Where Did We Come From and Where Are We Going?

Where did we come from? Why do we live on this earth? Where will we go when we leave this world?

Everyone is curious about these three fundamental questions, yet many people go through life without ever finding the answers. Since they do not know where they came from, they do not know where they are going, and believe that everything ends with the death of the body.

In the Truth Book Visitors From the Angelic World, Christ Ahnsahnghong taught us through the Bible where we came from, where we are going, and what the true purpose and meaning of life are. Having sinned in heaven, we came down to this sinful world, a city of refuge. When our brief lives on earth come to an end, we will stand before God’s judgment seat and receive the final judgment that will determine whether we go to heaven or hell.

Let us study what the Bible teaches about the soul and understand that we must receive the forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life through the Passover on our journey back to heaven, our eternal home.

The Soul Returns to Heaven After the Death of the Body

Jesus taught us that we came from heaven and that our life on this earth is a journey back to our heavenly home.

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Lk 19:10

Jesus was in heaven before He came to this earth. Those who had lived with Him in heaven were lost and came down to this earth. To seek and save them, Jesus came to this earth. Although He existed as a spirit in heaven, He had to take on human flesh to carry out the work of redemption on this earth.

Jesus’ words show us that there are certain beings whose origin is from heaven, not this earth.

“And the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” Ecc 12:7

The dust refers to our physical body, which God formed from the dust of the ground (Ge 2:7). Since our body came from the dust, it returns to the ground when we die. However, the spirit within us—our soul—returns to God who gave it. In this sense, death is not the end, but a new beginning.

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” Heb 9:27

People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment. If death were the end of everything, there would be no one left to be judged afterward. Yet the Bible teaches that even after the body dies, there is an entity that still exists to be judged. That is the soul.

Within us is the soul, the true essence of our being, who returns to the kingdom of God after the death of the body. People in the world do not clearly understand that the soul exists. Because they are unaware of its existence, they deny the existence of God and often regard God’s teachings about heaven and hell in the Bible as nothing more than fiction.

The Bible did not originate from human opinion, but it was written by prophets who spoke from God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Pe 1:20–21). Through the Bible, which was written according to God’s will and contains His truth, we can clearly understand that within us is the spirit God breathed into us.

Fulfilling the Duty of All Mankind

Among the forefathers of faith, Solomon was known as the king of wisdom. In addition to wisdom, God granted him wealth and honor. Having lived a glorious life that many people might set as their ultimate goal and strive to attain, he left us the following words:

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.” Ecc 12:13

Solomon came to understand what truly makes a life worth living. He had amassed great wealth, undertaken many projects, and tried everything his heart desired. Yet in the end, he gained nothing from these things; all that remained was a sense of emptiness and weariness. So he concluded that the most important duty of mankind is to fear God and keep His commandments and that this should be our guiding principle in life.

“The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: ‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless. What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?’ . . . All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. . . .” Ecc 1:1–11

If we live apart from God and pursue only our own desires, our lives are utterly meaningless. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. No matter how good the things we see and hear may be, once we become accustomed to them, we naturally begin to desire something even better.

“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ . . . The LORD looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Ps 14:1–3

The foolish say in their hearts, “There is no God,” and live as they please, pursuing only the things of this world. However, the Bible and the prophets clearly testify that God exists and that we came from heaven. We must know where we came from and where we are going and faithfully fulfill the duty of all mankind. Only by living this kind of life can we return to heaven, our eternal home, without any regret.

The Angels Who Sinned in Heaven and Came to This Earth, a City of Refuge

Let us examine God’s teachings that show how we lived before we came to this earth.

“The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; I was formed long ages ago, at the very beginning, when the world came to be. . . . I was given birth, before he made the world or its fields or any of the dust of the earth.” Pr 8:22–26

Solomon, who wrote the book of Proverbs, said that he had been born even before the earth was created. At that time, however, he could not have existed as a human being with a physical body. The Bible says that God formed man from the dust of the ground (Ge 2:7). However, Solomon was born before the earth existed, when there was no dust. In other words, before the earth was created, Solomon existed in heaven as a spiritual being—an angel.

Solomon was not the only one. Job, too, already existed when God laid the earth’s foundation.

“Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm. He said . . . ‘Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. . . . On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone—while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? . . . Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years!’” Job 38:1–7, 19–21

Scientists estimate that the earth is about 4.5 billion years old. Although Job lived about 3,500 years ago, God asked him where he was when He laid the earth’s foundation—about 4.5 billion years ago—and told him that he had already been born at that time. This shows that Job, too, was with God in heaven as an angel before he was born on this earth.

“You will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: . . . ‘How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.’” Isa 14:4–15

This passage shows what kind of being the king of Babylon was when he lived in heaven. He was the “morning star, son of the dawn,” but because of his glorious position, he became proud and rebelled against Him. As a result, he was cast down to the earth. Let us also look at the account of the king of Tyre.

. . . “Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. . . . Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.’” Eze 28:11–17

The king of Tyre was a guardian cherub before he came to this world. Like the kings of Tyre and Babylon, Solomon, and Job, we were all angels who lived in the kingdom of heaven, but we sinned and were cast down to this earth. In this sense, all human beings are fundamentally sinners and this world is a spiritual city of refuge where sinners stay temporarily (Ro 5:12; Nu 35; Heb 11:13–16).

God Has Given Mankind Time to Repent

Our souls sinned in heaven, and we were cast down to this earth. That is why, after death, we must face judgment, which determines whether we go to heaven or hell. When we receive the forgiveness of sins and truly repent during our lives on this earth, God opens the way for us to return to the kingdom of heaven.

Our life on this earth is a precious opportunity given to each of us to repent. As Solomon said, we must fear God and keep His commandments. This is the way to live wisely, knowing where we came from and where we are going. Sadly, many people are unaware of this truth and spend their lives pursuing meaningless and futile things, losing the time and opportunity to repent.

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire. . . .’” Lk 16:19–25

The fact that the rich man ended up in hell shows that he lived a life without God. He pursued every pleasure and did whatever he wanted, never understanding why he had been born on this earth or where he was going after this life. In the end, he went to hell.

When our physical life comes to an end, the afterlife awaits us. That is why the Bible tells us to believe in God and keep His commandments while we are on this earth, so that we may receive the salvation of our souls (1 Pe 1:8–9).

While we have the time and opportunity God has given us on this earth, we must not add more sins to the ones we have already committed in heaven. Jesus said that if our hand causes us to sin, we should cut it off, and if our eye causes us to sin, we should pluck it out, rather than go to hell (Mk 9:43–49). Jesus did not speak of hell merely to frighten us, but to warn us never to go to that place of torment because it really exists.

Forgiveness of Sins Through the New Covenant Passover

Knowing what hell is really like, Jesus came all the way to this earth to save His beloved children. God Himself came in the flesh and bore all our sins, sacrificing Himself on the cross for the sins of mankind. Through His blood, we have received redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” Eph 1:7

“. . . [T]he disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. . . . While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” Mt 26:17–28

God’s command that we must keep to receive the forgiveness of sins is the New Covenant Passover, through which we participate in the blood of Christ. When Jesus gave His disciples the Passover wine, He called it “my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” He established the Passover as a way for us to receive His precious blood shed on the cross (Lk 22:7–20).

With a great desire to save us from the punishment of hell, God established the New Covenant Passover. Through the Passover bread representing Christ’s flesh and the Passover wine representing His precious blood, He promised us eternal life, not temporary life. He also said, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them” (Jn 6:53–56). In this way, we become one with God and receive complete forgiveness of sins. We are also given the right to return to the kingdom of heaven and the privilege of being called God’s sons and daughters. The Passover is such a wonderful truth.

People in the world are caught up in meaningless pursuits, unaware of the significance of the Passover that God established with His blood or the true purpose of their lives. In fact, receiving the forgiveness of sins through the Passover is the most urgent and important thing for all mankind. I earnestly hope that all of you will participate in the New Covenant Passover and return to our heavenly home by God’s abundant grace.