Log-in
Menu

Enlightenment

Centering on Jerusalem

2021.052363
  • Font size



  • In my university years, I majored in Urban and Regional Planning. While I was learning about urban planning in the United States, I came across a chapter that spoke about the Aztecs, who were the most urbanized of the ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica. What caught my attention most was how these people seemed to organize their cities around their temples. To the Aztecs, their gods were not just a thing to remember on occasion when one had free time, felt down, or in need of help, but their entire society and way of life were done with their gods at the center.

    After graduation from the university, I came to work in my field of study and again began to deal with various matters, including building transportation networks and infrastructure. Then one day while I was thinking about what I studied in school regarding the Aztecs, I was reminded of one ethnic group—the Jews whose heart was centered on God.

    About 3,500 years ago from now, Moses came down the mountain again with the second set of stone tablets and began to build the tabernacle in accordance with God’s command. The Jews cherished the tablets of the covenant given to them and placed them in the Most Holy Place of the tabernacle. From this moment forward, God also commanded the Israelites to camp around the tent of meeting, with the tabernacle at the center of the nation of Israel.

    Then when God allowed Solomon the blessing of building the Jerusalem Temple, again we saw how the Jerusalem Temple was the center of Jewish society. After being conquered by Babylon, the Israelites always longed to return to Jerusalem, even praying towards Jerusalem with a longing heart like the prophet Daniel. And after returning to Jerusalem from their Babylonian captivity, being freed by King Cyrus, they focused on rebuilding the temple even under severe persecution and hardship.

    The Old Testament of the Bible serves as a copy and shadow of the New Testament. The Bible teaches us that the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place, the Ark of the Covenant, and the Ten Commandments all represent Heavenly Jerusalem God the Mother; and we, who have been led to the way of truth by Christ Ahnsahnghong, are like the Israelites released from the captivity of Babylon through Cyrus spiritually.

    The Aztecs prioritized their gods over everything even though they did not know the truth. Then, what about our faith, now that we have met the true God, Heavenly Father and Mother? Just as the Jews in the Old Testament did, we too must have Heavenly Mother at the center of our hearts all the time. Furthermore, we must make every effort to complete the building of the heavenly sanctuary by finding all the lost brothers and sisters who are the spiritual materials for the temple, no matter what persecution and slander we may face.

    Even though we are restricted in many ways due to the COVID-19 pandemic, heavenly family members walk the life of faith, longing for Heavenly Jerusalem Mother, like Daniel. Just like Obed-Edom, who was blessed by God in the Old Testament times as he brought the Ark of God into his house, we are also thankful for the fact that Heavenly Mother, the reality of the Ark of God, is with us through home worship. Heavenly Jerusalem Mother is our everything and is always at the center of our hearts.

    Everything in Heaven, where we will return to in the near future, will be structured and organized with God Elohim at the center. Hoping to return to the Kingdom of Heaven, I make a determination to live a faithful life of faith, placing Heavenly Father and Mother at the center of my heart with gratitude in all circumstances.
    more
    Back
    Top