The Last Adam and the Last Eve, Christ Ahnsahnghong and God the Mother

Category: BASIC TRUTH

Truth of the new covenant

  • The Visitors From the World of Angels: The Second Story

    The Visitors From the World of Angels: The Second Story

    Why Did We Come to This Earth?

    When we try to find the answer for the most basic ontological question about ourselves, the most common question is “Why do we live here on this earth?” or “What is the purpose of our life on this earth?” Many tried to find answer for the question in vain and they know no more when they left than when they came.

    The bible gives us hints about our life on this earth and our previous life in heaven. The bible teaches us that we got separated from God in heaven because of our sins.

    Isaiah 59:1 Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

    Due to our sins and iniquities, we got cast from heaven down to this earth. In this sense we can say this earth is a spiritual prison for the sinners from heaven. We can see this through a lot of evidence from the bible.

    The bible shows how the angels from heaven came down to this earth through the examples of King of Tyre and King of Babylon.

    In the Book of Ezekiel, we can see King of Tyre once living as an angel in heaven before coming down to this earth because of his sin. God let us know his status and role as angel when he was created by God in heaven.

    Ezekiel 28:11 The word of the Lord came to me: 12 “Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “‘You were the seal of perfection,     full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings[c] were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. 14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. 16 Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. 17 Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.

    Here we can see that God created King of Tyre as an angel with great beauty and wisdom. However, later he got corrupted because of his arrogance and pride and sinned against God. For the sin, he was thrown down to this earth.

    And In the Book of Isaiah through King of Babylon God is letting us know the sins those angels committed in heaven.

    Isaiah 14:12 How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! 13 You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;     I will make myself like the Most High.” 15 But you are brought down to the realm of the dead,     to the depths of the pit.

    Here the bible describes the sin of King of Babylon. He was once an angel bright and glorious as morning star. Because of his pride he betrayed God and rebelled against him. Finally he lost his place from heaven and was cast down to this earth.

    In the Book of Revelation, we can see the same story reiterated over again. The bible describes it as a war in heaven between the heavenly angels. In that war, those who rebelled against God got finally defeated and cast down to this earth. (Revelation 12:7)

    What do all these verses testify about? This earth is a spiritual prison for the sinners from heaven. When the angels in heaven sinned against God, they were sent down to this earth. They were allowed to live in this earth until the time of the execution of their sentence for their sin. (Romans 6:23) After a short and painful life as a sinner is over, they are destined to die. This was the destiny of all the human beings living on this earth because we all are sinners.

    Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—

    The Visitors From the World of Angels is a book written by Christ Ahnsahnghong. This book deals with the most fundamental questions about us as huma being. We must listen to the message from God and obey what he commads. He came again to take us back to the world we came from.

  • The Visitors From the World of Angels: The First Story

    The Visitors From the World of Angels: The First Story

    As human beings, most of us must have asked the same fundamental questions about our life on this earth. They are the questions which have been asked by many others before and will be asked by more in the time to come. Where did we come from? Why are we living on this earth? Where shall we go after our life in this earth ends? The bible gives us answers for the questions. Now let us find answers one by one through the words of God in the bible.

    Where Did We Come From?

    The forefathers of faith teach that we are living as aliens and strangers in this world. This means we are just temporary visitors from somewhere else. Jacob testifies about his life as aliens.

    Genesis 47:9  Jacob said to Pharaoh, “I’ve been a traveler for 130 years. My years have been few and difficult. They don’t come close to the years my ancestors lived during their travels.” (CEB)

    Apostles also testifies that our life on this earth is that of aliens and travelers. (Hebrews 11:13, 1 Peter 2:11) The fact that our life on this earth is that of aliens and strangers means that we came here as visitors from another place.

    Then where are we from? The bible testifies that we came from heaven. Before coming down to this earth, we were angels in heaven. We lived in heaven with God in joy and happiness. In many places in the bible, God teaches us that we once were angels in heaven.

    Solomon testifies that he was once in heaven before he came down to this earth.

    Proverbs 8:22 “The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; 23 I was formed long ages ago, at the very beginning, when the world came to be. 24 When there were no watery depths, I was given birth, when there were no springs overflowing with water; 25 before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth, 26 before he made the world or its fields or any of the dust of the earth……..Then I was constantly at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, 31 rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind.

    Our life on this earth is described as travel or pilgrimage. And the bible testifies that we are living as aliens and strangers on this earth. Then where did we come from?

    Solomon testifies that he was born before this earth was formed. He was with God in the presence of God. He was with God right next to Him. Also in the Book of Job, God testifies about Job that he was an angel in heaven. (Job 38:21)

    These testimonies were not given only for Solomon or Job. Like Solomon and Job we were once in heaven with God, singing in joy and happiness. The angels from heaven left God and heaven and came down to this earth living as aliens and strangers on this earth.

    Then why do we, who was once angels in heaven who lived in happiness and joy all the time, came down to this earth of pain and sorrow? The bible says it is because of our sins. We were cast from heaven down to this earth because of the lawlessness we committed in heaven.

    The Visitors From the World of Angels is a book written by Christ Ahnsahnghong. This book deals with the most fundamental questions about us as huma being. We must listen to the message from God and obey what he commads. He came again to take us back to the world we came from.

  • The Appearance of God the Mother: Adam and Eve

    The Appearance of God the Mother: Adam and Eve

    God teaches that He already planned everything from the beginning to the end. And He revealed the end of His plan in the beginning.

    Isaiah 46:10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’

    Therefore, if we want to know what is to come in the end, we have to look at the beginning of the plan of God, that is, Genesis. Genesis is working as parable for what is going to come. Thus, by looking at Genesis, we can come to know what is coming in the future.

    Creation of Adam

    In Genesis, we can see the creation of God from the first day to the sixth day. After creating everything, God created man on the last or sixth day of the creation work. God created Adam and Eve on the sixth day according to the image of God.

    Genesis 1:27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them;     male and female (Adam and Eve) he created them.

    The creation of man is working as parable for the one who was to come in the last day. The bible says of Adam as the type or pattern for Christ.

    Romans 5:14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.

    God created Adam to teach us about the one to come, that is, Christ. (Revelation 22:20) Adam signifies Christ or God the Father who would come to save us.

    Creation of Eve

    Then if Adam represent God the Father, who does Eve (the bride and wife of Adam) represent? Eve must signify God the Mother (the bride and wife of Christ), who would appear in the last day to give us salvation. The Spiritual Adam and Eve is testified as the Spirit and the Bride in the Book of Revelation. (Revelation 22:17)

    The bible teaches the bride of Christ (the Spiritual Eve) is coming down from heaven in the last day. And she is giving the water of eternal life to those who are thirsty in the last days.

    The Appearance of God the Mother

    Then when she appears in the last day, how can we recognize the last Eve, the bride of Christ who gives the water of life? The answer can be found in the creation of Adam and Eve. First God created Adam and later he created Eve with the flesh and the bone (or the blood) of Adam.

    Genesis 2:20 But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[h] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

    Creation of Eve
    God created Eve after He put Adam into a deep sleep. What is the meaning behind this story?

    According to this parable, to create Eve, God first put Adam into a deep sleep. And with the flesh and bone of Adam God created Eve. According to the bible, the figurative meaning of “sleep” is death. (John 11:11) It is because the spirit of man is not destroyed with the death of body. It will rest in heaven until the time of resurrection. In this sense, the death of body can be compared to a deep sleep.

    Then what is the meaning of Adam’s sleep for the creation of Eve? This means God the Mother would appear after the death of the last Adam that is God the Father. The bible also let us know how we can know the last Eve God the Mother. In Genesis, it was Adam who testified about Eve.

    Genesis 2:23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”

    Genesis 3:20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.

    Eve Mother of All the Living
    Adam named his wife Eve, which means the Mother of all the living. This teaches that the last Eve God the Mother is the one who gives life to the children.

    These verses teaches us that it is Adam who can testifies about his bride Eve. And also Adam teaches the purpose assigned to Eve, that is, “a life-giver” because Eve means “a life-giver”.

    Last Adam and Last Eve

    These creation of Adam and Eve was given as pattern for what is going to happen in the last day. According to this prophecy, the last Adam God the Father must come first and testify about the last Eve God the Mother. And after the death of the last Adam, the last Eve will appear and fulfill the purpose of God by giving the water of life to all the peoples and all the nations of the world.

    This prophecy of Adam and Eve was fulfilled in our time. Christ Ahnsahnghong came as the last Adam to give us life. (1 Corinthians 15:45) And he revealed the last Eve God the Mother by testifying about her throughout his ministry. Come to the Spirit and the Bride the last Adam and Eve who came to give the water of life.

  • [GodtheMother❤️] The Day of the Lord: Sabbath

    [GodtheMother❤️] The Day of the Lord: Sabbath

    Today many Christians think that the Lord’s Day or the Day of the Lord (God) is Sunday. And they have worship services on Sunday. However, this custom is directly against the teachings of God or Jesus Christ in the bible.

    When is the Lord’s Day or the Day of the Lord? To justify their argument that the Lord’s Day is Sunday, many people quote from the Book of Revelation.

    Revelation 1:10 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet

    Can this verse prove that the Day of the Lord is Sunday? No. Even though you read the whole context, we cannot know when the Lord’s Day is by looking at this verse because this verse and its context does not specify when the Lord’s Day is.

    Then when is the Lord’s Day according to the teachings of God in the bible? The bible teaches the Lord’s Day is the Sabbath that is Saturday according to today’s calendar.

    The Lord’s Day in the Old Testament

    In Genesis we can see God’s creation work. God worked for six days and He took rest on the seventh day. God set the seventh day aside and blessed the day, making the day holy. And this seventh day was later named as the Sabbath Day and it became the Lord’s Day or the Day of God.

    Exodus 31:12 Then the Lord said to Moses, 13 “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.

    Ezekiel 20:12 Also I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the Lord made them holy.

    In these and many other verses God calls the Sabbath as “my Sabbath”, which means the Day of God is the Sabbath Day, that is, Saturday.

    The Lord’s Day in the New Testament

    Then what about in the New Testament? Jesus also teaches that he is the Lord of the Sabbath. And the Sabbath Day is the Day of Jesus, who is God.

    Matthew 12:7 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.

    Day of the Lord
    When is the Day of the Lord? Is it Sanday or Saturday?

    Jesus says that he is the Lord of the Sabbath. What does it mean? “lord” in English means someone who has authority over someone or something. Therefore, the Lord of the Sabbath means Jesus is the one who has authority over the Sabbath and He is the owner of the Sabbath.

    To the Jews who criticized him for desecrating the Sabbath, Jesus was teaching that he is the one who has all the authority over the Sabbath Day. He was insinuating to them that he is God who makes them holy on the Sabbath Day.

    By healing the infirmities of people, he was showing the work God is doing on the Sabbath Day to make His people holy. He was truly Lord of the Sabbath.

    Conclusion

    In the Old Testament and New Testament, the Day of the Lord is the Sabbath Day. God states that He is the Lord of the Sabbath. And the Sabbath day is the Day of God. We as God’s people can be made holy and complete when we keep the Sabbath Day.

    Then when is the Sabbath Day according to the bible? It is the Saturday, not Sunday. Therefore they day we must keep holy is the Sabbath day, Saturday. When we are keep the services on Sundays, we are disobeying the commands of God.

    God clearly commanded us not to add or subtract for the words of God in the bible. (Revelation 22:18) When we keep the Sunday worship, we are adding to and subtracting from the words of God. We add Sunday and subtract Sabbath. And we cannot receive any blessings from God. Let us keep the Sabbath Day holy.

  • Who Makes Everything Grow?

    Who Makes Everything Grow?

    When a farmer sows seeds, he is not the one who makes the seeds grow into various crops or fruits. Once he plants the seeds and waters them, the seeds start to sprout. And it forms stems and branches. And later they bear fruits on the branches.

    In this process, what the farmer does is just planting the seeds and watering them. Once the seeds are planted, it is God who takes up the work and makes the seeds grow. At the time of the harvest, the farmer gathers them and enjoys the fruits.

    We do not know how much harvest the farmer will gather from the seeds. Nor can we know or control the process how the seeds grow into fruits and crops. All these things belong to God.

    1 Corinthians 3:6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.

    What makes everything possible is God. Through the parable of a farmer sowing seeds, God is teaching about the gospel work. The seeds are the words of God. When we preach the gospel, we do not know what will happen to the seeds.

    What kind of soil will fall into? How will be the weather for the seed to grow? How much harvest will the seeds produce later? Through what process will the seeds grow into fruits?

    We have no idea about these things. We are given the seeds and commanded to sow them on the field. If we obey God and plant them, God will make the seeds grow into a good harvest.

    Mark 4:20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.

    God already promised us abundant harvest. Let us have faith in God and sow the seeds by preaching the gospel in season or out of season. Then God will make them grow and we can have good harvest in the end.

  • The Appearance of God the Mother: Sun, Moon, and Stars

    The Appearance of God the Mother: Sun, Moon, and Stars

    God the Mother in Christianity

    Even for the people knowledgeable in the bible, it is hard to believe the existence of God the Mother. This idea seems to be new and strange. And since it is not an commonsensical idea based on the traditional teachings of the Christianity, people tend to think that the idea is nonsensical and blasphemous.

    However, the existence of God the Mother is recorded even from the beginning of the bible. 2000 years ago, when Jesus came and preached the gospel, people thought that the idea of God’s coming as man is nonsensical and nontraditional, they refused to accept the teachings of Jesus Christ. However, Jesus is God who came as man in the flesh and he was prophesied in the bible even from the beginning. It is the same today.

    The Parable of the Sun, Moon, and Stars

    The bible gives one parable to teach us the appearance of God the Mother. Joseph was one of 12 sons of Jacob and he was the youngest one among them. Just like any father who cherishes the youngest son, Jacob loved Joseph more than any sons of his.

    And one day Joseph told his dream to his family and this incident aroused much anger from other siblings. Finally, his old brothers took Joseph and sold him as slave. The dream of Joseph is interesting in many ways. This is the dream:

    Genesis 37:9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

    The meaning of the dream was interpreted by Jacob. The sun, moon, and stars signify the father (Jacob), the mother, and his brothers. Joseph’s dream foretold that his family would come to him and bow down to him.

    Joseph tells his dream to his family. He saw the sun, moon, stars bowing down on him in his dream.

    The Glory of God the Father and God the Mother

    This story has many interesting points to think about. Today, let us focus on the comparison of the heavenly bodies to the family system. According to this teaching of the bible, each heavenly body corresponds to a member in the family. This connotation can be applied spiritually, not just in the physical sense.

    The Sun signifies the father, the moon the Mother, and the stars children respectively. The relationship between the heavenly bodies reveals that of the family members. Apostle Paul also compares the family members to the heavenly bodies and explains their glory.

    1 Corinthians 15:41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.

    The splendor or the glory of the sun can mean the glory of God the Father; the glory of the moon that of God the Mother; and the glory of stars that of the children. According to this comparison, the glory of God the Father and the glory of God the Mother and the Glory of the children of God are all different. Then how are they different? The light of the sun is the brightest and when there is the sun on the sky, we cannot see the light of the moon or stars. The moon and the stars are still there in the sky, but we cannot see their lights because they are outshone by the light of the sun.

    However, when the light of the sun sets, we can see the lights of the moon and the stars. What is the meaning of this comparison? For the glory of God the Mother to be revealed, the glory of God the Father was to be dimmed. Only after the glory of God the Father was eclipsed, the glory of God the Mother can appear. And along with God the Mother, the glory of the stars or the children of God can be revealed.

    Conclusion

    For this reason, Christ Ahnsahnghong already prophesied the appearance of God the Mother long before the fulfillment. In one book, he foretold that one child would appear after him. And though the fulfillment of the heavenly wedding banquet, he officially revealed God the Mother. By teaching us “I follow Mother”, he finally revealed the glory of God the Mother.

    And through the death of his body, not his Spirit since his Spirit went back to heaven after the death of his body, he wanted to reveal the glory of God the Mother and the children of God. Since the ascension of Christ Ahnsahnghong, the light of God the Mother has started to shine throughout the world.

    According to the prophecies of the bible hidden in the parable of the sun, moon, and the stars, the glory of the moon or God the Mother can be revealed only by overshadowing the light of the sun. I give thanks and honor to Father and Mother for fulfilling all the prophecies to give us faith.

  • Immanuel, God With Us

    Immanuel, God With Us

    The Meaning of Immauel

    Probably the most wonderful promise God made in the bible is that God will be with his people on this earth and save them from the slavery of death. The Book of Isaiah prophesied that God would be with his people.

    Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

    Immanuel: God Coming as man in the flesh and dwelling among his people.

    This was the prophecy of God coming as son of man (or simply, as man in the flesh) and God would be with his people dwelling among them. And this prophecy was fulfilled by Jesus Christ coming down to this earth as man in the flesh even though he was God himself. (Matthew 1:22)

    About the meaning of Immanuel (“God with us”), Apostle John gives a further explanation in the Book of John.

    John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning……14 The Word (God) became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

    John says that the Word (that is, God) “became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” It means God himself came as man in the flesh and put his dwelling among his people.

    The Dwelling of God

    As we already know this is a description about the birth of Jesus Christ. Even though he was God, he came as man and dwelt among his people to save them from their sin. (Jesus means “The LORD saves”. So if we put the two words “Jesus and Immanuel” together, it means God is with his people and saves them from their sins.)

    John parallels God’s coming as man in the flesh to God’s putting his dwelling among his people. Through this we can see the physical body of man is compared to the dwelling of God. This can be confirmed by the words of Jesus too. In the Old Testament, the dwelling of God was the temple of God where God put His Spirit to dwell among his people. (Act 7:46, Exodus 15:17, 1 Kings 8:13)

    However, Jesus declared that the temple of God is his own body because God put His Spirit in the body of Jesus Christ.

    John 2:19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” 20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body.

    In one of the famous scenes in the bible, Jesus teaches a Samaritan woman that the true temple of God is not in the city of Jerusalem anymore. (John 4:21) It means that he is the reality of the temple (God coming as man in the flesh). Since the reality had appeared, it was not necessary anymore to worship God in the physical temple.

    The Prophecy of God’s Dwelling

    Holy City New Jerusalem, the Dwelling of God

    In this sense, we can know that the true temple or the dwelling of God is the Christ, God coming as man in the flesh. The body of Christ is the reality of the temple of God.

    This is very important because God is going to come down as man in the flesh again. The Book of Revelation teaches that God will come down from heaven and put the dwelling of God among his people in the last days.

    Revelation 21:1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

    Jesus healing people from all kinds of diseases and saving them from the sins and death.

    Heavenly Jerusalem, God the Mother

    In this vision, John saw Heavenly New Jerusalem is coming down from heaven. And this heavenly Jerusalem is the dwelling God establishes for His people in the last days. Then what is the meaning of this prophecy?

    As we have already seen in Jesus Christ, this temple does not mean the physical temple in Jerusalem, but the spiritual temple God would establish on this earth to dwell among his people. In this sense we can understand that God is coming down in the flesh in the last day and put the Spirit of God in the physical body of Christ. In this way, God will be with His people and save them from their sins.

    Then who is the Heavenly New Jerusalem that comes down from heaven to this earth as the dwelling of God? In the Book of Galatians, Apostle Paul testifies about the meaning of the Heavenly Jerusalem.

    Galatians 4:26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.

    Conclusion

    The Heavenly Jerusalem signifies God the Mother. Therefore, the phrase “the Heavenly Jerusalem comes down and makes the dwelling of God among His people” means God the Mother coming down from heaven in the flesh and dwell among Her people to save them.

    This prophecy was already fulfilled by God the Mother coming down from heaven to this earth in the flesh. Now She is dwelling among Her people to redeem them from their sins and iniquities. She is God who even the highest heaven cannot contain. But She humbled herself and came down to this earth in flesh to fulfill the prophecies of the bible and to save us.

    Let us give all thanks and praise to God Elohim, Christ Ahnsahnghong and Heavenly Mother New Jerusalem for coming to us in the flesh and dwelling among us. Truly, God is with us and saves us!

  • Those who Please God

    Those who Please God

    Life Pleasing in the Eyes of God

    When we live on this earth, the bible teaches us that we should lead a life through which we can please God.

    1 Thessalonians 2:3 For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4 On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.

    Praise From God and Praise From Man

    First Coming Christ

    Those who please God can receive praise from God. And those who please man can receive praise from man. But they cannot receive praise from God. 2ooo years ago, Jesus called the religious leaders of the time as hypocrites because they wanted to look righteous in the eyes of man, not God.

    Jesus compared Sadducees and Pharisees to the whitewashed tomb, which looks beautiful outside, but full of hypocrisy and lawlessness inside. They tried to receive praise from man, not from God by basing their teachings and authorities on the traditions of man, not the teachings of God in the bible.

    Second Coming Christ

    It is the same today. God came down to this earth for the second time and restored all the laws of the new covenant for our salvation. Nevertheless, the religious leaders today such as pastors and bible scholars still follow their own traditions and justify their authorities through the teachings of man.

    They do not follow the teachings of God such as Sabbath, Passover, and all the laws and regulations of the new covenant Jesus established 2000 years ago. Rather, they keep the traditions of man such as Sunday Worship, Christmas, Cross worship, which were originated from the teachings of man.

    Laws of God and Traditions of Man

    God is our Savior and for our salvation God established the laws of God. Therefore, we have to obey the laws of God in the bible. When we follow the laws and teachings of man, we might receive praise from man temporarily. However, we cannot receive praise from God and we cannot have salvation.

    Paul warned of the time when people will follow falsehood, deserting the truth. And they will not be able to receive salvation.

    2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

    Praise from God
    It is said that it must have taken at least 40 years for Noah to build the Ark with the technology of his time. He dedicated his whole life and wealth to obey the words of God. He must have been ridiculed as foolish man by his contemporaries. But he did not seek the praise from man, but from God. In that way, God grants the eternal kingdom of heaven as his inheritance.

    The Result of Following Falsehood

    This prophecy is fulfilled today and we can see many people who only hear what they want to hear and people, so called religious leaders, who tell them what they want to hear. They turn the dead ears to the truth and listen only to what is pleasing to them. What would be their destiny?

    2 Thessalonians 2:9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

    They were already decided by God to follow the lie and perish in the end because they have no love for the truth. Today God established Zion and restored all the truth of the new covenant that we may follow and live.

    However, people do not listen to the truth since it is not pleasing in their ears. What is worse, there are people who are placating the ears of people with the tunes they wants to hear. When they are awakened from the delusion, they will realize how foolish they have been. But no more chance would be given to them.

    Conclusion

    We as God’s people must have spiritual eyes and discern what is true and what is false. We must do things to please God even though it might be repugnant in the eyes of man. At the end, God who gives reward to those who obey his words with firm faith will praise them and reward them with the crown of life in the kingdom of heaven.

    We must seek praise from God, not from man.

  • Is The Day of Worship Important?

    Is The Day of Worship Important?

    Salvation Through the Faith Alone

    Today the so-called Christians claim that we can be saved only through the faith in Jesus Christ. And they quote some verses from the bible.

    Romans 10:9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

    Romans 1:17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

    Many Christians follow suit this way and say that it is unnecessary to keep any laws and regulations. What is important is the faith in Jesus Christ. Abraham could be justified by God only through his faith. (Genesis 15:6) Then is this true?

    Abraham’s Faith

    This argument seems to be credible and agree with the words of God in the bible. In the Book of Romans, Apostle Paul clearly states that Abraham could be considered righteous by God because of his faith, not by his work.

    Romans 4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

    Here the bible says we are not justified by “the works” we do, but by the faith. However, Apostle James gives different explanation about the faith of Abraham.

    James 2:21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.

    Interpreting the same verses as Paul did, James said that Abraham could be regarded righteous because of “his action” that is “what he did”.

    Abraham leaving Haran his hometown obeying the words of God. And he was regarded as righteous in the eyes of God. Was his righteousness from his faith only or the deed he performed out of the faith in God?

    Work and Deed

    Faith and Deed

    Genesis 15:6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

    The two apostles interpret the same verse above in the different ways. One says that Abraham was considered righteous because of his faith, not because of his work. And the other says that Abraham was considered righteous because of his deed, not just because of his faith.

    Then what is the difference between the work and deed? Basically, they mean the same even though their usage might be different a little bit. They mean “intentional and conscious activity”. The work can mean more “goal-oriented” connotation. On the other hand, the deed focuses more on the act itself.

    Despite the differences, they involve the same quality, that is, “action” or “doing something to achieve certain goal or purpose”. It means that Abraham could be righteous because of his action, not just by his faith. What did Abraham do? Believing in God, he left his hometown even though he did not know anything laid out for him in the future. Having faith in God, he eagerly attempted to sacrifice his son Isaac.

    Abraham showed his faith through his action, that is, the deeds. And because of his deeds, he was called righteous by God. Then without his deeds, could he be righteous in the eyes of God? Not at all. His faith was accompanied by his deed and that was pleasing to God. That is why Apostle James declares that faith without deeds or action is dead.

    Therefore, we can conclude that we cannot be saved by faith alone which does not accompany action. With the faith in God, there are things that we have to do to show our faith in God. Then what is the “thing” that we have to do?

    the faith of Abraham
    Abraham sacrificing his son Isaac

    Work and Deed

    It seems like that the teachings of the two disciples disagree with each other. How can we explain the seeming discrepancy between the two teachings? To illustrate the point, I would like to tell a story of two men.

    A man had a son and he asked his son to go to the field and get rid of weeds. Since the work was great, the son hired a worker for the day and went out to the field together. When the work is done, the hired man asked for the wage and, receiving it, he left with a joyful mind. But the son did not receive anything from his father and went back home with a joyful mind.

    In this story we can see a two man, the son and the worker. After finishing the work, they were happy. One was happy because he received his wage for the work, and the other just because he could accomplish the work entrusted to him by his father.

    In this story, what the hired man did can be called “work,” in the sense of the term used by Paul. And what the son did can be categorized as “deeds” in the semantic sense used by James. The hired man worked for the wage. And the son showed his love and fidelity to his father by obeying his command and doing the task given to him. His love of his father was shown by his acts in the form of the work he did.

    Keep the Sabbath Holy

    Then let us think about our faith toward God. When Paul said we can be saved by faith, did he mean that we can be saved only through faith in Christ without doing anything. This cannot be true. Paul probably was the very apostle who had faith in Christ as was described in the Book of James: a believer of Christ who showed his faith through his action. Paul did many things to put his faith into deeds.

    Paul kept the Sabbath as his custom. (Acts 17, 18) Paul kept the Passover as he was taught by Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthian 5, 10, 11) He taught female believers to wear a veil during the worship service. He preached the gospel even though he had to go through many tribulations and hardships.

    If we could be saved only by faith and did not have to do anything, why was it necessary for him to suffer so much due to the preaching? He could have stayed his home and led a comfortable life without having to meet thieves, dangers, hardships, or any persecutions.

    However, he did go though so many things because of the gospel. Then what should we learn from the faith of Paul? We also have to show our faith in God through our actions. Since we have faith in God, we should keep the commands of God.

    God commanded to keep the Sabbath Day holy. Then we have to keep the Sabbath Day holy without making any excuse. God said the Sabbath day is a holy day. Then who can add something to the words of God and say I think Sunday is a holy day and I will keep Sunday holy. Or can any one say, “Oh God, since I can be saved by faith alone, I, who have faith in God, will do nothing, but lead a enjoyable life doing as I wish”?

    We have to consider these things seriously. If not, the day when we face God will be the day of condemnation, not the day of salvation.

    The bible says there would be weeping and gnashing of the teeth among the believers who have faith in God. If we can be saved by faith alone, why could they who have faith in God not be saved and weekping gnash their teeth in the lake of fire?

    Conclusion

    Today, there are many Christians who do not show their faith through righteous acts in the eyes of God. They neither keep the Sabbath Day, nor the Passover. They do not keep any of the festivals of God for the matter. They say that we don’t have to do anything to show our faith. Or they say Sunday is the day of worship and the Christmas is the day of celebration as people of God.

    Christ warned to his believers, saying there would be gnashing of the teeth. This warning was not given to the unbelievers, but the believers. As they say, if we can be saved by faith and don’t have to do anything, why would the believers who have faith in Christ gnash their teeth out of regret for missing the chance for their salvation.

    Luke 13:28 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ 28“There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out.”

    We should not be the ones who are thrown out from the kingdom of God because of following the teachings of false prophets. Since this word of Christ is also one of the prophecies of God, this prophecy will surely come true to the believers of God.

    Some will be invited to the table of God and eat with Him. And there would be many who are thrown out. They will weep and gnash their teeth out of regret for following and practicing the falsehood. However, there would be no more chance for them to be saved. We have to consider seriously about this matter.

  • The Origin of the Names of the Days of the Week

    The Origin of the Names of the Days of the Week

    When is the First Day of the Week?

    Today, many people consider Monday as the first day of the week, and Sunday the last day. However, many times the first day of the week in the calendar is Sunday, and the last day Saturday. Because of this disagreement, people often get confused about the first day of the week. Is it Sunday or Monday?

    This is important in understanding the bible. According to the bible, the day of rest or the Sabbath is the 7th day of the week? Is the 7th day Saturday or Sunday? Or even another day?

    Ancient Diagram showingh the days and week

    The First Day of the Week in the Roman Calendar

    Since the calendar we use today originated from the Roman Calendar, more specifically the Gregorian Calendar, we can get the idea of when the first day of the week from the ancient Roman calendar. The Roman calendar was based on the Babylonian calendar, which divided the week into seven days and assigned each day with their own gods named after the planets around the earth.

    The Babylonians considered the Sun and the Moon the most important planets(?) and the first day was Sunday and the second day Monday. This practice was adopted by the Greeks and Romans, and later by Anglo-Saxon, which we use as the names for the days of the week today. The only difference was that each kingdoms changed the names of the week to suit the names of their own gods.

    If you look at the table below, you can easily know how the names of the week changed throughout the history.

     

    1st Day

    2nd Day

    3rd Day

    4th Day

    5th Day

    6th Day

    7th Day

    Babylonians

    Sun (4th planet from the earth)

    Moon (1st planet from the earth)

    5th planet from the earth

    2nd planet from the earth

    6th planet from the earth

    3rd planet from the earth

    7th planet from the earth

    Greeks

    Sun

    Moon

    Ares

    Hermes

    Zeus

    Aphrodite

    Kronos

    Romans

    Sun

    Moon

    Mars

    Mercury

    Jupiter

    Venus

    Saturn

    Anglo-Saxon

    Sun

    Moon

    Tiw (The god of war)

    Wodan (The god of wisdom)

    Thor (The god of thunder)

    Frigg (The goddess of beauty)

    Saturn

    Today

    Sunday

    Monday

    Tuesday

    Wednesday

    Thursday

    Friday

    Saturday

    Monday as the First Day of the Week

    Through the history of the change of the names, we can see that the first day of the week was always Sunday, not Monday, and the last and 7th day of the week was Saturday, not Sunday. Then when did the custom of considering Monday as the first day of the week start?

    As the time goes by, the world has become more and more smaller due to the technological development in the communication and transportation. Industrialization and globalization made it necessary to standardize the time and dates more strictly to synchronize the work schedule throughout the world.

    For this reason, the International Standardization Organization or ISO unified the concept of measuring the time and date. Today according to ISO, the days of the week is stated as “the weekday number, from 1 through 7, beginning with Monday and ending with Sunday”.

    The message in this statement is quite clear that the week is made up of 7 days and the first day is Monday and the last day Sunday. This kind of the concept of the week days was first regulated in ISO around 1988 and later it was more updated.

    Jewish Calendar

    Conclusion

    Through this we can understand the convention of the Sunday as the last and 7th day of the week started quite recently. Originally, Sunday was the first day of the week and Saturday the last and 7th day of the week. Therefore, it is quite natural to say that the first day in the bible is Sunday and the last and 7th day Saturday. The biblical Sabbath is Saturday, not Sunday.

error: Content is protected !!