[Heavenly Family and the Earthly Family]
Heb. 8:5 『They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven.』
All of the earthly systems are a copy and a shadow of what is in heaven. The family system is the same.
Christ Ahnsahnghong revealed to us the existence of the heavenly Mother by teaching us about the heavenly family system through the earthly family system.
Everything within the spiritual world is reflected on this earth. In other words, everything on the earth is a shadow, and the things in heaven are the realities of what is on earth.
God established the earthly family system to show us that there is also a family system in heaven. The reason why God made every family on the earth has a father, a mother, and children was to reveal that in heaven, as well, there is a Father, a Mother, and children. God's providence is to let us know that there exists a God the Mother in heaven, as well as a God the Father.
Do you want to be a part of the
heavenly family? Let us find out how we can be members of the heavenly family.
House
What are you reminded of when you hear the word "family"? Don't you think of a "house"? Jesus also mentioned a "house" many times in the Bible.
John 14:1-3 『"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place [house] for you. And if I go and prepare a place [house] for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.』
Jesus said that the Father's house surely exists. As of now, the house has been prepared. Then, who will be the members of this house? The family system described in the Bible is paternalistic. As you can see through your physical family, the first, main member of the house is the father. Therefore, if there is a father in the families on the earth, there must also be a Father in heaven.
[Children of Heavenly Father Ahnsahnghong]
Heb. 12:9 『Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!』
Matt. 6:9 『"This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name...' "』
The God in heaven is our God the Father. Just as we have a physical father on this earth, we have a spiritual Father in heaven. He is God the Father, Ahnsahnghong.
Who comes to mind next when we think of a family? Most people will think of a "mother." But before we consider "mother," we have to think about what kind of person can be called a "father." No one can be called "father" unless he has a child. No mater how old a man is, if he has had no children, who would call him "father"? The title "father" is only used by children.
Therefore, a family must have children. Let us find out if our heavenly Father has children.
Matt. 12:46 『While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you." He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."』
Here, we can find the words "brothers" and "sisters." Just as we have physical brothers and sisters, we have spiritual brothers and sisters. God's children, who call upon the God in heaven as "Father," must follow the will of the heavenly Father. In the
Church of God, the children of the heavenly Father keep the Sabbath, the Passover, and all of the other truths, according to the will of the Father in heaven. The Church of God follows the teachings of Christ Ahnsahnghong, and we are brothers and sisters.
[ Heavenly Mother Jerusalem ]
We have studied that there exist a God the Father, and His children, in the heavenly family. Then, who is left? It's Mother.
Gal. 4:25-26 『Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.』
In this verse we can find the words "our mother." "Our" refers to the children who believe in God. This verse reveals that there exists a heavenly Mother to the children who will be saved.
So far, we've studied about which members compose a family, and we have confirmed that we have a spiritual family in heaven. Just as we have fathers, brothers, sisters, and mothers in our physical families, we have our spiritual Father, brothers, sisters, and spiritual Mother in our spiritual family.