S110

Society Protocol 10

Spiritual Training 2

At the Gapyeong Prayer Center, where the atmosphere had become somber when the famous Pastor Kang Il-do brought up the story of receiving a revelation to the believers gathered to celebrate their college admission, the people wore serious expressions.

Most of them were believers who attended the church while keeping their practical lives in mind, shunning heresies or cults.

Although they possessed deep faith, they were almost all members of the organization for the sake of their own group. They had gathered for practical benefits: Pastor Hwang’s efforts and sincerity, his affection for the believers, and the way he united them—weak individuals struggling to endure the hardships of social life—and who cared for and helped them more than relatives or friends during difficult times.

However, it was perhaps only natural that they felt bewildered and unfamiliar when he suddenly spoke seriously, exuding a religious tone.

“You are likely familiar with the story of Noah’s Ark.

As the human population increased, people began committing evil deeds and turning away from God’s will.

Grieving over this, God regretted His creation of mankind.

Acknowledging His own fault, He vowed to wipe out all humans from the face of the earth.

However, He decided to show mercy to just one person.

Why? Because Noah was a man without greed who obeyed God.

Therefore, God decided that He had to save Noah alone.

And He revealed to him that he must build an ark. He even specified the method and size for building the ark.”

Some of the college freshmen looked on in disbelief, but

perhaps due to the authority of Pastor Kang and Pastor Hwang, the adults began to listen attentively.

Sodom and Gomorrah and Noah. The answer was already obvious.

It struck them that the message was likely about everyone possibly dying.

“God said to Noah, ‘Take your family and all your people and get into the ark.

Take seven pairs of the clean animals and one pair of the unclean animals,

and seven pairs of the birds of the air into the ark, so that the seed of every animal on the earth will not be depleted.

And after seven days, let it rain for forty days and forty nights and days, and let it rain down on all the living creatures on the earth that I have made.’

He said, and He did so.”

It was a story that most Christians were familiar with.

However, as they listened to the story told by an authoritative pastor standing before them with a serious expression, recounting a tale from the old Bible, confusion began to rise in their minds.

“As you know, Pastor Hwang and I have gone on pilgrimages to the Holy Land. We have also traveled abroad.

There was a time when my faith was lacking, as I secretly thought that the stories in the Bible might have been merely tales meant to teach people lessons.

However, Pastor Hwang and I saw them firsthand. The evidence.

Traces that a great flood actually took place.

And that the site presumed to be Sodom and Gomorrah was reduced to ashes by a volcanic eruption.

While the content may have been altered to sound like mere entertaining stories as it was passed down to later generations,

there is also evidence that everything was reality.

I believe that even the extinction of the dinosaurs and the Ice Age could have been a form of God's will.”

Even the giggling students began to let their spirits sink.

This was because the extinction of the dinosaurs was a story they, too, had heard before.

“It was last autumn when I was praying. It happened to be just before the college entrance exams were held.

It was the time of Thanksgiving service, around the time of Chuseok. That is when I heard the voice of God.

The voice did not sound like a whisper, nor did it sound faint.

It came to me clearly, as if resonating through my entire body from a large speaker.

It was calling out to me, ‘Ildo-ya, Ildo-ya.’”

The people gradually became engrossed in the story.

“My late father was the only one who called me by my name.

Even my mother called me ‘Pastor.’ But the voice was different from my father’s.

So I looked around. Although God has given me much wisdom and grace,

this was the first time He had given it to me through a voice, so I was also surprised.”

Pastor Hwang, who was listening among the believers, clasped his hands together, bowed his head, and began to pray.

Pastor Kang Il-do continued his story.

“He spoke in Korean, saying, ‘It is I who am your God.’ His pronunciation was quite accurate.

I have studied Hebrew. Even if He had spoken in Hebrew, I would have been able to understand roughly.

However, perhaps fearing that I might misunderstand, He spoke in words I could comprehend.

He said, ‘There are too many humans in this world. And humans are destroying the world I created.

But unlike before, there are so many humans with strong faith who love Me,

that I cannot wipe them all out at once.’”

The believers gradually began to believe these absurd stories. And they were drawn in.

“Gather the people in one place. I am worried that those who believe in me might be harmed.

However, this is a task that must be done.

If left alone, all humans will die, and the world I created will be destroyed.

Therefore, I have no choice but to choose the method of killing in order to save them.

He spoke these words.

Just then, a large fly flew into the room where I was praying.

It buzzed as it struck the unlit light fixture in the room.

Afraid that I might miss the Lord's words, I continued to clasp my hands together, kneel, and pray.”

Some of the believers changed their posture and assumed the position of kneeling to pray.

“Lord, what should I do? Lord, I am so weak and powerless.

Lord, how can I save people? Lord! I prayed while wailing like this.”

Raising his voice to cry out to the Lord, Pastor Kang began to wail.

As if he himself had done so right there.

“Then suddenly, a bright light, which I could feel even with my eyes closed, enveloped my body.

And I felt a warmth. And a savory scent began to waft out.

I quietly opened my eyes. Then the light approached me and wrapped itself in me, as if embracing me.

At that moment, I felt it. God is embracing me.”

“Hallelujah.”

The believers listening to the story began to shout “Hallelujah.”

“Il-do, you are not alone. Gather the people you believe around you.

And my children will come to find you.

Then, gather those who have faith and go to the place I direct you.”

Pastor Kang Il-do felt his voice growing hoarse. His face became smeared with tears and snot.

“Lord, I don’t think people will believe me just because I speak. Lord, what should I do?”

The believers also wore expressions of deep contemplation, unsure of what to do.

“Take only the believers and leave. I will let you know the time.”

Now, without any additional explanation, he spoke to the believers as if God were speaking through him.

“I asked. How many can be saved?”

Pastor Kang Il-do spoke to the believers, looking at them as if asking God a question.

The believers stretched their hands forward as if asking to be saved.

“My children all over the world will gather a million. Il-do, save only those who believe in you and follow you.

The number is not important. However, the total will not exceed a million.”

The believers breathed a sigh of relief at the number being larger than they had expected.

It was as if they themselves could be one of the million.

“You mentioned the number of a million, but you did not tell us when or how it would happen.

When a million are gathered, then God will destroy humanity and save the world He created.”

As if released from a hypnotic spell, the believers lost their strength and collapsed with a thud.

“For a while, I doubted myself. I thought it must just be a dream. That it was a scene from a movie I had seen somewhere that came out unconsciously.

I doubted myself like this. And since I wasn't saving one person like Noah,

and not saving ten righteous people like Sodom and Gomorrah, but saving a million—and humanity wouldn't be destroyed—

I suddenly felt relieved, so I tried to forget it.

However, the next day, Pastor Branson, who ministers in the U.S. and had gone on the pilgrimage with me, called me.

He said he felt like he had seen God.

But he said he couldn't tell anyone.

He himself thought that his faith was lacking.

The two of us, pastors who believe in God and deliver His word to people,

were actually not believing in God.”

People were shaken by Pastor Kang Il-do’s words, which were akin to a shocking coming-out.

They began to believe even more in what he had said up until then.

“Pastor Branson and I toured the Holy Land and became close.

We were on the level of occasionally calling to check in and reminiscing about those times.

But he went through the exact same thing I had. So I asked him, ‘Did you hear the numbers?’”

Pastor Hwang, who had been listening while holding the hands of the believers, looked up and gazed at Pastor Kang Il-do.

“We spoke like this. We conversed in English back then.

Because Pastor Branson doesn’t speak Korean and I speak a little English.

So we decided to say a number together, and we counted ‘one, two, three’ and repeated the numbers we had heard.

How much do you think that is, everyone?”

Pastor Kang Il-do asked the congregation a question. The believers all spoke in unison.

“One million.”

“That is correct, everyone. What Pastor Branson and I spoke of simultaneously was precisely ‘million.’

So I cast aside my self-doubt and came to have faith.

It wasn’t a dream. It wasn’t my delusion.

A few days later, I received another call from Pastor Branson.

He said that another pastor he knew had had the same experience. At that moment, I was convinced.

God is truly cleansing the world and intends to save exactly one million people.

I came to believe this.

However, I didn’t know what to do after that.

So I looked around at the people around me. I thought to myself.

I wondered who among my congregation would believe these words and stand with me.

But no one really came to mind.

And every time I attended worship, I looked around at the believers and thought:

Who would truly believe in me? But I was not convinced.

So, I couldn’t tell anyone, and time passed.

Then, two weeks ago, I heard God’s voice again.”

The believers raised their heads again and looked at Pastor Kang Il-do.

“Il-do. Il-do. Are you only trying to save yourself and your family?”

The believers were shocked. Pastor Kang Il-do, who was speaking from the front, also wore a shocked expression.

“I was startled. At that moment, I regained my composure and looked around to see who was there.

So, the first person I spoke to was none other than your senior pastor, Rev. Hwang.

I thought, ‘I can trust Rev. Hwang. Rev. Hwang will believe my words.’ Rev. Hwang believed my words and wept bitterly.

He sobbed uncontrollably in front of me and practically crawled out.

Then, I mustered the courage to speak to the elders of our church as well.

It was an atmosphere akin to a Catholic sacrament of penance.

I am telling you the same thing even now.

Fortunately, our elders believed my words. And together, we prepared.

We agreed to gather as many people as possible—to gather as many people as we could before we reach the million mark.”

The believers now felt as though they had almost received salvation. It felt like an opportunity that does not come to just anyone.

They believed that they could receive salvation because they had been with Pastor Hwang.

Pastor Kang Il-do continued speaking.

“Pastor Brandon, who ministers in the United States, said he would hold a meeting with the pastors who received grace this time, so Pastor Hwang and I have come to attend together.

He probably didn't tell us in advance.

We are leaving by plane tomorrow and will return in three days.

Until then, I ask that you stay here with our elders and prepare your hearts.

However, I ask that only those with true faith remain.

And if you do not have faith, please erase today's events from your memory and board the bus immediately.

Let us pray.”