Tag: Children of Promise

  • [WMSCOG] WHO ARE THE LIVING?

    The bible says that those who will go to the kingdom of heaven are called the living. Then who are the living? Everyone on this earth will feel offended if they are called the dead because people always tend to think that they are alive and living. But in the eyes of God it is a little bit different.

    Matthew 22:32   I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.

    The living who have eternal life like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob
    In the eyes of God, they are considered as living? In other words, they are the ones who received the promise of eternal life from God. Then why?

    These are the words of Christ given to teach about one characteristic of God’s people. The most important trait of the people of God is that they should be living. Literally, it does not make sense because everyone on this earth is living and Christ gave this teaching to the people who were living on this earth. In the time of Moses, numerous people were LIVING on this earth, but only the Jews were chosen as God’s people, the living. In the time of Jesus too, even though people were LIVING like sands on the sea, only few were chosen as his people, the living. Therefore, we must understand the meaning of “living” in the perspective of God. Then who are living in the eyes of God? The one who has life is the living. But in this case it cannot mean the physical life because people were chosen as God’s people not simply because they have breath of life in their nostrils. We can confirm this through the teaching of Jesus too.

    Matthew 8:21   Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me and let the dead bury their own dead.” 

    How can the dead bury a dead person? They cannot rise from their tombs and bury the dead one and go back to their own tomb. For this reason we must understand the meaning of dead differently. In that story the father of the disciple was dead in the literal sense, but the dead who would bury him was not dead in the physical sense. In another version of Bible it is translated like this: “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.” (NLT) So the dead mean people who are spiritually dead even though they are physically alive. Therefore, God’s people are those who are living spiritually. Not just because he lives a physical life on this earth, he is not considered “living” in the eyes of God; rather, he is considered as “dead” by God. Then who are the “spiritually living”?

    John 6:53  Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” 

    What do you call a person who “has no life in him”? A dead person, right. Through this Jesus says that a person who did not eat his flesh and drink his blood is spiritually dead, even though he might be physically living. And He continues to say:

    John 6:54   Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

    Then who are the living who can be considered as God’s people who will be raised into eternal life at the last day? They are the ones who ate Christ’s flesh and blood. Through these words Christ teaches us who are the true living and who are the dead. To be living in the eyes of God, the person must eat Christ’s flesh and blood through the Passover. (Mt 26:26) Christ said that the bread of the Passover is his flesh and the wine of the Passover his blood. Therefore, through the Passover bread and wine we can take part in the Christ’s flesh and blood, and we can be considered as “living” in the eyes of God. And those who did not keep the Passover are called “spiritually dead.”

    Even though all the people of the world were in the land of death without the promise of eternal life, the Second Coming Christ, Christ Ahnsahnghong brought us the new covenant of the Passover and gave us the chance to belong to the LIVING by eating his flesh and blood through the Passover. Seek God Ahnsahnghong and Heavenly Mother Jerusalem and Keep the Passover, then you will be considered as living by God. Thanks to Father and Mother for allowing us to participate in the Passover and giving us eternal life in heaven! God is truly the God of the LIVING!

  • Abraham and Sarah: Spiritual Meaning Behind A Family History

    Everything in the bible is recorded for one purpose, that is, to teach us the way of salvation. Therefore, when we read the bible, we should not think anything lightly. Everything in the bible contains God’s message for our salvation. If we look at the book of Genesis, we can see a long and detailed record of the family history of Abraham. How and when Abraham was chosen, what kind of promise was given to him, who was his son and grandsons, how are where they lived–all these things are recorded in a detailed way. Why did God write the family history of Abraham? This is not just one family history; rather, through this story God teaches us the way of salvation.

    Abraham and Sarah, who are they? Why did God record a history of one family in such a detailed way? What does God want to teach us through the story of Abraham?

    According to the bible, Abraham represents God himself figuratively and therefore Abraham’s children represents God’s children. In the book of Galatians, Paul clearly teaches that Christ, the Son of God was given to us to teach us who are the heirs of God. If we become sons of God like Christ (who is the archetype of the true sons of God), we can become the heir of God.

    Gal 3:29  If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. 

    Christ is represented as the Son of God in the bible, but here in the book of Galatians Paul says Christ is the seed or Son of Abraham, rather than the Son of God. Through this he teaches us that Abraham represents God himself and the seed or son of Abraham means figuratively the sons of God who will be the heirs of God who can inherit the kingdom of heaven.  We can confirm this through another verse in the same chapter.

    Gal 3:16  The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.

    According to the book of Genesis, Abraham’s seed was Isaac, not Christ. But Paul interpret that this family history of Abraham was given to us to teach us the heir of God who will receive inheritance in heaven or simply salvation. Even Christ himself testified that he is Isaac, the son of Abraham. God gave Abraham a promise that he would return a year later and exactly the same time next year Isaac was born to Sarah. About this story, Christ teaches the meaning behind the story.

    John 8:56  Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.

    What Abraham actually saw on the promised day of God’s return was Isaac. God returned as Isaac, the son of Abraham. But Christ said the one who Abraham actually saw was Christ himself who was born as the son of Abraham. Through this what does God want to teach us? He is teaching us that Isaac, the son and the heir of Abraham was given to us to teach us the Christ who is the true seed or heir of God. In short, Isaac represents Christ, the Son of God and also God’s people who belong to Christ must become like Isaac to be the sons of God who can receive salvation.

    Galatians 4:28  Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.

    God’s people must become sons of God by following Isaac’s example. Then in the story of Abraham’s family how was Isaac able to become the heir of Abraham? Abraham had two sons who could be his heir, but God’s promise was not given to “his seeds,” but “seed.” It means only one of them was given the promise to be the heir of Abraham and the one who was chosen was Isaac, not Ishmael. Then why was Isaac chosen over Ishmael who was older and could have inheritance according to the law of time called primogeniture, which means the older son can receive the inheritance from the father. According to his law Ishmael as firstborn of Abraham should be the heir, but Isaac was chosen. Then why?  It was because of the words of God that he would make a covenant with the son of Abraham who was born through Sarah, who was a free woman.

    Even though Ishmael was the firstborn, he could not receive the inheritance because he was a son of a slave woman. Having a father and mother who were not under slavery was the condition for the heir of Abraham. That is why Isaac, who was born through Abraham (a free man) and Sarah (a free woman) could be chosen as the heir of Abraham, rather than Ishmael, who was born through Abraham (a free man) and Hagar (a slave woman). Through this story of the heir of Abraham, God is teaching us who can become the heir of God.

    Since Abraham represents God the Father, who is free from sin and death, then who does Sarah represent? Paul reveals who the wife of Abraham represents in the book of Galatians. He compares Hagar and Sarah which symbolizes the old covenant and new covenant respectively. Just as the center of the old covenant was the earthly Jerusalem, he teaches the center of the new covenant is the heavenly Jerusalem. Then what is the reality of the heavenly Jerusalem?

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

    Sarah who is the symbol of the new covenant actually represent the Heavenly Jerusalem our Mother, the free woman. Just as Isaac was chosen owing to his father Abraham and his mother Sarah, through this story God is showing how to be the heir of God. We can become the heir of God like Christ through spiritual Abraham God the Father and spiritual Sarah God the Mother. This heavenly Jerusalem is also testified by Apostle John.

    Revelation 21:9  9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.

    According to the bible, when Christ is coming, he is coming with his wife, Heavenly Jerusalem. The Lamb Our Father and his wife Heavenly Jerusalem Our Mother are coming together in the last days to give us the eternal life. (Revelation 22:17) To fulfill this prophecy God the Father Christ Ahnsahnghong and God the Mother Heavenly Jerusalem came down to this earth from heaven so that we can receive the water of life, eternal life. Let us accept the Christ Ahnsahnghong and Heavenly Mother Jerusalem and receive the water of life. They are the Elohim Gods we must meet in the last days.

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