism fell to disbelief and faithlessness with Jesus who did not come in the manner which they had expected. Therefore, Jesus said,

I tell you, he will vindicate them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth? (Luke 18: 8)

On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers. (Matt. 7:21-23)

What does the judgment with fire mean? It is written in James 3:6, "And the tongue is a fire." Here the tongue signifies words. The judgment with fire, therefore, signifies the judgment with the Divine Word. "He shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked." (Isaiah 11:4) The rod of his mouth and the breath of his lips signify the Divine Word.

And then the lawless one will be revealed, and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by his appearing and his coming. (II Thess. 2:8) But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist have been stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. (II Peter 3:7) He who rejects me and does not receive my sayings has a judge; the word that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day. (John 12:48)

In these verses it is plain that the great judgment will be carried out by the Divine Word. Jesus raised Lazarus from the tomb by his words and also the only son of a widow who lived at Nain. Ananias and Sapphira fell down and died by the words of Peter, when they lied to him and the Holy Spirit. (Acts 5:1) The Jews who lived in the Old Testament Age were judged by the Mosaic Law. Since the coming of Jesus, Christians have been judged by the words of Jesus. In addition to the Words of Jesus, the new words which will be revealed through the Holy Spirit at his Second Coming will judge the Christians and the churches. God created man and the universe through the Word; He has been carrying out the providence of restoration by the Word, He will judge the people with the Word; and renew everything through the Word.

Preceding this universal judgment, God will pour out His spirit upon all men. (Acts 2:17) The outpouring of the Holy Spirit in these last days will be thirty times as much as in the days of Pentecost. The Christians in the last days will receive many spiritual gifts and revelations concerning the Second Advent and the future. Through those spiritual gifts, the hidden meanings of the Bible will be revealed to many people. This outpouring of the Holy Spirit has already started -- God has been revealing to a large number of Christians concerning the great judgment and the Second Advent. The spiritual world is no longer an unknown realm. A great number of Christians today have direct communication with Jesus Christ and those in the Paradise.

With the Second Advent, these words in the book of Revelation will be fulfilled.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a great voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, for the former things have passed away. (Rev. 21:1-4)

With the restoration of the Divine sovereignty, the kingdom of heaven will be established above the Paradise. The Paradise which was the first heaven will pass away. The kingdom of God will be also established simultaneously on earth, and the first earth, the Satanic world will pass away. "New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God the dwelling of God is with men, He will dwell with them and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them." These verses mean the restored new age when God will dominate people directly and come into human life a s He did with Adam and Eve.

There are signs constantly and universally appearing which indicate that mankind is now very close to the restoration of the Garden of Eden.

The first sign is the universal craving for liberty. After the World War II, the great powers had to release the colonial nations and recognize their independence. Not only the nations but also individuals have been intensely seeking freedom since the end of World War II. The universal trend of seeking liberty; is the reflection of the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve had enjoyed liberty, and which was lost because of their fall. Without being taught, mankind senses the spiritual trend prevail today and endeavors to restore the true liberty on the level of an individual as well as on the national level.

The second conspicuous sign is the protection of human rights. Having been created as the most honorable being before God, each person has priceless value. Each person has a unique part in pleasing God through the past, present, and future, just as each child gives a unique joy to his parents. Owing to the fall, however, the depraved man has lost this priceless value and accordingly lost his human right.

Coming back to the Garden o f Eden, people feel unconsciously the unseen reflection of the coming world, and demand the innate value and rights that originally were given to Adam and Eve. This is the reason why the protection of human rights has been claimed throughout the world since the end of World War II.

The third sign is the claim of the equality of man and woman. In some countries women fought in the past for equal status and for female suffrage. But now is the first time that such claims arise all over the world today the educated and illiterate, the rich and the poor, in advanced countries and backward countries, women stand up in order to obtain the equality in every facet of life. This is also a reflection of the restored age which is coming. Prior to the fall, Adam and Eve had been equally precious, honorable, and respectful to each other. But since Eve became the origin of the fall and the mother of fallen mankind, females were destined in general to be overridden by men. However, today the equality of men and women is being restored.

Another sign is the intense spiritual hunger, thirst, the uncertainty, fear, and confusion felt universally in the hearts of people. Naturally they seek for religion more than ever before and knock at the door of churches. Nevertheless the churches can no longer fulfill their needs and therefore often disappoint them. In this age of the new dispensation, God is gradually withdrawing His power and work from the churches. Accordingly, in spite of the endeavors of the leaders, the churches are declining spiritually and consequently cannot but emphasize outward and formal things in order to make up for the inner emptiness, else people seek other religions, such as Buddhism, Yogi, Moslem, Hinduism, Bahaism, or any of the many newly rising occultism. Unless the Christians are aware of God's new dispensation along with the Second Advent, they will suffer from the deepening chaos.

Finally the two great blocks of East and West which are ideologically divided should be pointed out as one of the innumerable signs. The one unified world that God had created was divided into many parts and nations, which are now ideologically united into two great blocks, the East and the West. The two ideologies, Democracy and Communism are so contradictory to one another that neither the East nor the West can achieve permanent peace in this dilemma.

Since Cain slew Abel, war has existed in human society and it has continued all through the ages. Having begun with the war between individuals, it has expanded between families, between clans, between tribes, and ultimately between nations. Now the world is divided into two blocks representing two positions -- Cain and Abel on a worldwide scale. A final global conflict, if it is inevitable, will bring forth one world ideologically united at least in external form. Studying the history of wars, we find that the wars always took place between good and evil, though in a relative sense. These wars between good and evil always ended with victory for the good. It is thus easily seen that God has been working toward the restoration of the Garden of Eden by interceding in human history. In the final global war between Democracy and Communism (Abel and Cain), the Divine providence will let Abel defeat Cain, who represents evil. This does not mean that Democratic nations and their peoples are all good and that Communist nations and their peoples are all bad. The Democratic block is only relatively good compared with the Communistic block; therefore, in this struggle the rightists represent good and the leftists represent evil.

After achieving one world, at least in the most external form, there will be a religious revolution on a global level. For the first time in history, the host of the entire spiritual world is challenging to the people on earth and their affairs. In other words, the whole spiritual world is now attacking the earth. In this case the spiritual world represents Abel and the physical world represents Cain. Hence in this cosmic war, the spiritual world will conquer the physical world, and the two worlds will be united completely for the first time in history, just as the spirit and body are united harmoniously in a perfect man. This cosmic war between the spiritual world and the physical world is the universal judgment, in which most Christians believe and expect. In the cosmic war, the wicked people whether Christians or non-Christians who do not know how to meet this cosmic chaos will suffer and find no place to escape or hide themselves. This is the so-called "Great and terrible day" to which the Scriptures referred. After this cosmic war, there will be war no more and eternal peace will be made on earth. In this way the Garden of Eden will be restored, people will live under God's direct domination, and the loftiest and truest form of theocracy which is very spiritual will be established. This is the Kingdom of God that Jesus preached. In this restored world, God's people, the most conscientious and good hearted people will have power to rule the nations with spiritual wisdom and all nations will be united as brothers.

The progress of modern physical science has been the preparation for this ideal world. If there had been no fall of man, mankind would have achieved modern advanced scientific civilization a long time ago along with a highly devoted spiritual life. It has been delayed because of the fall of man. Unless a spiritually new world is established, the modern science will only increase the uncertainty and fear in the minds of people. The Divine providence behind the progress of modern science is to prepare for the new age coming.

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