Romans 3
1 Now we see how God does make us acceptable to him. The Law and the Prophets[b] tell how we become acceptable, and it isn’t by obeying the Law of Moses. 22 God treats everyone alike. He accepts people only because they have faith in Jesus Christ. 23 All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.
Job 19
26 My flesh may be destroyed,
yet from this body
I will see God.[b]
27 Yes, I will see him for myself,
and I long for that moment.
The Heart of Heaven in Relation to Elijah
Sun Myung Moon
March 15, 1959
If we view the phenomena taking place in this world today, they are equivalent to what took place in the period of Ahab, King of Israel in the old days. What is idolatry? It is to abandon Heaven and worship something else; to hold it in equal or higher reverence than we hold God. We must know that numerous people today are worshipping the idol called “civilization” without being aware of it.
At a time like this, if there is one who has the same heart as Elijah as he watched King Ahab, that is, one who feels the sorrowful heart of Heaven on top of his own, and if there is a throng of people who pray, “Please set us up as Your beloved sons and daughters who can bring this land to Your bosom,” comforting Heaven with the heart of Elijah, they would have to look at this age with more indignation than Elijah had. If such a set of people does not exist, we ourselves must become them. We must become the people who build an altar without others’ knowledge and shed tears all unknown, knowing that even if we are of humble birth, our ancestors established the teachings of the heavenly principles by upholding the will of Heaven. We must understand that the work of God, who tries to unfold the dispensation by setting up the providential tradition, is yet to be completed. We must not think we are inadequate, even though we are. Unless such a set of people comes forth and fights upon this earth, the eschatological phenomena of this world cannot be stopped.
Though King Ahab betrayed Heaven and mistreated the Israelites, that happened on a national level. Today, people idolize material things as slaves of civilization, and do not know the location of their center of life. They do not know the direction and location to walk toward, and they make frantic efforts without seeking Heaven. This is similar to the people enslaved by King Ahab in ancient times.
God’s worldwide level judgment remains before us today. In the same way there was a judgment upon King Ahab and the Israelites, we know that there will be a day of judgment when we have to break down the idols confronting us in the final period. Did you ever even dream that Heaven relates to you today with a more sorrowful heart than when He related to Elijah? If not, you should reflect upon yourselves.
With King Ahab as the central figure, the Israelites should have made an effort to relate to Heaven, to uphold the heavenly tradition, and to establish heavenly blood relatives with a caring and protective heart for the holy temple in life and in death. Because they did not do so, we know that the Israelites, with King Ahab as their central figure, got into a bloody battle in the end. This actual circumstance of history is being re-enacted today in reality.
Looking at this age, let alone the world, we must know our people. We are Korea’s sons and daughters. We are blood relatives who inherited the flesh and blood of our Korean ancestors. There have been many loyal subjects who shed blood and tears for the sake of this country, for the sake of this people, to let the glorious morning dawn in the future and to infuse the hearts of the people with national spirit. The Korean people have come through heart-rending circumstances of incomparable sorrow and tragedy. We have a history of numerous loyal subjects and patriots walking the path of blood in every crisis time.
The time has come to worry about who is to build the new temple of the Lord in Jerusalem where Heaven can reign. We must be equipped with heavenly principles, rather than human ethics, by upholding the historical tradition and pushing down the civilization of this world, which can be likened to the idols of the King Ahab period.
We must broaden our minds now. We must become the people who know how to feel sad for the nation instead of feeling our grief. Going further, we must know how to feel sad for the humanity of the world. Going further, we must know how to feel sad for the sake of God, heaven and earth.
Where will the central figure appear who can cry with Shim Jung on behalf of Heaven, embracing the grief-stricken nation in the realm of the fall? If the Lord, the King of Kings, is to come upon this earth, he will surely come with a universal ideology. He will come as a world leader to make a heartistic connection with humanity.
However, if you do not think about such things today, the Lord will not be able to make any connection with you. Even if the Lord comes, unless you dream about and think about such an ideological world, you will not be able to make any connection with that world. You cannot help at least thinking about, feeling concern about, and imagining that world.
Have you ever felt concern about an individual? Have you ever felt concern about a family that was moaning in distress? Have you ever felt concern about a certain society or nation? If not, you should at least have the mind to reveal your true colors, criminals before the universal history, and repent before Heaven.
If you do not have even such a mind, what will happen to this people? Though Koreans boast of five thousand years of history and though they are the survivors of God’s providential history and have muddled through a bitter life, what can they contribute to the realm of world history or world civilization or to the realm of God’s providence if they do not have such a feeling of concern?
Even if we have something about which to boast, unless that connects to Heaven, it amounts to nothing and causes more aggravation and sorrow for Heaven. We must know this.