Listen to the Richard Urban Show #84:
Happy True Children’s Day!
Today we feature a special reading for the holiday.
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 can cure the disease of 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 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.Our motive for unification must be clear
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.”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 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……
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 the fall, and 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 to your body because you were born in his lineage. However, if your loyalty is with God 100%, then even though you still have that string attached, Satan has no power to pull it. You must remember that a string is still attached, for Satan recognizes that your blood is his, but 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 level of parents. The birth of your children is but the first step for you to 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.