God's Will and the WorldSun Myung Moon |
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Chapter 24 Today we commemorate the 18th anniversary of Parents' Day. No other group on earth celebrates True Parents' Day. We have four major celebrations during the year: God's Day, Parents' Day, Children's Day and the Day of All Things, and by: celebrating these holidays we are truly celebrating the rebirth of heaven and earth. If there had been no fall of man, we would never have seen such holidays as God's Day, Parents' Day, Children's Day and the Day of All Things. Adam and Eve would probably have been the only two people who would have celebrated these days, while their descendants would have celebrated only the victory of their established foundation. All of mankind was supposed to have been born on the foundation of these days. Through the fall of man, however, there was no fulfillment here on earth, and all joy was lost. Consequently there was no day of joy for God, no day of the True Parents, no day of the true children, and no day of all things. All mankind is born in sorrow and suffers in sorrow, and struggles to recapture the original world; because of the fall, however, that perfection has always eluded man. There are many celebrations in our world, but all of them are for the joy of the satanic world, not for God. There has never been one day in which God could declare His joy. For example, each one of you celebrates your birthday and those who are married have your wedding anniversaries, but are they above the realm of fallen mankind? No, they are still outside the dwelling place of God. When is the day going to come that mankind will establish a new kind of holiday? It will be the day that all people and God can be joyful together. That day will not be your own birthday or wedding anniversary or day of national independence. Throughout history all mankind has been looking forward to the day of fulfillment when God could declare His joy and personally commemorate God's Day and Parents' Day. Once God's joy is declared, and God's Day and Parents' Day are established, then automatically the true children will come into being, and all the things of creation will declare their joy too. Throughout history, however, no one has seen God's Day or Parents' Day, and all the things of creation are in agony in this fallen world. Out of 365 days in a year the most important day would be the day to honor God, the day on which God could declare His joy -- God's Day. The day we can declare God's Day to the earth will be the king of all days, and that year will be the king of all years. I do not know whether you have ever heard of such expressions as "king of all days;' or "king of all years." Do they make sense? Today you are all here to celebrate Parents' Day, but actually you are not entitled to celebrate on this day. Since meeting the True Parents you may rejoice over this Parents' Day, but this joyful day is also sad because only this small group of people has recognized it and come together to celebrate. We also feel sorrow that we are still surrounded by the fallen world. There were several consequences of the fall of man. One, the dignity and authority of God were damaged; in addition, man was separated from his intended state and fell into the dungeons of hell; at the same time a portion of the angelic world also fell; finally, all the things of creation were brought down. Thus it happened that everything suffered when man fell, including the dignity of God, and since then the entire creation has been trapped in a place of sorrow and despair. The world has become sick, but in the same way that patients cannot cure themselves, the world is helpless to restore itself. Who will come to restore the world? There is only one superior person who has the ability, power and will to bring man back to his original place -- God. The fallen process has been like a healthy person becoming ill, and in reverse process; man must be restored to his original place by reversing the process of the fall. The work of salvation is equivalent to the work of restoration, and involves bringing a person from an abnormal state back to his original state, just like bringing a sick person back to health. Salvation and restoration are the same, but the point of observation is different: From God's point of view of man who is to be saved, the process is restoration. For man to be restored, indemnity must be paid. That is the vital principle of this process. To liquidate sin man must pay the debt of sin. In the same manner, a patient must often endure suffering when being treated by a doctor. Sometimes the doctor must prescribe a very bitter medicine, and even though the patient is reluctant, he must take it to be restored. Fallen man is like the patient and must assimilate indemnity, pain and suffering in order to be restored into his original wholeness. What can cure fallen love? What kind of disease have you caught? The diagnosis is that fallen man has the disease of fallen love. It is the disease of love centered on Satan and controlled by Satan, and through it men and women have become prisoners of Satan by inheriting his lineage. All people are born as direct heirs of Satan. How did this disease of love start? The fall was initiated when one person claimed self-centered love. That person denied the value of all other relationships in his desire to make himself the center of the universe. He sought to bring benefit only to himself, and when his desire entered the realm of love, the disease was begun. We must find a cure for this love disease. What medicine should be prescribed? Because self-centered love brought the fall, we must find a God-centered or unselfish love in order to be cured or restored. If Adam and Eve and the archangel had forgotten themselves in the Garden of Eden, thinking only of God and their desire to place themselves in a God-centered love, then there could have been no fall or any of its consequences here on earth. What is heaven? Heaven is created by those people who love here on earth with unselfishness and an absolute, God-centered love. This is the most basic principle, and all other principles you learn are expansion of this basic truth. What I have spoken to you thus far is the very heart of the truth of God. Do you love yourself most of all? Are you the center of your love? Is God the center? Twenty-four hours a day and 365 days a year have you been loving yourself in a God-centered way? If you cannot say "yes" then you are not destined for the Kingdom of God in heaven, and need liberation from your bondage. This is the most severe battle which you are waging every day, and each of you must become victors in this battle for your liberation. Without becoming victorious you will not deserve the Kingdom of God. Suppose someone suddenly attacked you without any reason. The usual human reaction would be to yell, "Why did you hit me?" and try to hit back. But you must be patient, not because you are weak, but because in the name of God you are becoming different. Jesus Christ waged this different kind of battle when he blessed his enemies. Jesus was thinking about his mission for God 24 hours a day, looking at everything from God's point of view. Before seeking revenge against the world, he remembered how God had patiently persevered. Knowing that God's will was ultimately the restoration of mankind, Jesus did not wage his battle as Satan does. Because Jesus prayed for his own enemies, especially at the moment he was being destroyed, he transcended all satanic realms and totally liberated himself from accusation by Satan. From then on he was free to go to the throne of God and exercise the grace and power of salvation. Satan is always looking for some loophole or hook of fallen nature, and since most people have a thousand hooks Satan does not have to make much effort to snag them. But Jesus' life was absolutely pure, and no matter how much Satan tried to find some weakness in him, Jesus was not vulnerable. Jesus Christ was completely free from satanic accusation and by rising above the satanic realm he could become one with God in heaven. Since Jesus could enter that realm, God could use him as His instrument without any reservation. After Satan killed Jesus on the cross, God was free to resurrect His son. God did not have to pay attention to Satan, but could exercise His power to the ultimate degree. Because of Jesus, therefore, a new world could come into being which was completely free of the satanic world. By knowing this principle we must clearly realize that when the Messiah comes for the salvation of mankind he will not come in glory. He will come in misery and assimilate all the pain and suffering of the world. He will be attacked by the entire satanic world, yet persevere without seeking revenge, being patient as God has been, and finally winning out in the end. Any religion or any work of religion which teaches the need for such patience while going the road of indemnity will be the religion which ultimately meets the Messiah. Our motive for unification Who are we, the Unification movement? The word "unification" is a big word, indicating that we want to embrace all religions so that we can unite all of them into one. Do we desire that for our own satanic purpose? No, we want to bring them up to the throne of God. That is the meaning of the word "unification." The Unification movement must walk the messianic road, the road of suffering and beatings. It is the road that commences at the very bottom of mankind's misery and rises all the way up to the very throne of God. That is the road that we as Unificationists are undertaking. We are assuming the responsibility to become that world religion. How- ever, we must make our motives very clear. Are we here for the sake of the Unification Church, or for the sake of heaven and earth? The Unification movement exists solely to serve God and mankind. That is the way God thinks, and that is the way we must think. For that reason we receive the pain of suffering and difficulty, but we cannot be liberated from the satanic realm unless we think, "This is for God and humanity." The satanic world is totally self-centered and in order to liberate ourselves from it we must live an absolutely different way of life. As we live this life absolutely, we will liberate ourselves from satanic influence. Is this clear? When you go out witnessing and fund raising you might sometimes think, "I am not good for this. I am so tired I just cannot go on." That excuse is acceptable if you are thinking only of yourself, but when you put God in the picture, and claim that you are universe-centered and mankind-centered, then you cannot complain or say you are tired. You may think that many members of the Unification Church are working very hard, but from God's standpoint this is not true. You have not yet met the standard that God has established. You may persevere for a time, but then you come to the point where you give up. "No more ' you say. "I want to rest now and do things my own way." Then your attitude becomes a big hook. Satan is always watching and will say, "Look, you said you were working for God and humanity 100 percent, but your actions have given you away." Harder times are coming Of course sometimes you get tired and weak, and sometimes you get sick, but at those times you must think, "God, You have suffered more than I have. True Parents, you have suffered more than I have. Heavenly Father, there are many brothers and sisters in this world who are suffering more than I am. I am so grateful that I can do this, and as long as my life remains, I will continue." When you speak your gratitude and live by it, Satan has no way to hook you. Then you are totally free to go beyond the satanic realm and to be like Jesus, completely one with God. I do not say this to bribe you to work. This is the basic principle of God. I want you to know that the logical conclusion of this principle is that even tougher days will come to the Unification movement. You may think that every day our way of life gets tougher, with more persecution and pressure, but I want you to realize that this is the sign that we are near our total liberation from satanic influences. That final segment of our journey of freeing ourselves from the satanic realm is the year of 1976 through June 1977. A congressional source informed me a few days ago that ever since our involvement in the Watergate issue, the U.S. government has received many letters of both protest against and approval of the Unification Church, and disputes over our church have developed within high levels of government. That source said that there has not been such a heated battle over one particular issue since Watergate. We are creating a world event, aren't we? We will see the entire world come against us, and even now we can feel the pressure of the world upon our shoulders. Our enemies will not only create national and worldwide protest against me, but will use dirty tactics to undermine us. For example, communists will infiltrate our ranks and behave like dedicated members. Once they are trusted they will begin to make all kinds of trouble, and ultimately their actions will reflect back on me. That is their goal, and I am clearly aware of this tactic. How pitiful my situation is. Already I am receiving all kinds of accusation and persecution from outside, but even worse, there are people who are calculating how to shame me from within the Unification Church. There is no place where I can escape the heated battle. How do you see me? Am I a tough man of conviction and iron will, with the drive to go to the end, or am I the type of person who is so timid and afraid that I cannot even speak? I am a man of extremes, and no one has a more determined will than I do. On the one hand I am hot tempered and blazing like a fire, but I am also like a person with no bones who can take beating after beating and remain patient, never desiring revenge and never cursing anybody. I think that being hot tempered and iron willed, as well as patient and enduring, is how God wants me to be, and I am trying to fulfill that. At the moment of his death, Jesus forgave those who killed him. My determination is that in my own life I will bless my enemies by persevering and absorbing all the beatings and pain the world may give. I want to establish that condition while I am yet on earth. Jesus Christ liberated himself from the satanic world by his crucifixion, but I intend to go past the realm of crucifixion while I am here on earth. Why do I have this determination? God wants to see that victorious pattern sealed here on earth, not just in the spiritual realm. We need a victorious foundation here on earth -- the complete liberation from satanic influence. This is my mission. I came to liberate mankind from all satanic influence, and to be victorious I have to go beyond the satanic realm here on earth. Do you realize that the pinnacle of this providence was reached at the Washington Monument rally? Then on Feb. 23, 1977, True Parents' Birth- day, I offered an extraordinary prayer, forgiving heaven and earth and declaring a new day and a new history. Can you grasp the significance of the new day and new history? This is the work we are undertaking right now. Today is the 18th anniversary of Parents' Day. Your 18th year marks the beginning of your maturity, and I understand that in America some states allow 18-year-olds to vote, recognizing them as adults. The truth of the matter is that women mature before men do. Women become adults at the age of 18, but men generally take three more years, maturing at the age of 21. The three years remaining until the 21st anniversary of Parents' Day will be a buffer zone in which we can fully consummate our work. This is the period where we will restore the dignity and authority of the Unification Church. The Unification Church will then be able to stand before the world as mature. God will ask us to claim His love It is not God's mandate that I forever remain silent and humble while receiving persecution. When all the conditions are set, God will ask me to declare my dignity and authority as an individual, and the center of a heavenly family, society, nation, and world. The time will come when we will claim God's true love and authority. The 6,000 biblical years of God's history actually equal many thousands of physical years. God has been waiting that long for the day when one man would come to the earth who would truly grasp His concept, possess His own will and conviction to fight, and declare victory over the entire satanic world. That is happening now. Only with that viewpoint can you see how truly momentous this day is. Even if I were to die now I would not be a failure. I will go to the spirit world with dignity and power and authority and stand before Heavenly Father to receive His welcome. In the meantime my work on earth will continue. Do you believe this? We are already outside the satanic realm; I have already gone beyond it. The work of restoration has been proceeding by the application of God's Principle, and that formula of restoration will endure. It was there in the Beginning, it exists now, and it shall remain until we totally liquidate all satanic influence. Then we will no longer need to apply this formula. When I declare that I have won over and transcended the satanic world, I do not mean that I have gone alone: the entire spirit world has also moved with me. As you know, the spirit world is equivalent to the angelic world. Angels by nature were supposed to follow Adam's path as his servants in the original creation. Yet not only were the angels to follow Adam in his growth; even God would follow Adam. It is the Principle. I am leaving the satanic world behind, and as I move further and further away from it God is establishing a new sovereignty here on earth. When that sovereignty is finally declared by God, anyone or any power which opposes it will be shattered. The Christian nation of America is a great giant among the sovereign nations of the world, but if America stands against the dignity of heaven, America will be shattered. That is the judgment of heaven. Christianity prospered for 2,000 years, but in the two decades since 1960 it began a steep decline. I want to clearly declare that the reason for that decline is the opposition of Christians to the new sovereignty, the new power and truth of God. If the Christian cultural sphere continues such a trend then it will be caught in an unavoidable decline. On the other hand, if Christianity will accept me and repent, and if America will accept me and repent, then there is a ray of hope. There is no other way for either America or Christianity to find hope. Many people may think this declaration is boastful and blasphemous, but I have declared this with the authority of the entire spirit world, which already supports it. I merely bear testimony to the truth. Satan must acknowledge you Once we can create our own society outside of satanic influence, should we stop worrying about the rest of the world, and say, "Let them just go to hell"? If we leave the world alone it will certainly decline and die. Do you think that is God's will? I know that is not God's will. Though we are now living in the same world, our kingdom is different, and just as God sent His son Jesus from His throne to this fallen world, God is now sending you to save it. I am now ordering you to go into the satanic -- world to save it, even risking your life. I want you to set the condition that you walked the same path the True Parents walked. I walked this suffering road for 33 years, and by your setting the necessary conditions in the next 3 1/2 years, I would like to give you all the blessing of having walked the same path I walked. I am sure that by now you desire to forget about your missions of selling and witnessing and just desire to unite with me, now that my way is easier. That is not what I want. If anyone follows me to go the easy way, I will turn you around and send you back into the satanic world. You have not yet set the condition of indemnity that you might be completely free, and only after working to pay your indemnity can you come with me. Who is going to testify that you have paid your indemnity? Satan must be your witness, and you must go out to Satan's world and get his signature to bring to God. Many people do not understand that they must go this course to overcome the satanic world, and they think that God is just weak and vulnerable; they even say that there is no God. But God is waiting for man to go out to the fallen world to suffer and win over Satan. Satan must say, "God, I have no accusation to make about this person." God has been waiting for His children to win that kind of recognition so that He might freely exercise His power. Do you want to take the easy way and merely follow me, or do you want to go into the satanic world and fight? Would you want to challenge any difficulty you might encounter, even at the cost of your life? You must love those in the satanic world as much as you love God and as much as you love me. It is only upon that condition that you will be given approval by God and myself. That is God's way. God and I will not complain at all if you love the satanic world most. You need two elements before you can come to God's throne. First you need your spiritual children, for by having spiritual children you can liberate the spiritual world. Secondly, you need physical children, for through them you can liberate the physical world. God and I want you to go to the satanic world and fight to win these two conditions. In the usual pattern of your life in the Unification Church, your first three years are devoted to winning your spiritual children. In the three years after receiving the Blessing you can receive the blessing of having physical children. Altogether seven years are involved. Each of you must go this seven-year course in order to win all of heaven and earth. Creation took six days, with God resting on the seventh day. In the same way we must set the condition of working for seven years in the course of recreation. If you cannot do this you are only following me externally, even if you are a leader in our church or one of the 36 Blessed Couples. As long as a person does not work for his own fulfillment in this Principle he is not worthy of me and cannot truly follow me. Even now I am going the path of more suffering and pain, but not out of stupidity. I came to America to stir up this nation, expecting it to come against me. I did not come to elevate my own honor or dignity, but only for the purpose of God. For God's sake I stirred up controversy and let America come against me. The turmoil of the hurricane lies in our path, but we are going to be victorious. I am the captain who is steering the ship through the stormy weather. America has entered a new age, the age of the deprogrammers, and Americans are closely scrutinizing me, trying to find fault. They will not find fault because I have done nothing wrong. Who among the pilgrim fathers on the Mayflower had a visa to come to America? They came with religious conviction in the name of God. They came to this land to unselfishly fulfill God's will. For the same reason, but on the universal level, the Unification Church young people have gathered in America in the name of God, to establish the Kingdom of God here on earth. When the pilgrim fathers came from Europe in the name of God they were actually illegal aliens, but God's dispensation lay with them. We are the new age pilgrim fathers of the universe, and even though this nation may think we are illegal aliens, God is on our side. Ultimately God will overcome this negativity and opposition. The Unification Church is the first movement of liberation. No religious leaders today. are even thinking on such a scale. Only I am taking a stand without fear, speaking out directly for God so seriously that I am willing to give up my life to declare my message. There may be some communist spy or government agent listening here, anxious to find out what I have to say. Let them listen. Regardless of who is listening, there are certain things which I must declare. If I do not declare these things then I am not obeying God's order. Who is going to bring the resurrection of mankind? Not Christianity, Judaism or communism, but the members of the Unification movement. We have the power, we have the knowledge, and we have the conviction to resurrect this nation and all the nations of the. world. Do you have the confidence to do it? Raise your hands, those who have such confidence. This is our responsibility. Your beachhead in the fallen world This 18th Parents' Day is a very meaningful day. You must fully realize where you are standing and what your mission is. I have explained to you what kind of attitude brought about the fall, and how by wholeheartedly undertaking your mission you can liberate man from the conditions that led to the fall; in the future nobody will accuse you of being a self-centered person or of indulging in self-centered love. You now have the opportunity to be liberated from the satanic lineage and influence. Even though you are leaving the satanic realm, Satan still has a claim on your body because you were born in his lineage. However, if your loyalty is with God 100 percent, then even though you still have that string attached, Satan has no power to pull it. You must remember that the string is still attached, for Satan recognizes that your blood is his; but he must also realize that you have been restored to a position outside of the satanic realm, the position of angels who have not fallen. How can you create your beachhead in the satanic world? When God created man in the Garden of Eden, He was assisted by the angels. In your recreation as well, you need the help of God and the angels. An angel is good and pure, but until the appearance of perfected Adam and Eve, the angel is not free to perfect himself. Without the perfection of Adam and Eve the angelic world cannot be perfected. For you to elevate yourself to the position of physical Adam, you must be surrounded by spiritual children in the position of the three archangels. Now that you are in an area isolated from the satanic world you can create your own spiritual defense by winning spiritual children from the satanic world. With the help of God and those in the angelic position you can bring yourself into Adam s position. Then you are ready to have your own children. To establish your physical resurrection you must give birth to physical children of God who can be restored in the satanic world. Those children will serve in the role of your body. In bearing and raising your pure physical children you are linking the spirit world to the physical world through yourselves. Because the fall of man came in the growth stage, you must first restore yourself to the growth level, the position of Adam and Eve before the fall. The perfection realm was left unfulfilled by Adam and Eve, and shall be filled when you make yourself perfect Adam and Eve and win the right to give birth to your own sons and daughters. You can go through this entire process in seven years' time, just as the total creation was accomplished in a seven-day period. In this seven-year period you will go through three stages. First, you have already separated yourselves from the satanic world and are being elevated to the position of unfallen angels. Second, you will elevate yourselves into the growth level, the position of restored Adam and Eve. Because the fall occurred between husband and wife, you must fulfill the level of Adam and Eve as couples. The third stage of perfection is the parents' level. No matter how great you become as you are restored, you are still the product of the satanic world; you were born into the satanic lineage, and you still have ties with the satanic world which you cannot completely sever. Your children, however, will be born in the name of God, having nothing to do with the satanic world, and they will be the stepping stone by which you will elevate yourselves to the position of perfected Adam and then parent. There is always a chance for something to go wrong while your sons and daughters grow toward perfection and the Blessing; you must take constant care in raising your children until they are mature and you can bless them in heavenly matrimony. At what point can you be totally grafted into the lineage of heaven? The moment that you receive the Blessing from the True Parents is the great moment when your bonds to your satanic lineage are severed and you become part of the heavenly lineage. Most marriages in the world are not God-centered, but in the Unification Church our greatest pride is that in the name of the True Parents couples can enter into the heavenly, God-centered lineage. At that moment they become direct heirs of God. Through the Blessing the process of the fall can be totally reversed. But that reversal must be complete, for if some tiny hole remains then Satan will dash in to claim it. You must become true parents I know Satan's secret, and no matter what the satanic world will try to do, it is destined to crumble. We stand on the side of God's Principle; however, a pioneer or harbinger is needed to open all stages of restoration. Until one man can pave the way no one else will be able to find it. This is the most important key. The road of restoration follows a precise formula, but someone must pioneer that formula. As soon as you understand the formula all you have to do is apply it in order to gain the same result. You can be restored as individual men and women as far as the growth level, but to enter perfection you need to receive the Blessing and bear children. After a seven-year period of raising your children, you can reach the perfection of perfection. You must also be protected and escorted by your spiritual children in the angelic position. You need angels around you, and that is why having spiritual children is a most essential requirement for receiving the Blessing. With them in the position of angels to escort you, you can attain the level of Adam and Eve before the fall and qualify to receive the Blessing. You must be able to come to the throne of God having completed each of three levels in your life on earth: the level of restored angel, the level of perfected son and daughter, and the level of having raised your perfected children. These three positions must all be regained from the satanic world. Your lineage will gather behind you, beginning with your children, with each of them in one of these three different levels of maturity. Among your descendants you will see every level of accomplishment. From generation to generation your lineage will expand onto an ever larger scale, from the family level to the societal level, national, worldwide, and universal levels. Even though I will be gone, this expansion will continue. Progressing further and further through the years, the realm of your own lineage will get bigger and bigger. Your destination is the eternal dwelling place of the True Parents. Mother and I are not going to be the only True Parents. My goal is to make all of you true parents. It is the greatest honor that I can give to you. In your own area and lineage each of you is to become the true parents. I am not just theorizing now, but speaking of the way of the Principle which I have lived and walked. I have done this on the individual level, family, societal, national, worldwide, and cosmic levels. I have gained invincible victory at each level of accomplishment, and thus I have declared the liberation of the individual, family, society, nation, world and cosmos. Now I am declaring the liberation of God Himself. Can you grasp the significance of this formidable statement? Some people exclaim that I am a heretic for saying such things, but let us wait and see who God believes is the heretic. Every mission we undertake must be accomplished on both the physical and spiritual planes. Anything we establish in the spiritual realm must be duplicated in the physical world, and those physical accomplishments must then be united with our spiritual accomplishments. The entire spiritual world is in the angelic position; therefore, to find the physical element they must work with the level of the physical world. Even though it is not God-centered, this world is invaluable because it is only here that you can find what you need. When you can bring your physical children together with your spiritual children, you are truly in the Kingdom of God. In the Garden of Eden children and parents can rejoice together in God's glory, freed from any acquaintance with the fall. I am declaring the absolute standard for you Unification Church members: Unless you find three spiritual children in three years you are not entitled to the Blessing. Jesus' ministry was focused on precisely that. He wanted to find his three major apostles and raise them in faith so they could establish the foundation for their physical families here on earth. It was God's wish and also Jesus' desire that Jesus claim his throne and elevate himself to the position of True Parents. Instead Jesus met with such opposition that finally he was crucified without attaining it. We witness to restore relatives Jesus must indeed come again; however, if God were to send Jesus the way Christians predict, on the clouds of heaven, not only would Christianity crumble, but the entire world would crumble. The fall of man did not occur in the spirit world but in the physical world. Salvation must also take place in the physical world. No one can even talk about his kingdom of heaven until he establishes his kingdom here on earth, for without establishing the kingdom here on earth, there will be no kingdom in heaven. Jesus did not take the keys to the Kingdom of God with him to heaven, but left them here on earth. Jesus said: 'Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.'(Matt. 16:19) Without understanding the significance of the physical world, there is no way to understand the Scriptures and the true meaning of the Bible. We members of the Unification. movement are proud people, hand picked for God's mission. We have undertaken the liberation of the satanic world and the declaration of the glory and victory of God before heaven and earth. By now I am sure you understand that restoration must go through that process. No one can enter heaven without walking this path and fulfilling this Principle. Christians have been very naive in thinking that believing in Jesus is all that is required to end up in heaven, while they leave this world unchanged. Their idea of a guaranteed place in heaven is a crazy concept that could never enable man to fulfill God's will. From God's standpoint that is heretical thinking, not the Principle of the Unification movement. In the Last Days, the truth will seem to be a lie and lies will seem to be the truth. That is precisely what is happening today, isn't it? Though I represent the genuine goodness of God, the world thinks I am some kind of monster; some people even think my organization is worse than the Mafia. I studied science and mathematics and unless everything we do is scientifically possible, I will not even do it myself. I am not a foolish man with blind ideals. Why does the world come against us? The reason is very simple. They are afraid of us. Jews and Catholics and Protestants have been fighting and killing each other for 2,000 years, but when I appear they hastily get together as allies to make a statement against me. Without even knowing me some people now say, "Reverend Moon must be some kind of giant because the denominations were enemies before, but now they have come together as allies against this one man!" This occurrence is prophetic. In uniting to come against me, the Jews, Catholics and Protestants have shown that there is room for unity among the three faiths. Yet, without me there is no way they can become one in the sight of God. We must become the catalyst, for it is with our blessing alone that they have the possibility of truly becoming one. Our diligent witnessing is for a dual purpose. We are restoring our spiritual children, of course, but we are also restoring our relatives; our closest relative is Protestantism, and our cousin is Catholicism, while our distant cousin, yet still very much our relative, is Judaism. The non-religious people of the world are extremely distant cousins. Their restoration is the job the Unification movement has undertaken. I have fully expounded on the external meaning of Parents' Day in its historical context, but I have not yet spoken of its internal aspect: Is your flesh, blood and bone related to God or not? No matter how much you may say "yes," even if your "yes" brings the roof down, at best we could say that your flesh is only conditionally related to God; in actuality there is no relation. Now you call me your True Parent, but do you really have any connection with me? Does my flesh have something to do with your flesh? Does my bone have something to do with your bone? Does my blood have a relationship to your blood? Restoration itself is only conditional. You will never be able to pay your whole debt, but by the conditions of restoration you can accomplish what would otherwise take a million years. That is a beautiful secret. Love makes restoration possible What condition will make this possible? Money? Power? Knowledge? Faith? Even faith can change from morning to evening. What is the unchanging condition by which you can relate with God and the True Parents? You are correct: True love alone will make the connection. When Jesus Christ came to this world as the Messiah, he had an external and an internal mission. His external mission was to rule the world as the Messiah, the king of kings, establishing God's sovereignty. His internal mission was very tender, for he came as the parent of mankind. How could Jesus internally elevate himself? He could not elevate himself to the position of True Parent with power or kingship. Those would have been to no avail. It was only by a love that was higher, deeper, and wider than all the love the satanic world could offer that Jesus could fulfill his mission. As the Messiah, Jesus could declare that whoever would follow him must love him more than anyone or anything else -- more than country, parents, spouse, or children. Jesus could not qualify as the Messiah unless he were capable of declaring such a thing. From his desire to declare to the world the supreme love of God Jesus said, 'He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.' (Matt. 10:37) He was indeed the Messiah, and he knew that he was capable of giving that supreme love to anyone who could love him above all else. By giving their greatest love to Jesus, Christians are entitled to inherit God's kingdom and the True Parents' love. Jesus actually came to make a trade of love. He brings heavenly love, and we bring worldly love. God's love is so superior that His love will not come to you unless you can offer Him the best love you can give. In this trade of love you can restore your eternal kingship; you will inherit the visible kingdom that God possesses externally, but more importantly, in loving Jesus the most, you can even possess him and you can actually possess God. When you approach Jesus in that kind of love he will respond, and even God will have no choice but to respond to you. This is a beautiful exchange, isn't it? Jesus declared to his disciples and to the world that unless they could love him more than anyone else, they were not worthy of him. That is a most extraordinary statement! There was no way that he could avoid being accused of blaspheming. "We will stone you for blasphemy because you, being a man, make yourself God." Finally he was crucified. In a way Jesus actually set the stage for his own crucifixion by making statements that angered people enough that they wanted to kill him. His statements were certainly ambitious and bold; how could people accept such statements in those days? Imagine a husband and wife with a very deep relationship listening to one of Jesus' sermons, saying that unless they loved him more than their own spouse they were not worthy of him. Do you think that husband would turn to his wife and say, "Yes, go love him more than me"? Any husband would say, "Forget it! You love me most; you are my wife." The Messiah's course is a truly stony path. Over and over God asks him to do impossible things. Raise your hand if you want to volunteer to become the Messiah. Anybody who would volunteer must have something wrong with his head. T he Messiah must be able to eat his own stool and say, "This is as sweet as honey." God is continually asking the Messiah to do absolutely insane things. Does this discourage you? God's efforts to restore true love Why can love set a significant condition? It is only with the condition of love that you can leap the many millennia to restoration. God made love so supreme that with true love there is nothing that cannot be surmounted. Love alone transcends time, and does not know history. Among the congregation I see some elderly women. Think about that time years ago when you first fell in love; even though you are now 60 or 70 years old, it is as vivid as yesterday, isn't it? The love that they tasted many decades ago is still fresh and sweet, and they want to dwell there even now. Love knows no distance. If your beloved is trembling on a chunk of ice at the North Pole, do you think that your love will be frozen and weak? Distance makes no difference. Love can never be confined by time and space. Even God cannot revolutionize true love. From the beginning to the end, from alpha to omega, love remains the same, forever unchanging. If this little handkerchief were love, it would have greater value to lovers than the entire continent of North America. Isn't that right? Only that timeless, spaceless, eternal love can set the condition for you to be restored into heaven. How has God been working to restore this true love? Not just mankind and the angels but the entire creation was affected by the fall. Even the dignity of God was lost. The work of restoration means bringing everything that became fallen back into unity with God. God divided the restoration period into different segments. In the Old Testament era all the things of creation became the mediator between man and God. Why? Everything became upside down because of the fall of man. Originally man was supposed to be closest to God, but after the fall the things of creation were purer than man, and thus closer to God. For this reason man could reach God only by symbolically sacrificing himself through the things of creation. In addition, God created all things in the world before He created man. For these reasons the Old Testament era was the time in which God was restoring all things. God had to restore all things first, before He could turn to restore His children. Israel was the nation in the position of servant; through Judaism people were lifted from the state of fallen sinner up to the position of servant. Then in the New Testament era Jesus Christ came as the son of God to bring an era of great transformation. During Jesus' lifetime people were to be lifted from the position of servant to the position of sons of God. As God's servant, the nation of Israel was to support Jesus as the son of God, elevating him to the position of sovereign and then to the position of True Parent. The Bible referred to Jesus as a great teacher, but did not reveal the mission of Jesus as the parent. While Jesus was on earth the entire dispensation of restoration could have been shortened; the son of God came to restore true sonship, and to elevate himself into parenthood, raising the chosen people into direct sons and daughters, the true heirs of God. Then the entire nation could have been elevated to parenthood. That was God's scheduled program. Because Israel did not accept Jesus, however, she could not advance that far, and instead of becoming a living sacrifice, Jesus was killed as a sacrifice on the altar of God. Thus Jesus actually died to lay the foundation for the future coming of the Messiah. By his own death he paid the indemnity and paved the way for the Second Coming of the Messiah; thus began the Christian era of the New Testament. When the Messiah comes, he will bring those in the adopted child's position into the position of direct sons and daughters of God, and then elevate mankind into true parenthood under God. The Second Coming of the Messiah will be highlighted by the work of the True Parents. It will be the most brilliant new age, the final consummation of the work of God. The True Parents will be the mediators between God and man and all people shall be saved, becoming the direct children of God and true parents of future humanity. We must build our own foundation Judaism was the national, external foundation for Jesus, but Christianity bears that responsibility for the Second Coming of the Messiah. Furthermore the Messiah is coming on the worldwide level. Therefore, the Christian free world as a whole is in the position of the nation of Israel. When this situation is ripe you will know that the day of the Lord is near. When the messianic work is fulfilled by the free world, then God will take direct responsibility for the communist world. The restoration process can never be completed without this worldwide unity between Cain and Abel. Presently a Cain-Abel struggle is taking place between the Unification Church and other Christian churches, and between the Unification Church and America. World restoration can be speeded up after the Unification Church, Christianity, and America find the way to unify. However, because the free world opposes us, we ourselves must rebuild and stand upon our own foundation. History records the vertical process of restoration the Old Testament era was for the restoration of all things; the New Testament era was for the restoration of the children; and the Completed Testament era will see the restoration of the parents. Here in the Unification Church we are horizontally restoring the 6,000 biblical years of God's work in our lifetime. Within our own movement these three ages are unfolding horizontally. We are establishing an economic sphere; in addition we have children; and in the center we have the True Parents. We are restoring all of these things ourselves, and together we are bringing all of them to God as an offering. This work does not yet represent the kingdom, however; only when God returns our offering to us as a blessing will the kingdom begin. I am unfolding this dispensation in my own lifetime. After offering to God the spheres of economics, children and parents, the next phase to unfold will be that of the society and then the nation, world and universe. I came to America in 1972, and my 3 1/2 year campaign here was my offering to God of all the necessary conditions on the worldwide scale. My offering on the worldwide scale was completed by 1976. New York is the symbolic center of the world, and in this city we are working to firmly establish our economic strength. All the buildings we own in New York are part of this economic dispensation: the Headquarters Building, the East Sun Building, the World Mission Center, the Tiffany Building, and the Manhattan Center, as well as all the land we own in Tarrytown. Compared to the wealth of the world all this is still small, but we must offer it all to God as the heart of our worldwide offering. The energy of the world must be mobilized; every bit of money used to restore the economic sphere to God came from the blood and sweat of all our members around the world. I fulfilled my covenant with God The final climax of this offering was the Washington Monument rally. That was the altar upon which we offered to God everything that we had received. I want you to know that Sept. 18, 1976, was the day of offering for the sake of the world. Centering on the worldwide dispensation for America, that offering was made in Washington, D.C., the nation's capital. The five races of the world gathered together there, symbolically proclaiming, "God, we have made this an altar of ourselves; please accept all of us." That day of offering was the most serious, most divine and sacred day of the history of the world. Because a pure offering was made that day, the salvation of the world is destined to be consummated. On that day the entire spirit world declared victory. All the people of God united to declare victory. America should have declared victory together with us, but America failed to do that. Many well meaning people even advised me that for the sake of the church we should be a little more quiet, "Why do you want to make all the commotion of a Washington rally?" Even some of our leaders came to me saying, "Father, this will be a blunder. We just did Yankee Stadium and we need more money, more men; it is really impossible to do it this year." But I remained determined. "This is the showdown of my lifetime. I will give my sweat, my heart, and my life to do it." I decided to give everything -- myself, my family, our members, whatever economic strength our movement could mobilize -- everything that I could possibly give to successfully make that offering to God in Washington. This was not actually my showdown; it was God's showdown. I knew that God could not afford to fail in Washington, and I knew that God was the most anxious. Therefore, I was confident that God would come to our aid and I had only one conviction, "We shall succeed. We shall win." I want you to know that Sept. 18, 1976, was like my day of execution. I deeply felt like a criminal who had been sentenced to death and was going out to be executed. That is how serious I felt that day, utterly dead serious. Until Sept. 18, I completely lost track of time. I mistook my breakfast for dinner and my dinner for breakfast. Time swam in my mind. Even on my way to the bathroom I would suddenly find myself in a completely different place because my mind had gone blank. You cannot imagine how serious I was during that campaign; only God knows. How can I express to you the seriousness of Sept. 18? The showdown of God was at hand. The showdown of the entire struggle of good and evil was at hand. The entire destiny of the Unification Church was before me that day. Unless all the conditions could be established for God's. power and the entire spirit world to be connected to the earth on that day, I knew that I would not succeed. I was utterly serious, and I did it. The victory of that day was a miracle. It was the work of God, not of Reverend Moon or the Unification Church, that we succeeded in Washington. Extraordinary numbers of people came. The whole event was totally beautiful! Without rain or accident, all was beautiful from beginning to end. Do you think that could be the work of men? No, it was God's work. That victory established a new tradition. No matter what may happen to America in the future, nobody can remove that footprint which I so strongly imprinted in Washington on Sept. 18, 1976. One child got lost that day, and announcements were made all over Washington. There was deep suspense as people wondered what happened to the child who had come to Reverend Moon's rally. But he was found within three days, happy and well. I felt that he symbolized the lost, wandering world which shall be restored. It was a beautiful symbol of resurrection. When I came to America I was a lonely man. As I crossed the Pacific Ocean I prayed to God, pledging that the mission would be fulfilled. Three and a half years later, through the victory at Washington Monument, my prayer was answered; I was able to fulfill my pledge and covenant with God. Thereafter I could declare liberation. On Oct. 4, 1976, I declared the Day of the Victory of Heaven as one step of liberation. On True Parents' Birthday, Feb. 23, 1977, I declared that all heaven and earth, spirit world and physical world together, shall be forgiven. Forgiveness and liberation have now been declared. The new age has dawned; the new calendar has started. The Year One has been pronounced. This particular 18th Parents' Day is a very meaningful and extraordinary day for these reasons. Now, centering on my mission, you can begin to see how the Unification Church has evolved; what mission we are pursuing, and where we are going. You know why we need funds. The economic sphere represents all the things of creation that have been groaning in the satanic realm. By winning that sphere to the heavenly side by our own hands and our own sweat, we are establishing the condition to restore all the things of creation. Love is the key I am laboring harder than any company president in the world. I will strive harder and be more dramatically victorious than anyone in history. It is the love of God and love of mankind that makes this possible. In the name of God I want to break every record ever set. Even more than I love my own children I love every one of you as direct sons and daughters. I watch you more closely than you realize and seek to nurture you so that you can grow into giants in the sight of God. Why do I care about you so deeply? I know so well that not only Christianity but the entire religious world is crumbling. You are the people who will replace those who were lost, inheriting their foundation and their mission. You are very precious in the sight of God and I want to pour out my heart to you. I am from a poor country, but even when I came to work in America, the richest nation in the world, I did not spend American money to advance this movement to its present level. Instead, people poorer than Americans gave the money with which I have been raising up the American people and establishing the American church. Because America is vitally important to God, I determined to love America more than my own children, more than my own country, more than my own Asia. God deeply loves this nation and has done more and sacrificed more for this country than for any other country of the world. What is America's role? I will never say, "You must pay me back." Instead America must go out to the world, the six continents and five races of the earth, and give of itself and its wealth. Four billion people are waiting for the touch of America's hand. You must go out and serve them. If America succeeds in this mission then the glory of this nation shall be astonishing and have no end. America will then remain the most prosperous country on earth. Love is the key. It. is love alone that will connect all things together and bring them to the altar of God. When that happens God will turn around and give everything back to you as His blessing. That will mark the beginning o f the. Kingdom of God on earth. That is the, purpose for which I came. No matter what the people. outside of our church may have said, no matter what persecution or hardship the world may have given to me, I have never minded; instead I have been too busy giving everything to construct this mission. While Americans enjoy bread and meat, many of our members do not even enjoy a glass of milk, but only water. While American young people are idle and pursuing pleasures and relaxation, you and I have been giving totally of ourselves. Many of the great leaders of America have been applauded, respected and given glory, but instead of receiving glory and respect I have received persecution, misunderstanding and ridicule. Even under those circumstances I have survived. I came to America for the liberation of this nation and I was ready to go to jail if necessary; I am ready and willing to give my life for the sake of this nation. Presently I am. a miserable man in the eyes of the people. I walk the humble way, but I do it solely for the sake of God. Do you think God will always remain silent while America ridicules and persecutes His prophet? No, God could justly seek vengeance. I pray to God, "Do not unleash Your revenge. Here are the Unification Church members. Look at these beautiful, shining faces. They are the hope of America, they are the true America. Because of them, won't You forgive this nation?" That has been my prayer. America has become indebted to God, indebted to me, and indebted to you, the Unification Church. Some day America must pay everything back. Please understand me. I love you, but I cannot be soft with you. Under the circumstances that would not be the expression of love. I have become a cruel person in a way, chasing you out to the battlefield. I want you to understand what I am doing and why, and I want you to support me. If America had supported me with its mammoth wealth, even to the slightest degree, you would not have to go out and fund raise with such struggle. If America had supported me by freely giving of its young people, in such a way that negativity was not nurtured and spread, good people would have joined us freely and you would not have to go out to witness with such effort. However, America failed to respond in both ways. I cried out in prayer to God, pledging and swearing that every dollar our members made represented every penny of America's wealth, and that every new member that joined us represented the entire population of this nation. "God, honor their effort, honor their success, honor their sacrifice. God, each one of our members is taking up America's role." Each dollar you earn must be glistening with your tears, such money is more precious than any amount of money earned in business. Each member you bring must be the fruit of your sweat and blood and hard work. Do not worry, the American government will not have to chase me out; the time will come when I will go, voluntarily. If I were to leave I know that every one of you would feel no more attraction to America, but would want to follow me. How could I leave this country at this moment? If I sent away all the Japanese and European members, it is clear that this nation would decline like a ship without a captain. Do you want to watch this nation die or not? Do you clearly understand why we have walked this path, the purpose for which we are here, and the meaning of the work we have accomplished thus far? As soon as you were born you came under satanic lineage. Had there been no fall, all of you would have been born of God. Whether first, second, or third-born, you would each be a child of God. Instead, you are all destined to be born again. By the love of God you shall be reborn into the level of servant, adopted child, true-child, and finally God-centered, sinless parents. Then you will inherit all things. We must give rebirth to the created world, to the angelic world, to children of God, and to God-centered parents. From there we must expand our territory to the worldwide level, going beyond the satanic realm on the worldwide level and even giving rebirth to all things on the universal scale. Cain and Abel must unite Since the fall of man everything has been upside down, but we are reversing the process of the fall to make everything straight. God and Satan are intently fighting a tug-of-war over the children of Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve were directly claimed by Satan, and God postponed His hope for them. The angel was supposed to come under the dominion of Adam, but this became reversed through the fall, and Satan, the servant, controlled Adam instead. Cain as the elder brother was born in the position of Satan, while Abel was born in Adam's position, representing the side of God. The original channel of command could be restored only by a reversal of dominion in which the younger brother took the position of elder brother, thus putting the archangel back on the servant level. The fallen, stained parents could then be restored on the foundation of Abel's victory, and the unstained, perfected Adam would then come as the Messiah. The children of God would then be born within that lineage. In the Garden of Eden there was only Adam's family; therefore, if that family was restored, all things would have been done. God intended to complete this providence within three generations and then send the Messiah. At that time he would have established the True Parents, and the rest of the family members would have been grafted into their lineage, restoring the entire family at one time. This was the dispensation of Adam's family. However, Cain slew Abel, creating a repetition of the fallen act in which the archangel killed Adam instead of obeying him. Cain's act multiplied the consequences of the fall. The division and struggle between the Cain side and Abel side has been perpetuated from the family level to the tribal, national, and worldwide levels, and man's history has been the history of struggle. Man's struggle has only brought greater division, and because Satan's dominion expanded to cover the entire world, restoration had to encompass the far ends of the earth. The tug-of-war that started with Cain and Abel has today expanded to the worldwide level. God is pulling His world and Satan is pulling his world; God is pulling Abel and Satan is pulling Cain. However, if Abel's will to pull becomes strong enough, God can even pull Cain all the way to His side, leaving nothing more to be restored. The dispensation of Cain and Abel is for the younger to achieve the position of the elder, and the elder to take the position of the younger. This process of restoring the birthright to God's side must be fulfilled up to the worldwide scale. God has been winning through heavenly struggle, slowly fitting things back into their original order. Through the process of reversal God started His work at the far end, bringing everything back to its consummation at the center. The religious world today is in the position of Abel, the younger brother, while the non-religious world is in Cain's position. Cain will always seek to persecute Abel, and throughout history the religious world has always been persecuted. Cain always claims that Abel must submit to him, but the religious world responds, "No, we represent Adam and you represent the angel. You must follow us." Always the satanic world takes the initiative to suppress the religious world, and always there is struggle. If the necessary conditions had been fulfilled in Adam's family through the unity of Cain and Abel, all would have been completely fulfilled horizontally in one family. But that failed and the entire restoration became vertical, descending through history and expanding into ever broader levels as the family expanded into a tribe, the tribe into a nation, and the nation into the world. Cain and Abel must become one. In the sight of God there was no difference between Cain and Abel when they were born. Only because of the fall was there a vast difference in the meaning of their positions as elder son and younger son. The ultimate dominion in the world should begin with the positions of Cain and Abel united into oneness. You know from Old Testament history that the Cain and Abel providence which failed in Adam's family continued through Esau and Jacob, and also through Tamar's children, Perez and Zerah. There the continuing providence for the younger brother to win the birthright of his elder brother was consummated on all levels, even in the mother's womb. From this lineage Jesus was born. Jacob and Rebecca Cain and Abel were born separately, while Esau and Jacob were born together as twins. As twins they were much closer in their relationship than Cain and Abel. Why was Jacob blessed? According to the Bible's description he was a cunning man who lied to his elder brother and father, conniving with his mother to get Esau's birthright. Why could God continually bless him in that case? Rebecca, his mother, also deceived her husband and son. In the Garden of Eden Eve deceived both her husband and God, and this double deception brought about the fall. Eve did not listen to God but listened to Satan, and lied to her own husband; she lied to two generations, father and son. In restoration Rebecca took the position of Eve, doing so by lying to her husband and her son for the heavenly purpose of assisting Jacob to restore the birthright. Through her fervent desire to fulfill the work of God, Rebecca was able to restore herself to the position of mother on the side of God, and help restore Jacob as a son on the side of God. Step by step, Rebecca cooperated with her heavenly son to restore everything: Biblical scholars are confronted with an unsolvable question of morality in Jacob's course; he was a cunning man and a swindler, yet the Bible indicated that God continuously blessed him. Why? Without knowing the deep significance of God's dispensation, there is no way to understand. When Isaac was close to death he blessed Jacob, believing that Jacob was actually Esau. When Esau later went to receive his father's blessing he discovered Jacob's deception, and he demanded, 'Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.' (Gen. 27:38) But Isaac Insisted, 'Behold, I have made him your lord . . . What then can I do for you, my son?' (Gen. 27:37) Jacob was a man of wisdom, and in order to avoid the accusation of his elder brother, he had already conditionally gained his elder brother's birthright by trading it for a bowl of lentils. Strictly speaking, Esau had no right to be angry, for he himself had already sold his birthright. Even so, Esau was consumed with anger and determined to kill Jacob, just as Cain had killed Abel. However, Rebecca again assisted Jacob and he fled from danger. If Isaac had actually given Esau the blessing he gave Jacob, then God would not have had a condition to side with Jacob, and confusion would have emerged in the dispensation. However, God was always with Jacob, and through him God's dispensation was successfully fulfilled for the first time. All the conditions for physical restoration were met and fulfilled. After a 21-year sojourn in a foreign land, Jacob returned to Canaan. On his way Jacob was confronted at the ford of Jabbok by an angel who represented Satan. The fall of man came when an angel subjugated a man; therefore, in restoration man must subjugate the angel. For this reason God sent the angel to confront Jacob, wanting Jacob to win not only physically over Esau, but also spiritually over the angel. By doing so Jacob could restore man to his proper position and bring the angel down to his proper position as servant. When Jacob confronted the angel at the ford of Jabbok, he had to give his entire heart and soul, even more than he had during his 21 years of servitude in Haran. Indeed, Jacob was determined even to die, and though his thigh was knocked out of joint he did not hesitate, but continued in his struggle. The angel finally acknowledged that he could not prevail against Jacob and blessed him, saying, 'Your name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed. (Gen 32:28) What was Jacob's victory? Jacob won a spiritual victory over the angelic world. From that time on Jacob was assisted not only by God but by the angelic world in whatever he chose to do. Spiritually Satan could not assist Esau when he confronted Jacob after 21 years of separation, and Esau had to embrace his brother. You recall that Esau received a great many gifts when Jacob freely gave of his earnings of 21 years. What is the significance of this act? In doing so, Jacob set the condition by which we also can purchase our birthright through giving out our fortune. Thereafter all truly religious people have given up their material wealth to the satanic world, and in doing so, could not only win the satanic world but also win their birthright. Jesus also gave up everything, possessing nothing throughout his entire mission. Once you know the Principle, the Bible suddenly becomes very logical. The restoration of Cain and Abel was completed for the first time through the lives of Jacob and Esau. God won His first victory on earth at the moment the two brothers became one and Esau embraced Jacob. Through his unity with Jacob, Esau and his descendants also received the blessing of God. Esau was born into Satan's position, but during the process of restoration Esau cooperated with Jacob, however unwillingly, and when Esau welcomed Jacob the two positions were restored, and God could extend an equal blessing to Esau. Further preparation of Jesus' lineage Jacob and Esau were about the age of 40 when they finally fulfilled the will of God; however, their success could only affect those people of that age or older. No one below the age of forty could benefit by this process in the restoration. God prepared another step in His dispensation that would protect His children from the period of their life in their mother's womb until the age of 40. This providence had to be sealed within the next three generations of Jacob's descendants. Judah was the fourth son of Jacob, and Judah's son married a woman whose name was Tamar. According to Jewish tradition, if a son died without leaving sons, his brother had to act as a husband to the dead brother's wife so that the dead brother's lineage would be continued. Tamar did not have children when her husband died, and when the next brother refused to fulfill his responsibility, he died. However, the third brother was not given to Tamar when he became old enough, and Tamar saw that she had no hope to bear children. She knew that her mission was to continue the family of her husband and Judah, his father, and she finally decided to sacrifice even her honor in order to fulfill the will of God. Disguising herself as a prostitute, Tamar enticed her father-in-law to have a relationship with her. Without knowing she was his daughter-in-law Judah consented. In order to save her life for the sake of her child, Tamar asked Judah for his signet and staff as a pledge for payment, and confiscated them. Three months later when it became obvious that the widow Tamar was pregnant, she was brought before Judah to be judged. At that time adultery was punishable by death. You can imagine Judah's horror: "Bring her out, and let her be burned!" But she answered, 'By the man to whom these belong, I am with child,' (Gen. 38:25) and she brought out the things that Judah had given her in his pledge. Man fell through fornication, so why would God use adulterous women in the dispensation? Tamar was one example of how God frequently used women of most unusual character in restoration. They are in a satanic position, but if they completely deny their satanic nature when summoned by God, then they can be restored from one extreme to the opposite extreme. God selected His champions from the most miserable situations. Tamar was a righteous woman, and though she was originally in a sinful position, she completely dedicated herself to God's mission, risking her life, honor, and prestige. Paralleling the way Eve lied to God and her husband to bring about the fall, Tamar deceived her father-in-law and her husband-to-be, the third brother of her original husband. She was in a position to reverse the position of Eve by reversing Eve's actions. The significant thing is that she risked her life to do God's will. Tamar conceived twins, and in this case the struggle of Cain and Abel began within her very womb. The Bible records how Rebecca's twins also struggled within their mother's womb She had prayed to God to under- stand what was happening, and God answered her, saying, 'Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples, born of you, shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, and the elder shall serve the younger.' (Gen. 25:23) Ultimately Jacob did gain the birthright from his elder brother, Esau. When the time came for Tamar's children to be delivered, the struggle ensued directly within her womb. The first child started to come out and the midwife tied a red thread around his wrist. That sign foreshadowed the emergence of communism in the Last Days. However, before the first child could be born there was a struggle, and the younger brother pulled the other back inside and was himself born first. That son was named Perez, and the other named Zerah. The result of this struggle was that for the first time the restoration of Cain and Abel took place inside the mother's womb, the younger brother having subjugated his elder brother even prior to birth. Tamar's extraordinary action cleansed Judah's lineage and rendered it intact from satanic invasion from the time of conception. Mary's foundation Through the victory of both Jacob and Tamar, God could claim a foundation that spanned man's entire life. Jesus was born in the lineage of Judah, and Satan had no way to invade his life because the cleansing process was already completed. Jesus came years after the dispensation of Jacob and Tamar because God had to wait for the national foundation to be established. Conditions were all fulfilled on the family level at the time of Jacob, Tamar and Judah, but God needed to create a foundation to receive the Messiah within a nation, that he might gain victory among the satanic nations. Finally after 2,000 years, God chose one more woman, whose name was Mary. Mary was a revolutionary woman of faith who could follow God's revolutionary tactics. Because the fall of man came through the archangel, an angel was needed to assist Mary by bringing her God's revelation. Mary completely believed what the angel told her of her mission: that she would conceive, that the child would be great and holy, and that his name should be called Jesus. Mary's situation paralleled Eve's in the Garden of Eden before her blessing. Mary and Joseph were engaged but not yet married; Adam and Eve were also in an engagement period as they were growing up. An angel brought Eve to the fallen act, but an angel brought Mary to the fulfillment of the heavenly dispensation. Mary was also in a position to deceive her husband and her father. Do you think Mary could discuss with her father or Joseph about how she had conceived her baby? She was risking her life because in those times, an adulterous woman was to be stoned to death. Mary was the third woman to be chosen by God in this way. Through the previous victories of Rebecca and Tamar all satanic conditions had been cleared from Jesus' lineage, and even though Mary conceived Jesus outside marriage, Satan could not accuse her. Even inside his mother's womb Jesus was already the only begotten son of God, and after his birth everything he did was with the authority of the son of God. The events recorded in the Bible have always puzzled the world. For instance, in the genealogy of Jesus the names of four women who bypassed the marriage bond are recorded: Tamar, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. Another puzzling question was why the elder son was often in the position to be cursed by God. Without understanding the depths of the Principle there are no logical explanations for these things. Jesus was in the position of Adam without sin in the Garden of Eden. Did God intend for Adam to live his entire life alone in the Garden of Eden? No. In the same way Jesus was destined to create his own family through restoring his bride. Jesus' family was to become the cornerstone of the Kingdom of God by creating the new lineage of heaven on earth as the center of the universe. The son of God came alone, but in restoring his bride and his children from Israel, and establishing Israel as his own nation, Jesus could have completely restored the world. But Jesus was crucified, and could not leave the foundation of the Father and Mother of mankind established here on earth. With no True Parents here on earth, how could anyone be reborn for earthly life? Without parents how can you be born in the first place? How to receive physical salvation Forty days after Jesus' resurrection the Holy Spirit descended from heaven. What is the Holy Spirit? After Jesus died without installing himself and his bride as the True Parents of mankind on earth, God's concept of the True Parents was confined to the spiritual realm. Jesus came as the manifestation of God's concept of true Adam, but no one was raised up to manifest God's concept of Eve. For this reason the Holy Spirit comes in the role of spiritual mother. The Bible describes the Holy Spirit as being like fire or water or like a dove because it is without form, but the role of the Holy Spirit is that of a mother spirit. The Holy Spirit has served as the womb of a spiritual mother, completely embracing and covering Christians and giving spiritual rebirth. Jesus' spirit as the father, together with the Holy Spirit, can bring the power of rebirth to Christians. No spiritual resurrection can come about until one truly receives both Jesus and the Holy Spirit. God never intended that physical birth and spiritual-birth should come separately, but Jesus could not establish full salvation 2,00() years ago, and left only the power of spiritual-salvation here on earth. He must. come again to the earth to complete the portion of his mission left undone at that time. An unusual phenomenon is taking place within the Unification Church; you are seeking to be recognized and loved by the True Parents. In your deepest heart you want to become one with them; without doing this you cannot be given complete restoration or rebirth. Physically it is impossible to become a part of the True Parents, but through your love, your total unity with them will be acknowledged by heaven. Did you ever dream of such a principle? I want you to deeply realize that the emergence of the True Parents did not happen all of a sudden by decree one morning. Thousands and thou sands of years passed in which God shed sweat and blood and tears to lay the necessary foundation. in accordance with His. principle and schedule, yet this work was continually being hampered by man's failures. I unlocked the deep secrets of heaven and earth and determined to pioneer the path beyond the level on which all the dispensational figures previously suffered or accomplished -- figures like Noah, Abraham, Jacob, and Jesus. I learned precisely what they accomplished and what they left undone. I knew from the very beginning that. unless I set my standard higher than all of those dispensational figures, I could not fulfill the role of the True Parents in heart and love. I have now succeeded beyond the level they established in terms of heart and love. From the beginning I knew what to look for, what to ask for, and what to strive for. All the confusion and chaos. of history had to be resolved. I came like a doctor to operate, to straighten out the problems of mankind within the shortest possible time of 30 years, and to complete the foundation upon which God's history could begin and all mankind could be brought back to life. It is a miracle of miracles. What would you have done if I had not come? Right now I look miserable in the eyes of the world. I have unlocked the most important secrets of life and have freely given them as a gift to the world; yet instead of being grateful the world has come back to ridicule me. You are God's only hope; you are my only hope. However,. since your previous life was so sinful, you can never deserve the blessing of God in the Unification Church without totally changing from your previous philosophy and way of life. Who will inherit my mission? Your lives must be different from yesterday; each day you need to be recreated. Will you change yourselves today? On this Parents' Day, let's forget what you have done in the past because what counts is what you do today and tomorrow. Boldly take the responsibility that God has bestowed upon you; courageously challenge to fulfill this mission. I want you to know that through you God will change the history of mankind. I am not delivering this message today solely for your benefit. My audience is the world, history, and the spirit world. I am speaking to the world and every person here on earth shall listen to this word in due course. The entire spirit world is listening right now. The entire world will be without the excuse that they did not hear me. Did my explanation of the Bible sound like a lie, or is it clear and effective truth? If the 240 million people of America and Christians the world over could really humble themselves to listen to the truth, there is no way that they could say, "Reverend Moon, you are seeking to deceive and I do not trust you." The power of the truth will unite men. I am very anxious at this time. God wanted me to have fulfilled this level of accomplishment by the age of 40, yet now I am almost 60. I am anxious to recover those 20 years of time by declaring God's truth to the world so that the world which has been destined to death shall see some sign of hope for restoration. It is not yet too late, but America and the world must repent. God still wants to bless America. No one ever even imagined that the emergence of the True Parents could be this difficult and precarious. To come this far I had to persevere through and overcome impossible opposition; I want you to inherit these experiences from me. Unless you inherit this heart of mine, you will have nothing to do with the place where I dwell and where God dwells. When I die, I shall ask God, "Is there anyone who loved You more? Is there anyone who loved the world more? Is there anyone who really gave himself more totally for the sake of the world? Heavenly Father, can You name one?" There is no other such person. Therefore, I want to live longer because no one has yet come who can succeed me in my situation. I pray that among you someone can come forward to say, "Father, I can inherit your mission. I feel precisely as you do; I am another Reverend Moon. Leave it to me." My prayer is to see even one person like that come from among you. The greatest blessing, the greatest gift that God could give me, would be to see such a man. That person will say, "Father, I shall not only equal your own record, I shall exceed your record so there can be glory and Sabbath for you and for God." If many of you feel like that, then this is truly the glory and victory of Parents' Day. Can you pledge in this sacred room, "God, I give You my covenant, my pledge, that I will never let you down, that I shall persevere even more than Father himself persevered, and with my hands Your mission shall be done. This world shall see resurrection and health because of me." If that is the pledge you can give, then this is the place where God will look down and take great joy. Those who can solemnly pledge this serious and most difficult yet down-to-earth commitment, raise your hands. Thank you. With this thought and conviction let us rejoice on this Parents' Day. God bless you. Thank you all. |
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