Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is Near by Man Hee Lee Shincheonji Church of Jesus

Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is Near!

Main reference: Mt 4:17

○ Time:        Roughly 2,000 years ago
○ Location:  Judah and Jerusalem
○ Scribe:      Matthew

What kind of place is the kingdom of heaven, which is near? Why does Jesus ask for repentance? Heaven is a spiritual world in which God dwells. Jesus asked for repentance because people must confess the sins which they have committed. Since the heaven which people have longed for has come, people can only welcome and enter into this heaven by confessing their sins and receiving forgiveness for their sins. This is the reason why Jesus asks people to repent.

What is the sin of which the chosen people, the Israelites, must repent? Just like the words of Isaiah, the chosen people, the Israelites, referred to as Judah and Jerusalem, betrayed God and worshiped gentile gods. This was their sin. According to 1 Kings 11, people worshiped gentile gods during the time of Solomon. Furthermore, if you look at Matthew 23, the Israelites appointed the Pharisees, who were snakes in the holy place, and worshiped them during the time of John the Baptist. This was their sin.

☼ From now on, two persons’conversations are used for giving more understanding.

- Did they repent of their sins? Did they believe in and accept God and the pastor whom God sent?
No, they did not.

- What did they do?
They persecuted the pastor whom God sent at the first coming, and in the end, they crucified and killed him.

- What did he preach to the people that they had to believe?
He preached the Old Testament, its fulfillment, and things that were yet to be fulfilled in the future (the New Testament).

- What was the result?
 Jesus said this gospel of heaven would be proclaimed to the whole world as a testimony to all people, and then the end would come (Mt 24:14). He also promised to return (Mt 24:29-31). He was arrested and crucified by the Jews; later, he resurrected and ascended to heaven.

- What did Jesus say concerning the situation of his return?
He questioned whether he would see faith on earth (Lk 18:8).

- Will there be persecution again at the second coming?
Yes, there will be persecution! Look at Revelation 11 (vv. 3-12).

- If there is persecution again at the second coming, how will the promises be fulfilled?
In the midst of persecution, during the first coming, Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament (Jn 19:30). The scripture also records, “It is done,” at the second coming (Rv 21:6).

- What did he promise to fulfill?  The New Testament!
At the Lord’s second coming, the pastors of God’s kingdom and the pastors of the devil’s kingdom are destined to fight against each other through ecclesiastical authority and words. As the chosen people are defeated, the devil’s pastor takes over the holy temple, and the one who destroys the chosen people stands in the holy place just like during the first coming (Mt 23). At that time, the promised pastor, who belongs to God, appears and fights against the devil’s pastor and overcomes him. At the end, the devil’s pastor and the devil are captured, and the devil is locked up in the Abyss (Rv 19:19-21, Rv 20:1-3).

The promised pastor (the one who overcomes) shouts, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near!” just like it was proclaimed at the first coming. This is the kingdom of the second coming. This is the promised event of the second coming.

- Why is he asking for repentance?
Jesus says, in Matthew 24, if we see the destroyer standing in the holy place, we must flee to the mountains. Today this prophecy has been fulfilled. However, people did not flee, but instead they received the teachings from the devil’s pastors and praised and worshiped them. During Japanese colonization, the Korean people of Christianity bowed down to a Japanese god and praised it. Please look at Revelation 13. People received a mark from the devil’s pastor and worshiped him. They betrayed God, but they were faithful to the devil. This is why the promised pastor is asking for repentance.

- Where has the kingdom of heaven, which is near, come?
Perhaps you might not have seen a Bible verse, which promises this very thing (Rv 3:12). It is the one who fights against and overcomes the devil’s pastor to which God, heaven, and Jesus come to (Rv 3:12), and the one who overcomes sits with them on the throne (Rv 3:21). At the first coming, God dwelt with Jesus, who overcame (Jn 16:33). At the second coming, Jesus comes to the one who overcomes and gives him the blessings recorded in Revelation 2 and 3. Maybe you have not realized this promise. Without this, there is no salvation. You might need to learn all over again. If you have studied the theology from the world, then you must also study the theology of heaven. It is as high as the heavens.

The first battle was between the tabernacle that prepared the way and the destroyers (Rv 13). The second battle took place with the promised pastor (Rv 12).

- Who won?
Take a look at the Bible.

- If one overcomes, what does he do?
There is a certain work he must perform.

- What is it?
He blows the trumpet to the north, south, east, and west and gathers people who are born of God’s seed. He teaches people with the things of heaven again and creates heaven, the leaders and the people of heaven (Rv 11:15, Rv 12:10, Rv 7, Rv 14, Rv 5:9-10). This is how harvesting and sealing takes place and how the creating of God’s kingdom, the new heaven and new earth, is carried out. God promised this work, and He has fulfilled it today at the appointed time. Now you should better understand why the promised pastor is asking for repentance, and what the kingdom of heaven that is near, is referring to.

Now is the time of song gu young shin ho shee jeol (ring out the old and ring in the new, a good season; 송구영신호시절), the time when the universe has completed its orbit. We have the food of eternal life that has come from heaven, which was given to the one who overcomes. If people keep drinking this water, sip by sip, it will lead them to eternal life. I am praying that everyone will eat of it and that they will become the family of heaven and live in heaven together.

Amen!

 by Man Hee Lee Advocate, Shincheonji Church of Jesus


Shincheonji: Healing All Nations

http://cafe.daum.net/scjschool/E3qZ/561