Claim. The Lord at the Second Advent must restore both the spiritual and physical parent positions, completing on earth the marital and familial mission Jesus was prevented from accomplishing two thousand years ago.
Elaboration. SMM is direct: “The Lord at the Second Advent should restore the positions of spiritual and physical parents” (1.4. The providence of restoration has sought the True Parents throughout its history). Because Jesus secured only the spiritual parent position from the spirit world, the returning Lord must inherit that spiritual foundation and additionally complete the physical foundation — which means a literal marriage, a literal family, and a literal lineage of true children on earth.
The preparation logic in 4.1. We need to prepare to receive the Messiah reinforces this: “If he is to be a parent, he must find a partner and be one with her. This is the teaching of Christianity.” The Book of Revelation’s “marriage supper of the Lamb” (Rev. 19:7-9, alluded to via Rev. 22:13) is read as a literal nuptial event — the first time in history a bridegroom and bride become husband and wife centering on God’s love. This is the structural slot the True Parents claim is meant to fill.
The claim has cascading consequences. It explains why the blessing is a sacrament rather than a wedding ceremony — it grafts couples into the lineage established by the returning Lord. It explains why True Mother’s role is theologically non-optional rather than honorific — without the bride position filled, the physical parent foundation cannot be completed. And it explains the chapter’s recurring schema: messiah → bride → children → family → tribe → people → nation → world. Each level cascades from the prior.
For evangelical critics this is the most scandalous UC distinctive — the suggestion that the Second Coming is not the apocalyptic descent of Jesus on the clouds (Acts 1:11; Matt. 24:30) but a new physical man born in Korea who must marry. The exegetical battle typically centers on whether Revelation’s nuptial imagery is literal or figurative and whether First Corinthians 15:45 (“the last Adam became a life-giving spirit”) supports a parental rather than purely pneumatic reading.