📰The Bible is one of the best-selling and most widely distributed books in history, yet it is also considered to be among the least understood. The Bible, which is referred to as the New Covenant and Promise of God, in which 'the way to heaven and salvation' is presented, differs in theologians' interpretations that make it difficult to understand. These differing interpretations have been the cause of the rise of denominations with each one establishing their own doctrine. With the increase in online church services and gatherings resulting from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, there has been growing interest in the comparison of various church doctrine. This paper, therefore, attempts to provide readers with the opportunity to compare differing Biblical teachings without interpretation. Among a host of online sermons and Bible-based teachings, the contrasting doctrine between the established Church and Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which has drawn public interest throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, is hereby compared and summarised. Best efforts have been made to provide a summary of Shincheonji Church of Jesus' understanding of the Bible. Judgment as to what is right or wrong is left to the reader’s discernment.
"Jesus spoke in parables to hide the secret of the kingdom of heaven from the enemy and to fulfil the words of the Old Testament prophets"
Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony
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In a nutshell, the reason Jesus spoke about the secrets of the kingdom of heaven in parables in Matthew 13:34-35 was to fulfil the prophecy of Psalm 78 that he would speak hidden things from of old. Secondly, it was to hide the secrets of the kingdom of heaven from his enemies who should not know.
It would be good for everyone to know the secrets of heaven but why must they be hidden? It is hidden as a parable because, if Satan and the devil, who are enemies of God, know the secrets of heaven, they will interfere with the work of God. A secret is something that is not shared with anyone, but to someone you trust.
The reason why the world's armies operate in codes is to distinguish between the enemy and one's allies at a time of war. This is because, once the code is known and all secrets revealed, one side will lose. In the same way, God also teaches the secrets of the kingdom of heaven through parables, and allows the children of God to understand these parables in order to fight and overcome Satan the Devil. Jesus said that Satan the devil is unable to see, hear and understand when the secrets of the kingdom of heaven are spoken in parables.
At the time of the first coming, Jesus spoke of the secrets of heaven in parables to the scribes and Pharisees, who were enemies of God, so that they could not see, hear or understand, while clearly revealing the secrets of heaven to his disciples, who were allies of heaven. If at the second coming of the Lord, those who belong to Satan, like the scribes and Pharisees at the first coming of Jesus, know the secrets of heaven, they will interfere with the will of God who is at work. Jesus knew this fact, so he used a parable to hide the secrets of God's kingdom.
At the time of the first coming, Jesus spoke of the secrets of heaven in parables to the scribes and Pharisees, who were enemies of God, so that they could not see, hear or understand, while clearly revealing the secrets of heaven to his disciples, who were allies of heaven. If at the second coming of the Lord, those who belong to Satan, like the scribes and Pharisees at the first coming of Jesus, know the secrets of heaven, they will interfere with the will of God who is at work. Jesus knew this fact, so he used a parable to hide the secrets of God's kingdom.
A parable is a way of explaining something in relation to other similar phenomena or objects. While there are parables that are used to aid understanding, there are also parables that make it impossible to understand. The secrets of the kingdom of heaven, recorded as a prophecy, are parables that are very difficult to understand.
The Bible is comprised of history, instruction (teaching), prophecy and fulfilment. History and instruction can be easily understood as recorded. However, the prophecy is sealed in a parable, so even if one reads it, one cannot understand its meaning and is bound to be blind and deaf to it (Isaiah 29:9-14). When God prophesies, we can only understand the reality when we meet the promised shepherd (promised pastor).
For example, in Matthew 13:31-32, Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man planted in his field which, though the smallest of all seeds, grows and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches. Even Jesus' disciples did not understand this and asked him about it.
In Isaiah chapter 29 of the Old Testament, it is recorded that there is a prophecy, or a sealed vision, expressed as a parable. In Habakkuk Chapter 2, God's prophecy will come true when the time comes, and Ezekiel 1~3 foretells that when this time comes, an opened book will be given to a promised shepherd.
When the promises of the Old Testament came true, the promised shepherd Jesus spoke of and explained the parable to his disciples who perceived its meaning. Moreover, at the time of the first coming, Jesus prophesied in John 16:25 that although they were a secret, the time would come when he would clearly reveal the secrets of Heaven that were recorded as parables in the New Testament.
Today, at the Second Coming of the Lord, Jesus has taken the sealed scroll (book) in the right hand of God in Revelation Chapter 5, opened it to reveal its contents, and given it to an angel to deliver to the promised shepherd. By doing so, one can get to heaven.
At the first coming, Jesus told his disciples - the 'you' group - that they were blessed because they understood the parable, and received forgiveness of their sins. In Mark 4:10-13, Jesus said that the 'them' group - the outsiders - did not understand the parable, so they could not be saved because they did not receive forgiveness of sins. Even today at the Second Coming of the Lord, those who meet the promised pastor and see and hear the fulfilment, or reality, of the parable will be blessed and forgiven; and those who do not understand the parable through the promised pastor will not receive forgiveness and salvation.
At the first coming, Jesus told his disciples - the 'you' group - that they were blessed because they understood the parable, and received forgiveness of their sins. In Mark 4:10-13, Jesus said that the 'them' group - the outsiders - did not understand the parable, so they could not be saved because they did not receive forgiveness of sins. Even today at the Second Coming of the Lord, those who meet the promised pastor and see and hear the fulfilment, or reality, of the parable will be blessed and forgiven; and those who do not understand the parable through the promised pastor will not receive forgiveness and salvation.
"Jesus is a natural-born storyteller who used analogies to match the intellect of the reader"
Korean Church
Pastor A of the Korean Presbyterian Church
"Jesus' parable is by no means a 'complex' or 'mysterious' code that needs to be deciphered and which can only be understood with the aid of numerous commentaries or interpretations. If so, none of the people of the first coming would have understood its profound meaning when they heard the parable spoken directly by Jesus.
The first-century Jewish audience who followed Jesus were not intellectuals with high theological training or great education. Jesus taught an audience whose level of learning was generally below par, in a unique way through a 'parable' in order to match their ability As a natural storyteller, Jesus taught the truth of the kingdom of God to his audience in the first century, when learning was short, using a high-level story called a parable. This parable by Jesus was a sure-fire tool to communicate effectively with his audience. Modern communication techniques have also proven that it is very effective to properly use stories when teaching to an unspecified mass of people of mixed intellect. The parable is a story that is simple, clear, and contains moral instructions that even children can easily understand."
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Korean church pastors should go into the Bible.
ReplyDeleteThe Bible should not be based on the thoughts of Korean church pastors~!!!
wahhh this give me a great insight
ReplyDeleteWoww, these explanation is so good omg
ReplyDeleteAfter I read this article, what I thought :
ReplyDeletehow embarrassing haven't I known that why Jesus says words of Bible in parables so far
Interesting article, the flow and connections make sense and something that is more deeper than what I thought! Much more meanings hidden away for us to learn according to the bible
ReplyDelete