Author: Richard Urban

Blessed Are You When Men Revile You and Persecute You

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Cheon Seong Gyeong 2104

In your family you are told, “Be a child of filial piety!” What does this mean? It means to practice true love. Then, what does it mean to say, “Be an heir” or “Be a patriot”? It is saying that we should inherit the nation. What does it mean to say, “Be a saint?” It means that we should love the world; if we do, we will inherit the world. We will be the owner of the world. If we say, “Be a holy son and daughter” and “Be God’s son”… what does that mean? It is saying that we should participate in God’s love and receive the right to inherit the entire universe. Based on the traditional way to inherit all these things, God has been preparing the foundation to develop this logical stage in the fallen world of humanity. From this we can draw the conclusion that the purpose of religion or the path of spiritual attainment is possible. On what basis? On the basis of love. (142-337, 1986.3.14)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1079

Our members should not be wearing expensive neckties. I am not saying this because I am concerned about what others will think. If possible, however, we should be frugal in these matters. If we live this way, a great revolution of resourcefulness will explode out of this. This is absolutely necessary in America. (94-195, 1977.9.1)

Persecution

SACRIFICE IS OFTEN THRUST UPON A MAN OR WOMAN in the form of persecution. Few desire to be mistreated, misunderstood, slandered, ostracized and harassed. Yet persecution often follows righteous believers like a shadow.
Persecution is of no value if it crushes us. However, those who can persevere with faith and digest these troubles without complaint or resentment can attain the highest goal of fellowship with Heaven. Persecution can be a blessing, because it pushes us into the realm of total self-sacrifice and self-denial. Its circumstances allow us to attain an unsurpassed degree of selflessness beyond what we could achieve by our own efforts. In view of the beatification which comes through sacrifice, it is not surprising that people who are persecuted in faith often lose any negative feelings of hate or vengefulness toward their persecutors and even develop compassion for them. Selflessness begets holiness and relatedness to the divine. Hence the paradoxical fact of history that religions thrive in times of persecution.
Father Moon also teaches that God and Satan have, as it were, a contract between them: If Satan unrighteously persecutes innocent believers, God has a right to claim compensation for damages. In this way, throughout history goodness at first suffers attack but triumphs in the end. God takes this principle to its logical application: Believers should welcome maltreatment and even consciously embark on a course leading to persecution as a way to advance the divine purpose.

Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.
    Matthew 5.11-12 Continue reading “Blessed Are You When Men Revile You and Persecute You”

Whoever Favors War Are the Evil Ones

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Cheon Seong Gyeong 317

If God is seeking an absolute partner in love, whom will He place in that position? It is none other than human beings. It follows that a partner in love who has become one with the eternal love of the Creator must also live forever. An important issue for religion is how to establish a logical understanding of eternal life based on relationships of love. Eternal life does not lie in a man or a woman. It does not lie in God. You must clearly understand that eternal life is in the love of God. (218-210, 1991.7.29)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1079

Even when you eat out of hunger you should not completely fill your plate with food. You should maintain the standard of finding satisfaction in eating three-fifths of your plateful after removing two-fifths of it. Only then are you a wise person. You should know how to be frugal in everything. You should save the maximum and then find out the minimum you can live with. If you invest yourself using the minimum for at least three months you will discover the real minimum you can live with. After you do so, let’s see how it goes. (57- 197, 1972.5.31)

War Against Evil

3. Situations When War is Justified

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Not many people on this earth welcome an individual who pursues a different kind of goodness. When a good individual works to form a family of goodness, the surrounding people do not welcome him. When that good family strives to expand into a tribe of goodness, the tribulations besetting his path become even more difficult. And when that good tribe tries to form a nation of goodness, certainly an even greater evil power will rise in rebellion to block its way. Moreover, when that good nation pursues a world of goodness, the nations of the existing world, which is not good, will oppose it in every way possible.
     Evil tribes rose and fought against the way of the good tribe. All nations opposed the good nation; none welcomed it even though it had long been the hope of humanity. A nation of goodness must survive this confrontation with the evil nations and prevail in the battle of good versus evil. We know well that this is why history developed through this kind of struggle. (36:52-53, November 15, 1970) Continue reading “Whoever Favors War Are the Evil Ones”

Because of the Wickedness of these Nations, the Lord is Driving Them Out

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Cheon Seong Gyeong 1943

Originally, God’s will was to have the world united centering on Asia. But who took away that blessing after Jesus was killed under Judaism. Rome took it away. To recover that, God had to circle around the world, centering on Rome, to return to Asia. Why? It is because Rome took all the blessings. Rome had taken away all the blessings Judaism was to receive. That is the path that leads from Rome, based on the Italian peninsula, to Britain and across the Pacific Ocean to Asia. In this way, through the Second World War, God could establish control over the whole area of Asia. He had command over everything. (92-175, 1977.4.3)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1202

The age in which Jesus was not welcomed by the established Jewish faith must be restored through indemnity. Thus, there should be a phenomenon opposite to the time when Israel and Rome united against Jesus. The Korean government was united with America, and Christianity was opposing me persistently through these governments that were against me. I had to stand in such a position and restore this situation through indemnity. In my generation, I developed a national level foundation, and brought great victory. My strategy in America since 1974 was therefore to connect the foundation of this spiritual victory to the substantial world stage through the young generation of the world. Over a 3-year course, until my deadline of 1976, I waged a substantial war in earnest on the national level in America. (138-216, 1986.1.21)

War Against Evil

3. Situations When War is Justified

And if God had not repelled some men by others, the earth would have been corrupted.
    Qur’an 2.251

War is an evil thing; but to submit to the dictation of other states is worse… Freedom, if we hold fast to it, will ultimately restore our losses, but submission will mean permanent loss of all that we value… To you who call yourselves men of peace, I say: You are not safe unless you have men of action on your side.
    Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War(Hellenism) Continue reading “Because of the Wickedness of these Nations, the Lord is Driving Them Out”

The More People Harass Me, the More Progress I Make

Happy Independence Day!

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Cheon Seong Gyeong 2412

You must know that being able to recite the Family Pledge is the best news of all good news in all of history. That is why we say “Our family.” The words “Our family” are there. “Our family… centering on our original homeland… centering on true love…” That is the original homeland where you were born. The land of one’s hometown is the most precious. “Our family… pledges to… build the Kingdom of God on earth and in heaven, the original ideal of creation.” The ideal of creation refers to the ideal of creation centering on God. It was the ideal of creation that was to establish the Kingdom of God on earth and in heaven. Since the ideal of creation could not be attained due to the Fall, we must restore it. We must build the Kingdom of God on earth and in heaven, the original ideal of creation, centering on our original homeland. (260-188, 1994.5.8)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 918

In regard to the firstborn son of the eldest son, even the grandfather comes under his command when that son performs the ancestral rites. The grandfather has to show his respect. The fact that Koreans place value in the lineage of the firstborn son, and also in their genealogy and lineage, holds record-breaking historical value in God’s providence of restoration, which can never be forgotten from the deepest root of His mind. (290-9, 1998.2.2)

War On Evil

2. Spiritual Warfare

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

We can stand on God’s side if we have the heart to love the enemy. (52:87, December 22, 1971)

You can expect fierce battles, but you must love your enemies whenever you encounter them. If you possess this spirit, someday victory will be yours. (March 12, 2000)

The enemy we must fight against is not a certain person on the earth, but rather Satan, who grasped the height of authority, raised the banner of rebellion against God, and has been accusing God throughout the course history. (3:180, October 27, 1957) Continue reading “The More People Harass Me, the More Progress I Make”

We Contend Against Spiritual Hosts of Wickedness

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Cheon Seong Gyeong 2193

    Even so-called patriots must live for the sake of Heaven before they can be conferred the title of patriot by Heaven. The path of the filial child is the same. Thus, you can understand how valuable and precious it is. Everything we do, whether eating, seeing, speaking or acting, must be for this purpose.
    We have to realize that we have the responsibility to fulfill our duty as filial children and patriots, even if it entails walking the path of suffering and tears in the place of God, the Lord of Heaven. Even if we collapse while trying to block God from walking the path of tears, we must pick ourselves up again and go this way in His place. The duties of loyalty and filial piety must be accomplished from this position. (41-157, 1971.2.14)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1498

The absolute authority to judge this world cannot be bestowed on an individual alone. It needs to be bestowed on a true family. What would Satan attack first? It would be the family. That is why if you have formed a family but failed to unite into one, the family breaks up. A break-up between father and son, husband and wife, and indeed, the whole family, will result. A person who has formed a family only to see it break up later is scarred with a wound that cannot be healed for eternity. No amount of consolation would do that person any good. (30-85, 1970.3.17)

War Against Evil

2. Spiritual Warfare

Though we live in the world we are not carrying on a worldly war, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.
    2 Corinthians 10.3-5 Continue reading “We Contend Against Spiritual Hosts of Wickedness”