📰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.
"The ‘four fields’ represent the hearts of those who hear the words of Heaven;
the path, rocky and thorny fields cannot bear fruit"
Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony
The four fields in Matthew 13 are said to be the seeds of the Word, those who heard the Word of Heaven in Matthew 13:19 that was hidden in parables and understood it. Jesus spoke about the mystery of heaven in parables to fulfil the words of an Old Testament prophet.
2600 years ago, the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah prophesied that there would be a day where the seed of man and of animal would be sown. About 600 years later, the Son of Man sowed the seed of man, which is the word of God. On the other hand, the pastors belonging to Satan sowed the (untruthful) seed of the beast (animal). What are the fields where the seed of God and the seed of the devil have been sown? The field where the seed of the Word is sown is the heart of man. The fact that there are four fields means that those who accept the Word have four types of hearts.
The first is a path, which refers to those who hear the Word but do not understand it. Jesus said that this seed falls by the wayside and fails to be sown, so a bird comes and takes the seed. This means that when one hears the Word of Heaven, a wicked person comes and immediately takes away the word that was scattered on one’s heart, so one does not understand it. Here, the wicked person refers to Satan and the false pastor that Satan uses. The word was given, but it was taken away and became an empty field as it had originally been.
The second type of heart is a rocky field. Jesus said that when one hears the word, one immediately receives it with joy, but has no root. When the Word of Heaven is being testified, Satan interferes in various ways to prevent the seed of faith from taking root. This is because God, who is the Creator of heaven and earth, is working to restore His kingdom and recover everything that has been stolen, by making this word of truth known.
The third heart is a thorny field. In this thorny field, the seed falls but thorns grow and choke the plant from growing. This refers to those who do not bear fruit because of the worries, riches and pleasures of life. God said that the love of money is the root of all evil and the thoughts of the flesh lead to death, becoming enemies of God. What good is it to enjoy all of life’s pleasures if one cannot enter heaven?
Lastly, there is a record of the good field (soil), which represents a person who listens to the Word with an open heart, keeps it, and by persevering bears fruit. As a result, he or she bears one hundred, sixty or thirty times more fruit. Physically speaking, there is no such thing as a ‘good field’ from the outset. The rocks and thorns must be removed from within in order to become a good field. A good field is one which has experienced and overcome all these things.
In other words, one can become a good field only when one perceives the hidden word of Heaven, plants it in one’s heart and overcomes the temptations and pleasures of life to bear fruit through patience. Who is the reality of the good field? 2000 years ago, Jesus and his 12 disciples were born again with the seed of the word of heaven, and at that time the Pharisees, Sadducees and teachers of Satan were the demon-possessed (cult). Today, when the book of Revelation is being fulfilled, Jesus harvests those born of God's seed from the field where God’s seed was sown. The 12 tribes of Shincheonji, a new kingdom and a new people, are created by sealing those who have been harvested. These are the firstfruits of Mount Zion in Revelation 14, who have patiently overcome all persecution and testing. These are the realities of the good field.
Rocky and Thorny Fields means a congregation member who makes life difficult for the pastor; Jesus then becomes a thorn and rock for that person who resents
Presbyterian Church
Pastor A of the Presbyterian Church
"The field is already set. There are four fields. The seed on the path is someone who never comes to church. The fields in question are rocky and thorny fields. This is something a real pastor should worry about. (Faith) Who is the person who is zealous from the beginning? He is like a rocky field who sprouts quickly and works hard. However, after a while, that person loses zeal and falls by the wayside. So it's important to work hard, but one must be careful not to seek the recognition of others who say, 'Oh, he or she's a hard worker.’ There are some people in church who are like thorns which seem to grow well but, in the end, bear no fruit. They’re always there. They stop obeying. These two types of people make life difficult for the pastor."
Pastor B of the Presbyterian Church
"Those who planted seed among thorns, those who stab others with the thorns in their hearts, and if anything wrong was found within them, they would poke others ruthlessly. If you get caught by these people, you will be mercilessly beaten all the time. Those who criticise and slander others are those who planted seed among thorns. The thorny field is a person who resents others. Such a person resents deeply."
Pastor C of the Presbyterian Church
"Thorns and stones, strictly speaking, refer to Jesus Christ Himself. If one doesn’t understand Jesus Christ, they become a thorn and a rock, making it impossible for them to understand. It enters the hearts of all mankind and makes them not understand the word."
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