God Appeared Joyfully
[When He had been baptized, Jesus came up
immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He
saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.] (Mat.
3:16) [A voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in
You I am well pleased."] (Luke 3:22)
During the thirty years that Jesus lived on
this earth, never did God appear to Him and say "[You are My beloved Son;
in You I am well pleased.]" However, on this day, God personally appeared
[when (Jesus) had been baptized, (and) came up immediately from the water,] and
delightfully said, "You are truly My beloved Son in whom I am well
pleased." For thirty years, God had never been that joyful or delighted.
Why was He so happy today after Jesus was [baptized, (and) came up immediately
from the water]? In addition, the Holy Spirit joyfully appeared. [And when
Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the
heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and
alighting on him (Jesus).] Why were the heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit so
happy and delighted, and why did They love Jesus so much for going into the
water and coming out of it? What is [water]?
Let us learn about water.
Tearful Self-denial
Water is originally from the alpine regions
and the high mountains.
A long time ago, adults used to say,
"Water is higher than the mountains." This is true.
Water
can be found on top of Mt. Baekdu, the highest mountain in Korea, and on top of
Mt. Tien Shen, the highest mountain in the neighboring country of China. As it
looks down at the rest of creation, it struts with pride thinking that it is
the highest, that there is nothing above it.
Then,
God says to the water, "Water, come down from your proud place and descend
to the lowest position, the lowest place." Disappointed over God's
command, the water turns pale from shock and disappointment. It would rather
die than come down from its high place. Yet, it has no choice but to do so
since it is God's command. As it forces itself to come down, the water
complains and murmurs every step of the way, even shedding tears out of agony.
It continues to grumble and unwillingly descends to lower places, but later
accepts its fate with resignation. Some grow angry and complain about God's
command. They say, "I can't go down," and insist on remaining on the
mountaintop. They are none other than the stagnant waters that refuse to come
down. Because of disobeying God's word, which is their life, they soon begin to
rot. Later, deer or birds refuse to drink that "dead" water, and they
become infested with insects.
Meanwhile, the water that obeyed and forced
itself in tears to come down does not die but descends very well. While it
descends, it begins to think that it only denied itself, left its high
position, and dropped endlessly to lower places. For many days, it continues to
descend in tears. However, to its surprise, the lower it goes, the more it meets
and befriends other waters that have also relinquished their high positions and
are coming down from other ravines. They are happy to meet one another, and
they comfort one another holding each other's hands and placing their arms
around each other's shoulders. Instead of murmuring, they now sing songs of joy
so loudly that their singing later echoes throughout the ravine as they
joyfully flow down.
The Mountainside Stream Meeting
Then, a lecturer stands up and says,
"Ladies and gentlemen! I am sure that you went through much trouble to get
here from the high mountains. However, we still have a long way to go to reach
our home in the new heavens and earth. Let us continue to move forward with
greater humility and patience." Everyone in the audience responds with
applause.
The waters have made more friends, and the
lower they humbly descend, the more they dance waving their arms, shaking their
shoulders, and even swinging their hips. They all flow down with their arms around
each other's shoulders. The lower they go, the happier, the more joyful and
broad-minded they become.
The River Meeting
The crowd is so large here that they cannot
see the lecturer. They can only hear his gentle voice over the loud speaker.
"Ladies and gentlemen! I am sure you all went through much trouble and
suffered for many days in order to obey God's words and come all the way here
from the high mountains. However, we still have to travel for many more days to
arrive at our homeland, the ocean in the new heavens and earth. Yet, I fully
believe that our God who has guided us this far will undoubtedly have us arrive
at our destination shortly. Though you may be exhausted from the journey,
please be patient to the end. Please make sure you arrive at our homeland, the
ocean in the new heavens and earth, and live happily for eternity." All
attendees of the river meeting respond with loud applause.
Homeland, at Last!
Then someone shouts, "Wow! We've
reached our homeland!" Everyone lifts up their voices simultaneously to
sing songs of triumph. Overflowing with love, a countless number of brothers
and sisters in the ocean of the new heavens and earth swarm to them, embrace
them, and welcome them. They hold their hands and tenderly say, "Brothers
and sisters! How much trouble did you go through to come this far? There is
nothing here that will hurt your feelings, no more rocks and stones to block
your way or crash into, no more brambles to block your way or tear at you, no
more pain from falling off high cliffs, and no more anxiety from passing
through dark gorges and narrow passes. Here, you will live enjoying eternal
joy, freedom, peace, and happiness." They add, "Since you have
traveled through many adversities and obstacles for many days without rest,
from now on, rest comfortably for eternity. Until now, close friends would meet
together, and then have to part with one another, gather together, and then
separate again. Here, you will live eternally with your dear friends and never
have to part with them again."
The Song of the Choir of the 144,000!
Brethren tell them that the choir of the 144,000
will sing a happy, new song forever as they happily live there. When asked what
the title of that new song is, they say, "The Roaring of the Waves in the
Azure Sea." They carefully explain, "When the choir of the 144,000
sing the new song, innumerable sea gull 'angels' will especially fly here to
dance together and a countless number of waters will join in to sing as one
grand choir. All through the day, large numbers of cloud 'audiences' will
gather to watch with a smile, and all night long, the moon and innumerable
stars will gather around to listen devotedly with joy." Someone else draws
near and whispers, "This homeland, the ocean of the new heavens and earth
is filled with infinite jewels of every kind and rare, precious treasures."
Upon hearing this, the waters that have
finished their travels shout in unison, "Wow! How exciting!" All
through the night, they repeatedly sing songs of gratitude and praise to the
grateful God who led them from the high mountains to this place.
True Baptism
Water possesses the most beautiful, humble,
and modest heart among all creation in the world. When Jesus was thirty years
old and at the closing years of His life, He went under the water, or lower
than water, and then came out (baptism). The heavenly Father, whose entity is
humility and who loves those who possess a humble heart the most, immediately
appeared to Jesus in inexpressible gladness and joy and exclaimed, "Truly,
[You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.] Likewise, our heavenly Daddy
joyfully says, [You are My beloved son (daughter); in You I am well pleased,]
to His children today who possess a humble heart, who go down lower than the
humble water. This is the purpose of true baptism and the ceremony that makes
us holy citizens of the new world.
Contemporary Christians try to follow the
example of Jesus, and they indiscriminately baptize people by immersing them in
water. However, if that baptism does not move both the one who baptizes and the
one being baptized to empty their hearts and have humble, modest hearts that
are lower than water, like God and Jesus, then that baptism is a false,
meaningless act, a mere formality.
Jesus, who perfectly resembled our heavenly
Father, said, "[Unless one is born of water...he cannot enter the kingdom
of God (the new world).]" (John 3:5) This does not mean that simply
entering the water and then coming out of it will save a person. It means that
we will not be able to see the new world unless we possess a humble mind and
character like water, the lowest of all creation. Every baptism that is not
based on humility and is performed as a formality or carried out as some annual
religious function, or held just to increase church membership will be recorded
in heaven as the capital sin of cursing and defiling the holy names of the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Those who recklessly call the names of the most
holy Three Gods will be culpable in the eyes of Heaven.
"The vows which we take upon ourselves
in baptism embrace much. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit we are buried in the likeness of Christ's death and raised in the
likeness of His resurrection, and we are to live a new life. Our life is to be
bound up with the life of Christ. Henceforth the believer is to bear in mind
that he is dedicated to (the humble) God, the Christ, and the Holy
Spirit."
Baptism by immersion is making the following
vow before God: "I will be a son (daughter) who, like water, humbly obeys
my heavenly Father."
"Baptism is a most solemn renunciation
of the world. Those who are baptized in the threefold name of the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit, at the very entrance of their Christian life declare
publicly that they have forsaken the (proud) service of Satan and have become
(humble) members of the royal family, children of the heavenly King."
"You must see your own death through the
death of Christ.... Know that you end a sinful life and begin a sinless, new
life through faith (baptism)."
"How deep is the meaning of this
ceremony! It symbolizes the great truth of Christianity and the dual effect
upon the believers who accepts it. First, the reformed man sees and
symbolically reenacts the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. A life of
sin becomes a life of righteousness. Yet, the purifying characteristics of
baptism call for the purification through the blood (death) of Christ in the
heart. Next, he will realize that he is not the person that he was in the past
but 'a new creation in Jesus,' who lives a 'new life' through the power of God
(the heavenly Father) who raised Christ from the dead.
Baptism symbolizes the greatest change in a
person's life, [for as many...as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ
(with humble heart).] (Gal. 3:27) Baptized souls become holy citizens of the
new world. They have already died (self-denial) and have nothing to do with the
sinful habits of the past. The Bible states that they are resurrected into a
new life of communing with heaven once they are dead to sin. A 'tomb of water'
(baptism) lies between his past (and present) life."
"Baptism is a vow before heaven as an
outward show of a greatly changed life for all to witness. Therefore, it is
very important not to baptize too hastily, for it is not something to be chosen
today and forsaken tomorrow."
"It
is the grace of Christ that gives life to the soul. Apart from (the heart and
character of) Christ, baptism, like any other service, is a worthless form. He
that does not (follow and) obey the Son of God will not see eternal life (in
the new world)."
Baptism "demands that reformed people
perfectly follow the footsteps (live a selfless life) of its Founder, Christ.
Only then can they be called Christians and enter a true baptismal
ceremony."
All baptisms that are not reciprocated with a
humble, selfless character and Christ-like life and end as a mere formality are
false. They are abominable sins.
Unless we all become like the humble water,
go lower than water, and be [born of water,] we [cannot enter the kingdom] of
Christ and [God (Real Daddy)] (John 3:5) who are humble.
The entire Bible focuses on the coming of the
Helper, the Holy Spirit in the last days who will literally fulfill
"heaven" in our hearts and souls so that we may enter the eternal,
new world.
You Also Be Water
Many people who are ignorant about heaven,
the new heavens and the new earth, say that we go up to heaven. However, no one
who tries to go up to heaven will be able to enter. Only those who go
down will reach the new heavens and the new earth, the new world. Neither
those who try to ascend in front of others nor those who say, "No other
denomination but ours will go to heaven," will enter heaven. Heaven--the
new heavens and the new earth--the new world, is a place only those who
continue to yield to others, who descend to lower places in modesty and
humility like water, can enter.
Though Jesus said, "[Narrow is the gate
and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find
it,]" (Mat. 7:14) I would like to tell my beloved brothers and sisters
today that the road of life is very wide and easy.
Jesus said that few would find the narrow and
difficult road to life because He did not see anyone humble like water among
those who were listening to His sermon in that age; He only saw pride and
arrogance in their hearts. He said, "As for you, the way to life is narrow
and difficult to enter." However, the lower humble people descend, the
wider, smoother, and easier the way to life becomes.
The waters that traveled for so many days to
reach their homeland, the new heavens and the new earth, attain a state of
selflessness. As their humility is perfected even in that place, they become
invisible water vapors. Every day, billions of tons of water joyfully ascend to
heaven apart from the world. They also become saviors who supply all creation
in the world with fresh water (life) while traveling through the skies. In the
same way, when we continue to humble ourselves like water and become saints who
have perfected our humility, that is, attained a state selflessness--become
"invisible" like vapor--we will enter and live in the new heavens and
the new earth, the new world God prepared. We will live forever and travel
freely from star to star around the whole universe. The true purpose and vow of
a sacred baptism is to help us pass through the "door" of such a holy
state.
Blessed are those who, like water, constantly
follow the road to their homeland with a humble heart. From this world to the
new world, Real Daddy's eternal love and grace will be with those whose hearts,
like Jesus, have descended to a position lower than water.
In our generation, there are those who [came
up immediately from the water;] [behold, the heavens were opened,] and they
heard [a voice (that) came from heaven which said, "This is My beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased."] (Mat. 3:16, Luke 3:22) Their hearts have
become water. They live a humble, selfless life of humbly flowing under the
world and their brethren. Real Daddy's love, reward, and grace will be with
them forever and ever.
[Jesus
answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and
the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.] (John 3:5) Therefore, you must
be water, like Me. Then, you will live with Me eternally in My Father's land,
the happy new heavens and new earth, the new world."
No matter how much we try to pick up water,
we cannot grab it. Unlike people, it does not stab or hurt anyone. It becomes
perfectly selfless vapor and ascends to heaven. I hope that by casting aside
all the greed and selfishness in our lives and becoming selfless, we will all
become members of the "water family" who fly to the new heavens and
new earth, the happy new world, like Jesus.
The
Ocean Smiles
The
ocean smiles.
It
smiles in pleasant weather
And
in poor weather.
It
smiles when it rains,
When
it snows,
And
even when it is windy.
The
ocean smiles when people fight,
And
when they dance.
The
ocean smiles when nations are at war
And
when they are at peace.
The
heart of the ocean is wide.
The
heart of the ocean is deep.
That
is why the ocean can forgive all things,
Love
all things, and just smile.
All
the beautiful brethren of our country, the new world,
Are
beautiful, holy water,
Citizens whose hearts are
like the ocean.
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