Heaven is not in the past nor in the future. Heaven is always here at the present time.
Heaven is also neither up in the skies, in the deep seas, over the mountains, or in any expensive buildings. Heaven only exists when one follows and obeys the laws of God.
Heaven will not exist because an individual achieved great feats, nor would it exist due to someone’s beauty. Heaven only exists between the those that are closest together & care for.
Heaven can only be enjoyed and felt at the present now around those that love each other.
Don’t get caught up on the past mistakes and failures - possibly losing the present heaven that’s in now.
Don’t get threatened by fears of a frightening future. Do not be fooled by rosy future imagined by the greed inside. There will be no heaven nor hell there.
Failing to find the heaven in the present now can result in forever being pressed by the pressure of hell.
Enjoy the present now with the loved ones now, resulting in an enjoyable heaven forever. Forever is only an extension of the present.
Original Text: http://jungwonyang.com/post/Msg1005
In the year 2008 when my family and I visited a Hutterite colony and the minister took us to the community’s warehouse. It had antique irons, toys, and various other items. However there was something that was different than any other objects. It was a collapsible washstand that caught my attention. I was curious and asked the minister - “why is the washstand is the foldable?”. Story behind it turned out to be heart wrenching.
Hutterites are strictly against using swords for it is written in the Bible. To keep this word they were lead into peace movement. [ 2:4]
And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
(Isaiah 2:4)
Hutterites once settled in Ukraine, but the land they earned through hardship was soon gone due to the war and fled to Russia. Then, in 1874 the Hutterites fled to North America due to and after the suffering and migrating in an unfamiliar land, the American government couldn't understand the peace movement and made a decision for the Hutterites to be deported. A young Hutterite man was against the government and vigorously protested , however he was taken away to and passed away there.
In the modern age it is not so dangerous to practice pacifism however during the time of the Hutterites it was an act that could take away everything - including your life.
Before it was Russia. Long before that, it was Transylvania, Hungary, Moravian, Tyrol, and Swiss. Just like every other period of strife, they left everything in the United States behind and settled in Canada.
The Hutterites first winter in Canada was a struggle for them. In a small house, 8 families lived together and as a result they didn’t have the space to put furnitures. Thus the foldover washstand was made. In the summer of 2009 we visited the colony again and I heard from a young man in the colony, ”until 1980, the colony was still in a financial struggle”, which was not too long ago.
When they look down unto their history it was touching but definitely somewhere in their hearts one could feel the bitterness of their tragic past.
The hardship the Hutterties chose was not for their own personal prosperity in the future. It was to protect their faith & lifestyle from the world. These people were the ones subject to hate by all forms of society [Isaiah 53:3]. Reflecting on their life as a man of Christ, the Hutterites suffering is a clear reflection of that of Jesus’ Church. [Colossians 1:24]
Experiencing self development cannot be called hardship. To live a life of truth, ones who voluntarily chose the life of adversity. They are ones who know and suffered like Jesus. [ Isaiah 53:3 ] As Jesus said, it is not difficult to find their traces of suffering if one looks through their history. [ Colossians 1:24 ]
When someone is young, it is easier for an individual to sacrifice everything for a cause. But as we get older, once a man gets married and start a family he has to take care of them - have responsibility in providing for them. He cannot bring his family into a dangerous situations. Whether it's a social movement, or a missionary commitment, once someone gets married and earn the social status it becomes much more difficult for an individual to commit to a goal. How many people have gotten back to their own life after such a stage in life?
The road of disciple, every road must be walked through and every completed road is expected to bear fruit. For nearly 500 years the Hutterites lived a life of of a Christian communist community, and the traces and presence of the road they have walked down reminds me of a certain Bible verse. [Luke 1428]
One must provide everything to walk the road of discipleship, and if one accomplish that demandment, there may be a fruit within that road. For nearly 500 years the Hutterite lived as a group of Christian communist society, their traces and presence reminds me of a bible verse from the bible. [ Luke 14:28 ]
For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
Luke 14:28
For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?
Original Text: http://jungwonyang.com/post/Msg1011
#If selfish desires and thriving can be breached, one can have a heavenly life to one.
To get rid of mosquitos one would not only have get rid of it but also their nest. [1 Timothy 6:9-10] Removing the source of their spawn is the basic idea in this sort of removal. As such, to destroy selfish desires could be the same just as the mosquito case by removing the source through the act of abandoning private assets.
Do not fight with sin. To defeat this temptation of crime and sin one mustn't look or even gaze at it. In an instant he can get drawn into it as soon as he argue with his needs or desire.
Jesus told a wealthy young man to share all of his money and abundance to the poor. The way to break the mammon was to cease all his personal asset. [ Matthew 19:16-22] To regain or earn a truthful life was to abandon unnecessary riches and desires.
The young wealthy man who came to Jesus was a perfect, a perfect and righteous man by all accounts according to the law. However the young man couldn't cease his money and accept Jesus’ words. Yet other religious demands could be run without love and denial. Rather he was able to respond towards religious and ethical aspects for fulfilling his ego. Due to his social dignity, his desire of personal asset, the life of flesh, ownership and thrive has shown us his core.
Self denial without love is a proud righteousness, a law only for his own, but soon will show that he can follow the word’s of Jesus, the laws, and show his motives.
Like the wealthy young man and us who are living in the first world and the selfish desire of personal asset is a temptation to pass for those who follow Christ, if not, from this land it is impossible to live in the kingdom of God.
Original Text: http://jungwonyang.com/post/Msg23
Since the dawn of man, the oldest form of government has been monarchy. In other words absolute power became norm and it would have to stand against self-governing communities. As a result these self-governing communities were torn with violence and were thrown into cities that the kings ruled. Those who were torn away from their communities were driven to become an item of the system.
In this structure people start to live only for themselves. As a result of this exploitative system, people compete with each other only to be a step above others. Once they are placed under they are not respected, care ignored, thoughts and feelings are not considered.
One of the reason why such a system works efficiently is in part due to a large number of people being suited to fit this sort of organization and those are the group of people that produce the monarchs. Yet, the Kingdom Gospel represents the message where kings and nobles ruling over citizens will end but a reverse in which everyone will serve one another.
I believe the expression of ownership is the main reason that makes the exploitation system possible. Those people who deny being owned or ruled will accept to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus will build an autonomous political economy. The substance of this vision is called a community. [ Samuel 8:7 ]
To make a society where no one is above or below the other is to make a gathering with those that have a Godly life. In them they have Jesus.
Yet, the Kingdom Gospel represents the message where kings and nobles ruling over citizens will end but a reverse in which everyone will serve one another.In the words of Jesus, inside of a man's heart there is God, however only few of us have such a gift.
Original Text: http://jungwonyang.com/post/Msg820
The original native communities value was based on the interest of the community. [755p147] However since ego was found and the communities disbanded, ego had become the base of values.
Modern people will judge right and wrong according to whether if it’s beneficial or detrimental to the ego. The ego took root in a place where dedication and love should’ve rooted in.
The modern age has been dismantling nearly even the smallest community. Including family. The only value in the modern urban society is now personal individualism. Interpersonal crime, fraud, selfishness, and individualistic ambitions are major conflicts in this era.
Without changing the individualistic basis there can be no peace. The Kingdom of God movement in the New Testament was also a movement to recover the values of the community. To transcend the ego and no longer live a life for himself, but to live and dedicate to Christ and the brotherhood in the community.
After the time of Constantine dogma, and the doctrines of private salvation had become the core of the faith. Dogma is a theorized form of the ego. In other words, it had become religified. It was only a matter of time before religious deception and rebound followed. As a result, in the spot of Christ, priests and their theological interpretation took root.
The way to love Jesus (or Christ), is to love smallest person in your community. The churches however ignored these teaching and claimed that dedication to the institutional churches could replace those teachings. This in turn was a betrayal to Jesus. They emphasized religious commitment and loyalty while claiming that the Kingdom of God did not exist from the start. Finally in the place of Jesus, Constantine and his descendants were placed.
The people had once again lost their way because of this, but from individual ego to religious and imperialistic ego. The a strong religious ego leads to more prideful people, which in turn leads to imperialism. Western imperialists used this as their operating energy for the imperial system. With this the situation had turned for the worse.
It seems western Christianity for a long time was an era of false Christs and Antichrists. Ego’s era has evolved and persisted through time. The quality of inner life has deteriorated since the beginning of the ego era.
Maybe to overcome the brutality between tribes (clans), people need to go through their spiritual journey while facing it. To do this, people must first discover themselves and not see each other as just a part of clan but as individual. As his own person. This way people will be able sympathize and feel each other's pain.
Through imperialism, racism, and local sentiments continue to reveal our double moral standards. Because of us, because of our weakness and foolishness we harm and get harmed by one another.
A majority of people have yet to overcome the hurdle of double standards. Only some people from the Nordic (northern) European seem to have escaped the double moral standards.
After the stone age the clan centric lifestyle declined and was replaced with nations and kingdoms. The cohesion and solidarity of nations have increased, but at the same time the cohesion and solidarity of families have deteriorated.
The prophecy that people’s family members would become their enemies had come true. From a positive point of view the age of family centric age had come to age.
As how the clans have declined, the time where the nations fall may have come. Optimistically, this would end nation centric age and in turn ending national double standards.
Genesis and the Tree of Knowledge shows how the clans foundations were shaken by people's desire of individual or family wealth. How with the name of family they had shook the unity of the clan. [755p149] The first murder came from the first recorded family. Thus starting the history of violence.
Original Text: http://jungwonyang.com/post/Msg644
It is because of Strict Biblicism. [1] Unlike the Protestant Churches the Anabaptist practiced the Scriptures strictly. And out of the Anabaptists the Hutterites were the most strict when it came to following the teachings of Christ. Most notably, the teaching concerning the owning of private property.
Through the parable of the rich young man [Matthew 19:16~22] it is told that it would be almost impossible to enter the Kingdom of God while being rich. However there aren’t many churches that preach this teaching without distortion or change. Much less teach people to follow it. Preachers often avoid this topic and listeners also dislike the subject. In fact, most would want to avoid anything that is rejected by the ego. This has lead to people ignoring and acting as if that parable did not exist. It’s as if it is a rule for the game for the mainstream churches.
The Hutterites had held fast to the teachings of Jesus in the Bible, especially the ones in the Gospels. They did not turn back to their ego when things got hard. They had held fast to the end.
For the same reason they did not try to escape nor run away from Jesus’s teachings of wealth. As a result they had succeeded in the creating a communistic lifestyle that only the Early Christians had succeeded in.
If the rich of Jesus’s time and the rich of the current age had grieved and turned back onto the path towards the Kingdom of God,it would be like a camel trying to go through the “eye of a needle”. Even Jesus had said that it would be “easier for camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God”. [Matthew 19:24] A camel can still let go of it’s luggage and enter through the eye of a needle. This isn’t a problem for them, since they are not obsessed with their load.
However unlike the camel, it will be almost impossible for the rich to lay down their wealth. Much like young man in the parable,their life has always been for protecting and earning more riches for themselves.
The rich have already adjusted and succeeded in the world ruled by money. Unlike the camel the rich do not believe that their asset is a baggage for the spirit, but a necessity and a lifeline for their physical life. Because of that they are caught up in their desire to enter Heaven with their riches and wealth.
They will have a hard time giving up their authority, sense of security and social status that their riches give them. Because of that they would even claim that they are able to go through the eye of a needle with their assets. Furthermore, they like to keep preachers that teach their false Gospel and easily fall into false teachings that go against Jesus’s teachings. They would even persecute and slander those who follow and practice the true teachings.
In comparison the poor will have an easier time entering the Kingdom of God, since they will be able to throw away their small amount of belongings. They will be able to gladly enter a community where they serve one another to their needs. For the poor the Kingdom of God is good trade and offer for the. [Matthew 13:44~48]
Nevertheless, it is not impossible for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. However as stated before, the rich have a baggage that the poor do not. The heavier the luggage, the stronger one’s obsession becomes. For the poor it may be an obvious and easy decision to trade off their wealth. For the rich however, they will need more enlightenment and thinking to see it as a profitable trade. This was why the rich young man was troubled.
__________
[1] Hutterite Studies p84, Strict Biblicism: The Hutterites, however, in their strict Biblicism, became extremely sensitive and alert to the pitfalls of “mammon” in all its form.
“As the beetle lives in the dung. And the worm in the wood, so avarice (or greed) has its dwelling place in private property.” (1599) Whosoever refuses communal living, they taught, shows obvious sympathy for avarice (or greed).
And then they quote the example of the rich young man in the parable who could not enter the Kingdom of God because he was not willing to sell all that he had and give it to the poor. [마태 19:16~22] [Matthew 19:16~22]
Original Text: http://jungwonyang.com/post/Msg1002
Not all wisdom are equal. According to the Bible, man's wisdom came from the Tree of Knowledge. If you look into the book of Genesis, human knowledge was awakened by eating the fruit while questioning what is the best decision for oneself. [Genesis 3:6] The Bible tells us that man’s knowledge start was self-centered. This means that a human’s knowledge is self centered by nature.
This is why most people are foolish at work when in commitment with their neighbor, while being wise when it’s a for himself. In other words, people are wise at evil, but foolish in good. This kind of wisdom or knowledge is a disaster for one another. As a result, man had become the biggest disaster for man. [Romans 16:19]
The reason why humans have developed this kind of mindset is because of their interest in it. It’s because people have been greatly interested in evil ways while good has been ignored. The fact that all of people's wisdom has been in the weapon’s industry shows what kind nature humans are in.
Consequently egocentric wisdom can be filled with falsehood and prejudice. This wisdom is driven by the ego of wishing to rule and manipulate the world for itself.
True wisdom comes from heaven and the spirit, while worldly wisdom and knowledge comes from your ego. The wisdom coming from heaven has a complete opposite nature from the self-centered world wisdom.
In many cases, having pompous knowledge dominate the personality would be spiritually dangerous. ost humanly wisdom stems from the ego and the need to fill it’s worldly desires - resulting in the dangerous spirit. That ego would try to control everything to it’s needs, even by using the holiest worship or religious justification. .
The biggest and first thing a selfish intellect would harm is himself. Since it will make him an isolate from God and his neighbors.
For this reason, you can not expect healthy spiritual insight from egocentric people. Their self serving intellect would block all spiritual messages and blaspheme the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, those who only train and decorate their individualistic wisdom all have low levels of spirit. These people will fail to reach God. With the help of law, an individualistic mind may be able to know what is right and wrong, however such a heart would never be able to practice the God centered altruistic love for others. [Romans 7:21, Romans 7:18]
To earn the true wisdom from heaven and God, you would need to do as apostle Paul had and throw away yourself (ego) and your worldly wisdom. Only through this can one obtain the ability to do good for others.
Original Text: http://jungwonyang.com/post/Msg906
There are plenty of documents that can testify for the Hutterites. This is because they have maintained a close community lifestyle for nearly 500 years, but it wasn’t easy. The 50,000 people in the Hutterite community was once reduced to 15 in a violent persecution. Even when they have tried to begin their communal life again, the place around them had become a warzone. And due to this, they had no choice but to go into lands where no one had ever been. However this had led to a lot of suffering.
I have yet to meet a Hutterite who wish to write and teach about all their beliefs, practices, or the lifestyle to the outside world despite their long history and culture.
On the other hand, people outside the community are quite interested in the Hutterites. People from all over talk about the beliefs and lifestyle of the Hutterites. Social activists, theologians, and other communities have come to visit the Hutterites. Some of these guests have in turn written books, papers, and articles regarding the Hutterites, Amish, and other Anabaptists.
I believe that their interest in the Hutterite community is partially from their own crisis. The modern western-Christianity have been losing their faith and the value of the past have slowly diminished. Due to this, the mainstream Christian community have been smaller.
The Hutterites that I have known had felt very little about the curiosity of the outsiders. I had asked why they felt so and they had replied that there was only interest but no execution. The people were only interested and did not live like they did in reality. If there was no love and obedience, then there would be no life style.
James Valley Colony is a Hutterite community that had opened their doors for visitor for over 20 years. And many people have visited in interest and curiosity. But no one in the crowd of people who had visited had ever decided to execute what they had seen in the Hutterite community. In other words, they were all talk and no actual “love”.
To them all the books and articles about the Hutterite and Anabaptist community was nothing more than ”sounding brass or a clanging cymbal” [1 Corinthians 13:01]
I often feel fatigue from the religious hypocrisy found in these writings. They do not intend to obey the commands of Jesus through self sacrifice and discipleship and remain satisfied with just proving and debating over religious doctrines. [Matthew 7:26]
The Hutterites however do not wish to speak or write about their beliefs. They wish to show it through obedience and beliefs through in their lives. Through their intimate and dedicated relationships. Through the lives and proof of their communal lifestyle.
Nevertheless, should we not take up the pen?
It is necessary to testify and witness the lives of Hutterite. In other words, in order for people(those few who would be able to understand and are ready to listen to the sound of their spirit) to know see the lives of Hutterites, there must be a messenger.
Original Text: http://jungwonyang.com/post/Msg551
The Old Testament can be summed up with the Ten Commandment of Moses, and the Commandments can be summed up with two important concepts. The love for God, and the love for your neighbors.
On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets [Matthew 22:40]
However for the disciples of Christ, and the community churches there is another new law. As a result the ten commandment completed by the sets of new commandments by Jesus.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. [John 13:34]
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. [John 15:12]
If you view it from the Old Testament, the love for God and the love for your neighbors can be separated. However it was merged into one in the New Testament.
For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. [Galatians 5:14]
The person who did this, was Jesus. In other words, any love given to your neighbors is love given to Jesus.
And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ [Matthew 25:40]
So this means, Jesus would judge those who proclaim to love God but fail to love their neighbors and brothers. Those who profess to be believers but refuse to love one another. Those people will be judged according Jesus’s laws.
And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! [Matthew 7:23]
There was only commandment that Jesus had given to his disciples, and that was to love one another as how He had loved.
Jesus had practiced the greatest form of love of all for His friends. He had sacrificed His life for the life of his friends. By sacrificing Himself, He had become the drink and bread for them.
There is only one thing He asks of those who follow Him. It is to do as He had done and love each other as He. Breaking this commandment would be equivalent to violating the laws of heaven.
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. [John 15:12]
To love one another to the point of killing your ego and physical life. This kind of love is the actual substance of a community in the Kingdom of God.
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. [John 15:13]
This was the only commandment that Jesus had given, but those who fail to practice this law and only focus on the religious ceremonial practices are in turn violating His and the heaven’s commandment. There will be judgment for those people.
The sheep and goats will be separated. Soon there will be separation between the sheep that practice true love, and the goats who refuse to love another and only seek their own salvation. And those goats shall be judged.
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’
And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
[Matthew 1:21-23]
Those who claim that you are able to go to heaven even without the practice of love, is a direct rebellion against Jesus’s teaching. It will also lead countless astray, and in turn going against the Holy Spirit.
This Gospel was only made for the satisfaction and assurance for the rich. It is an egoistic, self gospel that puts oneself at risk.
It is essential to break free from a religious mindset. Break free from one's own ego and lowering themselves for others. Live by serving each other in a communal life. Those refusing to love another and only preach about the self salvation are cursed by Jesus. For they not only walk on the road to hell but also lead others down the road.
But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.[a]
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
[Matthew 23:11-15]
Unfortunately the mainstream churches have failed with this issue of property and violence at every turning point in history. There was always a new challenge and attempt for the Kingdom of God, but due to the mainstream churches opposition and denial, the Kingdom of God had become an opposition to them.
Original Text: http://jungwonyang.com/post/Msg882
Jesus had delivered the Gospel. His teachings and words were the Gospel. Then what was the topic of Jesus’s Gospel and sermons? Without looking into the lens of all the theologians, or what the modern Christianity believes in, what were Jesus' teachings? This isn’t too hard to find. If you look at Luke 4:43 you can see Jesus’ own confession.
[NKJV] but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent."
Jesus himself stated His own reason - to proclaim or preach the Kingdom of God. NIV and ASV Bible all translate this to “the good tidings of Kingdom of God”. But uniquely the King James Version translate to just “the Kingdom of God”. The original Greek text for “preach”, “εὐαγγελιστής” or “Euaggelizo” also carries the meaning of “bearer of good tidings”.
However with our modern age the reason of Jesus' arrival in Earth is mentioned rarely or explained vaguely. It’s not only the Bible translation but people put emphasis on the “Gospel” and not “The Kingdom Of God” even though that is the core concept in the Gospel.
In reality, the mainstream Christian Churches doesn’t include “The Kingdom Of God” in its Gospel. What they teach is mostly about the need of salvation, our sins, God’s love of humanity, etc. It’s as if they mean to say that Jesus had come down as ransom for humanity.
Jesus most certainly did say that as well. However, that was not His intended message for the people. There was only one point in the Bible where Jesus mentions rebirth, and that was only in a private conversation with Nicodemus. There was only once where dying for the redemption of humanity was mentioned. And finally there only 5~6 cases where Jesus had said salvation himself.
Even so, most people believe that Jesus’ core teachings were rebirth, repentance, and salvation.
In retrospect, the amount of times the Kingdom of God is mentioned comes to around one hundred times. Not only that, all of Jesus’ parables are about the the Kingdom of God. Quite frankly, you can find that Jesus proclaims the coming of the Kingdom of God anywhere in the new testament.(Matthew 4:17, Matthew 4:23, Luke 9:11, Matthew 9:35)
Unfortunately, in the present all of Jesus’ teachings about the Kingdom of God have been ignored and neglected. So what then controls all teaching in the modern day? It is all about private salvation and not the Kingdom of God.
Then why did we lose focus on Jesus’ true message? How did the Kingdom of God get neglected? The cause of it will be issues related to our nature, historical, and political context. You would need to know these issue to see the bigger picture and answer to the questions.
Original Text: http://jungwonyang.com/post/Msg1012