Bullet Point 3 (of 12); The Fall of Man was a test from God that we failed (misses the mark)

My wife doesn't like this picture at all, which makes my point exactly. The picture is a graphic illustration of what a belief in the Fall of Man being a test that 'we the people' failed actually looks like. Similar to the cognitive dissonance generated by a belief in everlasting hell, together with the belief in a God of Love.

The purpose of these bullet points showing where Christianity has missed the mark is to demonstrate that an overhaul of our basic understanding is needed. Otherwise Christianity will remain essentially weak and irrelevant as was shown to be the case during the plandemic scam that we have recently come through.

The Fall of Man was nothing to do with a test that we failed, or with an actual 'fruit' that God made. The Commandment that God gave was in the same 'ballpark' as warnings that parents give to their children when advising them of looking both ways before crossing the road, or to be wary of talking with strangers when they are out walking on their own.

The Crime of the Angel:

And the angels that did not keep their own position but left their proper dwelling have been kept by him in eternal chains in the nether gloom until the judgment of the great day; just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise acted immorally and indulged in unnatural lust, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. Jude 6-7

From this passage we can infer that the angel fell as a result of an illicit sexual relationship.

The Crime of the First Human Ancestors:

We read that before they fell, Adam and Eve were both naked, and were not ashamed. Genesis 2:25. After the Fall, however, they felt ashamed of their nakedness and sewed fig leaves together into aprons to cover their lower parts. Genesis 3:7. If they had committed a crime by eating some actual fruit from a tree called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, then they certainly would have covered their hands or mouths instead. It is human nature to conceal one’s faults. Thus, the act of covering their lower parts shows that these parts, and not their mouths, were the source of their shame. In Job 31:33 it is written, “If I have concealed my transgressions like Adam, by hiding my iniquity in my bosom." Adam concealed his lower parts after the Fall; this indicates that his blemish was in his lower parts. Adam and Eve’s sexual parts were the source of their shame because they were the instruments of their sinful deed.

In the world before the human Fall, what act would one be willing to carry out even at the clear risk of one’s life? It could be nothing else but the act of love. God’s purpose of creation, described in the blessings “be fruitful and multiply,” (Genesis 1:28) can be achieved only through love. Accordingly, from the viewpoint of God’s purpose of creation, love should be the most precious and sacred act. But because the sexual act was the very cause of the Fall, people often regard it with shame and even contempt. It is clear that human beings fell through an act of illicit sexual intercourse.

This is why the sexualisation of children at kindergarten level should be frowned upon by any reasonable parent - fashionasble clothes and make-up are inappropriate. Similarly sexual relationships before marriage are not, at all, on the menu. Can you see why the traditional Christian belief that the Fall of Man being a test from God that we failed totally misses the mark?

​Here’s an invitation to a Spring seminar, March 18-20, at the Mountain Retreat in West Virginia, USA. “Mission of the Messiah” and “True Parents in the Completed Testament Age” among the topics. Attend in person, or on-line. Looking forward to seeing you there. Let’s get real about God!

Andrew and Marie Derricutt

There are many verses in the Bible that indicate hell being eternal. Is it still good that fear of going there will encourage us to shape up and fly right?

Here are two points to consider. The first one is the obvious that if God had not created mankind then hell also would not exist. If hell truly is eternal, how does that sit well with a loving God?

Another point is that punishment, like everything else, does have a purpose. But, what is the purpose of everlasting hell? if that were true it would mean that punishment itself has no purpose. However much you regretted and vowed to make amends there would, ultimately, be no point to that at all.

This sounds more like the loving Heavenly Father (our God): Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’ (Ez.33:11)

The Bible is the word of God. So, how should the Bible verses indicating an eternal hell be read?

God, our Heavenly Father, is Eternal, Unchanging and Absolute. Just as God did not intervene in the Fall of Man to maintain the absoluteness and perfection of the Principle of Creation. Then there will forever, and eternally, be no compromise with something that is unprincipled. In this sense, and in this sense alone, hell is eternal.

To put it another way: if God were to interfere with human actions during their growing period, it would be tantamount to ignoring the human portion of responsibility. In that case, God would be disregarding His own Principle of Creation, according to which He intends to give human beings His creative nature and raise them to become the lords of creation. If the Principle were ignored, then its absoluteness and perfection would be undermined. Because God is the absolute and perfect Creator, His Principle of Creation must also be absolute and perfect.

To insist on everlasting hell, just because it is written so in the Bible is to be like a ‘slave to the letter of the law’ which was the reason the first chosen people failed to recognize and connect with Jesus as the substantial embodiment of the original ideal of God. Had they been able to believe in him whom He had sent, as Jesus indicated in Jn. 6:29 then they would never have had the Lord of Glory crucified by the Roman occupation.

The purpose of these bullet points, showing how present day Christianity has missed the mark, is to make it clear that an overhaul is needed. It is clear to me that present day Christianity is ill-equipped to recognize the 2nd Advent of Christ and is destined to make a similar mistake as the first chosen people. Since there is a false ruler, and false god, of this world (Jn.12:31; 2Cor.4:4) you should also be aware that the personage of the 2nd Advent will have a ‘bad press’. Incidentally we’re living, right now, in a time when the false god is actually being exposed; are you starting to see it too?

Here’s an invitation to a Spring seminar, March 18-20, at the Mountain Retreat in West Virginia, USA. “Mission of the Messiah” and “True Parents in the Completed Testament Age” among the topics. Attend in person, or on-line. Looking forward to seeing you there. Let’s get real about God!

Andrew & Marie Derricutt

Gettr: @AndrewDerricutt

When Philip asked Jesus to show him God, Jesus said, “He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me?” (Jn.14:9,10) It is written of Jesus, “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not.” (Jn.1:10) Jesus also said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” (Jn.8:58) Based on these biblical verses, many Christians have believed that Jesus is God, the Creator.

The relationship between God and Jesus may be thought of as analogous to the relationship between the mind and body. Because the body is the substantial object partner to the mind, resembles the mind and acts in oneness with the mind, it may be understood to be the mind’s second self; but it is not the mind itself. By analogy, since Jesus is one with God and the incarnation of God, he may be understood to be God’s second self; but he is not God. 

The Bible refers to Jesus as the Word made flesh. (Jn.1:14) This verse means that Jesus is the incarnation of the Word; that is, a man in whom the Word comes alive. We read that all things were made through the Word, and further, that the world was made through Jesus. (Jn.1:3, 10) Hence, Jesus may be said to be the creator.

Jesus also said, “Before Abraham was, I am.” (Jn.8:58) Jesus was the descendant of Abraham. Yet with respect to the providence of restoration, Jesus is the ancestor of Abraham because, as the one to give rebirth to all humankind, he came in the position of their first ancestor. We should understand that Jesus did not mean by this saying that he is God Himself.

It is written that since his resurrection, Jesus has been interceding for us before God (Rom.8:34) as he did while he was on earth. (Lk.23:34) If Jesus were God, how could he intercede for us before Himself? Moreover, Jesus called God “Father,” thus acknowledging that he was not God Himself. (Jn.17:1) If Jesus were God, how could He be tempted by Satan, as Jesus was? We can conclude with finality that Jesus was not God Himself from the words he uttered on the cross, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mt.27:46)

Jesus is a man who has fulfilled the purpose of creation. It is written: For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. (ITm. 2:5) For as by one man’s [Adam’s] disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s [Jesus’] obedience many will be made righteous. (Rm.5:19) For as by a man [Adam] came death, by a man [Jesus] has come also the resurrection of the dead. (I Cor.15:21) He has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed. (Acts 17:31) Thus, the Bible demonstrates plainly that Jesus is a man. Above all, he had to come as a human being that he might become the True Parent who can give rebirth to human beings.

This is evidence that Christianity in asserting that Jesus is God has missed the mark, and is in need of an overhaul.

This implies that we need to believe in, and follow, Jesus so that 'we the people' can emulate him and become 'perfect as Heavenly Father is perfect' as Jesus advised in Mt.5:48.

Another evidence that the 1st chosen people rejecting Jesus did not accomplish the Will of God.

Spring seminar March 18-20 at the beautiful Mountain Retreat in West Virginia, USA. “Mission of the Messiah” and “True Parents in the Completed Testament Age” among the topics. Attend in person, or on-line. Looking forward to seeing you there. Let’s get real about God!

Andrew & Marie Derricutt           12 Bullet Points

​Gettr:     @AndrewDerricutt

Bullet Point 12 (of 12): God Sends Sinners to hell (misses the mark). This is not so. People who have judgement over life and death in the courts become strange after more than 10 years of doing that and need to do something else. And those who choose to do counselling need a counsellor from time to time.

What kind of loving God would compel someone to go to hell – and what would He do with borderline cases? If this kind of God concerns you then read on. God really gave us freewill and this is not some kind of concept. 

We do need to understand the implications of what it means to have been created in the image of God (Gen.1:27) first of all.

Our spirit self, or spirit, is a substantial yet incorporeal reality which can be apprehended only through the spiritual senses. It is the subject partner to our physical self. Our spirit can communicate directly with God and is meant to govern the incorporeal world, including the angels. In appearance our spirit self matches our physical self. After we shed the physical self, we enter the spirit world and live there for eternity. The reason we desire an eternal life is because our innermost self is the spirit self which has an eternal nature. Our spirit self consists of the dual characteristics of spirit mind (subject partner) and spirit body (object partner). The spirit mind is the center of the spirit self, and it is where God dwells.

The spirit grows through give and take action between two types of nourishment: life elements of a yang type that come from God, and vitality elements of a yin type that come from the physical self. The spirit self not only receives vitality elements from the physical self; it also returns an element to the physical self which we call the living spirit element.

The spirit can grow only while it abides in the flesh. Thus, the relationship between the physical self and the spirit self is similar to that between a tree and its fruit. The spirit self can attain perfection only during a person’s earthly life. The spirit mind guides the spirit self as it grows in the soil of the physical self. The growth of the spirit self toward perfection progresses through the three orderly stages ordained by the Principle of Creation. A spirit in the formation stage of life is called a form spirit; in the growth stage, a life spirit; and in the completion stage, a divine spirit. 

A spirit fully matures as a divine spirit when the person’s spirit self and physical self unite through perfect give and take action centered on God and form the four position foundation. A divine spirit can accurately feel and perceive every reality in the spirit world.

It is not God who decides whether a person’s spirit enters heaven or hell upon his death; it is decided by the spirit himself. Humans are created so that once they reach perfection they will fully breathe the love of God. Those who committed sinful deeds while on earth become crippled spirits who are incapable of fully breathing in the love of God. They find it agonizing to stand before God, the center of true love. Of their own will, they choose to dwell in hell, far removed from the love of God.

An invitation for some spring cleaning: 3 Day workshop March 18-20th at the beautiful Mountain Retreat in West Virginia, USA. “Mission of the Messiah” and “True Parents in the Completed Testament Age” among the topics. Attendance on-line is also possible. Looking forward to seeing you there. Let’s get real about God!

Andrew & Marie Derricutt    
   
Gettr:    @AndrewDerricutt

Check out evidence that the 2nd coming of the Messiah must have occurred already! Between, or around, the years 1917 to 1930. It will, if nothing else, open a new perspective on your Holy Bible showing the footsteps of God in History.

Bullet Point 11 (of 12): In the Last Days a 'rapture' will occur. Mostly from Thess.4:16-18, but also from Matt. 24:30,31 & Mk.13:24-27.

Firstly, those who believe in the rapture are naturally discouraged from striving to make changes on this earth, because those who are favored by God are destined to be taken away from the earth by this event.

This flies in the face of what Jesus said to Peter when he blessed him for recognizing him as the Christ, the son of the living God. Matt. 16:19 (and also in Matt.18:18). "...I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 

Another evidence that expectations of the rapture are frivolous are from the record of how the second coming of Elijah actually occurred. No one knew when the Messiah would come but they knew that Elijah had to come first. There is a record in 2Kings2:11 that Elijah ascended into heaven in a fiery chariot. So, naturally there must have been many who thought that it would be impossible to miss the return of Elijah promised in the Malachi prophecy (Mal.4:5)

Yet, Jesus declared, speaking of John the Baptist, "...And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come." No literal descent from heaven, but another man, born on the earth, with a different name. Similarly the references to the rapture in the Bible are not to be taken literally.

A third reason that the rapture is not something that you should expect, is that there is evidence that the 2nd Coming already took place. And, because it didn't align with the doctrine of the Church centered Christianity, has gone largely unnoticed. If you think this is beyond belief you need to reconsider that the first chosen people still, to this day, are awaiting the first coming. Why should it seem so strange that the 2nd chosen people (aka Christianity) would not make a similar humongous mistake. I am personally of the opinion that Church centered Christians will be among the very last to connect with the 2nd Advent of Christ.

Here is where to check the evidence that the 2 A of Christ took place shortly after WW1.

I delivered Bullet Point 8 to a street in my neighborhood today and, shortly after, the wife of a Sunday School teacher appeared like a thundercloud at my door with the unopened letter returned into our mailbox and stated, in no uncertain terms, that she wanted no more letters from me. Out of the nearly 100 that I gave out it was a Church centered Christian who returned it without even engaging with the different point of view.

It was mankind (1st ancestors) who invited Satan in. So, isn't it more likely that it will not be God, but 'we the people' who should invite Satan out again? Hoping that you'll start to consider putting expectations of 'rapture' in the trash can, where they belong.

Let's get real about our own portion of responsibility with regard to the kingdom of heaven and our relationship with God. Let's think too about True Parents as the goal of restoration history, that were lost with the Fall of Man, rather than thinking about the terms Christ, or Messiah. St Paul did, rightly, equate Jesus with Adam after all. 

Here is an invitation to a Spring Workshop (March 18-20) with one of the topics being, "True Parents and the Completed Testament Age." It can be attended in person at a mountain retreat in West Virginia, USA, or on-line.

​Andrew and Marie Derricutt

Bullet Point 8 (of 12): Christianity asserts that John the Baptist succeeded and completely fulfilled the purpose that God had for him. I have even seen churches dedicated to St. John the Baptist.  

But, he couldn't have failed more completely if he had tried!

​The Chosen People of 2000 years ago did not know when the Messiah would come. But they did know that Elijah would come first because God had told them so - in the prophecy in Malachi 4:5. There was a deafening silence for 400 years after this final word from the Old Testament era, which only served to emphasize its importance.

“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes ..." (NIV)

​Yet, there is no record of John the Baptist actually following and attending Jesus. For those who are OK with John the Baptist not being the chief disciple of Jesus (instead of Peter) then there's no hope of reasoning with you.​ You may leave the room . . .

It gets worse though. John the Baptist denied that he was the Elijah (Jn.1:21) even though Jesus asserted that he was (Matt.11:14). Even if he denied that he was the Elijah before he was aware of what Jesus said regarding this, there is no record of him rescinding this false statement. From the point of view of the then chosen people if there was no Elijah (as per Mal.4:5) then there was no Messiah. John the Baptist, son of a High Priest, must have been aware of the significance of this singular prophecy.

How did Jesus sum up the position of John? "He who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." (Matt.11:11)

John was beheaded due to the wishes of a dancing girl, even though Herod did not want to do that. John's life became a thing that was worthless as trash because he refused to attend Jesus as Messiah, and so his life ended that way.

John the Baptist who should have made straight the way of the Lord (Mal.3:1; Isa.40:3) thus became, instead, a major stumbling block and was the main reason why people were reluctant to follow Jesus as the One chosen by God.

Bullet point 8, thus, missed the mark completely, right? clearly showing that Christianity needs an overhaul.

Forthcoming workshop in Spring (March 18, 19 and 20). 'Mission of the Messiah' and 'True Parents and the Completed Testament Age' among the topics. (link here)

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Andrew & Marie Derricutt

The 2nd Advent will bring a whole new level of awareness regarding our relationship with God, our Heavenly Father. The new age that will be ushered in by the 2nd Advent will be as different and revolutionary with respect to the New Testament Age as the New Testament Age was shocking and revolutionary to the adherents of the Old Testament Age. 

I was writing about 7 bullet points where I feel that Christianity has seriously missed the point and intended to write about each one. But then I realized that present day Christianity has no clue or concept of the God of grief that resulted from the Fall; thinking that God is aloof from all the craziness of this fallen world while He sits on a throne of glory. If we are created by God, 'Just because He could', as asserted by the James River Church here is Springfield then that would probably be so. I think that this view is not exclusive to this church.

Present day Christians are of the opinion that Jesus came to die for our sins. He was the perfect sacrifice to end all the sacrifices of the Old Testament Age. But, in order for Jesus to be executed, the then chosen people had to disbelieve in Jesus as the Messiah. This is a 'cognitive dissonance' that lies at the heart of present day Christianity. Jesus prayer (The Lord's Prayer) doesn't talk about this. It says, "Our Father, who is in Heaven, Your Name is exalted! Your KIngdom come! Your Will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. . ." So, was it really God's Will that Jesus be disbelieved so that he could be executed and become the perfect sacrifice?

Just as Christians can't seem to relate with the God of grief, revealed by Rev. Moon, so also they don't relate with the idea that human beings must necessarily have a portion of responsibility with which even God cannot interfere with or intervene in. Why is this? Because we are made in the image of God. If God were to interfere with the fulfillment of mankind's portion of responsibility it would mean that we would never be able to fulfill the original purpose of Creation - but would be forever crippled, and, furthermore, because God intervened in something that was initiated by Satan, would mean that Satan would be a co-creator of some new principle that could then never be undone.

This is a significant difference to the concept of freewill. People generally seem to grasp that humanity must have that. It is implied in the Bible after all. But that God cannot interfere with, or intervene in, humankind’s portion of responsibility takes this to another level. This explains why God could not intervene in the Fall of Man even though He knew that it was taking place. The ‘commandment’ that God gave was  more than enough to negate (diffuse) the temptation from Satan had the first human ancestors taken it seriously. The give and take relationship would have been easily broken by holding on to that commandment (Gen2:17) and satan’s sales talk would have been easily stopped by reminding satan of God’s word. For example, Jesus didn’t reason with Satan when he was tempted in the wilderness, but used God’s Words as recorded in the Book of Deuteronomy to counter each one.

So, what is the original relationship that mankind was supposed to have with God. The commonly held view that Jesus is God contains a clue toward understanding that. Love is the greatest thing out of all that could be named. It is of greater value than life. St. Paul writing of Love in his first letter to the people of Corinth stated that love was of more value than faith or hope. You could suppose that God could manufacture or produce love all by Himself but it is not so. Love requires a reciprocal partner, at least 'one other'. Rev. Moon revealed that God creating mankind, in His image, was in order to create this 'one other'. Mankind with the myriad of unique characters in the image of God was to be this 'one other' as an object partner in Love for God. This is why the purpose of Creation is best summed up by 1 Corinthians 3:16 which says, "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the spirit of God dwells in you?" Jesus was, simply, the first person to actually accomplish this - therefore he could say, "If you've seen me you have seen God. Jesus was the substantial manifestation of God and the relationship that God had with Jesus was similar to that between mind and body.

This is why Jesus advised us to, "Become perfect as Heavenly Father is perfect." (Matt5:48) And why he also, seemingly perplexingly stated, that we would do better things than he had done. (John 14:12)

So, these two things are new. That God is a God of sorrow and grief because of the Fall of Man. And that humankind has a portion of responsibility with which even God cannot interfere with, or intervene in. This makes sense of why God seems to not exist - because He does not interfere in our portion of responsibility and the history of restoration has been very long indeed because of this. 

The time is counted in generations from Adam to Noah and it seems that only ten of those generations (which were meaningful) were recorded. There is no record, for example, of Adam interacting with others in those 10 generations, even though Adam lived to 930 years. Similarly from Noah to Abraham, where a generation lasted only 40 years (not 160 as before the flood) the 10 generations are counted as 400 years. So, even though the time from Adam to Abraham was 2,000 Biblical years, in actual measured time this was probably 100s of thousands of years, or more.

Resurrection means the process through which a fallen person is restored to the original state as intended by God. The providence of resurrection thus means the providence of restoration. Since the providence of restoration is God’s work of re-creation, resurrection is a work of re-creation. Thus, the providence of resurrection is carried out in accordance with the Principle of Creation, in the following manner.

First, in the history of the providence of resurrection, many of those who were entrusted with a mission exerted themselves with utmost sincerity and faith to realize the Will of Heaven. Even though they may not have fully carried out their responsibilities, based on their devotion, they broadened the foundation upon which subsequent generations can form a relationship of heart with God. We call this foundation the merit of the age in the providence of restoration. The merit of the age has increased in proportion to the foundation of heart laid by the prophets, sages and righteous people who came before us. Therefore, resurrection is carried out based on the merit of the age.

Second, according to the Principle of Creation, it was God’s responsibility to create human beings and give them His Word, while it was the human portion of responsibility to reach perfection by believing in and living according to it. Similarly, in conducting the providence of resurrection, God’s responsibility is to give us His Word and guidance, and our responsibility is to believe and practice it in order to fulfill the providence.

Third, according to the Principle of Creation, a person’s spirit can grow to perfection only through the physical self. Likewise, in the providence of resurrection, the resurrection of a spirit can be achieved only through earthly life.

Fourth, according to the Principle of Creation, a person is meant to reach perfection through the three ordered stages of the growing period. Therefore, the providence of resurrection for fallen people is also to be completed through three ordered stages, manifested as three ages in the providence of restoration.

​Understanding about the human portion of responsibility will make it plain why Jesus needed a response from the people. But there was no one who truly believed in Jesus while he was alive on the earth. It was only after Jesus' death and resurrection when the gift of the Holy Spirit came that the followers of Jesus started to realize who he truly was.

​Jesus compared the people of his time to those in the market place who didn't dance when a tune was played, and didn't weep when a dirge was played. He also stated that the Chosen People did not know the time of their visitation. When asked by two disciples what they should be doing to do the will of God. Jesus replied that they should believe in him whom He had sent. It was clear that the then Chosen people were supposed to believe in, and follow, Jesus as the long awaited Messiah. The fact that their history since Jesus' death on the cross has been miserable, to say the least, does seem to indicate that they (the then Chosen People) did not accomplish God's Will.

We're in the time of the 2nd Advent and there are indications that it is likely the 2nd Advent will occur in the same way as Jesus did - born on the Earth. (new name . . .) That would give rise to the 2nd Advent being likely to first suffer and be rejected as Jesus indicted in Luke 17:25. And for the more scary warning in Matt, 7:21-23, right?

Hoping that Christianity can be raised up to a new level where they will be equipped with the God centered ideology that can more than match the godless ideology of communism. Christianity was astonishingly easily brushed aside during the plandemic.

​Let me know what you think using the 'Contact me' facility. We should be able to reason together. 

​Andrew and Marie Derricutt