Creation

God Elohim created the world

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

From the first verse of the Bible in the original Hebrew text, the word Elohim, the plural word for God, appears about 2,500 times in the Bible. This means that God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, is not one, but more than one.

When creating man, God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness” and made man “in his own image, in the image of God . . . male and female he created them.” (Ge 1:26–27)

God the Father and God the Mother have been working together since the beginning; They created the heavens and the earth and everything in them, and have been leading the work of redemption of humankind.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:26–27

“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name . . .’ ”

Matthew 6:9

But Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.

Galatians 4:26

Establishment of the Passover

God freed the Israelites from Egypt through the Passover

Through the Passover, God freed the Israelites who had been slaves in Egypt for 430 years. “Passover” means that disasters pass over, and it is to be celebrated on the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month of the sacred calendar (around March or April in the solar calendar).

Before sending the last plague, the death of the firstborn sons, among the ten plagues God sent to Egypt, God said, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you” (Ex 12:13), and commanded them to “celebrate it [the Passover] as a festival to the LORD—a lasting ordinance” (Ex 12:14).

Afterwards, Israel was divided into two kingdoms. The Kingdom of Israel in the north did not keep the Passover and was eventually destroyed when Assyria invaded Israel (2 Ki 18:10–12). However, the Kingdom of Judah in the south kept the Passover and was thus protected by God during the invasion. (2 Ki 19:30–35; 2 Ch 30:1–12).

Regardless of the age we live in, whenever we keep the Passover, we can avoid disasters and our lives are protected under God’s promise and His mighty power.

“The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.”

Exodus 12:13

“This [The Passover] is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD—a lasting ordinance.”

Exodus 12:14

Proclamation of the New Covenant

Jesus Christ established the Passover of the New Covenant

God prophesied that He would make a new covenant in its due time.

“The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah . . . I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

Jeremiah 31:31–33

According to this promise, God came to the earth as a man with the name Jesus and established the New Covenant Passover. The day before Jesus was sacrificed on the cross, He kept the Passover with His twelve disciples, including Peter and John. Following the foot-washing ceremony, where Jesus Himself washed the feet of His disciples (Jn 13:1–15), He promised the forgiveness of sins and eternal life through the Passover bread and wine which represent God’s flesh and blood, and proclaimed it as the “new covenant in His blood” (Mt 26:17–28; Lk 22:7–20; Jn 6:53–54).

“. . . My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’ So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover . . . While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered 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.”

Matthew 26:17–28

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.” . . . And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer . . . And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

Luke 22:7–20

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day . . .”

John 6:53–54

Through the Passover, which is His precious blood shed on the cross, God opened the way to eternal life for humankind, who was bound with the chains of sin and death.

The Passover of the New Covenant continued to be kept until the Apostolic Age by the apostles such as Apostle Paul even after the crucifixion of Christ (1 Co 5:7).

Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival . . .

1 Corinthians 5:7–8

Following the example of Jesus, the early Church kept the seven feasts in three times holy: the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Day of Firstfruits, the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. Each feast contains God’s blessings of eternal life, forgiveness of sins, resurrection, the Holy Spirit, and so on.

Dark Ages

God’s feasts and commands were changed

However, after the apostles and the saints of the early Church died, the Church became secularized, and the Passover of the New Covenant disappeared. At the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325, the Passover was abolished, and since then people no longer kept the seven feasts in three times described in the Bible. They also changed the weekly feast of the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. In addition, they violated God’s command not to make, set up, or worship an idol (Ex 20:4) such as the cross, which has become prevalent.

For over 1,600 years, from the Dark Ages to the time of the Reformation, the way of salvation for humankind remained blocked, and no one could open it. It is because only God can give us eternal life (1 Ti 6:16) and only He can restore the truth of life—the Passover of the New Covenant.

Christ’s Second Coming & the Restoration of the New Covenant

Restoration of the New Covenant according to the prophecies of the Bible

God prophesied that He would appear a second time on this earth for the salvation of humankind.

. . . so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Hebrews 9:28

According to this prophecy, God appeared as a man a second time.

Christ Ahnsahnghong humbly served us, sacrificing Himself for our salvation just as He did at His first coming. He restored the Passover of the New Covenant, which no one recognized–opening the door to eternal life which all people yearn for.

As it is written in the Bible, “The Most High himself will establish Zion” (Ps 87:5), Christ Ahnsahnghong established Zion, the city of God’s feasts (Isa 33:20–24). The Church of God keeps the teachings of the Bible, including the Passover of the New Covenant just as the early Church did. Every year, the Churches of God in 175 countries celebrate the Passover. After the foot-washing ceremony, following the example of Jesus Christ, we have the Holy Supper by eating and drinking the blessed bread and wine.

The Church of God preaches the truth of life to the world, wishing all seven billion people to keep the Passover of the New Covenant and become God’s children so that they can be protected from disasters and have eternal life.

God the Mother, the Source of the Water of Life

If you want to be saved, you must recognize God the Mother

The last chapter of the Bible prophesies that the Spirit and the Bride—God the Father and God the Mother—will lead humankind to salvation.

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.

Revelation 22:17

The above verse reveals that God the Father and God the Mother, who created the heavens and the earth in the beginning, will appear as human beings and give people the water of life so that they may have eternal life and happiness.

As it is written, “Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother”(Gal 4:26), God the Mother, who is represented as the wife of the Lamb (Rev 19:7) and Heavenly Jerusalem (Rev 21:9), dwells among us and guides us to salvation with Her teachings of love and sacrifice. All living things, including humans, receive life from their mothers, and likewise it is God’s providence that we receive eternal life from the Mother of our spirits. This is God’s way of giving us salvation.

The earthly family system, which consists of a father, a mother, and their children, is a copy and shadow of the heavenly family, which consists of God the Father, God the Mother, and God’s children. Just as there is a family, whose center is love, on Earth, there is the spiritual family, whose center is eternal love, in Heaven. All humankind can have true comfort, rest, and eternal life when they come to God the Father and God the Mother.

“Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he . . . showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.

Revelation 21:9–10

But Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.

Galatians 4:26

Our Eternal Home, the Kingdom of Heaven

Our spiritual home is where God the Father, God the Mother, and God’s children are together

The Bible tells us that we were angels in Heaven before we were born on this earth (Job 38:1–7; Proverbs 8:22–30). Heaven is our spiritual home where we can live with God the Father and God the Mother, and our brothers and sisters. However, we sinned in Heaven and were expelled to Earth, and are living in pain, sorrow, and suffering.

If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one.

Hebrews 11:15

God the Father and God the Mother are earnestly waiting for all people to realize the truth of God, be born again with repentance, and participate in the divine nature so that they can come back to the glorious Kingdom of Heaven. The eternal Kingdom of Heaven where the water of life as clear as crystal always flows, where the Tree of Life bears twelve crops, and where there is no end in joy and happiness! Father and Mother are preparing this wonderful place for us.

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.”

1 Corinthians 2:9

The Church of God preaches the good news of salvation to every corner of the earth, hoping that all people in the global village will realize the love of God the Father and God the Mother, become heavenly family members, and enjoy everlasting glory in Heaven.