Acts 13
13 Paul and the others left Paphos and sailed to Perga in Pamphylia. But John[d] left them and went back to Jerusalem. 14 The rest of them went on from Perga to Antioch in Pisidia. Then on the Sabbath they went to the Jewish meeting place and sat down.
2nd Chronicles 5
11-13 The priests of every group had gone through the ceremony to make themselves clean and acceptable to the Lord. The Levite musicians, including Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and relatives, were wearing robes of fine linen. They were standing on the east side of the altar, playing cymbals, small harps, and other stringed instruments. One hundred twenty priests were with these musicians, and they were blowing trumpets.
They were praising the Lord by playing music and singing:
“The Lord is good,
and his love never ends.”
My New Self and the Heaven Where My New Self Can Dwell
Sun Myung Moon
June 14, 1959
Who are sons and daughters of filial piety? In daily life, if someone just feels happy when he sees his parents happy, that is not a filial son. The real filial son or daughter would not only feel the happiness; he or she would also feel the course of past hardships that went before the present happiness. If a son or daughter only rejoices without knowing everything of the process that led to the happiness, this is not a truly filial child. If that is the case in the human world, it would certainly be true in the case of the heavenly dispensation and of God’s will for the future.
Who was Jesus? He was the substantiation of new resurrection, culminating the four-thousand-year history. The people of that time did not know that he was unprecedented, representing Heaven and earth.
Had the high priests and Pharisees known that Jesus came for the followers of Judaism and the Israelites, they would not have opposed the people going to Jesus. However, they opposed and prevented this, and Jesus lived a heartbroken life on this earth and departed in misery. This is certainly the sin of humanity, not of God or Jesus.
How absurd is the fact that the birthplace of the Messiah, whom God promised for four thousand years through the prophets, was a stable. Think about it. In a stable? Many people today celebrate Christmas as a wonderful day but, actually, it is heartbreaking. Many do not know it is a sorrowful day for which no amount of tears would suffice.
Had there been people at that time who truly longed for and prepared for the Messiah such that their sincerity even touched the heart of Heaven, they would not have treated the Messiah in that way. There should have been people who prepared for Jesus, but there were none.
As we face the era of the last days, we hold resentment against our forefathers. For what? For allowing the historical conditions that culminated in the persecution of the Messiah. Moreover, we hold resentment against the people of Judaism and the Pharisees of two thousand years ago. If there were any indignation in the heart of Jesus, it would have been against the Israelites. However, Jesus did not resent them, for if he had abandoned them, God’s foothold on the chosen people would be broken. As Jesus thought of the heavenly heart that had toiled for the four thousand years, he knew that all the work of God toward the Israelites would be lost if he abandoned them.
Knowing this, he had to bless his enemies out of the fear that the historical relationship would break and the suffering of his people would follow upon his death. He did not bless his enemies out of joy. He did not bless the people of Judaism, the Israelites, out of his love for them. We should realize that Jesus blessed humanity out of concern for the further burdening of God’s tearful heart in the dispensation of history. Therefore, we can understand God’s heart only when we dare to do the work in place of Jesus who died so regretfully, when we dare to feel anger concerning his death on the cross.
People say that Jesus came to die, but that is not true. As Jesus walked to his death, he was heartbroken and so was God. Jesus came for God and for his people. The day he was killed, Heaven could not help becoming utterly dark. We should understand this today.
Are we repeating history here, as Unificationists reject ‘The Eight Great Sacred Texts’ which Father lives in, to follow someone, anyone, who has also rejected Father’s Word and therefore Father himself.
Just the act of following someone, is to reject Father’s words and Father because he said not to do that, as I pointed out comprehensively in the comment section of “The Cross Was Absolutely Unnecessary”.
This is exactly the same as God telling Adam and Eve NOT to eat the fruit, but a ‘leader of angels’ tells them “it’s ok”, and they go ahead and eat the fruit. So they listen to a ‘leader’, but not to God.
This is exactly what is happening now with members listening to leaders, and Father’s family members, but not listening to Father, and therefore disobeying him as Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Again please note:
“Father is now saying, don’t follow any leader or any leader’s family. Do you understand? You have to repent. That is the only way to get back”. The Responsibility Of Authority Of The Unification Family. 1 March, 1992
‘Don’t follow any leader or any leader’s family’. This is not an isolated quote from Father as in the aforementioned reading,(“The Cross Was Absolutely Unnecessary”). There are many quotes expressing the same understanding.
How is it that Unificationists struggle to understand or accept Father saying this?
We grew up in the movement with an ‘over-inflated understanding’ that we must unite with our leaders, Cain must unite with Abel. Given that the principle of Cain and Abel was never properly understood, prompting Father to even say so.
Furthermore Cain and Abel is a ‘restoration principle’, not God’s original ideal of creation principle.
Note what Father said to the Japanese members:
“Japanese leaders aren’t you teaching a principle that I do not teach, when you say, “I am Abel because I am a church leader. You are Cain. Cain obeys Abel. This is the Principle. So obey.” There is no such principle. The person who does not fulfil his mission and become the embodiment of love is not Abel.
People automatically and naturally bow before the power of love. The same holds true on the family, clan or tribal level. So if the Unification movement is the Abel movement on the world level, it must gain victory by shedding blood on the world level, and it must gain Satan’s signature on the certificate of victory. Only then can the Unification movement become the Abel on the world level for the first time”. ‘A Day When We Welcome the Blessing’. September 22, 1978. Kamikawa, Japan.
We are now living in the time after the coming of Heaven (2004). Father declared the age of religion over in 1997 when he also said we should take down the HSA-UWC sign and replace it with the Family Federation sign, and in 1981 he declared the end of the leader centred movement following the Parents’ 21 year course and to now become a member centred movement initiating the Children’s 21 year course.
Notwithstanding, with also the successful fulfilment of Foundation Day, we are now by virtue of the Merit of Age, living in the Direct Dominion of God, the realm of perfection, we have no need to be following anyone. Relating with, yes, but not following, there is a world of difference.
Remember it was in 1992 Father said:
“Father is now saying, don’t follow any leader or any leader’s family. Do you understand? You have to repent. That is the only way to get back”. The Responsibility Of Authority Of The Unification Family. 1 March, 1992
1992 was shortly after Father announced Tribal Messiahship, the Hometown era.
The essential purpose of the foundation of substance (Cain Abel uniting) is to receive the Messiah. From when we joined the church, we had therefore effectively received the Messiah within a certain dimension of heart.
We then began walking the ‘formula course’ inclusive of fundraising, witnessing, receiving forgiveness of original sin, the Blessing, starting family life, which was all predicated on receiving and uniting with Father, who was our true Abel but more importantly, our True Father representing God to us.
We were walking the formula course as Abel, as we fundraised and witnessed, relating to and searching for our Cain brothers and sisters in the ‘fallen world’.
Substantially keeping the Word therefore entailed witnessing, Home Church and then Tribal Messiahship or the Hometown Providence. This is how we restore and perfect ourselves and why Father said referring to Home Church:
“This year’s motto is “Home Church is My Kingdom of Heaven.” As I already said, in the past two years home church was not that very near or personal to you. So far, you may have thought of home church as a kind of witnessing technique, or an innovation of the Unification Church. But it is the heavenly way. The home church is your personal affair; it doesn’t belong to anyone else. It is your personal matter on earth and in heaven, not the Unification Church’s”. ‘Home Church is My Kingdom of Heaven.’ Jan. 1, 1981.
Following the Home Church era with the Hometown era, Father said the one responsibility he gave to us is Tribal Messiahship. Father also spoke of our being independent Messiahs and Tribal chiefs or elders and Fourth Adams.
Those who keep Father’s words are the heirs and successors, not those who have just been appointed or anointed as some kind of ‘leader’ who Father actually appointed ‘to serve not to be served’ as is the case also for Tribal Messiahship and as Jesus himself stated, “The Messiah came to serve not to be served”.
The person who lives for the sake of others, naturally becomes the centre:
“There is no established seniority within our system – no matter who a person is or what position he has, if he is living for the sake of others more than anyone else then he should be the centre of the whole movement.” ‘Original Palace Of Utmost Happiness’. December 1, 1983
Just to finish, here again are Father’s words I’ve quoted before on this matter:
“You did not know that the conscience was your second God the central aspect of your existence. You have to attend it more than you attend God. Attend your conscience more than you would the founders of religion, even Jesus. Then you can attain a position higher than that of believing in Jesus. Do not believe in me the founder of the Unification Church, If you accept my teaching and become completely one with your conscience, you can go to heaven even without following me. OCSG, p. 823. (253-45, 1994.1.1)
“You are not in the Unification Church to follow Rev Moon but to become better than Father and unify everything” Hoon Dok Hwe, March 2, 2003 Sheraton National Hotel, Arlington, Virginia.