What is the purpose of human history in God's plan?
The purpose of human history is to fulfill God's original purpose of creation: to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, characterized by perfect love and joy. Despite the Fall, God's absolute will for restoration is realized conditionally through human responsibility. History is God's tireless providence to restore humanity, leading to true love and the liberation of God's suffering heart, culminating in universal salvation and a world united under God.
The purpose of human history, according to God's plan, is the fulfillment of His original purpose of creation. God, as an absolute, unique, eternal, and unchanging being, predestined His will for humanity to achieve perfect love and joy forever. This original ideal, laid out in the Three Great Blessings of Genesis 1:28, involved individual perfection, true families centered on God, and dominion over creation, leading to the establishment of Heaven on Earth and eventually Heaven in Heaven.
The Biblical Foundation: God's Original Ideal and the Fall
The Bible portrays human history not as random events, but as a journey toward God's ultimate purpose. Genesis 1:28 reveals God's initial plan for humanity: "God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.'" These Three Great Blessings represent the ideal of individual perfection, true families centered on God, and stewardship over creation. This was God's original vision for His children.
However, Genesis 3 describes the Fall of Man, a pivotal act of disobedience: "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it." This fractured humanity's relationship with God, introducing sin, suffering, and disharmony. Consequently, subsequent history became God's Providence of Restoration, a tireless effort to guide humanity back to His original ideal. Ephesians 1:9-10 speaks of God's "mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ." This comprehensive restoration aims for the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth first, and then Heaven in Heaven, a world of peace and righteousness, as envisioned in Isaiah 11:9: "They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."
Divine Principle's Clarification: God's Absolute Will and Conditional Fulfillment
The Divine Principle illuminates human history as God's persistent process to restore His ideal world, the Kingdom of Heaven. God's will for this restoration is absolute, but its fulfillment is conditional, depending on humanity's completion of its portion of responsibility. God's will of perfect love in the family, continuing forever with joy, is absolutely predestined to happen. However, the way in which this will is fulfilled is conditional upon human free will. God's predestination of the process is conditional, contingent upon the 5% responsibility of human beings, which, though small, requires 100% of our effort. This human responsibility is crucial, making us co-creators in God's providence. When humans fail their portion, God's providence is prolonged, repeating events in parallel providential periods until humanity fulfills its part.
The Divine Principle explains that biblical passages such as Romans 8:29 and 9:15-21 do not teach absolute predestination of individual outcomes. Instead, they emphasize God's sovereignty, righteousness, and love as the subject of history. If salvation were absolutely predestined, verses like "whoever believes in Christ shall not perish" (John 3:16) or "Ask and it will be given you" (Matthew 7:7) would be meaningless. Humanity's freedom and responsibility mean that God does not absolutely predestine what kind of people we become; we must choose to complete our responsibility to fulfill God's purpose for us. This cooperation between God and humanity is a relationship of giving and receiving, a great blessing where we become God's fellow workers.
Understanding the Deeper Meaning: The Pursuit of True Love and God's Suffering
At its core, the ultimate purpose of human history is the realization of true love. The Fall occurred due to humanity's failure to cultivate God-centered love, leading to self-centeredness. Thus, the entire Providence of Restoration serves as God's divine course to teach humanity how to love truly—vertically loving God and horizontally loving fellow human beings and all creation. This aligns with Jesus's teaching in Matthew 22:37-39: "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’" History, with all its trials and triumphs, pushes humanity toward this ultimate realization of selfless love and harmony. Daniel 12:4 also points to the increase of knowledge as part of this process: "many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."
Because of the Fall, God Himself has been suffering, a truth revealed in Genesis 6:6. Therefore, history reflects God’s pain and persistent effort to restore His children, yearning for the day His ideal of true love is fully realized. This understanding transforms history into a shared spiritual pilgrimage between God and humanity, aiming to liberate God from His suffering heart and turn His grief to joy.
Living the Principle
Understanding history's purpose calls for active participation, embodying God's purpose to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.
1. Cultivate Individual Perfection: Strive for holiness and character development through prayer and ethical living, seeking a direct relationship with God, thereby becoming a temple of God (1 Peter 1:15-16). 2. Build God-Centered Families: Prioritize unconditional love, fidelity, and spiritual growth within families, raising children grounded in divine principles (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). 3. Engage in Social Transformation: Actively work for justice, peace, and reconciliation in community and the world, building networks that reflect God's love (Micah 6:8). 4. Embrace Personal Responsibility: Consciously make choices aligned with God's will, fulfilling your 5% portion of responsibility to liberate God and establish His Kingdom (Matthew 5:16).
These answers explain the Bible in the light of the Divine Principle, the teachings of Reverend Sun Myung Moon. Read about the author, Sun Myung Moon.
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Sources and further reading
- The Holy Bible, King James Version — Scripture quoted and referenced throughout the answers.
- The Divine Principle (full text) — The complete text of the Divine Principle, the teaching of Reverend Sun Myung Moon that these answers explain.
- Unification texts library (tparents.org) — Large online library of Unification texts, sermons and collected speeches, including the Cheon Seong Gyeong.
- Short video lectures in English — Playlist of short English video lectures presenting these same principles.