Latest Richard Urban Show: #107-Strengthening Families & Communities Forum: Richard Urban
Cheon Seong Gyeong 2148
Yet, as God is eternal, unchanging, absolute, and unique, so also is His will; therefore, through the true individual, family, society, nation, world, and sovereignty, He will surely build the world in which He can freely operate both in heaven and on earth. Then, what is the original world which He seeks? It is one centered on true parents; yet, due to the Fall, we lost the true parents of humanity and the true world from the very beginning of history. That being the case, nothing in the world – whether our country of residence, human ideology, or anything else – can connect us directly to true parents; therefore, we ourselves should first restore trueness.
Thereby, the day when true parents, spouses, children, citizens, creation, sovereignty, and the true universe can move and settle in unison with God’s true heart on earth will signify the final days of the evil world. The time when such an ideal will be realized is the Last Days, the Second Advent. As such, when the Lord returns, there will be no cataclysmic phenomena such as judgment by fire, the destruction of Earth, or believers levitating into the air. Instead, it is a time when history entangled with tragedies will be untangled through indemnity paid to establish the individual, family, society, nation, and world, which were lost in the vertical course of history and will be restored horizontally in the present day. We have been longing for such a day, and that is the final destination at which we all should arrive.
However, individuals, families, and nations have lost their way. All kinds of problems such as air pollution, famine, religious conflict, and racial antagonism are constantly arising throughout the world, causing all manner of disputes. Who is going to take responsibility for this world? This is a serious matter. Communist countries in the past could not transcend nationalism, nor can today’s superpower, the USA, transcend Pan-Americanism. When a nation places its self-interest first, it will not be able to lead the world. We need a people or a religion that is willing to sacrifice its interests for a higher purpose and strive to build an ideal nation that embraces all humankind. With this view, in response to God’s command, I came here to America and poured all my energy to educate its young people, reawaken it from its moral crisis, and revive its declining Christianity. The Path for America and Humanity in the Last Days
Cheon Seong Gyeong 1274
In the Bible you read the story of Jacob, who plotted with his mother and tricked his father into giving him the blessing. You also read about Tamar, who committed immoral acts. Yet, it states in the Bible that Jesus will come to the earth through the tribe of Judah. What does all this mean? It is because the problem of conversion of the lineage remained and had to be resolved. The bloodline must be purified. Of all the religions, only Christianity has placed importance on the lineage, and laid down the conversion of lineage as its main ideology. You cannot find this in any other religion, and that is why you can safely conclude that we must follow this teaching.
Persecution
Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon
You have to pass through hell in order to reach the Kingdom of Heaven. (Way of God’s Will 1.8)
Persecution is God’s strategic expedient to recover the ownership of the satanic world. If you understand this principle, it becomes self-evident why true religions prosper under persecution. The founders of the major religions of the world—Jesus, Buddha, Confucius, and Mohammed—all were persecuted. Yet, because of this principle, these persecuted people became saints. History progresses following this principle; therefore, with the flow of time they were naturally destined to become the victors. (189:205-06, April 6, 1989)Human history has been a history of struggle—a fight between God and Satan, or good and evil, over humanity standing in the middle. Because human history started with the Fall, evil got a head start. Therefore, throughout history the evil side has always taken the offensive and been the aggressor. Good has been passive and defensive; yet, God is on the side of good. In the end, the good side always wins the victory. The good side always begins as the underdog; yet, it comes out victorious and expands. (88:209, September 18, 1976)
God’s strategy is to be struck and then be compensated, including an additional amount for damages, while Satan’s strategy is to strike first, for which he must pay compensation in the end. That is why Satan falls after striking, while God is struck and yet prospers. By following that strategy and taking up the course of persecution, I could continue to prosper and build an ever-stronger foundation of victories. (249:105, October 8, 1993)
Just as religions developed the most when they struggled under the threat of martyrdom, we are free of corruption when under persecution. (Way of God’s Will 3.4)
As long as your thinking is self-centered, Satan, the second subject, is your lord. That is why religions require complete self-denial. You cannot sever your relationship with Satan if you insist on yourself.
How does God create the circumstances where we can fulfill the condition of self-denial? We cannot do it by ourselves. Certainly, religions teach people to deny themselves and lead a life of self denial, but in the end, we cannot do it by ourselves. The standard of self-denial must be created within reciprocal relationships. If someone else pushes you into the position of being negated, it is equivalent to self-denial. In this way, God creates the sphere of denial for religious people by arranging for everyone to oppose them. This is the motive behind persecution.
When a person comes to believe in God and religion, he or she is often opposed by the people closest to him—his parents and loved ones. It is a case of Satan, the second subject, attacking God, the first subject. When someone strikes a righteous person unjustly, it sets a condition that must be repaid. Because of this repayment, the development of religion is secured. (God’s Will and the World, April 3, 1983)
True people of faith accept persecution and trials as nutrition for their spiritual growth, rather than as a source of resentment against those who persecute them. (129:303, November 25, 1983)
Bear every cross. Willingly be the first to be hit by the stones thrown by people in the villages. Be the foremost target of all their curses and accusations, and the first to receive their beatings. (96:123, January 2, 1978)
Does true love break when hit with a fist? Which would break, true love or the fist? The bones of the fist would break. If it hits again and again, it will disintegrate. That is why God permits Satan to keep striking. Every time true love is struck, the one who strikes it is weakened.
Why does God not stop persecution? Why doesn’t He remove the persecutors? Because He knows that the more they strike, the faster they will decline. In this way, the persecution will completely cease. Then it becomes fertilizer. Once it rots, it will become good soil. (230:131, May 1, 1992)
You should experience many tears. The underside of revolutionary history is always filled with blood and tears. It is full of accusations, persecutions, abuses and beatings. It is the path that I, Reverend Moon, also have walked. Yet no matter how many tears you weep, God’s sorrow is millions of times greater than your sorrow. A human being’s two-dimensional sorrow cannot be compared to God’s three-dimensional sorrow. (11:227, September 20, 1961)
Running my course ever grateful to Thee,
I am nearly 70, having reached old age.
In the prime of my life when I was healthy and strong
I burned up all my passion attending Heaven;now gone is the time to return glory to Thee.
Since the day I was driven out as one rejected by the people, a rebel against humanity,
I endured in silence while the Unification Church was struck.
Yet I thank Thee because it could endure and progress
through the heavenly principle of being struck and taking back what was lost…
Father! Thou art love.
Thou didst put me behind steel bars to prepare for me the measure of joyful circumstances,
to place me in the position to inherit, to give me blessings.
Now that it is over, I see that everything was love,
and the touch of Thy expansive generosity.
Recalling it now, I can only thank Thee. (164:334, April 17, 1987)