Death does not exist in Heaven - Ahnsahnghong

Yearning and Waiting for Heaven, Our Dear Home
It seems like yesterday that we started 2011, but it has already come to an end and now another new year has begun. Day after day, year after year, our yearning for the kingdom of heaven and for our Heavenly Father grows bigger and bigger.

I think it is around this time every year that the members of Zion feel a mixture of emotions in their hearts all at once, yearning for the eternal kingdom of heaven which they lost and waiting eagerly for Heavenly Father to come to this earth. I hope that all of you will live a worthwhile and valuable life every day, patiently waiting for our hopes to be fulfilled and eagerly looking forward to the kingdom of heaven—our eternal home—in holy conduct and godliness (Ro 8:15; 2 Pe 3:11-13).


Our dear home, heaven

Everyone has an instinct yearning for their hometown where they were born and grew up. The Bible tells us that our souls sinned in the angelic world and were born on this earth, and that our spiritual home is in heaven. So, human beings have a natural yearning for the spiritual world (Ecc 3:11).

Many poets in all ages and countries have written a lot of poems expressing their loneliness and tiredness from living away from home and depicting their yearning for their hometown. Among them there is a very popular poem titled “Longing for Home,” written by a Korean poet Eun-sang Lee. This poem describes very well the poet’s ardent yearning for his hometown. Let me read you that poem.

I see the blue water in the southern sea of my hometown.
I can’t forget that serene sea of my hometown, even in my dream.
Still now the water birds might be flying.
I’m so eager to go back to my hometown, eager to go back there.
I miss my old friends whom I used to play with when I was a child.
Wherever I may go, I can’t forget my friends whom I played with.
What will they all be doing today?
I’m so eager to see my friends, eager to see them.
Both the water birds and my friends are still living there.
But how come I have left home?
Rejecting all the other things, I want to go back to my hometown,
so we can all live together as we used to do.
I’d like to live with my mind wearing colorful clothes.
Let me go back to the old days when there were no tears.
(“Longing for Home” by Eun-sang Lee)

I feel that the above poem expresses not only the poet’s longing to go back to his hometown but also the hearts of us all who are longing to go back to our eternal home, heaven. The poet thinks about why he left his hometown while the water birds and his friends are all still living there.

Now let us look back upon ourselves: How come we left heaven and are living on this earth, the city of refuge, while our friends—our brothers and sisters—are all still living there? Longing for our heavenly home which we lost, we must go back to the old days when we enjoyed happiness with our Heavenly Father and Mother and the beautiful angels in the glorious kingdom of heaven.


The Israelites’ longing for their homeland and waiting for restoration to their native land

When the Israelites lost their country and were living in a foreign country, there was something in their hearts that they never forgot. It was the yearning for their homeland. Even while being held captive in Babylon, they did not forget Jerusalem, their ancestral home.

Ps 137:1-9 『By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusa lem, may my right hand forget its skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy. . . . O Daughter ofBabylon, doomed to destruction, happy is he who repays you for what you have done to us—he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.』

Psalms 137 describes the hearts of the Israelites who wept by the rivers of Babylon when they remembered Zion, longing for the restoration of Zion which they lost. At that time, Daniel prayed three times a day, with his windows open toward Jerusalem. This shows how much he missed his hometown, Jerusalem (Da 6:10).

Everything that occurred in the past is an example for us. Now is the time to think of our eternal home, heaven. Like Daniel, we should always set our hearts on our spiritual home. Thinking of our everlasting home, let us all go back to the eternal world where there is no tears, no pain and no sorrow, just as described in the above poem, “Let me go back to the old days when there were no tears.”

Home is not the kind of place which we can forget or forsake, but it is the place we must go back to. That is because our loving parents and siblings are waiting for us there. However, even though we go back to our hometown, if our parents and siblings are not there, what’s the point of returning home?

When we return to heaven, our eternal home, our Heavenly Father will welcome us and our Heavenly Mother will embrace us with love forever. There is also delight prepared for us in heaven, which we will enjoy forever together with thousands upon thousands of angels. Our home, heaven, is such a wonderful place where we will enjoy everlasting joy and happiness with those whom we love.


Longing for our heavenly home

This earth is not a place where we will live forever; we are aliens and strangers on this earth. Our forefathers of faith also admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.

Heb 11:13-16 『All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. . . .』

Our home is the eternal kingdom of heaven. Let us always set our minds on our heavenly home. Those who do not think of their hometown cannot go there. Only those who are always longing and yearning for their hometown can go back there.

Jacob returned to his hometown in the end because he did not give up even when his hip was wrenched from its socket (Genesis 31-32). The record of Jacob’s journey back home ultimately serves as an example for us who are living today. We must never give up on our journey to our home just as Jacob did even in the pain of his hipbone being dislocated. Our Heavenly Father and Mother have leveled the path for us to return to our home through Their sacrifice, so that we can go back to the old days when we had no tears, no pain and no sorrow. I earnestly ask you all to go back to the kingdom of heaven, without anyone losing it. And I want you to lead our brothers and sisters, who are yearning for Zion while still being held in spiritual Babylon, to the path back to Zion and to heaven—their eternal home, by quickly setting them free from Babylon.


Heavenly children’s repentance and return to their home

Now, we need to renew our yearning for our heavenly home and also think about why we left our beautiful and glorious heavenly home, so we can repent again and go toward heaven, our home. Let us take a look at a scene from Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son in the Bible where the prodigal son repented and returned to his father as he thought of his home.

Lk 15:11-24 『Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.”』

As the prodigal son thought of his home, repentance arose in his heart. Likewise, we need to have the wisdom to think of our spiritual home especially when we suffer pain, sorrow and loneliness on this earth, instead of just being overwhelmed by those feelings.

Let us look back upon ourselves: ‘How was I before? In the glorious kingdom of heaven—the angelic world, I enjoyed the brilliant splendor and happiness every day, which never exist in this world. But why did I leave my home, and what state am I in now?’ Reminding ourselves once again why we came down to this earth while our other heavenly friends are all living in heaven along with thousands upon thousands of angels, we have to think of going back to our home with a repentant heart like the prodigal son.

Jesus says that there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent (Lk 15:1-7). Just as the father of the prodigal son held a feast for his son when he returned home, our Heavenly Father is preparing a great banquet to welcome us home; our home, heaven, is always ready to welcome us. I want each and every one of you to go back to the eternal kingdom of heaven without forgetting this fact: The kingdom of heaven is a place overflowing with joy and happiness all the time, and in order to lead us to heaven our Heavenly Mother is suffering and sacrificing so much while staying with Her children on this earth.


Longing and waiting for heaven in holy conduct and godliness

In order to go back to our home, we need to yearn and wait for it. There is a legendary story of a faithful wife who died and was turned to stone while waiting for her husband.

During the Silla Dynasty in Korea, the two princes—King Nulji’s brothers—were taken hostage in Goguryeo and Japan respectively. As King Nulji missed his brothers and grieved over them, Je-sang Park, a royal official of Silla, went to Goguryeo and rescued the prince there. Again, he went to Japan to rescue the other prince. He brought them back to Silla safely, but he himself was captured and killed. Back in Korea, his wife waited and waited for her husband to return every day on the top of the hill, and in the end she was turned to stone.

What if the wife of Je-sang Park had only enjoyed herself together with other women in her village and had conducted herself badly, not having waited for her husband with all her heart at the thought that he would come back home anyway, regardless of what she did? Her heartbreaking, touching story would not have been passed down through the generations.

We have to wait for God so eagerly, just as the Bible says: “You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming” (2 Pe 3:11-13). Our Heavenly Father and Mother have come to this earth in the flesh to save human beings and have willingly carried the cross of sacrifice and suffering.

Following the path of Father and Mother, we should find our lost brothers and sisters and faithfully carry out the mission of lighting up the world with the light of truth, earnestly waiting for God.

Whenever the seasons change, year after year, I feel that the days of our yearning and waiting for the kingdom of heaven become that much shorter. As children of heaven, let us all put forth more strength and wait for God with a firm will to do good and to save human beings until the moment Father comes to this earth to bring us back to heaven, trying to repay the sacrifice of our Heavenly Mother who is with us on this earth and spares no pains for us.

We must go back to our home which we lost. Not forgetting the fact that we are strangers in this world which we stay in temporarily and leave sooner or later, we need to think about where we must set our whole heart and mind; and we should live godly and worthwhile lives every day while eagerly longing for heaven and waiting for our Heavenly Father to come.

When we return to our heavenly home, we will all go back to the old days; there will be no more tears. The kingdom of heaven—our eternal home, where a new heaven and a new earth are waiting for us, cannot be compared with a kind of hometown where there is a southern sea. Of course, our physical hometown is a good place for us, but it is not worth comparing with our spiritual home, heaven.

Never forgetting the kingdom of heaven, our eternal home, let us all go back there, without anyone dropping out of the journey to heaven. I want you all to run toward heaven with all your strength, yearning for the eternal kingdom of heaven, in faithful obedience to God’s word and will.el

Divine truth and mysteries about Heaven - Ahnsahnghong

The Kingdom of Heaven with Only Father and the Kingdom of Heaven with Both Father and Mother


Now there are many people who ask us about God the Mother after they recently saw the press releases or videos which introduce the Church of God. We are also hearing the news from all around the world that the people, who have not known the Church of God or have misunderstood our Church, are now coming into the truth.
A member, who wanted to preach about God the Mother, met one of his friends and asked, “Do you want to go to heaven?” Then his friend answered, “Yes, of course, I do.” So, he asked his friend again, “If so, do you want to go to the kingdom of heaven where there is only Father or go to the kingdom of heaven where there are Father and Mother as well?” Then his friend said that it would be better if he could go to the kingdom of heaven where there are both Father and Mother.
How about you? Which kingdom do you want to live in, the kingdom of heaven where there is only Father or the kingdom of heaven where there is Mother as well as Father? As for me, I much prefer the kingdom of heaven where all our heavenly family members will live together with God our Father and God our Mother.

The Spirit and the Bride who give the water of life
Let’s think about a family. There are a father and a mother in a family. In the same way, there are God the Father and God the Mother in heaven. God has made this fact known to us.

Rev 22:17 『The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.』

Here, the Spirit is God, who is equal to God the Father and God the Son in the Trinity. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—all these are the expressions for God who is male. The Spirit, who is the male image of God, and the Bride, who is His wife, say to mankind, “Come!”
Who is the Bride of God our Father to us? She is our Mother. Through this single verse alone, we can see that there is God our Mother as well as God our Father in the everlasting kingdom of heaven where we must go. This scene is a revelation which the faithful God, who does no wrong, has personally shown us.

Rev 1:1-2 『The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God
and the testimony of Jesus Christ.』

The Revelation is one of the books of the Bible, which Apostle John wrote as he saw and heard the revelation of Jesus Christ. In the revelation which God gave him to show us what must take place, the Spirit who is God the Father and His Bride who is God the Mother say together, “Come! Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.”
Most churches today, claiming to believe in God, teach that there is only one God who created man. However, the Bible explains so clearly that God the Father and God the Mother exist together.

The male image of God and the female image of God, who created man and woman
The Bible, starting from the first chapter, testifies that there are God the Father and God the Mother. Let’s examine this fact in Genesis 1.

Ge 1:26-27 『Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.』

When God created man, God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness.” God did not say, “I will make man,” but said, “Let us make man.” Through this, we can confirm the fact that man was not created by one God.
Some people insist that the reason God said, “Let us make man,” was because the angels beside God helped Him, even though there is only one God who created man. If their logic were true, they would come to the conclusion that the angels are the creators who made man. However, no one can be the creator except God.
God created man in God’s own image, saying, “Let us make man,” and male and female were created. This shows that there are two Gods who made man—the male image of God and the female image of God, not just one God. The male image of God has been called “Father” by human beings until this very day. So, what should we call the female image of God? Of course, we should call Her “Mother.”
Since the word “God” described in the Bible is singular, you may think that God is one. In the original text of the Hebrew Bible, however, God is described as the plural noun “Elohim” almost 2,500 times. In Hebrew there is a singular noun “Eloah” or “El.” When the suffix “-im” is added to the singular term Eloah, it produces the plural word “Elohim,” meaning “Gods.” In Genesis 1:1 it is written, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” This verse is also recorded in Hebrew, “In the beginning Elohim [Gods] created the heavens and the earth.” It
is not one God who created the heavens and the earth and made man, but Elohim—God the Father and God the Mother—who said, “Let us make man in our image . . .”
Nevertheless, why has God been known only as the Father, the one and only God, for such a long time? It is because the father represents the family. In old times, Korean people put up nameplates on their front doors; only the name of the father was written on the nameplate of each house. However, although the nameplate only had the name of the father, it did not mean that there was only the father living in the house; the mother and the children also lived there together. Since the father was the head of the family, his name was written on the nameplate as the representative of the family.
Like in traditional Korean society, women in Israel were treated as subordinate to men because of the patriarchal idea of male superiority and authority until the New Testament times through the Old Testament times. Due to this social background, the existence of God the Mother is not mentioned in the Bible, even though She surely exists. This never means that the Bible denies the existence of God the Mother.

Our Father and our Mother in heaven
The Bible prophesies about the time when the existence of God the Mother, who has been hidden behind God the Father, is clearly manifested to human beings. As the woman was created on the last day of Creation, so God the Mother is to be revealed in the last days. In regard to this, the Bible says, “The wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready” (Rev 19:7). If you recognize God the Mother, you will be able to understand God’s will to some degree—why God has made the time and the circumstances favorable for women; women in the past were suppressed and hidden behind men, but now they are rising to positions of power and influence and their rights are steadily being expanded.
The Bible tells us about Elohim [Gods] in another aspect as follows:

Mt 6:9-10 『“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven . . .’ ”』

This verse is a scene where Jesus teaches His disciples the Lord’s Prayer. Through this, Jesus shows us that there is our Father in heaven. However, the Bible states that there is “our Mother” as well as “our Father” in heaven.

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

Here, “above” means “heaven.” The Bible says that the Jerusalem that is above is our mother. “Our mother” here does not mean our physical mother who gave birth to our body, but our spiritual Mother who gave birth to our soul. She is God the Mother who created woman in Her own image, when Elohim created the heavens and the earth and all things in them, saying, “Let us make man in our image.”

Gal 4:27-31 『For it is written: “Be glad, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth and cry aloud, you who have no labor pains; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband.” Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise . . . Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.』

The Bible says that we are children of the free woman. What do children call the woman who gave birth to them? Naturally, they call her “mother.” The book of Matthew testifies to the existence of “our Father in heaven,” and the book of Galatians clearly testifies to the existence of “the Jerusalem that is above, our Mother.”

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THE SACRIFICE OF THE HEIFER IS NOT A PROPHECY ABOUT GOD THE MOTHER?

[FALSE CLAIM]

The Church of God says, “The heifer in Numbers 19 is the only female animal sacrifice in the Old Testament. Therefore, the sacrifice of the heifer in Hebrews 9 is the prophecy of the sacrifice of God the Mother in the flesh.” However, the sacrifice of the heifer in Hebrews 9 was already fulfilled by Jesus, so it has nothing to do with Heavenly Mother.

Heb 9:13-14 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

[COUNTERMEASURE]

1. Their claim is different from the teaching of the Church of God

If they try to oppose us, they must first know what our teaching is.

First, we have never taught that the heifer in Numbers 19 is the “only” female animal sacrifice in the Old Testament.

Second, we know very well that Jesus was sacrificed on the cross as the reality of all the offerings (includes the heifer), and that we receive salvation through that sacrifice. So they must not manipulate people as if we deny that fact.

We explain that there is not only the sacrifice on the cross at Jesus’ first coming, but also the sacrifice of God in the last days; therefore, the sacrificial offerings in the Old Testament show Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross firstly, and they show the sacrifice of the last saviors, the Spirit and the bride, secondly.

2. How the bride appears in the last days

Their claim is from the fixed idea that the sacrifice of Christ, who came to save sinners, was all finished through His first coming. In order to understand this matter correctly, we must first know how the Spirit and the bride―Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother―come in the last days, and how They give us the water of life.

The Bible testifies not only about Jesus’ first coming in the flesh, but also about the Savior’s coming in the flesh in the last days to give humankind the water of life.

At His first coming, Jesus, who came as the bridegroom of the heavenly wedding banquet, shouted, “Whoever is thirsty, come and receive the water of life” (Jn 7:37). In what form did Jesus come and give us the water of life in those days? Jesus came in the flesh, leaving all the glory of heaven behind, and did the gospel ministry for three years.

In the last days, too, the Spirit [Lamb] who is the bridegroom and the bride of the heavenly wedding banquet invite us, saying, “Come! Whoever is thirsty, take the free gift of the water of life!” The same event is being repeated. Then, in what form do the Spirit and the bride come and give us the water of life? For sure, They will come in the flesh, leaving all the glory of heaven behind, and give us the water of life through Their gospel ministry just as Jesus did at His first coming.

Therefore, the sacrifice of Christ for the salvation of sinners did not end with His first coming. Of course, the sacrifice as the sin offering was fulfilled at His first coming, but the sacrifice of the Spirit and the bride, who come in the flesh, leaving the heaven’s glory, to give us the water of life through Their gospel ministry, is still left.

3. The prophecy about the bride in the Old Testament

The sacrifice of sin offerings in the Old Testament was fulfilled by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross at His first coming; many animals’ sacrifice in the Old Testament was the shadow of Jesus’ sacrifice.

However, the sacrifice of Christ to save sinners did not end at His first coming; there is also the ministry of the Spirit and the bride in the last days.

Then, which shadow of the Old Testament contains the sacrificial ministry of the Second Coming Christ who is the Spirit, and of the bride?

The Old Testament is the shadow, and the New Testament is the reality (Heb 10:1). If there is the sacrifice of the Spirit and the bride as the reality, shouldn’t there be the shadow corresponding to this? Their claim that the redemption work was all achieved by the sacrifice of Jesus’ first coming, and that all the sacrificial offerings in the Old Testament were a shadow only pointing to Him, is from their ignorance of not knowing the appearance of the last Savior.

Although the sacrificial offerings of the Old Testament were fulfilled through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross at His first coming, it also represents the sacrifice of the Saviors in the last days, the Spirit and the bride. When we look at it from this point of view, one of the shadows which show the sacrifice of Heavenly Mother is the regulation of cleansing through the sacrifice of the heifer.

In the law of the Old Testament, the offering used on the Passover was a male lamb, and the sin offerings of the Day of Atonement were a male calf and a male goat. It was a shadow to show the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Then, wasn’t the sacrifice of the heifer to show the sacrifice of Heavenly Mother?

I want to go back to my former hometown - World Mission Society Church of God

I want to go back to my former hometown 

What was I before I was born?

Where was I before I came to the earth?

I was in Heaven~

I was an angel~

Do you know how to restore our?former?glory? -- Christ Ahnsahnghong

Do you know where your hometown is?
Do you know how to go back to your hometown?

Your hometown is heaven~~

EXPOSE - RUMOR ABOUT CHRIST AHNSAHNGHONG’S MARRIAGE

[FALSE CLAIM]

It is wrong for Christ Ahnsahnghong to have had a wedding ceremony with Heavenly Mother who already had her physical family (Mt 5:32; Mk 10:21). Therefore, Christ Ahnsahnghong and Heavenly Mother are not Gods.


[COUNTERMEASURE]

1. Christ Ahnsahnghong testified about Heavenly Mother

Christ Ahnsahnghong just testified that Heavenly Mother is the bride of the Holy Spirit, who is the source of the water of life. They never had a married life physically.
In other words, the physical marriage life they insist did not even exist.
Therefore, their insistence is nothing but a malicious lie that is wrong from the premise.
The apostles had their wives who were spiritually their sisters (1 Co 9:5). If they do not distinguish the spiritual things from the physical things, they should say that the apostles committed sins of incest. Is that true? Answer it!


2. Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother existed before the creation

The Bible testifies that Heavenly Mother is God, who existed with Heavenly Father before the creation and created all things together with Him (Ge 1:1-27). 
In other words, the relationship between Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother is a spiritual relationship which existed before the creation, and not a physical relationship made on this earth.


Christ Ahnsahnghong testified about Heavenly Mother by revealing the spiritual relationship, and did not have a married life physically on this earth. Nevertheless, the slanderers make people misunderstand this relationship as a physical relationship, so that people cannot go to Heavenly Father and Mother.


3. False rumors to disrupt Christ

2,000 years ago, there was a rumor spread throughout the Jews, “Jesus’ resurrection is a lie because Jesus’ disciples stole His body during the night.” Can we say that Jesus was not resurrected and that He is not Christ, because of this rumor? Just like the Jews who were against God 2,000 years ago, today what they claim is a lie made up to somehow slander the gospel.

Mt 28:12-15 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.


4. False rumors to disrupt the Church of God 2,000 years ago

While the early Church preached the gospel, the Romans persecuted Christians without knowing the teachings of Christianity; they slandered the holy bread and wine ceremony as a religious worship of eating dead bodies, and criticized believers about calling each other “brother” or “sister,” with the imagination of incestuous unions.
In other words, the Romans condemned the early Church as an immoral religious group that had to be criticized socially. Likewise, not knowing the teachings of the Bible, what they claim is identical to the slander of the Romans.


5. The Bible is the evidence that enables us to recognize Christ

Let’s look at the Bible without being wavered by a pun or rumors. Jesus said that the Bible testifies about Him, and He testified about Himself with the Bible (Jn 6:39; Lk 24:25-27). We can recognize Christ only through the prophecies of the Bible. Therefore, we should recognize Christ Ahnsahnghong and Heavenly Mother, who are the Spirit and the Bride, through the prophecies of the Bible. (573)

EXPOSE - THE CORRECT UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE COURT RULING ON THE ALLEGATION THAT THE CHURCH OF GOD SPREADS A TIME-LIMITED ESCHATOLOGY

Slanderers tell a lie without hesitation that the Church of God spreads a time-limited eschatology. With impure intention to defame the Church of God, they propagate fabricated and exaggerated false evidence. Recently, an American has been confusing people by distorting a court ruling from South Korea – the case of “Northern Seoul District Court 2003Gahap6020 Damage Compensation.”

He insists that this court ruling is evidence that the Church of God spreads a time-limited eschatology. His argument is absurd and it is a lie. The explanation below will help you to easily understand how the ruling was distorted by someone without any knowledge of the story.

In order to understand correctly, first, we need to examine the criminal trial process – the first, second and third criminal trials. For reference, the case of “Northern Seoul District Court 2003Gahap6020 Damage Compensation” was a civil trial that was judged on the basis of a second criminal trial. We will explain it hoping that anyone who reads this will not be confused by the allegations against the Church of God.

1. The reason for which the court ruling on Tak, publisher of “Modern Time Religion Publishing Company,” was used as false evidence

The cause of the trial

The incident began when Tak, who is the publisher of The Modern Time Religion Publishing Company (“Hyundae Jongkyo” in Korean), published about 500 books in 2002 where he insisted that the Church of God spreads a time-limited eschatology.

At this, the Church of God filed a lawsuit against him on the charge of libel [defamation through publication], and he was indicted by the prosecution. In the first trial, he was found guilty of defamation through false information, but in the second and third appeals trial, he was found guilty of defamation for using false information. However, in the second and third appeals trials, he was found innocent. At that point in time, the court could not verify if the evidence provided was true or false and therefore suspended its judgment on whether or not his allegation was true.

Fountainhead of false rumors

Readers must pay attention to some peculiar points of the slanderers’ insistence.
First, the Internet slanderers do not mention the false evidence Tak submitted at all.
Second, the ruling saying the publisher was found innocent, to make a false conclusion that the Church of God spreads a time-limited eschatology.

Slanderers are proliferating every kind of unsubstantiated rumor on the Internet, exluding the two aforementioned points. For reference, Korean members of the Church of God do not waver in faith as a result of these rumors because they already know the truth of these trials. The slanders are crafty; they are spreading these lies to people in other countries, who do not know anything about what happened during these trials.

Their deeds remind us of the prophecy in the Bible.

1 Pe 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Mt 23:15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.”

2. In dubio pro reo

Let us examine the false evidence of the Modern Time Religion Company, which Internet slanderers do not mention at all
In the first trial, the publisher was found guilty of defamation by using false information, but in the second and third appeals trials, he was found innocent. The court was unable to conclude whether or not his argument was true. The ruling says, “There are some incorrect expressions and exaggerations, but it cannot be concluded that they are all false.”

In other words, the first trial concluded that it was definitely false, but the second and third trials found it difficult to conclude that it was definitely false.

Why was the ruling changed?

What kind of evidence did the Modern Time Religion Company submit to the court in the second trial that the court found it difficult to judge whether or not Tak’s allegation was true? Six informants submitted false evidence that the Church of God spreads a time-limited eschatology. This made it difficult for the court to judge whether the allegations were true or false in the second and third appeals trials. That is why the court declared Tak innocent according to the principle of presumption of innocence; a principle to judge for the benefit of the defendant when in doubt, which is called “In Dubio Pro Reo.”
“In dubio pro reo” (Latin for “when in doubt, for the accused”) is a dominant principle of the criminal procedure code which most countries of the world, including South Korea, have adopted.


Ref) Principle of Presumption of Innocence
The defendant or the accused in the criminal proceedings is considered innocent until proven guilty. In Anglo-American law, even if the accused is the real criminal, if there is no evidence, he or she is given the verdict of innocent. In the Continental law, “In Dubio Pro Reo (when in doubt, for the accused)” refers to this principle. Such principle is to protect the rights of the accused. 

Let us see a precedent where this principle was applied.


The Case of O.J. Simpson in 1994: The former American football star O.J. Simpson was accused as a murder suspect, which was news that astounded the whole world. A glove stained with blood of the victim was found at Simpson’s house, and the scene of his racing 100km [60 miles] to avoid police officers who came to arrest him was broadcast live across the US. Though it seemed he was definitely guilty, his defense team, the “Dream Team,” brought forth the verdict of innocent after a fierce battle in the court for 372 days. 
The defense team insisted that the glove did not fit Simpson, and also brought the fact that the criminal investigator was a racist into view. As well, a false witness appeared. Then the trial fell in a state of confusion. Ultimately, the jury found it difficult to decide whether or not he was guilty, so he was found innocent in the criminal trial.
Simpson’s case is a good example of the judgment on which the principle of “In Dubio Pro Reo” was reflected. At the time of his criminal trial, some evidence was confusing, so it was difficult for the judging panel to decide whether Simpson was guilty or innocent. 
However, in the follow-up civil trial, the court acknowledged that Simpson inflicted serious damage on the victim, so he was ordered to pay 8,500,000 USD in damages and 25,000,000 USD in punitive damages to the bereaved family, and he ultimately went bankrupt.


The principle, “In Dubio Pro Reo,” functions differently according to the situation of a defendant.
If a defendant is in fact innocent, the principle plays the role of a shield that protects his or her human rights. On the contrary, if the defendant is actually guilty, all damage remains on the plaintiff.
In the world, there are people who try to cover their crimes, abusing the law.
Beyond what we see, how many hideous deeds are they doing to make false evidence?
The prevalence of such false testimonies in the courtroom people’s interest and such situations have even been made into movies, such as: The Devil’s Advocate (1997) directed by Taylor Hackford, A Few Good Men (1992) by Rob Reiner, The Rainmaker (1997) by Francis Ford Coppola, Primal Fear (1996) by Gregory Hoblit, In the Name of The Father (1993) by Jim Sheridan, The Firm (1993) by Sydney Pollack, A Time to Kill (1996) by Joel Schumacher, High Crimes (2002) by Carl Franklin, The Accused (1988) by Jonathan Kaplan, etc.
Many of you may have seen one or more of these movies. You are probably reminded of the suspenseful scenes when the false evidence and testimonies were considered true and the antagonist was almost victorious. Well, such a thriller occurred in reality. That was the ruling on Tak.

3. The reality of the false testimonies submitted to the court

The testimonies of six informants who supported Tak
The six informants suddenly appeared in the second trial and alleged that “the Church of God spreads a time-limited eschatology and instigated the members to spread it, which caused problems like family breakup, running away from home and divorce and so on.” Their testimonies were submitted to the court as the evidence of eschatology victims, and helped Tak to be found innocent. It was just because the principle of “In Dubio Pro Reo” was applied to the ruling.

The testimonies of the six informants were all fabricated false evidence
After the Supreme Court had handed down the verdict of innocent on Tak, there was the follow-up trial for each one of the six informants on April 14, 2006. The six informants, who had helped Tak to be found innocent, were accused by the Church of God because they claimed that they were the victims of the time-limited eschatology of the Church, and they were all indicted by the prosecution.
Most of them appealed to the Supreme Court, but they were all found guilty in the first, second and third trials.











Aren’t you curious about this part?
The six informants’ testimonies turned out to be false, then why was it that their testimonies were accepted in the Supreme Court and the principle “In Dubio Pro Reo” was applied to the judgment on Tak?

Tak was declared innocent during the third trial on April 14, 2006; but the six false informants were not declared guilty until seven months later in November 2006.

If the decision on the false informants had been made before April 14, 2006, Tak would most certainly have been proven guilty of defamation through publication.

The process of the trial on Tak and that of the six informants are as follows:

Tak was found guilty after the first trial on August 14, 2003, The second trial took place four months later on December 16, 2003. And the third trial took place on April 14, 2006. In total, it took three years and four months.

During this period of time, all the informants, who had helped Tak to be found “innocent” were accused and found guilty in the first and second trials. Jeon S.M. was found guilty in the first trial on September 3, 2004; and Kim O.J. was found guilty in the first trial on June 8, 2005.

Unfortunately, Tak’s verdict as innocent after the third Supreme Court trial occurred before these false informants were found guilty.

The decision on Tak in the third trial in 2006 was made without reflecting the fact that the informants’ testimonies were false.


















4. What does the verdict of innocent on Tak mean?


As the slanderers insist on the Internet, does the verdict of innocent on Tak mean that the Church of God spreads a time-limited eschatology? Absolutely not!

The trial on Tak, the publisher of the Modern Time Religion Company

Some people say that since the book published by the Modern Time Religion Company, which alleged that “the Church of God spreads a time-limited eschatology,” was found innocent, it must be true that the Church of God spreads a time-limited eschatology. If we understand the principle of “In Dubio Pro Reo,” we can soon realize that they are wrong.
As we mentioned at the beginning, slanderers stretch the meaning of a certain part of the ruling without seeing the whole story.
The verdict on Tak in the third trial of the Supreme Court is not the decision acknowledging that the Church of God spreads a time-limited eschatology.

The follow-up judgment on the six informants

The six informants, who defamed the Church of God together with Tak, affected his trial; they succeeded in making a fact unclear as they had intended. But they were all found guilty in the follow-up trials, and ultimately their fabrication was exposed.
Since the trials deal with the same incident, the follow-up trial on the six informants is the most recent decision of the court.
Then, is the claim, “the Church of God spreads a time-limited eschatology,” true or false? It is false.
Using the court ruling, slanderers have insisted that “the court judged that the Church of God spreads a time-limited eschatology.” However, their defamatory remarks are not true and the court’s rulings are as follows:
1. The court decided that it is false to allege that the Church of God spreads a time-limited eschatology
2. The court decided that it is breaking the law to allege that the Church of God spreads a time-limited eschatology.

A newspaper report

As the truth was revealed after all the trials on Tak, which took several years, and the six informants came to an end, the issue had a great resonance in the Christian world, and became a warning against denouncing other denominations as heresy through fabrication, and became headlines in the Christian Press.
In order to help the readers understand, we posted the original Korean newspaper and its English translation.



5. Fabrication to brand other denominations as heresy

Party interests

The fight for rights in the political arena is not a recent occurrence. From the passage of a bill to the policy-writing process, we often watch politicians strive for the benefit of their party. The confrontation among different political circles looks different from the outside depending on the country, but each party puts in a great effort to hold a prominent position in policy-making. Sadly and unfortunately, all sorts of trickery and corruption scandals are revealed in the process.

It is the same as Judaism 2,000 yeas ago. Judaism, which had the vested rights, spread malicious rumors to pin Christianity as a heresy and to persecute Christians. At that time, the high priest bribed Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ disciples. The high priest also slandered Jesus’ resurrection by spreading a false rumor that Jesus did not rise from the dead but that His disciples stole His body.  (Mt 26:14; Mt 28:11).

Modern Time Religion Company’s branding others as heresy; like father, like son

Modern Time Religion Company is Korea’s representative leading group that brands other denominations as heresy.

People in other countries may find it difficult to understand the words, “Branding other denominations as heresy,” but the denominations which are once targeted by the Modern Time Religion Company are classified as heresy. (What is funny is that it never reports the corruption of large churches that have vested rights, which are related with it.)

There are many things to say about the Modern Time Religion Company, but we will omit the long explanation. Besides this trial, the Modern Time Religion Company is famous for constantly making trouble in society. Even a gathering of Modern Time Religion Company victims was organized. [Gathering of Modern Time Religion Company Tak Ji-won Victims, HANARM]

Before the first trial, Tak the publisher of Modern Time Religion said at the time of cross-examination,

“I have never confirmed objective facts about the time-limited eschatology of the Church of God. I believed unconditionally what my father had said and put his allegation against the Church of God in my book.”

Tak himself said that he put the content in the book without objective and proven facts. Does it make sense that a publisher who runs a publishing company did so? What he did was something shameful as a Christian, and as a publisher.

Tak made an excuse that he posted that kind of content because he trusted his father. Then, who is his father?

His late father, who was also named Tak, was notorious for branding other denominations as heresy. His phone conversation with a certain Pastor Choi was once tapped and his fabrications and conspiracy were exposed and became headlines in many newspapers.

Page 5 of Christian Today, November 4, 2009




















Original article Link Christian Today A / Original article Christian TodayB

The information below is a translation of the article.

Pastor Choi’s conspiracy to brand others as heretics is exposed Main conversation on the phone between Pastor Choi and Tak Tape recorded conversation A Choi: We should quickly make material to brand Park 00 as a heretic, and spread it among students in Jeolla Province. This meets the strategy. <Fabrication> Tak: You mean Chongshin Theology School students?  Choi: I will conspire with Professor Yoo and spread the material among the students without putting up the professor in front, so that students will rise to protest against Park 00. <Conspiracy, Instigation> Tak: We should do this strategically, not emotionally. Since we are to start with the Presbytery in Yeongdeungpo, if we say to elder Park 00 that we will present bills to the headquarters, he will post it as a major issue on the 00 bulletin. <Playing the media>  We should gather together quickly, (calling the Heresy Measures Committee).  Tak: Yes, yes! And I will mobilize the Holiness Church. That church also wants to decide … We will do first, and mobilize all the other churches. I need to be political …<Using ecclesiastical authority>  Choi: But it is very gloomy about the Habdong denomination. I’ve become the head inspector . . . Tape recorded conversation B Tak: I will ask elder Park 00 to post it in a large title on the 00 bulletin. <Conspiracy><Instigation> Tape recorded conversation C Choi: Do not talk much, but just say that he causes many troubles in society. What we are going to decide is that each Presbytery Heresy Measures Committee can inquire into the matter of heresy, and consult about it at any time through the headquarters heresy organ and to post it on the 00 bulletin. Let us call the head of each Presbytery Heresy Measures Committee to the head office and take measures together (using 00 bulletin). First of all, Joo the general affairs manager opened his closed mind to me, so he compliments and boasts about me wherever he goes. I will serve him well so that we can enter it through the 00 bulletin. <Collusion with ecclesiastical authority>

Front page of the Church Association News in Aug. 21, 2005

The information below is a summary of the article.

. . . 15 years ago, there was a similar wiretap scandal. At that time, the office line and home phones of Tak Myung-hwan [father of the present publisher Tak] who was called a religious problem analyst were tapped for about six months. It recorded the conversation between Pastor Choi Sam-gyung and Tak Myung-hwan, who began in earnest to brand Park Yun-sik as a heretic by establishing an organization, “Research for Park Yun-sik’s Heresy”; and it also recorded the private life of Tak who was an editor of Modern Time Religion Company at that time. Their conversation gave a shock to the Christian world. When Tak criticized Park Yun-sik the pastor of the Daeseong Church as a heretic, there was no positive response in the Christian world. Then he began to conspire with Pastor Choi Sam-gyung, but their conversation was completely tapped and exposed to the world.. . .

The Modern Time Religion Company has habitually branded other denominations as heresy by fabricating evidencestarting from the Senior Tak. Do you, as readers, think that the materials fabricated by such people are trustworthy? 
This is the source of unsubstantiated rumors and defamatory remarks on the Internet.

The Church of God does not spread a time-limited eschatology

The Bible clearly says that there will be the end of the age (Isaiah 24; Matthew 24).
So the Church of God is preaching the Passover of the new covenant, through which people can be saved from all disasters. By doing that, the Church of God is testifying about Christ’s love to all human beings (Rev 7:1-3).

Listen, all you slanderers! Stop comparing the Church of God with weird religious groups that cause trouble in society. The Church of God has never done any such evil deeds. Why do you belittle the Church of God and scare people by craftily making the evil deeds of cults look like those of the Church of God?

The Church of God received the orders of merit and citations from two Korean presidents, and received the President’s Call to Service Award and the President’s Volunteer Service Award from the US president by carrying out the role of the salt and light of the world according to the teachings of Christ Ahnsahnghong and Heavenly Mother. If you want to know more about the Church of God that contributes to society and nations, click the linksbelow. 
1- Awards Received 
2- Awards Received 
It is definitely true that the Church of God has been doing good for the happiness of families, neighbors, nation and all humankind. However, slanderers hide all our good deeds and spread unsubstantiated rumors. The true judgment on these people who do evil will be done by the God of Justice soon (Rev 21:8).

Thank you for reading this lengthy article. We wrote this hoping no one will be a victim of the malicious rumor of a time-limited eschatology. If you would like to know more about this in detail, please e-mail us at.

wmscog1@gmail.com

• The cartoon below is the summary of the above contents.

  

  
  

  
  
  
  

EXPOSE - THE CHURCH OF GOD IS DIFFERENT FROM THE MAINSTREAM OF CHRISTIANITY, SO IT IS A CULT-WMSCOG

1. Was Jesus, who was different from the mainstream, of a cult?

The First, 2,000 years ago, was Jesus from the mainstream religion or not?
If their insistence were right, Jesus and all the saints of the early Church who followed Him would be a cult because He was from a non-mainstream religion.

The second, Do you know why Jesus was persecuted by the religious leaders and crucified?
It was because they regarded Jesus as the leader of a non-mainstream religion, a non-legitimate cult and a heresy.
Using their strong point of having many members, they persecuted the true Church, calling it a non-legitimate Church.

The third, In the time of the early Church, when a lawyer named Tertullus, who spoke for the high priests and elders, presented Paul’s case, he said, “We have found this man [Paul] to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect.”

Ac 24:5「”We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect」

Here, “the Nazarene sect” indicates Jesus. Those from the mainstream religion, who claimed to be legitimate, condemned Jesus, calling Him the Nazarene sect, and accused Paul of being His ringleader.

2. Legitimacy and Non-legitimacy according to the Bible

How do we distinguish legitimacy from non-legitimacy?
Legitimacy and cults are not distinguished by whether or not the church is of mainstream, but by the fact if it was established by God or if it was established by men.
The Church, established by God, keeps God’s commandments; and the churches, established by men, keep the rules of men.

Today, there are people who keep the rules of men, which are not based on the Bible, such as Sunday service, Christmas, Thanksgiving Day, etc. No matter how many they are, they are a cult and non-legitimate, which cannot be recognized by God.

Mt 15:7~9「You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’”」

Therefore, it is non-biblical and a lie to insist that the Church of God is a cult and non-legitimate because it is different from the mainstream Christianity. (286)