Eight Great Textbooks | Daily Inspiration

The Sun and the Moon Will Be Darkened

Check my second Podcast, Can You Trust the CDC and the World Health Organization on COVID-19? from March 28, 2020.

Cheon Seong Gyeong 2377

You must recite the Family Pledge when you wake up and when you go to bed. You must focus on one particular verse each day and live according to it. Then you must check to see if you have fulfilled the content of that verse for that day. If you could not, you must determine to do it the next day. The Pledge is the life element for nourishment and growth, and the basic element for life in the heavenly kingdom. Therefore, you should recite the Pledge and evaluate your life. If those who have families do not recite the Family Pledge, they are fakes. This is the standard your family must reach. Those that do not are failures. You must understand this point and become the standard. Those parents who can do this must memorize the Pledge completely, divide it into sections, and teach it to their children. They must also get people to follow them. (287-130, 1997.9.19)

Richard: What a great tradition to practice in your family. You can find the Family Pledge here.

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1490

Even I give serious thought to my work if it is so great that it requires a power greater than my innate power. When it is necessary to acquire a force greater than my own, where I can get that power from remains the problem. If I fail to acquire such a power, there is no choice but to retreat, but that is not an option. That is why we need to pray, and we need God. That is why we need the world of heart. There are no limits in the world of love, no matter how much you pull out from it. The world of substance ends at some point, as does the world of knowledge. The world of power can be destroyed in a second, but the world of heart is endless. Hence, you need to act based on the world of heart. (120-306, 1982.10.20)

Eschatology and Messianic Hope

New Revelation

2. The Truth of the New Revelation Eclipses the Truths of Former Dispensations

The glowworm shines so long as the light-bringer has not arisen. But when the shining one has come up, its light is quenched, it glows no longer. Such is the shining of the sectarians. So long as the rightly awakened ones arise not in the world, the sophists get no light, nor do their followers, and those of wrong views cannot be released from Ill.
Udana 73 (Buddhism)

And when We put a revelation in place of another revelation—and Allah knows best what He reveals—they say, “You are only inventing.” Most of them know not. Say, “The Holy Spirit has revealed it from your Lord with truth, that it may confirm the faith of those who believe, and as a guidance and good tidings for those who have surrendered.”
Qur’an 16.101-102

Now if the dispensation of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such splendor that the Israelites could not look on Moses’ face because of its brightness, fading as this was, will not the dispensation of the Spirit be attended with greater splendor? For if there was splendor in the dispensation of condemnation, the dispensation of righteousness must far exceed it in splendor. Indeed, in this case, what once had splendor has come to have no splendor at all, because of the splendor that surpasses it… Yes, to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; but when a man turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.
2 Corinthians 3.7-16

Concerning His words—“The sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give light, and the stars shall fall from heaven” [Matthew 24.29]… is intended the divines of the former Dispensation, who live in the days of the subsequent Revelations, and who hold the reins of religion in their grasp. If these divines be illuminated by the light of the latter Revelation they will be acceptable to God, and will shine with a light everlasting. Otherwise, they will be declared as darkened, even though to outward seeming they be leaders of men, inasmuch as belief and unbelief, guidance and error, felicity and misery, light and darkness, are all dependent upon the sanction of Him who is the Day-star of Truth…

In another sense, by the terms “sun,” “moon,” and “stars” are meant such laws and teachings as have been established and proclaimed in every Dispensation, such as the laws of prayer and fasting. These have, according to the law of the Qur’an, been regarded, when the beauty of the Prophet Muhammad had passed beyond the veil, as the most fundamental and binding laws of His dispensation…Hence, it is clear and manifest that by the words “the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven” is intended the waywardness of the divines, and the annulment of laws firmly established by [prior] divine Revelation, all of which, in symbolic language, have been foreshadowed by the Manifestation of God…It is unquestionable that in every succeeding Revelation the “sun” and “moon” of the teachings, laws, commandments, and prohibitions which have been established in the preceding Dispensation, and which have overshadowed the people of that age, become darkened, that is, are exhausted, and cease to exert their influence.
Book of Certitude 33-41 (Baha’i Faith)

The Perfect and Complete Truth Has Been Revealed

Check my first Podcast, Can You Trust the CDC and the World Health Organization on COVID-19? from March 27, 2020. Still very relevant today, 17 months late:

1 Corinthians 7

¹⁵If your husband or wife isn’t a follower of the Lord and decides to divorce you, then you should agree to it. You are no longer bound to that person. After all, God chose you and wants you to live at peace. ¹⁶And besides, how do you know if you will be able to save your husband or wife who isn’t a follower?

Richard: One Daily Inspiration reader brought to my attention that there are problems with Paul’s viewpoint on marriage in the above reading.
Paul says you can divorce your husband or wife if they are not a follower of the Lord and they ask for a divorce. This scripture was chosen “randomly” by opening the Bible, which is always how Stacey and I receive the daily scriptures. I take it as meaning don’t let dysfunctional, or co-dependent relationships of any kind, not just marital relationships pull you away from your conscience, or God.
I do not recommend divorce as a solution for marital problems. Marriage is a commitment in front of God, and possibly barring violence or infidelity, that commitment should not be broken.

Psalm 5

⁴You are not the kind of God
who is pleased with evil.
    Sinners can’t stay with you.
⁵No one who boasts can stand
in your presence, Lord,
    and you hate evil people.
⁶You destroy every liar,
    and you despise violence
    and deceit.

Eschatology and Messianic Hope

New Revelation

1. The Perfect and Complete Truth Will Be Revealed

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

The Bible… renders important parts of the truth in symbols and in parables. Since these are open to various interpretations, there have arisen numerous disagreements among believers, causing them to divide into many denominations. The primary cause of denominational divisions lies in the character of the Bible, not in the people. The strife between denominations will only grow more intractable unless a new truth emerges which can elucidate the symbols and parables obscuring the essential truths of the Bible. Without this new truth, God’s providence, which comes through the unification of Christianity, can never reach its goal. This is why Jesus promised that in the Last Days he will give us the new Word of truth, “I have said this to you in figures; the hour is coming when I shall no longer speak to you in figures but tell you plainly of the Father.” (John 16.25)
Due to the disbelief of the people of his time, Jesus died on the cross without being able to teach all that was in his heart. As he said, “If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” (John 3.12) What is more, Jesus added, “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now,” (John 16.12) disclosing how sorrowful he was about the inability of even his closest disciples to receive all that he wanted to share.
Nevertheless, the words that Jesus left unspoken will not remain forever a secret, but one day will be divulged through the Holy Spirit as a new expression of truth. As Jesus said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” (John 16.13) (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Eschatology 5.1)

Because human beings fell, God’s word of promise could not appear as the word of fulfillment. That was the case in the Old Testament and the New Testament, which contain promises of a word yet to appear—the word of fulfillment. The lack of this word is a most serious matter for all humanity. Faithful believers seeking Heaven should consider this problem. It is a problem for Christianity, and it is a problem for anyone who would attempt to unify all the world’s religions.
Why is the world today full of division and strife? When Jesus appeared in the world, it also was beset with division. Jesus’ word was meant to end the division and strife. However, because the people of that time did not believe in Jesus’ word, the problems that he came to resolve were not entirely resolved. That is why today there should appear the Completed [Testament] Word: to bring order to this world filled with division and strife and to unite all doctrines and teachings. (3:326, February 2, 1958)

Amazing things occurred in the first church: speaking in tongues, spiritual works, prophesying, and more… These same spiritual phenomena will emerge in Christian history in the Last Days. Many who experience these things will be called crazy and heretics.
Yet the one upon whom the Spirit has been poured out cannot contest it. He may not know why it is happening, but Heaven will tell him. He opens his eyes and sees the spirit world. His actions are the actions of a spiritual being. He sees, thinks and behaves totally different from you. To you he may appear insane, but consider: did Jesus look like an intelligent man? In the eyes of his contemporaries he was a benighted fool.

In the future, such spiritual phenomena will sweep across the world, the peoples and the churches. (6:184, April 26, 1959)

Among the disciples of Jesus, there was not one who was overly attached to the Old Testament Scriptures. Rather, they all responded to the spiritual experiences which they sensed through their inner minds. In the Last Days, people who lead an ardent life of prayer or who live by their conscience will feel intense anxiety in their hearts. This is because in their hearts they vaguely sense a spiritual calling and want to follow the providence of the new age, yet they have not come in contact with the new truth which can guide them to act accordingly. These are the chosen ones who, once they hear the new truth, will be awakened simultaneously in their spirits and intellects by spirit and truth. They will then fully understand God’s providential needs concerning the new age and will volunteer with great enthusiasm and delight.

We who are alive today are living in the Last Days. We should cultivate a humble heart and make the utmost effort to receive divine inspiration through prayer. We should not be strongly attached to conventional concepts, but rather should direct ourselves to be receptive to the Spirit, in order that we may find the new truth which can guide us to the providence of the new age. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Eschatology 5.2)

I Will Tell You Plainly of the Father

Cheon Seong Gyeong 2200

People generally tend to become dejected by the difficulties they encounter. A patriot cannot do that. A filial child also should not do this. If your spouse dies, or your child dies, you should not grab hold of them with tears. A true leader cannot do this. A true patriot cannot disclose his sorry situation. Therefore, even if your sadness is piercing your heart, you cannot show your tears.

You may not have the opportunity to commiserate with the king, but if you stand in the position of goodness with the mind of beings who are more than parents and who feel greater sorrow than the king then Heaven will then teach you what to do. When we think about this from the position of filial sons and daughters, then even if you are sad, you should not be sad because of your own sadness. If you feel resentful, you should not decide to take revenge on your enemy. (18-252, 1967.6.11)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1343

Humankind is comprised of people who are similar to Adam by marrying as they please, or those following the type of Jesus in awaiting marriage, or those following the type of Christ at his Second Advent. The latter must restore all three positions. In the first place, a family following the type of Noah’s family must be restored because Noah, like Abel and Jesus, occupies the position of the second son on God’s side. The 72 Couples are the restored forms of Cain and Abel who had been divided. (22-216, 1969.2.8)

Richard: The 72 couples refers to a group of 72 couples Blessed in marriage by Rev. Sun Myung Moon on June 4th, 1962.

Eschatology and Messianic Hope

New Revelation

The revelatory phenomena of the Last Days begin with a spiritual awakening. The twentieth century saw the birth of Pentecostalism, exhibiting speaking in tongues and other phenomena of the first Christian church. Throughout the world, many new sects have arisen based on special revelations to their founders. This spiritual awakening takes many forms, East and West.
Moreover, in the Jewish and Christian scriptures there are hints that God will reveal deeper aspects of his truth in the Last Days. They indicate that humankind’s current state of knowledge of God’s truth is imperfect and clouded by error. What of Islam, Buddhism and other religions? Truth is inexhaustible. Yet disputes over doctrines and teachings among the various denominations and sects have plagued each of the world’s great faith traditions. It stands to reason that in the Last Days a new expression of truth will come to clearly distinguish truth from error, put an end to religious disputes, and guide all humankind on the path to God.
It may be inevitable that many believers attached to conventional doctrines will reject the new truth when it first appears, as has happened at the birth of every religion. nevertheless, if the truth is broad enough to embrace the essential teachings of all the world’s religions with respect and appreciation, it should attract support from all quarters and not become the basis for yet another new sect.

1. The Perfect and Complete Truth Will Be Revealed

I have said this to you in figures; the hour is coming when I shall no longer speak to you in figures but tell you plainly of the Father.

John 16.25

For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully.

1 Corinthians 13.9-12

For each [faith community] We have appointed a divine law and a traced-out way… Unto God you will all return, and He will then inform you of that wherein you differ.

Qur’an 5.48

What is the difference between our times and the messianic times? Purity and attainment of knowledge.

Zohar, Genesis 139a (Judaism)

I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

John 16.12-15

And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
yea, and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days
I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.
Acts 2.17-18

“And God said, ‘Let there be light!’ and there was light.” (Gen. 1.3) Although God spoke these words to the dwellers on the earth, that ‘light’ refers to the light made for the World to Come. The original light that God created was the higher light, the light of the eye. The Holy One gave Adam a glimpse of it, and at a glance he saw the entire world. When David beheld it, he was transported to spiritual ecstasy and exclaimed, “O how abundant is thy goodness.” (Psalm 31.19) It was by this light that God showed Moses the Promised Land from Gilead to Dan. Yet from the beginning this divine light was hidden and concealed, as God perceived that the generations of men who lived in the times of Enoch, of Noah, and of the tower of Babel would use it for selfish purposes…Rabbi Isaac said, “The light created by God in the work of creation filled the world with its splendor, but was eventually withdrawn and concealed. Why? So that transgressors of the good law might not participate in it. Therefore the Holy One conceals and preserves it for the days of the Righteous One [the Messiah], as it is written, ‘Light dawns for the Righteous One…’ (Psalm 97.11) When it shall prevail again throughout the world, humanity will become renewed and live the higher life and become one with angelic life. Until then, however, this divine light is concealed in darkness, which is its covering.” Zohar, Genesis 31b-32a (Judaism)

The Last Days Means Creating a World Under God’s Sovereignty

Editorial, Richard Urban Show and audio podcast: “When Did We Visit You While You Were Sick or in Jail?”
January 6th US Capitol False Flag Entrapment Operation Needs to be Investigated

Collosians 2

⁶You have accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord. Now keep on following him. ⁷Plant your roots in Christ and let him be the foundation for your life. Be strong in your faith, just as you were taught. And be grateful.

⁸Don’t let anyone fool you by using senseless arguments. These arguments may sound wise, but they are only human teachings. They come from the powers of this world and not from Christ.

Proverbs 18

8 It’s selfish and stupid
    to think only of yourself
    and to sneer at people
    who have sense.
²Fools have no desire to learn;
    they would much rather
    give their own opinion.

Eschatology and Messianic Hope

The Last Judgment

3. The Transformation of This World and the Renewal of Life in God

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

The Bible states that in the Last Days the Lord will come to judge us. Catastrophic upheavals will occur, the sun and moon will fall from the heavens, and the earth will be destroyed. The concept of the Last Days is widespread among religions. In Buddhism it is called the Age of the Extinction of the Dharma. In Christianity we call it the Last Days.
Why should there be a Last Days? The world planned by the absolute God must be an absolute world. Once it begins it should last forever. We surmise that it was not God’s original plan to bring the Last Days upon this world. Rather, because evil entered the world as a consequence of the Fall, the Last Days became necessary… God cannot abandon this fallen world. He must restore the world to its original state.
Therefore, the Last Days means one era passes and a new era arrives. If in the Last Days, because of Satan, God were to destroy the sun, the moon and the earth which He Himself created, He would be a God of failure. The sun and the moon are already resentful enough that they must shine upon evil humankind. Theirs would be a miserable fate if God destroyed them in the Last Days…
Actually, the end-times is when humanity will soar upward, after cleansing and renewing the entire course of history and setting up one victorious point as the consummation of human history. The words that promise the coming of the Last Days are words of blessing. The word “judgment” is not a bad word; it brings good news. The Last Days are the time to dissolve the thousands of years of resentment and sorrow buried so long in the hearts of God’s children. Therefore, the coming of the Day of Judgment is good news. (Way of Unification 1.4.1)

Despite its evil beginning, the world under the sovereignty of Satan must one day be transformed into the world where goodness reigns, where the three great blessings are fulfilled centered on God. The Messiah comes at this time of transformation.
The Last Days is this time, when the evil world under satanic sovereignty is transformed into the ideal world under God’s sovereignty. Hell on earth will be transformed into the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Therefore, it will not be a day of fear when the world will be destroyed by global catastrophes, as many Christians have believed. In fact, it will be a day of joy, when the cherished hope of humankind, the desire of the ages, will be realized. (Exposition of the Divine Principle,Eschatology 3.1)

The World Will Be Terribly Afflicted

Editorial, Richard Urban Show and audio podcast: “When Did We Visit You While You Were Sick or in Jail?”
January 6th US Capitol False Flag Entrapment Operation Needs to be Investigated

Cheon Seong Gyeong 2189

We have to step forward in bare feet to build the eternal homeland. Can we save this nation just with what is left over after we have had our fill? Can you spend your energy worrying about what you wear, when you will eat, what you get around on? We have to clear the path and pioneer the way with our bare feet and bare hands. This is the kind of thing that we do in the Unification Church.
Are you brave soldiers who should stand forward for the establishment of the homeland, or are you failures who bring it down? When we say brave warriors, we mean those who can represent the nation and carry out the things that other people cannot do. We do not use the term brave soldier for the people who do what just anyone can do; they are the rank and file troops. The brave soldier is the one who carries out the mission that his comrades have retreated from or failed to accomplish. The word yong means swift, quick. The brave soldier has to be able to run faster than anyone else, and even to be able to dodge bullets. The term brave soldier is reserved for those who do what no one else can do.

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1361

At the time of the 777 Couples Blessing, some parents came to me and requested, “Rev. Moon, my daughter’s name is so-and-so. As you are the founder of the Unification Church, we hope with all of our hearts that you will select a good husband for her.” Since when was I in such a high position? The world has changed. I thought it was still winter, but when I looked, spring had come. I finally find this world worth living in. If I did not have such things to look forward to, what would I live for? (38-187, 1971.1.3)

Eschatology and Messianic Hope

The Last Judgement

3. The Transformation of This World and the Renewal of Life in God

On the day when the earth will be changed to other than the earth, and the heavens likewise, and they will come forth unto God, the One, the Almighty…

Qur’an 14.48

And then when retribution shall come for their
offenses,
Then, O Wise One, Thy Kingdom shall be
established by Good Thought,
For those who, in fulfillment, deliver evil into
the hands of Truth!
And then may we be those who make life
renovated,
O Lord, Immortals of the Wise One, and O
Truth, bring your alliance,
That to us your minds may gather where
wisdom would be in dispute!
Then, indeed, shall occur the collapse of the
growth of evil,
Then they shall join the promised reward:
blessed abode of Good Thought,
Of the Wise One, and of Right, they who earn
in good reputation!
Avesta, Yasna 30.8-10 (Zoroastrianism)

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of persons ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be kindled and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire! But according to his promise we wait for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

2 Peter 3.10-13
Richard: The earth will not literally burn up. See the Exposition of the Divine Principle here, p. 91

Civilization as we know it is only transitory; it will finally pass away as the new age dawns and the true civilization is born. That will mark the end of the “provisional” world we live in today. God wills a reckoning for the old civilization and the establishment of a new one, and the time of His reckoning is at last drawing near.

Until now evil forces have had wide latitude in civilization, but in the transition from the old to the new, they will be weeded out. All people will go through an inexorable process of cleansing. The world will be terribly afflicted in payment for untold sins gathered over millennia. The great affliction is the sign that all societies and nations are being purified, and it will lift humankind to a new level of existence where good prevails.

The transition, which is actually upon us now, is the last stage before the beginning of an earthly paradise. In the upheaval, every sphere of life and every corner of civilization will be transformed. Those who believe in God and repent will witness the coming of the new world, and they will be able to start on the road to salvation. But those still heavily burdened with sin and unable to overcome their malicious ways will end this life in absolute misery and may find no salvation in the next.

Johrei (Sekai-Kyusei Kyo)