The First World War

Absolute monarchy had come to an end as a consequence of the Cain-type and Abel-type democratic revolutions, which had arisen out of the Cain-type and Abel-type views of life.

The Industrial Revolution which followed cleared away the remnants of feudalism and led to the ascendancy of capitalism. This was followed by the age of imperialism. In the political sphere, the First World War was a conflict between Abel-type democracies, which pursued the goal of the providence of restoration, and authoritarian states where Cain-type democratic ideals were thriving and which stood in opposition to the goals of the providence of restoration.

It was fought between the imperialist nations on God’s side and the imperialist nations on Satan’s side. In terms of economic interests, this war was a conflict between more established and newly industrializing capitalist nations over colonies.

In the sphere of religion and ideology, the Cain-type nations included Turkey, a Muslim nation persecuting Christianity, and its allies, Germany and Austria-Hungary. They fought the Abel-type nations of Great Britain, the United States, France and Russia, which generally upheld Christianity. At the conclusion of the First World War, the Abel-type democracies had gained victory at the formation stage.

The question of which nations are on God’s side and which are on Satan’s side is decided based on the direction of God’s providence of restoration. Those who are in line with the direction of God’s providence or are acting in concert with that direction, even indirectly, are on the side of God, while those who take an opposing position are on the side of Satan. Therefore, whether or not an individual or nation belongs to God’s side or Satan’s side is not always in agreement with the judgment of our common sense or conscience.

For example, someone who is ignorant of God’s providence may judge that Moses’ killing of the Egyptian taskmaster was evil. Yet, it may be regarded as a good act because it was in line with God’s providence.

Likewise, the Israelites invaded the land of Canaan and killed many Canaanites seemingly without much justification.

To someone ignorant of God’s providence, their action might seem evil and cruel; nevertheless, it was just in the sight of God. Even if there were more good-hearted people among the Canaanites than among the Israelites, at that time the Canaanites collectively belonged to Satan’s side, while the Israelites collectively belonged to God’s side.

Let us further investigate this concept in the sphere of religion. Since the goal of every religion is goodness, every one of them belongs to God’s side.

However, when a religion obstructs the path of another religion which stands closer to the center of God’s providence, it will find itself standing on Satan’s side. A religion is given a mission for its age, but if, after its time of responsibility has passed, it becomes an obstacle to an emerging religion which comes with a new mission for the next age, then it stands on the side of Satan. Before the coming of Jesus, Judaism and its believers stood on God’s side. However, when they persecuted Jesus, who came with a new mission, which among other things would have fulfilled the purpose of Judaism, they moved to the side of Satan, irrespective of how faithfully they had served God in the past.

In the modern world, systems which espouse the Abel-type view of life belong to God’s side while those which espouse the Cain-type view of life stand on Satan’s side. For example, no matter how ethical and sacrificial a materialistic thought rooted in the Cain-type view of life may appear from a humanistic perspective, it still belongs to Satan’s side. For this reason, the communist world can be judged to be the satanic world. On the other hand, since the democratic world, which grants religious freedom, is based on the Abel-type view of life, it may be judged to be on God’s side.

Christianity was established as the central religion with the ultimate mission to fulfill the goals of all religions (cf. Eschatology 2.3). Hence, any nation which persecutes Christianity or obstructs its progress, either directly or indirectly, stands on Satan’s side.

In the First World War, the Allied Powers led by Great Britain, the United States, France and Russia were Christian nations; moreover, they had been fighting to liberate the Christians under persecution in Turkey. Thus, they stood on God’s side. On the other hand, Germany and Austria-Hungary, the leading Central Powers, supported Turkey, a Muslim nation which persecuted Christianity. Therefore, together with Turkey, they stood on Satan’s side.

What were the providential, internal causes of the First World War? The First World War had to take place, first, to fulfill the worldwide indemnity condition to restore God’s three great blessings at the formation stage. Satan has been constructing in advance a defective imitation of God’s ideal world, which was to have been established by Adam.

Hence, there should appear at the end of history an unprincipled world which has realized a distorted, outward form of the three blessings at the formation stage, led by an antitype of Adam on Satan’s side. God’s side should then prevail over this unprincipled world to fulfill the indemnity condition.

In fact, Kaiser Wilhelm II (1859-1941) of Germany, who launched the First World War, was this antitype of Adam on Satan’s side. He was in the formation-stage likeness of one who has attained individual perfection. He displayed the form of having fulfilled the blessing of multiplying children by advocating Pan-Germanism, and displayed a form of dominion over the creation by implementing his policy of world hegemony.

In this manner, the Kaiser realized an unprincipled world completing a satanic imitation of the three great blessings at the formation stage. The First World War was to fulfill the worldwide formation-stage indemnity condition to restore, in the future, the world where the three great blessings will actually be completed centering on God.

Second, the First World War took place in order to have people on God’s side collectively overcome Jesus’ first temptation on the world level. In light of the meaning of Jesus’ three temptations, we can recognize that God’s side had to prevail in the First World War to fulfill the indemnity condition to restore God’s first blessing worldwide. By prevailing in his first temptation in the wilderness, Jesus recovered himself, symbolized by the rock, and laid the foundation to restore perfection of individual character.

Likewise, by prevailing in the First World War, God’s side not only was to defeat Satan’s world and its center, it also was to build God’s world and lay the foundation for its own center, Christ at the Second Coming. This was to be the basis upon which the returning Christ could be born and perfect his individual character.

Third, the First World War took place in order to lay the formation-stage foundation for the restoration of God’s sovereignty. Democracy arose to bring an end to authoritarian monarchic regimes and as the final political system with the mission to restore God’s sovereignty (cf. Parallels 7.2.6). In the First World War, God’s side was responsible to be victorious and expand its political territory to Christianize the world. By thus establishing a vast and firm political and economic foundation, it would secure the formation-stage foundation for the democratic world and, at the same time, the formation-stage foundation to restore God’s sovereignty.

The victory of the Allied Powers in the First World War fulfilled the formation-stage indemnity condition to restore God’s three great blessings worldwide. By overcoming Jesus’ first temptation on the worldwide level, they fulfilled the indemnity condition to restore God’s first blessing worldwide.

The victory of democracy also established the formation-stage foundation for the restoration of God’s sovereignty. With the defeat of the satanic world and its ruler, the Kaiser, the world on God’s side won the formation-stage victory and laid the foundation for the birth of the returning Christ, who is destined to be the Lord of God’s world. Contemporaneous with this, communism was established in Russia.

Stalin soon rose to power as the antitype of Christ at the Second Advent on Satan’s side.

In fact, Kaiser Wilhelm II (1859-1941) of Germany, who launched the First World War, was this antitype of Adam on Satan’s side. He was in the formation-stage likeness of one who has attained individual perfection. He displayed the form of having fulfilled the blessing of multiplying children by advocating Pan-Germanism, and displayed a form of dominion over the creation by implementing his policy of world hegemony.

In this manner, the Kaiser realized an unprincipled world completing a satanic imitation of the three great blessings at the formation stage. The First World War was to fulfill the worldwide formation-stage indemnity condition to restore, in the future, a world where the three great blessings will actually be completed centering on God.