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Cain and Abel in Adam’s Family
In Adam’s family the foundation of substance had to be established by Adam’s two oldest sons, Cain and Abel – hence the name of the term. After having been successful in the test of faith Abel became responsible person – the central figure - for creating this foundation. Cain had to submit to him.
The challenge here is that Cain was the oldest son and thus the one entitled to the position of subject according to tradition – no matter how short that tradition was in Adam’s family. Adam knew it, Cain knew it to, so did Abel and also Satan. Everybody knew it.
Also, Cain may have been pretty good at what he was doing – agriculture. Abel was a shepherd. Probably Cain was stronger, at least he was older. All this didn’t help to be humble when - after the joint offering - Abel suddenly looked like God’s favorite.
Both Cain and Abel offered sacrifices – inspired by God or angels. And then this: According to the Bible God accepts Abel’s offering but not Cain’s. Following this the relationship between the two goes downhill and finally Abel ends up dead, killed by Cain.
This was the second greatest train wreck in the providence till then. The first one was the fall itself.
What should have happened was that Cain somehow managed to accept Abel as his guide or mentor, that he would have tried to understand what was behind the events and then follow Abel, learning something from him.
That’s not just because God wants everybody to get along nicely with each other. The decision of Cain to follow Abel’s lead would effectively have driven Satan – the ruler – out of the equation at that moment. Submitting to God and man was where the archangel failed, initiating the fall. If now his human representative in the cosmos – Cain - manages to submit to the person in the position of God, then he would have to let him go. Refusing to do that would have annulled his right to rule.
But Cain’s submission to Abel would not have been all there was needed to restore the fall. Still both had been born with original sin and their parents had acquired it through the fall. Removing that sin is only possible by being born a second time, through spiritual rebirth through the messiah, who would have appeared in the next generation. He would have married a bride and as ‘true parents of mankind’ they two would have given rebirth to all. At that time all mankind, less than a dozen people, was still present physically. Spiritual rebirth according to the Principle is not a mysterious, spiritual experience. It is the participation in the blessing, the marriage ceremony, that the messiah holds on God’s behalf.
From that time on the real human history would have begun free from evil.
Instead the foundation of substance was not accomplished and history progressed under the influence of evil. Things became more and more complex over time. For example, spiritual growth to perfection in the spiritual world, without a physical body is a real hassle. The original design does not provide an easy solution here.
A section in chapter five on ‘Resurrection’; titled ‘Principles of Resurrection’, explains growth in the spirit world. Its contents are also helpful in understanding what’s going on these days in Chung Pyung, the ‘gate to heaven’ in Korea.
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