The Reformation that swept across Europe in 1517 began with a poster on the front door of a church. The poster refuted the errors of the Roman Catholic Church in detail, which created a great stir in the Christian world; people who were under the oppression of the Roman Catholic Church rose for reformation.
There was a wind of massive innovation in the church, but there was still something that had not been achieved. It was the restoration of the truth. The truth of the New Covenant established by Jesus was gradually changed by the Roman Catholic Church after the apostles died, and eventually there was no trace of it. After the Reformation, many religious leaders studied the Bible, but none of them recovered the original truth. In its time, however, according to the prophecies of the Bible, the light of the truth has been revealed and the complete Reformation has been accomplished. Christ Himself has come a second time to bring back the truth of the New Covenant.
The Reformation in the 16th Century and the Appearance of Protestantism
Protestantism refers to numerous Christian denominations that were separated from the Roman Catholic Church as a result of the Reformation in the 16th century. A protestant literally means one who makes a protest. It is derived from the Latin protestatio meaning protest. At the Diet of Speyer 1529 in Germany (an Imperial Diet of the Holy Roman Empire), supporters of Luther’s Reformation boldly expressed their faith and protested against the oppression of the Roman Catholic forces, including Emperor Charles V. From this, the word protestant originated.
The Reformation in the 16th century, the background to the birth of Protestantism, began with Martin Luther, a professor of theology at the University of Wittenberg, Germany. At the time, Pope Leo X sold indulgences to finance the Vatican, which had become poor due to widespread corruption, and to pay for the reconstruction of St. Peter’s Basilica. Luther protested against this and in 1517 posted Ninety-five Theses on the main entrance to the church attached to the University of Wittenberg, announcing the wrongness of selling indulgences.
Luther denied the authority of the pope and the Catholic Church, insisting that salvation is given only by faith and the grace of God, and that it should be based on the Bible. Despite the persecution of the pope and the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (Germany), who claimed to be the protector of the Roman Catholic Church, Luther did not bend his point. As German princes and free cities gradually supported Luther, new churches, called Protestant churches, were formed, which were freed from the domination of the pope.
Meanwhile, in Switzerland, the Reformer Zwingli died in a battle against the Roman Catholic Church. After him, Calvin from France took the lead in the Reformation by systematically organizing the spirit of the Reformation and their doctrines. Calvin emphasized the Bible-centered faith more thoroughly than Luther, and insisted on the predestination that human salvation is predetermined by God. Calvin’s insistence was quickly spread to France, England, and the Netherlands, receiving welcome from the civil class, and the Reformation spread even more.
Reasons for the Reformation
The Reformation in the 16th century could risk many lives because they confronted the pope and the Roman Catholic Church who had absolute power. Nevertheless, many people participated in the Reformation, calling for church reform and religious freedom, because they could no longer overlook the secularization and severe corruption of the Catholic Church, and distortion of the truth.
The sale of indulgences, which became a decisive motive for the Reformation, was a representative example of the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church. The Bible says that the forgiveness of sins is given only through the blood of Christ shed on the cross (Eph 1:7). It is by God’s grace that we are saved from our sins without cost. The Roman Catholic Church, however, bought and sold salvation, the grace of God, propagating that only by buying indulgences could they be exempted from the punishment for their sins.
In order to maintain the papacy, the Catholic Church, through the Inquisition, condemned those who did not follow their doctrines or the pope as heretics, brutally tortured, and executed them. To solidify their position, they did not allow lay members to possess or read the Bible; all masses were held in Latin so that lay members could not understand the words of the Bible.
Pope candidates bribed cardinals, and even murdered them in order to be elected as pope. The clergy did not hesitate to engage in simony to accumulate personal wealth, and committed adultery in the churches and monasteries. The Catholic Church, which seized power, was a hotbed of all kinds of corruption and lawlessness. So the reformers arose and pointed out the fallacies and corruption of the Catholic Church, demanding religious freedom and reform, and many Europeans agreed to their cry and supported them.
Incomplete Reformation
The 16th-century Reformation freed many people from the oppression of the papacy and made them have religious freedom, however, it was not the complete reformation; because they did not restore the truth of the New Covenant that Jesus had established.
The biggest fault of the Catholic Church was that it abolished the truth of the early Church, the truth of the New Covenant that Jesus established for the salvation of all humanity. Rather they introduced pagan customs into the Church. Jesus and the early Church kept the truth of the New Covenant such as the Sabbath and the Passover. However, the Catholic Church changed God’s law from the Sabbath to Sunday, the holy day of the sun-god religion (in 321), abolished the Passover, the truth of life (in 325), and introduced Christmas, the birthday of the sun god (in 354). They also set up the cross, which was a symbol of ancient pagan religions and an instrument of the death penalty in the Roman Empire, in the chambers of the church (431), and rationalized the worship of Mary by accepting the pagan worship of mother and child. In the 5th century, they even changed the Ten Commandments according to their own doctrines.
The religious reformers in the 16th century did not break down these false doctrines. Protestant churches followed the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church, including Sunday worship, and they did not keep the teachings of Christ such as the Sabbath and the Passover. Some of the reformers thought their reformation was not yet complete, and asked their future generations for continuous reformation based on the Bible. The Latin slogan shows their spirit: “Ecclesia Semper Reformanda,” which means “The church must always be reformed.”
Since then, many religious leaders and scholars have cried out for reformation in their own way, emphasizing the Bible-centered faith. As a result, numerous Christian denominations were formed, but none of them were able to restore the truth of the New Covenant. This means that not only the 16th-century Reformation but also many reforms that followed were incomplete.
Necessity of the Complete Reformation
After the heat of the Reformation cooled down, the Protestant churches were content with their religious freedom from the Roman Catholic Church and settled for the present. The Protestant churches, which stopped reforming, became gradually secularized and corrupt as the years passed by.
Today, it is hard to find a place of rest among the churches although the Bible says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Some famous pastors and people of power hand over church property to their children, intervene in the presidential election, collect spoils such as government offices, and show off their power to the point of even making the present president kneel down. Church members should thoroughly and fundamentally reflect on the reality that the church is regarded as the cause of diseases in society, rather than as the salt and light of the world, and then they should boldly take action for the church reformation. 「“Is There Salvation in Churches Trading Pastor Position?”」, The Kyunghyang Shinmun, 2011/6/21
Protestant churches today are no different from how Roman Catholic Church was about 500 years ago. They have become the subject of various corruption and lawlessness, let alone suggesting directions for people to live upright in a turbid world where it is easy to abandon morals and ethics. The successors of the Reformation fell into the objects to reform.
As a result, the truth that Christ set us an example and is recorded in the Bible has not been found both in Roman Catholic Church and in the Protestant churches that are the result of the 16th-century Reformation. Many churches are on the path of depravity, pursuing worldly things rather than the truth. As Jesus prophesied 2,000 years ago, the age has come when He finds no faith on the earth (Lk 18:8). If God judges the world immediately in this situation, no one can be saved. Even ardent believers can never enter the Kingdom of Heaven if they do lawlessness, not the will of God (Mt 7:21–23). Therefore, the complete religious reformation must take place for believers to be saved in this age.
Second Coming Jesus Completes the Reformation
The Leader of the Complete Reformation
Both the Roman Catholic Church that abolished the truth of the New Covenant and introduced pagan customs to their doctrines, and the Protestant churches that follow the doctrines of the Catholic Church cannot be the proper subjects of the Reformation. The complete Reformation cannot be accomplished by man’s incomplete ability and judgment. Only God, Christ, can accomplish this.
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war . . . The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean . . . On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Rev 19:11–16
The rider on a white horse is called King of kings and Lord of lords; He refers to Jesus, the Lamb (Rev 17:14). More precisely, He is Second Coming Jesus; because the rider on a white horse and the armies of Heaven following Him fight against the beast.
Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf . . . Rev 19:19–20
According to the prophecy in Revelation 13, the beast that makes war against the rider on a white horse receives authority to exercise for forty-two months, speaks against God, and afflicts the saints (Rev 13:5–7). This meant that Satan would reign over the world during the Dark Ages. The rider on a white horse who fights against the beast is definitely Second Coming Jesus.
If Second Coming Jesus appears in glory as the Last Judge, no one would dare to resist. However, it is prophesied that the beast will make war against Second Coming Jesus. This clearly means that Jesus comes a second time in the flesh. Then, who will win the war?
They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers. Rev 17:14
The Bible prophesies the victory of Second Coming Jesus, the Lamb, and the saints who are with Him. When Jesus comes back to this earth in the flesh, He is to take the lead in judging the false doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church which is represented as the beast, and emancipate the saints who are under it. Therefore, the complete religious reformation can only be accomplished when Jesus comes again.
The Reformation and the Passover
The Roman Catholic Church adopted pagan customs and made their own doctrines, and the Protestant churches follow the Catholic doctrines. Then, through what truth will Second Coming Jesus judge them and accomplish the Reformation? It is the Passover that bears God’s promise of judging other gods.
God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt through the Passover about 3,500 years ago. At that time, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, did not release the Israelites even after the nine plagues. One of the reasons was that the Egyptians, too, had gods they believed in and depended on (Ex 7:10–13, 20–22; 8:6–7). That is why God judged all their gods through the Passover.
“[I]t is the LORD’s Passover. On that same night . . . I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.” Ex 12:11–12
From the time when God first established the Passover, He appointed it as the judgment day for all other gods. Such a history occurred not only in the time of the Exodus but also in the days of Kings Hezekiah and Josiah. In the days of King Hezekiah, when the people celebrated the Passover again that had not been kept for a long time, they destroyed all the idols they had served (2 Ch 30:1–5; 31:1). Despite his belief in God, King Josiah did not know that he had been worshiping idols. It was not until he kept the Passover that he realized what he had served were idols, and he destroyed all of them (2 Ki 23:1–25). After he kept the Passover, other gods were punished according to God’s word.
Although the times were different, the result of keeping the Passover was the same. The Passover is the day of God’s power that destroys all other gods. In this age, too, the complete religious reformation is only possible when the truth of the Passover, which judges all other gods, appears.
After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor . . . “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. . . .” Rev 18:1–2
In the Bible, a bird represents the devil (Lk 8:4–5, 11–12). The Bible testifies that a home for demons and a haunt for evil spirits and Satan will be revealed by God’s splendor that illuminates the earth. This splendor is the truth of the New Covenant Passover, which judges other gods.
The Last Reformation and Christ Ahnsahnghong
About 2,000 years ago, Jesus established the New Covenant through the Passover (Lk 22:14–20). However, the New Covenant Passover, which Jesus eagerly desired to keep, was abolished at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325 due to Satan’s evil scheme. After that, no one could keep the Passover of the New Covenant for a long time. According to the prophecy that the beast who blasphemed God would conquer the saints, no one could keep the truth of salvation that Jesus established.
In this situation, the One who wins the war against the beast is the rider on a white horse in Revelation 19, who is Second Coming Jesus. Jesus comes in the flesh again and restores the Passover. It is prophesied in Revelation 18:1–2 that the truth of the Passover that judges other gods is restored by Second Coming Jesus, revealing a home for demons and destroying idols. Therefore, Jesus must come again with the truth of the Passover to achieve the complete Reformation.
The One who has brought the New Covenant Passover according to these prophecies is Second Coming Christ Ahnsahnghong. Christ Ahnsahnghong has taught us the truth of the New Covenant Passover which no one knew for about 1,600 years, and has overthrown all the idolatrous doctrines of the Catholic Church and the Protestant churches. He has also restored all the feasts and ordinances of the New Covenant, including the Sabbath (the day of the Creator), the Passover (the day of the Redeemer), the Day of Resurrection, the Day of Pentecost, the Feast of Tabernacles, the regulation on women’s veil, etc. as the Bible teaches. By restoring the truth and faith of the early Church, which were pure before being corrupted by the Roman Catholic Church, He has completed the Reformation and opened the way to salvation again. The church established after all His effort is the Church of God. The Church of God holds onto the upright faith based on the Bible and is sincerely carrying out the true Reformation by preaching the truth of salvation and the gospel of the New Covenant to the world full of lawlessness.
