Happy True Parents Day!
Enjoy the special reading below.
True Parents Day From The Historical Point Of View
April 18, 1977
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, Parents Day. Children’s Day, World Day, and God’s Day, 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 World Day. 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 men 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 True 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 True 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 Parents Day 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 was damaged; in addition, mankind 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 order for that sick person to regain his original health he must complete a reverse process; man must be restored to his original place by reversing the process of the fall. The world 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 the process is salvation, while from the point of view of man who is to be saved, the process is restoration.
The principle that is vital to this process indicates that for man to be restored, indemnity must be paid. 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. True medicine is often bitter. Fallen man is like the patient and must assimilate indemnity, pain and suffering in order to be restored into his original wholeness.
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 mankind has become prisoners of Satan by inheriting his lineage. All men are born on this earth as direct heirs of Satan. How did this disease of love start? The motive that initiated this love disease was self-centeredness. 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 only sought to bring benefit 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, only thinking 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 live here on earth with unselfishness and an absolute, God-centered love. This is the most basic principle, and all other principles you learn are the 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 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 persevered and been patient while waiting. 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 him. 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.
Who are we, the Unification Church? 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 back to the throne of God. That is the meaning of the word unification. The Unification Church 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 in the Unification Church are undertaking.
We are assuming the responsibility of becoming that world religion. However, 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 Church exists solely to serve God and mankind because 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 fundraising 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 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 come to the point where you give up, “No more. 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 are working for God and mankind 100%, but your actions have given you away.“
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 my life remains, I will continue.”
When you speak your gratitude and live 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 Church.
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 issues of Watergate, the U. S. government has received many letters of both protest and approval about the Unification Church, and disputes over our church have developed within high levels of government. That person 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 very hot tempered 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 what 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 that realm 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 do that I have to be victorious by going 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 February 23, the True Parents birthday, 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.
It is not God’s mandate that I continually 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, a family, a heavenly society, heavenly 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, and 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 is now, and it shall remain until we totally liquidate all satanic influence, when we will no longer need the application of this formula.
When I declare that I have won over and transcended the satanic world, I do not mean that I have gone alone, but that 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 the angels were 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 way 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 Christian opposition of 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.
Once we can create our own society outside of satanic influence, should we not worry about the rest of the world, and say, “Let them Just go to hell” 9. 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, and 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 be free to 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. You each 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 re-creation. 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 stiffed 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. Amen’ ca 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 members of the Unification Church. 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 lives must be. different from yesterday; each day you need to be re-created. Will you change yourselves today? On this Parents Day, let’s forget what you have done in the past because what counts is today and tomorrow. Boldly take the responsibility that God has bestowed upon you; courageously undertake what God has bestowed upon you and 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 if 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. 1 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 and headwinds; 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 mission. 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 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, holy 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 severe and most difficult yet down-to-earth commitment, raise your hands. Thank you.
In this concept and in this conviction let us rejoice on this Parents Day. God bless you. Thank you all.
Read the entire speech here.