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79-02-04

REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON
SPEAKS ON

THE PRESENT TIME

February 4, 1979
Belvedere
Translator - Bo Hi Pak

No man can predict the course of history. Neither can he predict sickness or disease, or his own death. Nevertheless, all these things are continuously occurring in human history. A man who is heading toward success cannot know at what particular moment failure will set in. Therefore, all people can do is harbor hope and wish for good fortune.

What might we term the greatest success in one lifetime? There could be many kinds of success. Each nation has a different set of goals in life, and they consider many varied things to be desirable. As Americans, what would be the day you feel truly joyful and successful? There may be a success which brings joy to the individual, or to the nation, or to both, but there are also things which may bring joy to the nation, but not necessarily to the world. If there is an event which brings joy to the individual, to the nation and to the world then it is more valuable than something that brings joy only to the individual or nation.

Suppose there is an event which brings joy to the individual, nation and world, but not to God. How would He feel? lt might be meaningful to the human world, but have no relation to or meaning for God. Can we look forward to the day which brings joy to the individual, nation, world and also God? Would the day on which World War 11 ended be that kind of universal day? The true day of joy should include not only God but also the angelic world and all spirit world. Otherwise, it would not be complete.

How would it be if that time of joy for the cosmos lasted not just for one moment or day, but for eternity? lt would be great. If God has a goal or will in history, then God and mankind must be looking forward to the day or moment which will be the culmination of all human history. What day would that be? Let us search to understand. Once it occurs it will be the first and last; that moment could never come twice because once God attained that joy it would last forever. What day would that be? Imagine that somehow you are standing on the moment of cosmic joy-how would you feel? Would you dance and sing?

What would have the most value in our life? Indeed, love. Then when and where would that love begin? Of course, it begins between two; you know from Principle that there must be give and take between a subject and object for love to exist, so love begins between God and man. In what kind of setting can love begin? At the moment of perfection of Adam. Can Adam perfect himself alone? What does he need? He cannot reach perfection alone; the perfection of Eve must accompany it. The moment love begins is the moment Adam and Eve become perfected and united with God. Imagine you are present at that very moment; how would you feel? Would it be a happy moment?

What is the point of origin of each individual? He is born in the love of his natural parents. Was your life the beginning point, or was a love which came before your life the beginning point? Love is the beginning point. Every individual's life began in the love of his natural parents. That's a happy moment, but because of the fall of man we are not happy. That love was not truly lawful love. We know that illicit love marked the beginning of history.

Because of the fall, human history did not begin with the love of God. Instead, illicit love marked the beginning of human life. Therefore, the perfection of Adam and Eve could not be found, and of course their union with God could not be found. Therefore, the joyful moment of love never took place because it never found a base here on earth. When the generations of mankind were born it was not out of a joyful love, but rather a sorrowful and stained love.

We should have been born in a joyful outburst of the love of God, but that never happened. From the very beginning human history was marked by tragedy and sorrow instead of joy. Therefore, our lives have no value from God's point of view because they have no connection to Him. From the point of view of God's love, the enemy's generation is prospering. We were supposed to have been born and raised in the love of God, and consummated our life in the love of God. This sequence should have been enjoyed by all mankind, but instead it was broken down. Mankind has been born in sorrow, grown in the fallen world, and had a tragic end.

If we had begun our lives in the love of God, it would have been an exciting and joyful life, a life of fulfillment and richness. The love of God was supposed to be a limitless powerhouse. Not only joy but also fulfillment and glory would blossom when life originated in the love of God. The energy of that love would push you all the way through life and more. When Adam and Eve were born of the love of God, a burst of joy must have begun at that moment, but as soon as they separated themselves from the love of God, death, tragedy and misfortune set in, and have permeated human history.

Since the two human ancestors began their life in a tragic way, what could we expect from their children? When those children became a tribe and nation, nothing but the same tragedy and sorrow would be multiplied. The fall was not only a tragic moment for man, but for God. There His life of sorrow and heartbreak began. History became destined to follow a pattern of sorrow, since the true love of God could find no foundation here on earth.

Since that base was not found at the beginning of human history, could fallen man find that base themselves, no matter how they endeavored? Even if all mankind joined to sacrifice themselves at one time on the altar, it would still not be enough to set the foundation of true love. No human endeavor could ever bring the base of true love here on earth; the only possibility would be for God to initiate that base on earth. We cannot be vague in talking about the love of God. It is necessary to specify what the true base of that love is. In order to find that base you have to reverse history and climb up again from the very point where that base of true love was lost.

For whom was true love prepared-the ancestors of mankind, or the descendants of those ancestors? The ancestors must be able to receive that true love and hand it down. Then how far back in history must we climb? We have to go back beyond the moment of man's fall, and reach Adam and Eve before they were stained. We have to break through the barrier of the fall and go beyond. When we reverse history and get back to the time before the human ancestors tell, then the true ancestors of mankind can be found.

The problem is one of origin. No matter how many people are alive today, the fallen parents are still the root of history, so in order to start the history of goodness we must have true parents of goodness. In order to establish the base for true love, it is our destiny to reverse all of history and go further back than the point of the fall.

Since God is trying to remake history from a good and righteous beginning, could the true parents be born in the midst of all mankind, or should everyone be gotten rid of so that those two could be born by themselves? Which way will God work? If the True Parents are coming in the midst of mankind,` are they arriving in hell or heaven? Will God come down to hell and establish His base of love? Would that be fortunate love or unfortunate love? Principled or unprincipled? When Adam and Eve were born the angelic world existed, but no human life other than themselves. They arrived in a brand new house. Did Satan exist when Adam and Eve were born? Does Satan exist in our world today?

How could True Parents come into this unprincipled world? In order to remake history from the beginning, God disregards the rest of mankind and even Satan. By not recognizing Satan and the rest of mankind, He can begin with one man and one woman in the True Parents' position. As far as God is concerned, this is a world of dead people. If God acts as if there is no Satan then Adam and Eve must also realize that they are making history from the very beginning. Though Satan's children fill the world, it is better than not having anyone at all because those people provide material for restoration. Even if satanic people persecute the True Parents, it is still better than being in an empty world. That's the way God and True Parents think.

God gives no recognition to Satan and the satanic world, and when the True Parents come into the world they also think that they are starting a brand new world from scratch. Thus, if persecution comes, it is not significant and cannot disturb them. The True Parents know that each day they are coming closer to God and that they cannot do that if they are filled with resentment, frustration and anger. They are drawing closer and closer to the base of true love, and doing so in peace, serenity and tranquility. They are not perturbed by satanic intervention.

Honeybees store honey in their hive so that they can survive the winter. When they stick their heads into the honey comb to drink the honey they are so intoxicated by its sweet taste that they forget everything else. If you pull on a bee which is drinking honey and its body snaps in two at its thin waist, the bee doesn't even realize what has happened to it. When you are busy drinking in the love of God you are so intoxicated that even if your body is cut in two at the waist you don't realize it. In the same way, when the True Parents are moving toward their goal, nothing in the world can disturb them. No event can sidetrack them from going forward.

If you know completely that such love of God is available and attainable, that the moment has come, would you have absolute courage to surge ahead in spite of any obstacles? One difference between you and the honeybee is this-once the bee's body is cut in two, it dies, but if you are drinking the love of God when your body is cut in two, you don't have to worry because God will put it back. if someone removes your body again, God will replace it again! You will never die or be diminished. Satan is trying to tear you in half in order to pull you away from the love of God, but will have to give up because he can't do it.

With that formula God is going forward with restoration. When True Parents encounter the activity against them from the satanic world, they feel it makes their work more exciting instead of being disturbed by it. There is no other way the base of true love could be established. If you were in God's position and heard someone say there was no God, you would immediately stand up and shout, "What are you talking about!" But God can be patient because He doesn't recognize anyone that is out there. God can be patient because He is not derailed by what fallen mankind may do.

Any person who would become true Adam or Eve must totally understand God and breathe together with Him, and then no amount of persecution could disturb him. Adam and Eve are forging ahead, building their union with God, and their satanic counterparts are busy trying to disrupt their work. Would God try and drive those people away? No, He would stand back and let it bring more fun and color to Adam and Eve's life. The entire world will be wild at Adam and Eve, cursing and screaming, but they can remain calm and peaceful and appreciate the interesting diversion. That is the most practical, logical way of restoration.

In the Divine Principle you learn three reasons why God could not intervene to stop the fall of man. For the same reasons God will not disturb anyone in the path of restoration. Anyone trying to find the base of true love must go through a process of persecution, but he should not be disturbed by it.

According to the Principle of Creation, Adam comes first and then he restores Eve to perfection. Did Adam in Eden have many candidates among whom to choose his bride? Who created Eve for Adam? If God hadn't created Eve then Adam would not have had any bride at all. What if God somehow made a mistake and made Eve with only half a face-would Adam say she was unacceptable and ask for another bride? Or perhaps he would decide to give her only half his love. Since God exists in perfection, would He decide to give this incomplete daughter only half-hearted love? Adam had no choice whatsoever, so whether Eve was pretty or ugly, half or two-thirds, wouldn't matter. lt would be out of the question for Adam not to unite with her.

What if Eve was created very short? Then Adam would have more fun because he would pick her up to kiss her. Would Adam only give her small love because she was so small? Shouldn't Adam love her wholeheartedly? If God had extra material and made Eve like a giant, would Adam protest to God? Even if Adam wanted to protest, there were no other alternatives available. God would sternly say, "If you want love, there is your bride. With her you can find your true love."

Adam was in a situation where true love was unaffected by what kind of bride he had. The important point here is that true love was not determined by the external appearance of Adam's bride. Once true love was experienced through that channel, external appearance was unimportant. Beauty and ugliness never mattered. True love can make up for any disfigurement or deficiency and even add extra appreciation.

Do you imagine that Adam and Eve were attractive or ugly? A man's sexual organ fulfills the holy purpose of love, but also the most menial task of eliminating body waste. Two extremely different purposes are fulfilled by one organ. Love is not only expressed through external beauty. Maybe you thought Adam was very handsome and Eve very beautiful, but it could have been totally opposite. Adam might have been funny-looking, with a lump on his forehead, or been fierce-looking. My point is that whether a man is handsome or a woman beautiful doesn't make any difference because true love will make up for it. Love will supplement any deficiencies.

A woman needs a man to be married, and a man needs a woman. I know there are some women who look in the mirror and are discouraged because they think no man could ever like them. I am telling you not to worry. There will be some man who sees beauty in that particular ugliness. It is difficult for men and women in the fallen world to find the ideal mate, but the Unification Church has no problem because we have mass weddings. The average person doesn't have hundreds of candidates to select his mate from, but I can tell who would be perfect for you. Looking at you now I can see who would be good with whom. Maybe you envision an ideal mate in your mind, but then when you look at the woman you were matched with you wonder if this could really be her; positive and negative charges collide in the atmosphere and lightning is created. Does a lightning bolt have a choice about where on earth it will strike? It strikes wherever the right conditions exist. There is no hesitation or choice.

When men and women meet it is like a positive and negative charge colliding, and there is no looking left or right. Doves always live as pairs, and when they are exchanging feelings of love they always sing their love. If even birds do that, Adam and Eve would also express their love somehow-maybe not with gentle cooing, but shouting and bellowing whaa whaa whaa!

When lightning is created, thunder booms through the air. When Adam and Eve's love collide, not only lightning would spark but thunder would resound throughout the universe. With this kind of love, do you think negative articles in the media would matter to them? Would persecution perturb the lightning of their love? No, their love would penetrate all that and ignite it. First love is the most intense; that is the true love. First love has the power of dynamite.

In recent years it has become acceptable in America for engaged couples to try out living together before they get married. If a salesman is selling something, he offers a free trial to the customer. Now even men and women try a trial run to see whether they like living together. Do you think Adam and Eve would have had a trial run to see if the true love of God would make them happy? When they meet, that's alpha and omega and there is no more. Adam was meant for Eve and Eve tor Adam for eternity. Period.

The strongest, most heartfelt love of total dedication has the power to overcome any unrighteousness and penetrate any persecution. Once you finally meet true love, everything else is solve. Rejection and opposition have no more power over you. All the storms of history happen below the line of the but once you penetrate above that line and go up above the storm clouds there is tranquility and peace and nothing will disturb you.

Suppose we have True Parents on earth who represent such absolute love. How much joy would that give to God? The normal process God expected was for Adam and Eve to grow in the garden of Eden, reach perfection and be united in love. But the fall took place and God struggled for thousands of years to restore man instead. When the True Parents are victorious and conquer the fallen world and reach the ultimate goal, do you think it would bring Him more joy than if He had seen the original Adam and Eve united in love for the first time?

You enjoy action movies with lots of thrills, narrow escapes and romance more than you like dull movies about everyday life. That is why I saw that for Adam and Eve and God the fallen world is better than having nothing except themselves, even though it is a world God does not recognize. That world lends more excitement. How proud and joyful would Adam and Eve be to emerge victorious from the fallen world? The first Adam and Eve would have been very proud parents, and how much more proud would the True Parents be at winning victory?

When God can meet victorious Adam and Eve, would they come together casually and with no special interest, or would they rush together like speeding bullets? The love they have inside would fly ahead of them to meet God, and with the speed of light they would come together into one. What would God say to them? "The fallen drama of mankind was stimulating and challenging, and now I can even be glad about it. There was an exciting drama in overcoming it."

Even if God could have come down and made a new Adam and Eve after the fall, there would be no joy for Him in doing so. The religions which have been God's instruments of restoration have endured tremendous suffering and persecution, but looking back in the end, those events make our history more colorful. When restoration is finalized, the trials of the past lend color.

Where would God meet the 'True Parents here on earth? On the street corner or in the subway'! Suppose they met God on a beautiful lawn The very grass would be ecstatic at being the setting for such a summit meeting. Even the things of creation would feel honored at providing the decorations for the meeting of God and the True Parents. Suppose they met in the autumn, amidst the colorful leaves. Even though those leaves had come down from the trees, they would feel they had the greatest honor in all creation.

Suppose the True Parents met God while standing on top of an ugly-looking rock. No matter how ugly it looked, the rock would feel it was the greatest of all because it provided the throne t'or their first meeting. That meeting place would remain forever as holy ground for all mankind, the holy ground of love. Even if it was an ugly, cold-looking rock, it would be cherished. What if they met on some ice; could even ice become holy ground. What if it melted and then vaporized into clouds? It still wouldn't matter. The very ground where the ice was located would be holy ground.

Imagine that Adam was wearing rather ragged clothes at that meeting. Even those smelly, worn-out clothes would feel they were more precious than jewel-encrusted robes and be proud that they adorned Adam and Eve on the day of their summit meeting with God.

The moment when the True Parents meet God is the greatest moment. If there were many people around to see this first meeting take place, would they be excited and proud that they witnessed that great moment in God's history? How would you feel if you were children of the True Parents, having your origin in their love? Would you be proud of the special origin of your life? You could say that of all the people who have come and gone from the earth there was none like you. Could that be compared to acquiring some piece of property or ground? Could it be compared in value to the entire territory of the United States!

The heirs of the True Parents would feel they could sacrifice anything necessary to preserve that great honor. How much the people in the present and the future would be envious of that position. When they are not only born in the True Parents' love, heirs also raised in that love, what could their happiness be compared to? Every day they would be elated in the realization that they are children of the True Parents. For them it would not matter if people ridiculed and scorned them when they went out witnessing and fund raising. They would have too much to be jubilant about to be affected by that.

Why do you go to home church? Because you want to bring this ecstatic joy and privilege and share it with someone. The people will be envious of what you have and want to be part of the True Parents' love through you. That's home church. Wherever you go, people will want to follow, whether you go east or west, or even to the bathroom. If you don't sleep for 24 hours, they won't want to sleep either. That kind of person is surely entitled to share your joy, and part of your joy will become his. Whether you live or die physically won't matter.

I know you share that desire to be with me wherever I go. If you really feel that then we are connected and can become one. Home church is the means to make that connection. Home church people will envy you. Will the True Parents be here on earth for millions of years, or for a limited time? The odds against a certain person meeting the True Parents are overwhelming. Human history has been continuing for millions of years, through ups and downs, wars and tragedies and corruption, and now is the moment when the True Parents have emerged. But through some fortune you have come to the very point where the True Parents are. That such a meeting should take place is simply incredible. As soon as you realize the meaning of this great opportunity, would you jump into it? When you realize it, all your five senses will melt into it.

Suppose some ungodly power tried to scare you away. Would you be driven away, or would you be so intoxicated, like the honeybee, that even if your body was torn away you wouldn't let go? This kind of historical encounter is a super miracle. The odds against it are so great that they are inconceivable. The very grass that provided the setting for the True Parents' meeting with God would feel it was the greatest of all creation; how much more elated would you feel when you know that you are living and working together with True Parents? Would you take it easy and allow yourself to be led away? If every moment of the day you have this realization that you can live and breathe with the True Parents, speak and laugh with them, then when you come back from working in the day you want to go back to the True Parents' home.

This is the time that True Parents and God and all creation feel joy together, and you happened to bump into it. You can become inseparable from the True Parents and an extension of them. When you are welded to them it doesn't matter if people curse you as being Moonies, and you can even ask tor more. Their persecution will sound like a sweet song in your ears because you are so intoxicated with the joy of meeting True Parents. isn't this logical"

What is the real meaning of the Unification Church? When you meet the True Parents you become true children and then true husband and wife. What else do you need? When you become an integral part of the True Parents' family, they won't want to travel by themselves, but will bring you along. Will that be hell or heaven? That is the highest heaven of the Kingdom of God and you are part of the royal family of God. How great you are then! Can you insignificant Moonies become the royal family of God?

With this realization would you live with joy and with dancing, or be sad and gloomy? Your joy would be so great that tears would run down your face because your elation could not be contained. Other people might think we cry out of misery, but we know it is out of joy.

When you find the True Parents you find not only parents but your family, nation and world, plus your God and eternal life in heaven. There is so much meaning and substance in this that the entire spirit world has to be mobilized also. If one beautiful woman happened to stumble on this moment of time but she was so captivated by her own beauty that she decided that she wouldn't gain anything here, her ancestors would wish that she were ugly so that she could stay instead of being concerned with herself.

That opportunity is not just for you. It is for all your ancestors as well, and what you do affects them. If you are so ugly that you can't stand to see yourself in the mirror but you can become welded into one with the True Parents, your ancestors will be jubilant and brag about how beautiful you are to those other people whose descendants rejected this moment

With all the shouting and dancing going on, there will be a great commotion in spirit world. God would walk out to see what is happening, and then He could not resist joining in too.

Even if you were thirty or forty years old and still are not married, it wouldn't matter as long as you had the opportunity to be one with True Parents. Whether you have beautiful clothes is insignificant because they are not the clothes you will wear for eternity. God will give you a garment so dazzling that you cannot even imagine it. Now you want to make yourself beautiful with makeup but you can't do it. But don't worry. Once you get to spirit world God will give you makeup for your whole body, not just your face.

You won't just kiss mouth to mouth but all over, to the soles of your feet. If that is your opportunity then you won't care about anything else except hanging on to it. If Ted Patrick tries to deprogram you, you will decide to deprogram him instead. To express the joy of meeting True Parents ordinary laughter would not be enough; you would shake with gales and bellows of laughter. In average dancing you move your arms up and down, but in heavenly dancing there is no way you could bring your arms down again. This sounds like joking, but it is not. Every word is meant literally.

God is like a marksman who has been trying for millions of years to hit the bulls-eye but has always missed. If all of a sudden He hits it, that's quite a moment tor God. If trying after all these years God decides to try just once more and then suddenly He hits the bulls-eye, would He just fall asleep? Wouldn't He be very tired after all that effort? At that moment He would forget His position as God, forget His dignity and become delirious with joy.

The morale of the angels in spirit world has been very low because Lucifer disgraced them, but they have been waiting and hoping, cheering for God to hit the bulls-eye. They have been waiting millions of years also, so the moment He hits the bully the entire angelic world would erupt in cheers.

Would the tickets be expensive to see God shooting at the bulls-eye? Would people like to witness the fulfillment of history? Suppose thousands of tickets were sold over the years to see God aim at the bulls-eye, but each time He missed. People would get bored and not come any more. Then one day when there aren't any other spectators perhaps one beggar might decide he has nothing better to do than to watch God's marksmanship. He will be the only spectator, but if he is there when God hits the bulls-eye then would he be jubilant at seeing the highest moment of human history?

God would look tor a partner in His elation, but if He saw there was only a ragged beggar would He refuse to dance with Him? Or would He just pull Him down from the stands and dance with Him'! Would they be miserable with each other, or striding along in happiness? If they were walking down Fifth Avenue would they just stay to one side of the sidewalk, or would they stride down the street, calling out to the street, "Why are you so narrow ?"

Is this convincing and logical.' Here in the Unification Church we are talking about True Parents and true brothers and sisters, true husband and wife, and true love. Why are you here? No one else ever talked about True Parents. All my life I have been suffering because of the idea of True Parents and true brothers and sisters. Why would an intelligent man commit himself to a concept and suffer for it ? No matter what, I cannot give up the word True Parents because it is so precious. Even if the entire world comes upon me trying to tear me apart, would I look like a desperate, worn-out person? You don't like to hear the word Moonie, do you? Are you tired out? You say you like it because this is a gathering of Moonies, right? But when people slam their doors in your face you don't like the word Moonie.

In Korean the word "moonie" means "pattern", or design. As Moonies we are the design of the True Parents' clothes. Also "moonie" can mean consulting together, or discussing with each other. We are always in fellowship, discussing True Parents, true ideals, true family, true nation and true world.

White and black used to avoid each other, but no more. Here we talk about true love among each other as brothers and sisters and we are all one. There is a Korean woman here who is a doctor, and when I asked how she would like an American husband, she replied, "Fantastic." This kind of heart and spirit is the proud dignity of the Moonies.

I can tell clearly what will happen when I go to spirit world. Do you think I will be welcome? Would all the religious leaders come to welcome me? As each year passes, spirit world thinks that the time for my arrival is getting closer and they have committees organized for setting up welcoming procedures. A presidential inauguration requires months of preparation, so how much more will they do in spirit world? They are anxiously waiting for the greatest moment.

Do you feel that old men are dull and don't you like them? Do you wish that I would leave you alone instead of pushing you without any vacation? We are talking about True Parents, true sons and daughters, true family, but even though you think it's real you don't really feel the true impact of it. If you felt the reality of this to the bone, you could not sit still like this-you would be dancing around and unable to contain yourself. Your enthusiasm would be ready to spill over and you would jump at the chance to be given an order. But now you moan and groan and say that I push you too much.

Is our life with True Parents real? Are God and the heavenly kingdom real? Have you been living up to that reality? If you work yourself to death it is not enough. If you talk yourself to death, it is still not enough. Have you talked about the Divine Principle so much that your tongue won't function any more? If your tongue falls out because you talked about the True Parents so much then God will give you a stronger tongue; He has lots of spare tongues! God cannot afford to lose you.

Maybe you are wondering why I haven't talked about blessing or matching. Here is a Korean sister who is 36 years old and a doctor, but she never worried about getting married. Now she has a happy family. This sister here is also getting older. If the True Parents are real to you and true love is real to you then you just don't worry about marriage. There is so much to rejoice over and celebrate that you even forget when your birthday is.

Even if you forget yourself in praising this great moment, the name of the True Parents, the name of true love and God, still you have not done justice to the moment. When you compare your one body to the value of this time, it is very insignificant. Those of you who have thought even once that Unification Church life was just too much and you were at the end of your rope, raise your hands please. Actually that will mean forgiveness and I will never condemn you. Those who raised their hands are the honest men and women! Those who did not are not honest, particularly those leaders who did not.

I am a pitiful person in a way because I must trust these weak soldiers in trying to build the kingdom of God's dispensation. The events and blessings you have bumped into are so extraordinary that as soon as you hear the news you should be electrified. But when you heard the news you stopped and wanted to evaluate it first. You take two steps forward and one backward, and in the meantime you get upset if you think I don't recognize your hard work. "I have been in the Unification Church all these years and gave the best part of my life, but the Church never recognized me." I am asking you to jump over all that to the other side. We have to go beyond the level of the fall, but you are fooling around in the middle ground.

A child should finish elementary school while he is still a child, but you are like a forty-year-old who keeps flunking every day and complains to his teacher about not getting his diploma. You have to finish the course in order to get a diploma. Do you know how precious the present time is, how crucial it is ? Are you spiritually awakened now?

Do you think I realize the true value of the moment? That's why I am the only one who is truly crazy about God. I am desperately trying to convey this to you, and you simply have no right to complain. By worldly standards I am a very superior person who has many talents in many fields. I tackle hundreds of things at the same time. I speak well at the same time, don't 1? That's why men and women of all colors come here to follow me. If you determine to follow me then do it 100%, not halfway.

Time is not in your favor. Before the third seven-year course is over, you must finish your course. After the third seven-year course is over I won't ask you to gather at 6 a.m. or to go out and do home church. This is a precious moment. To come and hear me on Sunday morning is a precious, extraordinary blessing.

If I were you, sitting out there listening to Reverend Moon, I would not act like you. I would have done something so great and thunderous that all New York would have been shaken. I wouldn't allow myself any time to rest. Once this present moment passes, it will never return even after millions of years. Once this opportunity passes there will be no more opportunity. The greater the persecution, the greater your opportunity to write a chapter of history. The persecution you receive should spur you on with greater energy. Don't pay any attention to it but be totally concentrated on fulfilling the goal.

Put your hand on your chest and think a moment, "Is there really such value here that I can give my life to it? Is my present life in the Unification Church measuring up to that value?" You should repent over not realizing the preciousness of this moment. The present time should be made into a glorious, victorious moment. Turn it around into a proud moment. When you appear before the throne of God you should be able to say proudly to Him, "I have done my absolute best. I have no shame or regret." You must become a person who can say to posterity, "Look at me and follow my example." You should be able to say that with pride.

There are many different levels of accomplishment here. When you waste time sitting down and doing nothing other people will be running many steps ahead of you. Each day is a competition.

Those who can pledge they will make the present moment a proud and victorious moment, raise your hands. Thank you. God bless you.


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