[The Limits of Paternal Civilization, The Vision of Maternal Salvation]
By Seong-Jong Seo (Ph.D. in Theology)
This article was originally published in Korean in Segye Ilbo, a major South Korean daily newspaper, under the column series “Epic History of the Chosen Han People of Kore.” [Click here to view the original article.]
Read the previous article in this series.
◆ The Final Destination of Human Salvation Eagerly Awaited by Two Thousand Years of Christian History
The Bible begins with the narrative of the lost paradise in Genesis and concludes with salvation in the Book of Revelation. The dream of the “ideal family” that Adam and Haewa lost in Eden still remains an unfulfilled task in human history.
The Holy City, New Jerusalem, descending from heaven. It symbolizes the appearance of the “substantial Bride (Only Begotten Daughter)” who holds an equal status with the Bridegroom, Jesus. The depiction of the Only Begotten Son and Only Begotten Daughter standing side by side signifies the completion of the 2,000-year Christian providence. It is a visual representation of the grand overture of the earthly Kingdom of Heaven (Cheon Il Guk), where humanity is reborn into Heaven’s true lineage through True Parents.
Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ came in the position of the “Latter Adam” and “Bridegroom” to straighten this warped history. However, as he was forced to walk the path of the cross without receiving a substantial Bride on earth, the final book of the Bible, Revelation, foretells a momentous event that would put a period at the end of human salvation. That is none other than “the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.”
◆ ‘The Bride of the Lamb’: A Substantial Being Beyond the Metaphor of the Church
Revelation 19:7 declares: “For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready.” Traditional Christian theology has interpreted the “Bride” here as the “church,” the community of believers, remaining stuck in a metaphorical interpretation. However, if we expand our theological perspective to humanistic and biological principles, we realize that the completion of salvation is by no means conceptual.
To restore the human lineage destroyed by the Fall of the two “substantial” beings, Adam and Haewa, there must exist a sinless “Only Begotten Daughter (the Bride)” to partner with the returning Only Begotten Son (the Bridegroom) as a substantial reality. If salvation could be accomplished by the Bridegroom alone, the Bible would not have specifically used the dual union metaphor of a “marriage supper.” In other words, the existence of the Bride foretold in Revelation is a providential hint announcing the manifestation of a woman who will become the “True Mother” to give rebirth to humanity.
◆ The Secret of ‘The New Jerusalem’: The Holy Bride Descending from Heaven
The passage in Revelation 21:2 is even more specific: “And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Here, the “city” (or fortress) does not merely refer to a physical building. It symbolizes the foundation on which Heavenly Parent’s maternal sovereignty is fully realized, and the status of the Only Begotten Daughter, who is the “substantial Holy Spirit” representing that sovereignty.
The true reality of the New Jerusalem is the appearance of the “First Coming Only Begotten Daughter,” who begins her mission as True Mother on earth in the flesh, bringing to a close the era of the invisible “spiritual mother,” the Holy Spirit (discussed in the previous part). The expression “adorned for her husband” means that through the sacrifices of countless saints and female intercessors over the 6,000 years of human history, the foundation for the pure Only Begotten Daughter—whom Satan cannot accuse—has finally been established.
◆ The River of the Water of Life and the Tree of Life: Restoration of Lineage through True Parents
The vision of the river of the water of life and the tree of life described in the final chapter of Revelation (Chapter 22) reveals the ultimate result of the providence of salvation: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit…” This grand imagery symbolizes the reconnection of the source of life that was severed by the Fall.
While the Only Begotten Son (True Father) is the Tree of Life, becoming the seed of eternal life, the Only Begotten Daughter (True Mother) is the River of the Water of Life, becoming the source of love and vitality that receives and nurtures that seed. When the Only Begotten Son and Only Begotten Daughter establish the position of “True Parents” through their Holy Marriage, humanity can finally escape the lineage of Satan and enter the path of “substantial rebirth (regeneration)”—being reborn into the true lineage of Heavenly Parent. This is the blueprint for Cheon Il Guk (the Kingdom of God on Earth), which the Book of Revelation so earnestly foretold.
◆ A Grand Prelude Toward the Completion of the Christian Providence
In conclusion, the prophecy of the Book of Revelation can never be completed without the manifestation of the Only Begotten Daughter; it is the final promise of human history. The “Marriage Supper of the Lamb” pointed to at the very end of the Bible is not a simple metaphor or religious rhetoric, but a “substantial revolution” that fundamentally changes the fallen lineage to rebirth humanity. The path of spiritual salvation that the Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, lonely opened 2,000 years ago is now finally completed as substantial salvation—restoring the physical lineage and establishing natural True Families—by meeting the final puzzle piece: his Bride, the Only Begotten Daughter.
Then, how has this grand heavenly banquet been prepared in history, and why must we see its fruits today, of all places, on the Korean Peninsula?
To Be Continued …
◼ Author
Dr. Seong-Jong Seo received his Master’s degree from the Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) in New York, USA, and his Ph.D. from California Union University (C.U.U.). For 35 years, he has traveled between Korea, the United States, and Latin America, serving as a pastor and world peace activist. He presents insights encompassing religion, humanities, and contemporary issues through numerous books, including “Humanities Encountered During the COVID-19 Pandemic.”