Why did God's providence require multiple attempts through different central figures?
God's providence requires multiple attempts through central figures because His will for restoration is absolute, but its fulfillment is conditional on humanity's free will and responsibility. When central figures fail in their small but crucial portion of responsibility, God prolongs the providence, repeating historical patterns to restore through indemnity, often in three stages, until His absolute will for humanity's perfection is achieved through the Messiah as True Parent.
Understanding what the Messiah is meant to accomplish is essential for recognizing true salvation when it comes. Israel missed its Messiah because its people expected political liberation instead of spiritual restoration; we must not make the same mistake. The biblical narrative, when illuminated by the Divine Principle, reveals why God’s providence necessitates multiple attempts through central figures to achieve its ultimate goal. This multi-layered approach reflects God’s persistent love and His desire for humanity to fulfill the original purpose of creation. God's will to realize the providence of restoration is absolute, but its fulfillment is conditional on human responsibility.
The Biblical Foundation
The Old Testament consistently points to a future Messiah who would restore all things. Isaiah prophesied of a child who would be called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" and whose government would have no end (Isaiah 9:6-7). The same prophet spoke paradoxically of a suffering servant who would bear our iniquities, stating, "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). Jeremiah prophesied a new covenant, not written on tablets of stone, but on hearts: "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people" (Jeremiah 31:33).
The Hebrew word Mashiach means "anointed one"—one set apart for a special purpose. Kings, priests, and prophets were anointed, but THE Messiah would fulfill all these roles supremely. Malachi prophesied that before the Messiah, Elijah would come to "turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents" (Malachi 4:5-6), indicating that the Messiah's mission involved family restoration, healing the brokenness between generations. Jesus declared his purpose: "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). He taught that he came "to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10) and prayed for believers' complete unity with God, saying, "that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you" (John 17:21). Yet, the full scope of what the Messiah was meant to achieve requires understanding beyond individual salvation passages. The need for an ideal human standard, established successfully through numerous attempts, underscores God's providential plan.
Divine Principle's Clarification
The Divine Principle explains that the Messiah comes to complete what Adam failed to accomplish: the fulfillment of the Three Blessings. The Messiah is the Second Adam who achieves individual perfection (First Blessing), establishes the ideal family of True Parents (Second Blessing), and initiates the restoration of creation under godly dominion (Third Blessing). This clarifies that the Messiah does not come as a supernatural being who unilaterally fixes everything, but as a perfected human being who shows the path and provides the lineage through which others can be restored. Just as fallen nature and sin were transmitted through Adam's lineage, salvation is accomplished by grafting into the Messiah's lineage.
This expanded understanding explains Paul's teaching: "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive" (1 Corinthians 15:22) and "For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man" (1 Corinthians 15:21). The Messiah must be human to restore what humans lost. Furthermore, the Principle elucidates that God's providence involves repeated attempts because humanity, responsible for fulfilling its portion of responsibility, often fails. This human portion is small (5% compared to God's 95%), yet absolutely essential for the fulfillment of God's will. God's will is absolutely predestined, but its fulfillment is conditionally predestined, based on human free will and responsibility. Therefore, when central figures like Adam, Noah, or Abraham failed to complete their 5% portion of responsibility, God's providence was prolonged.
Understanding the Deeper Meaning
When a central figure fails, God chooses another person to carry on the same mission. Since God's will is absolute and eventually fulfilled, this process of prolongation can extend to as many as three stages, based on God being a being of the number three, manifesting through a three-stage process of existence, movement, and growth. For example, Abraham’s mistake in the symbolic offering led to prolongation through Isaac and fulfillment through Jacob in the third generation. Moses' and Jesus' courses also extended to three stages. These repeated attempts are not divine failures, but God's persistent efforts to work through imperfect humanity to achieve the ideal. This leads to parallel providential periods, where similar events repeat in subsequent eras to restore previous failures through indemnity. We see this in the history of Israel and Western Christianity, each following six stages of restoration. The entire course of restoration has awaited a third Providence for its realization and completion through the three stages of Adam, Jesus, and the Christ at the Second Advent.
When we unite biblical prophecy with the Principle's explanation, we understand the Messiah's mission comprehensively: to complete the purpose of creation by achieving what Adam failed to achieve, and opening the way for all humanity to be restored to their original relationship with God. The Messiah comes as True Parent—the perfected Adam whose life embodies the Three Blessings in substance. His success establishes the true family, and through connection to this messianic lineage, believers receive the foundation of faith and substance already established, enabling their own restoration to progress from that foundation. This also helps explain the New Testament's emphasis on the "Bride of Christ" and the "Marriage Supper of the Lamb" (Revelation 19:7-9). The Messiah's mission centrally involves the establishment of the true family, the foundational unit through which God's ideal lineage is restored to humanity, thereby fulfilling the longing for a world founded on true love.
Living the Principle
1. Strive for individual perfection by cultivating a Christ-like character daily. 2. Work to establish a true, God-centered family unit, fostering love and harmony. 3. Exercise responsible stewardship over your environment, community, and resources. 4. Actively connect to the messianic lineage through study, prayer, and practice to transform your inherited nature.
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.