The Truth Will Seem to Be a Lie, and Lies Will Seem to Be the Truth

Happy True Parents Day! See the special reading below to understand more about True Parents Day.

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True Parents Day from the Historical Point of View

In the Last Days, the truth will seem to be a lie and lies will seem to be the truth. That is precisely what is happening today, isn’t it? Though I represent the genuine goodness of God, the world thinks I am some kind of monster; some people even think my organization is worse than the Mafia. I studied science and mathematics and unless everything we do is scientifically possible, I will not even go myself. I am not a foolish man with blind ideals.

Why does the world come against us? The reason is very simple. They are afraid of us. Jews and Catholics and Protestants have been fighting and killing each other for 2,000 years, but when I appear they hastily get together as allies to make a statement against me. Without even knowing me some people now say, “Reverend Moon must be some kind of giant because the denominations were enemies before, but now they have come together as allies against this one man!”

This occurrence is prophetic. In uniting to come against me, the Jews, Catholics, and Protestants have shown that there is room for unity among the three faiths. Yet, without me there is no way that they can become one in the sight of God. We must become the catalyst, for it is with our blessing alone that they have the possibility of truly becoming one.

Our diligent witnessing is for a dual purpose. We are restoring our spiritual children of course, but we are also restoring our relatives; our closest relative is Protestantism, and our cousin is Catholicism, while our distant cousin, yet still very much our relative, is Judaism. The non-religious people of the world are extremely distant cousins. Their restoration is the job the Unification Church has undertaken.

I have fully expounded the external meaning of Parents Day in its historical context, but I have not yet spoken of its internal aspect. Would you like to hear it? Only a few people are saying yes; perhaps most would like to wait until next Parents Day! I see a lot of mouths still closed, and my voice is getting hoarse now. Shall we go on or not? Could someone come forward to speak so I can sit down? No, only I can speak this morning.

Is your flesh, blood and bone related to God or not? No matter how much you may say yes, even if your ‘yes’ brings the roof down, at best we could say that they are conditionally related to God; in actuality there is no relation. Now you call me your True Parent, but do you truly have any connection with me? Does my flesh have something to do with your flesh? Does my bone have something to do with your bone? Does my blood have a relation to your blood? Restoration itself is only conditional. You will never be able to pay your whole debt, but by the conditions of restoration you can accomplish what would otherwise take a million years. That is a beautiful secret.

Only a trade of love makes restoration possible

What condition will make this possible? Money? Power? Knowledge? Faith? Even faith can change from morning to evening. What is the unchanging condition by which you can relate with God and the True Parents? You are correct; true love alone will make the connection. When Jesus Christ came to this world as the Messiah, he had an external and internal mission. His external mission was to rule the world as the Messiah, the king of kings, establishing God’s sovereignty. His internal mission was very tender, for he came as the parent of mankind.

How could Jesus internally elevate himself? He could not elevate himself to the position of True Parent by power or kingship. Those would have been to no avail. It was only by a love that was higher, deeper and wider than all the love the satanic world could offer that Jesus could fulfill his mission. As the Messiah, Jesus could declare that whoever would follow him must love him more than anyone or anything else, more than their country, parents, spouse, or children. Jesus could not qualify as the Messiah unless he were capable of declaring such a thing. From his desire to declare to the world the supreme love of God, Jesus said, “He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” He was indeed the Messiah, and he knew that he was capable of giving that supreme love to anyone who could love him above all else.

By giving their greatest love to Jesus, Christians are entitled to inherit God’s kingdom and the True Parents love. Jesus actually came to make a trade of love. He brings heavenly love, and we bring worldly love. God’s love is so superior that His love will not come to you unless you can offer Him the best love you can give. In this trade of love you can restore your eternal kingship; you will inherit the visible kingdom that God possesses externally, but more importantly, in loving Jesus the most, you can even possess him and you can actually possess God. When you approach Jesus in that love he will respond, and even God will have no choice but to respond to you. This is a beautiful exchange, isn’t it?

Jesus declared to his disciples and to the world that unless they could love him more than anyone else they were not worthy of him. That is a most extraordinary statement! There was no way that he could avoid being accused of blaspheming. “We stone you for blasphemy; because you, being a man, make yourself God.” Finally he was crucified. In a way Jesus actually stimulated his own crucifixion by making statements that angered people enough that they wanted to kill him. His statements were certainly ambitious and bold; how could people accept such statements in those days? Imagine a husband and wife with a very deep relationship listening to one of Jesus’ sermons while he was saying that unless they loved him more than their own spouse they were not worthy of him. Do you think that husband would turn to his wife and say, “Yes, go love him more than me”‘? Any husband would say, “Forget it! You love me most; you are my wife.”

The Messiah’s course is truly a stony path. Over and over God asks him to do impossible things. Raise your hand if you want to volunteer to become the Messiah. Anybody who would volunteer must have something wrong with his head. The Messiah must be able to eat his own stool and say, “This is as sweet as honey.” God is continually asking the Messiah to do absolutely insane things. Does this discourage you?

God’s efforts to restore true love

Why can love set such a significant condition? It is only with the condition of love that you can leap the many millenniums to restoration. God made love so supreme that with true love there is nothing that cannot be surmounted. Love alone transcends time,

and does not know history. Among the congregation I see some elderly women. Think about that time years ago when you first fell in love; even though you are now 60 and 70 years old; it is as vivid as yesterday, isn’t it? The love that they tasted many decades ago is still fresh and sweet, and they want to dwell there even now.

Love knows no distance. If your beloved is trembling on a chunk of ice at the North Pole, do you think that your love will be frozen and weak? Distance makes no difference. Love can never be confined by time and space. Even God cannot revolutionize true love. From the beginning to the end, from alpha to omega, love remains the same, forever unchanging. If this little handkerchief were love, it would have greater value to lovers than the entire continent of the United States. Isn’t that right? Only that timeless, spaceless, eternal love can set the condition for you to be restored into heaven in no time.

How has God been working to restore this true love? Not just mankind and the angels but the entire creation was affected by the fall of man. Even the dignity of God was lost. The work of restoration means bringing everything that became fallen back into unity with God. God divided the restoration period into different segments. In the Old Testament era all the things of creation became the mediator between man and God. Why? Everything became upside down because of the fall of man. Originally man was supposed to be closest to God, but after the fall the things of creation were purer than man, and thus closer to God. For this reason man could only reach God by symbolically sacrificing himself through the things of creation. In addition, God created all things in the world before he created man. For these reasons the Old Testament era was the time in which God was restoring all things. God restored all things first, even before man could be re-created, and then turned to restore His children.

Israel was the nation in the position of servant; through Judaism men were lifted from the state of fallen sinner up to the position of servant. Then in the New Testament era Jesus Christ came as the son of God to bring an era of great transformation. During Jesus’ lifetime men were to be lifted from the position of servant to the position of sons of God. As God’s servant, the nation of Israel was to support Jesus as the son of God, elevating him to the position of sovereign and then to the position of True Parent. The Bible referred to Jesus as a great teacher, but did not reveal the mission of Jesus as the parent. While Jesus was on earth the entire dispensation of restoration could have been shortened; the son of God came to restore true sonship, and to elevate himself into parenthood, raising the chosen people into direct sons and daughters, the true heirs of God. Then the entire nation could have been elevated to parenthood. That was God’s scheduled program.

Because of the faithlessness of the people, however, Israel could not advance that far, and instead of becoming a living sacrifice, Jesus was killed as a sacrifice on the altar of God. Thus Jesus actually died to lay the foundation for the future Messiah. By his own death he paid the indemnity and paved the way for the second coming of the Messiah; thus began the Christian era of the New Testament.

When the new Messiah comes, he will bring those in the adopted son’s position into the position of direct sons and daughters of God, and then elevate mankind into true parenthood under God. The second coming of the Messiah will be highlighted by the work of the True Parents. It will be the most brilliant new age, the final consummation of the work of God. The True Parents will be the mediators between God and man and all men shall be saved, becoming the direct children of God and true parents of mankind.

We must build our own foundation

Judaism was the national, external foundation for Jesus, but Christianity bears that responsibility for the second coming of the Messiah. Furthermore, the Messiah is coming on the worldwide level; therefore, the free world is in the position of the nation of Israel. When this situation is ripe, you will know that the day of the Lord is near. When the messianic work is fulfilled by the free world then God will take direct responsibility for the communist world. The restoration process can never be completed without this worldwide unity between Cain and Abel.

Presently a Cain-Abel struggle is taking place between the Unification Church and other Christian churches, and between the Unification Church and America. World restoration can be speeded up after the Unification Church, Christianity, and America find the way to unify. However, because the free world opposes us we ourselves must rebuild and stand upon our own foundation for the Old Testament and New Testament eras, and the era of this new age. History records the vertical process of restoration: the Old Testament era was for the restoration of all things; the New Testament era was for the restoration of the children, and the Completed Testament era will see the restoration of the parents.

Here in the Unification Church we are horizontally restoring the 6,000 Biblical years of God’s work in our lifetime. Within our own movement these three ages are unfolding horizontally. We are establishing an economic sphere: in addition we have children, and in the center we have the True Parents. We are restoring all of these things ourselves, and together we are bringing all of them to God as an offering. This work does not yet represent the Kingdom, however, only when God returns our offering to us as a blessing will the Kingdom begin. I am unfolding this dispensation in my own lifetime. After offering to God the spheres of economy, children and parents, the next phase to unfold will be that of the tribe and then nation, world and universe. I came to America in 1972, and my 3 1/2 year campaign here was my offering to God of all the necessary conditions on the worldwide scale. My offering on the worldwide scale was completed by 1976.

New York is the symbolic heart of the world, and in this city we are working to firmly establish our economic strength. All the buildings we own in New York are part of this economic dispensation: Belvedere, Headquarters Building, East Sun, the World Mission Center, Tiffany Building, and the Manhattan Center, as well as all the land we own in Tarrytown. Compared to the wealth of the world all this is still small, but we must offer it all to God as our worldwide offering. Our effort is a worldwide effort and the energy of the world must be mobilized, for this reason every bit of money used to make this possible came from the blood and sweat of all our members around the world.

On September 18, I fulfilled my covenant with God

The final climax of this offering was the Washington Monument Rally. That was the altar upon which we offered to God everything that we had received. I want you to know that September 18, 1976, was the day of offering for the sake of the world; centering on the worldwide dispensation for America, that offering was made in Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital. The five races of the world gathered together there, symbolically proclaiming, “God, we have made this altar of ourselves; please accept all of us.” That day of offering was the most serious, most divine and sacred day of the history of the world. Because a pure offering was made that day, the salvation of the world is destined to be consummated. On that day the entire spirit world declared victory. All the men of God united to declare Victory.

America should have declared victory together with us, but America failed to do that. Many well meaning people even advised me that for the sake of the Church we should be a little more quiet, “Why do you want to make all the commotion of a Washington rally?” Even some of our leaders came to me saying, “Father, this will be a blunder. We just did Yankee Stadium and we need more money, more men; it is really impossible to do it this year.” But I remained determined. “This is the showdown of my lifetime. I will give my sweat, my heart and life to do it.” I decided to give everything-myself, my family, our members, whatever economic strength our movement could mobilize-everything that I could possibly give to successfully make that offering to God in Washington.

This was not actually my showdown; it was God’s showdown. I knew that God could not afford to fail in Washington, and I knew that God was the most nervous. Therefore, I was confident that God would come to our aid and I had only one conviction, “We shall succeed. We shall win.”

I want you to know that September 18, 1976, was like my day of execution. I deeply felt like a criminal who had been sentenced to death and was going out to be executed. That is how serious I felt that day, utterly, dead serious. Until September 18, 1 completely lost track of time. I mistook my breakfast for dinner and my dinner for breakfast. Time swam in my mind. Even on my way to the bathroom I would suddenly find myself in a completely strange area because my mind had gone blank. You cannot imagine how serious I was during that campaign; only God knows.

How can I express to you the seriousness of September 18? The showdown of God was at hand. The showdown of the entire struggle of good and evil was at hand. The entire destiny of the Unification Church was before me that day. Unless all the conditions could be established for God’s power and the entire spirit world to be connected to the earth on that day I knew that I would not succeed. I was utterly serious, and I did it.

The victory of that day was a miracle. It was the work of God, not of Reverend Moon or the Unification Church, that we succeeded in Washington. Extraordinary numbers of people came. The whole event was totally beautiful! Without rain or accident, all was beautiful from beginning to end. Do you think that could be the work of men? No, it was God’s work. That victory established a new tradition. No matter what may happen to America in the future, nobody can remove the footprint which I so strongly imprinted in Washington on September 18, 1976.

One child got lost that day, and announcements were made all over Washington. There was deep suspense as people wondered what happened to the child who had come to Reverend Moon’s rally. But he was found within three days, happy and well. I felt that he symbolized the lost, wandering world which shall be restored. It was a beautiful symbol of resurrection.

When I came to America I was a lonely man. As I crossed the Pacific Ocean I prayed to God, pledging that the mission would be fulfilled. Three and a half years later, through the victory at Washington Monument, my prayer was answered; I was able to fulfill my pledge and covenant with God. Thereafter I could declare liberation. On October 4, 1976, 1 declared the Day of the Victory of Heaven as one step of liberation. On the True Parents’ birthday, February 23, 1977, 1 declared that all heaven and earth, spirit world and physical world together, shall be forgiven. Forgiveness and liberation have now been declared. The New Age has dawned; the new calendar has started. The Year One has been pronounced.

This particular 18th Parents Day is a very meaningful and extraordinary day for these reasons. Now centering upon my mission you can begin to see how the Unification Church has evolved, what mission we are pursuing, and where we are going. You know now why we need funds. Economy represents all the things of creation that have been groaning in the satanic realm. By winning the economy to the heavenly side by our own hands and our own sweat, we are establishing the condition to restore all the things of creation….

Forty days after Jesus’ resurrection the Holy Spirit descended from heaven. What is the Holy Spirit? After Adam and Eve failed their mission as the True Parents of mankind, God’s concept of the True Parents was confined to the spiritual realm. Jesus came as the manifestation of God’s concept of true Adam, but no one was raised up to manifest God’s concept of Eve. For this reason the Holy Spirit comes in the role of spiritual Mother. The Bible describes the Holy Spirit as being like fire or water or like a dove, because it was without form, but the role of the Holy Spirit is that of mother spirit.

The Holy Spirit has served as the womb of a spiritual mother, completely embracing and covering Christians and internally giving spiritual rebirth. Jesus’ spirit as the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, can bring the power of rebirth to Christians. No spiritual resurrection can come about until one truly receives both Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

God never intended that physical birth and spiritual birth come separately, but Jesus could not establish full salvation 2,000 years ago, and left only the power of spiritual salvation here on earth. He must come again to the earth to complete the portion of his mission left undone at that time .

An unusual phenomenon is taking place within the Unification Church; you are seeking to be recognized and loved by the True Parents. In your deepest heart you want to become one with them; without doing this you cannot be given complete restoration or rebirth. Physically it is impossible to become a part of the True Parents, but through your love, your total unity with them will be acknowledged by Heaven. Did you ever dream of such a Principle?

I want you to deeply realize that the emergence of the True Parents did not happen all of a sudden by decree one morning. Thousands and thousands of years passed in which God shed sweat and blood and tears to lay the necessary foundation in accordance with His principle and schedule, yet this work was continually being hampered by man’s failures. I unlocked the deep secrets of heaven and earth and determined to pioneer the path beyond the level on which all the dispensational figures previously suffered or accomplished, figures like Noah, Abraham, Jacob, and Jesus. I learned precisely what they accomplished and what they left undone.

I knew from the very beginning that unless I set my standard higher than all of those dispensational figures I could not fulfill the role of the True Parents in heart and love. I have now succeeded beyond the level they established in terms of heart and love. From the beginning I knew what to look for, what to ask for, and what to strive for.

All the confusion and chaos of history had to be resolved. I came like a doctor to operate, to straighten out the problems of mankind within the shortest possible time of 30 years, and to complete the foundation upon which God’s history could begin and all mankind could be brought to life. It is a miracle of miracles. What would you have done if I had not come?

Right now I look miserable in the eyes of the world. I have unlocked the most important secrets of life and have freely given them as a gift to the world, yet instead of being grateful the world has come back to ridicule me. You are God’s only hope; you are my only hope. However, since your previous life was so sinful you can never deserve the blessing of God in the Unification Church without totally changing from your previous philosophy and way of life.

Who will inherit my mission?

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.

We Have to Find the Way to Restore God’s Original Standard

Happy True God’s Day! Please enjoy the special reading below from True God’s Day, 1988.

God’s Day Morning Speech

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
January 1, 1988
Seoul, Korea

Father and Mother at the World Mission Center on Children’s Day 1987

There are four major Holy Days in the Unification Church — Parents’ Day, Children’s Day, the Day of All Things, and God’s Day. If it hadn’t been for the fall, these days would never have existed. But because mankind lost the original standard, there needs to be a process for mankind to find that lost standard and substantiate it. First of all, there must be a Parents’ Day, which signifies the appearance of the True Parents, the representatives of all mankind, on the earth. Secondly, a foundation is necessary for the True Children to become one with the parents. This is Children’s Day. Based upon the unity of the parents and the children, there must be a Day of All Things.

The Kingdom of Heaven comes about only upon the basis of the parents, the children, and all things uniting into one, centered on the love of God. No single Holy Day alone can open the Kingdom of Heaven. The love of God can reach all men both on earth and in heaven only after absolute unity is realized among these three significant days. This is the very foundation that makes possible the restoration of the lawful standard by which mankind is entitled to heaven.

If Anyone Says ‘I Love God, and Hates His Brother, He Is a Liar

Cheon Seon Gyeong 323

Love transcends all national borders, for God’s love knows no boundaries. It is transcendent of the five different races of humankind, drawing no distinction among the black, white and yellow races. That is why the love of God is great. When love begins to flow regardless of the environment in which it is flowing, the environment adapts to this flow and develops. God will be pleased only when we adopt the perspective that can make this happen. That is why we must walk the path of love. (164-93, 1987.4.26)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1100

No one living on earth until this time has ever seen God’s Day, True Parents’ Day, True Children’s Day, and Day of All True Things. There are 365 days in a year. You should clearly understand that the most important days among all 365 days are those days that I have just mentioned, which have now appeared in providential history. You should know that these days are the king of all days, and if a year like that existed it would be the king of all years. (92-252, 1977.4.18)

Chapter 13

Love

True Love

True love is the supreme love. It is highly desired, yet rare in the world. These passages can only begin to describe this ideal love, whose various attributes will be treated at length in the following sections.
Most essentially, true love is grounded in divine love. Love or compassion, being the core of ultimate reality, is manifested by the saint who can rise above self-centered attachments and desires. As God created for the sake of his creatures, so true love is totally committed to the welfare of the beloved. As God is absolute, eternal and unchanging, true love never changes and cannot be defeated by the vicissitudes of life. As God is the parent of all humanity and the creator of all things, so a person with true love is impartial and all-embracing. Therefore, true love is displayed to individuals who are deeply united with God and fulfill God’s purpose for their life.
True love is beyond the reach of most people, who are caught up in self-centered pursuits. Yet it is not so far off, for everyone has within him or herself the potential for love. A parent who gives everything for the sake of his or her children has tasted it. Maybe he had habitually lived for his own pleasure, but with the birth of a child his life goes through a total reorientation—from self to the other, from taking to giving. Parental love is close to God’s true love, and hence we call God our Father. This inborn potential is illustrated by the Chinese character for benevolence (仁), which contains elements signifying “two (二) people (人)”; the same elements that are combined to make the character for heaven (天). Thus love is innate in our being, through love God dwells with us, and by loving we resemble God.

1. The Nature of True Love

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 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, even as I have been fully understood. So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13

Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God; for God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No man has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us…

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and he who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.

1 John 4.7-12, 18-20

The infinite joy of touching the Godhead is easily attained by those who are free from the burden of evil and established within themselves. They see the Self in every creature and all creation in the Self. With consciousness unified through meditation, they see everything with an equal eye.

I am ever present into those who have realized Me in every creature. Seeing all life as My manifestation, they are never separated from Me. They worship Me in the hearts of all, and all their actions proceed from Me. Wherever they may live, they abide in Me.

When a person responds to the joys and sorrows of others as if they were his own, he has attained the highest state of spiritual union.

Bhagavad-Gita 6.28-32 (Hinduism)

Love Each Other More than You Love God

Today we continue our celebration of True Children’s Day with this special reading.

Historical Children’s Day

October 28, 1980

Today is the historical Children’s Day. God cannot erect His kingdom alone; He needs a champion, an assistant to act as mediator. You are His children, called to this task. God regards you as the champions whom He has hand-picked to create the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. What an overwhelming task for Him!

The Unification Church is one family. If the head of a family thinks only about himself, the family becomes unhappy. The success and happiness of a family flow from the head of the family who cares for all the members. My deepest concern and care dwells with each one of you, and you in turn should love and care for each other as brothers and sisters, advancing hand in hand to meet True Parents.

Misunderstanding of Cain and Abel

The Cain-Abel theory in the Unification Church is very strong, but sometimes I worry that it may not be understood correctly. Our tradition is to follow an Abel figure, but have you also given that same kind of fidelity to your brothers and sisters? Leaders sometimes have the mistaken idea that they can exercise sole authority, but I want you to know that Abel is only Abel when he saves Cain; Abel must love and embrace Cain and bring him to the mother. Cain and Abel must unite before any restoration takes place.

However, your central figure will not lead you to the Kingdom of Heaven; you must unite among yourselves, centered on him, and then you can enter heaven. If your central figure only wants you to unite around him, rather than with each other, he is a false central figure. On the contrary, even if you don’t get along with your leader on occasion, but still you take care of your brothers and sisters, your leader will look for you, because without you he cannot be successful.

A new declaration

Today I am declaring a new beginning: the leader-centered movement is over and the member-centered movement is going to begin.

Our ultimate goal is Canaan. On the journey towards Canaan, our supreme duty is to follow orders, but once we enter Canaan, we no longer live by commands, but by love. This is that time. We are now arriving, and we must live in a God-like way. During the first 21-year course, we were marching towards Canaan, but in the next 21 years, we shall live by love. After their miraculous escape from Egypt, had the Israelites been concerned about each other instead of complaining about Moses, the older generation would not have been destroyed in the wilderness. During the Exodus, the highest virtue is to follow our leader, but in the promised land we shall live by give and take with our brothers and sisters.

My teaching to you is to love one another as much as you love God and True Parents. Then the dwelling of God will be among you, and Mother and I will accompany you. Because this day marks the beginning of that new era, I called this the historical Children’s Day.

Jesus as an example

Jesus practiced this way of life with his twelve apostles. In his most sacred act, washing the feet of his disciples, he demonstrated that he came not to be served, but to serve. His was the supreme expression of love. Jesus became the central figure linking twelve people. However, even these disciples abandoned him in the end.

In the Sermon on the Mount, you can find a revealing phrase, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” The Bible did not say that only those who obey commands will enter heaven, but rather those who make peace. How many people have you made harmony with? To love each other in effect means to love the whole world, because the Unification Church is a small world; what you do here has significance on a worldwide level.

Jesus also said, “Wherever two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of you.” Your prayer is not powerful when you pray singly; only when you pray together. Brothers and sisters must truly unite so they can share life together. I want you to realize how strongly your behavior affects the person next to you; you cannot think of yourselves as isolated individuals. Within our movement, we must feel concern for each other; if someone is hurt or ill, forget your meals and go attend him. Concentrate on caring for your brothers and sisters and creating an atmosphere in which good and healthy relationships can grow.

Love each other as you love God

God is almighty, but even after thousands of years of toil, the world remains sinful. In order to realize His ideal, God has given us the mandate to love our brothers and sisters as much as we love Him. In other words, each of you should be God to your brothers and sisters, treating each other as you would treat God. If you live this tradition, God will embrace you as His true children. Many people have said that they love God, but they abused and even hated their own brothers and sisters. Now God wants us to love each other and together come to Him. Your level of heartistic achievement in the spirit world will be determined by such intensity of love.

My teaching to you is this: love the world as much as you love God and True Parents. God feels greater joy when He sees you loving each other more than you love Him. Don’t shy away from adverse conditions or from smelly or ugly people; they are the ones who need you. Willingly attend to the dirty places and make them fragrant. Don’t run away from problems, but face them and conquer them.

You have come from all different races and nations and ancestries, and I am trying to mold you according to one heavenly standard. As individual truth bodies, you cannot of course be melted down into nothing and rebuilt from scratch! But I hive resolved to help you in the most fundamental spheres: life and true love.

God and Satan are trying to hook you

You think you are independent people, but I see many hooks and wires attached to you. Satan is throwing his hooks at you. Are you slippery, or do you have many nooks and crannies where he can grab you? It is not easy to escape him, since you are more susceptible to the satanic element than to the heavenly element.

Each person is a target in the cosmic competition, for both Satan and God are throwing hooks at you. Depending on the kinds of niches you have, either Satan or God can snag you. In general, your mind is more susceptible to God’s hooks and your body vulnerable to Satan’s hooks. Therefore, you have to smooth over the satanic niches and create niches where God can hook you.

Sometimes I regret having met God. It has been like grabbing a tiger by the tail. Since there is no way I can let go, I just hang onto Him until the end.

Each person you meet is a gateway to God

You have to overcome divisions and become glued together with the love of God. There are four directions and four seasons of three months each. Spring, summer, autumn and winter gyrate in one grand circle; when you complete one dispensational circuit, you may start over and go in the opposite direction.

When you arrive at heaven in spirit world, you will see twelve gates of pearl. Would you want to be eligible to enter only one of heaven’s gates, or all twelve? If you can enter all twelve gates, then you can have total freedom of movement. To receive your pass to all twelve gates, you must serve 36 people; then you can enter both heaven and hell.

So look at each person as one portal of heaven, one gateway to God, and resolve to melt his or her heart and win him or her. There are twelve styles of personality. A soft person is the spring gate, for instance, and a tough person is a winter gate. Think of yourself as a parent, and each day select a different person to love and care for until you encompass all twelve types. Love all varieties of people — black and white, young and old. etc. The cardinal rule is to forget yourself.

Those who can harmonize with others will rise higher and higher and ultimately become great leaders. If a blessed couple, for instance, thinks only about their own family, they are in the wrong; they should worry about others before being preoccupied about themselves. The blessed couples who first devote themselves to the brothers and sisters shall be admitted to heaven. The 36 couples are the elders of our church, and this rule applies to them as well. Unless they love the True Children and the members more than their own families, they are the enemies of our movement.

Significance of the 36 couples

There is another important way of categorizing people: those who are married, those who are engaged or are living together without formal ceremony, and those who are virgin. The married people represent Adam’s family, in which the husband and wife joined out of their own will. The engaged people represent Jesus, who came to look for his own bride, but was not able to achieve his goal. The third group represent the second advent, people who can be matched by heaven.

Twelve of each of these three categories were chosen as ancestors of mankind; they are the 36 blessed couples. Their mandate is to unite all 36 types of people, harmonizing the twelve different personalities and the three types of relationships. I have been serving those 36 couples, those tough individuals — matching them, providing them with homes, sending them on trips, etc. When they come to America, Mother and I shop for them, buying them clothes and furniture.

On observing this, some people may think that the 36 couples are the masters of the Unification Church, but that is wrong. Through them, I have been setting an example of service for you. If I were to ask them, they would immediately go to the jungles of Africa. After you serve twelve types of people and 36 couples, serving one God and one set of True Parents is an easy task!

The heavenly dispensation is like a relay game, with each person carrying the baton in his turn, passing it back and forth, down through the 36 couples. Some of you don’t want to look at these 36 couples, who are all Korean, but I am telling you that you need them. Without them there is no foundation or backbone for the Unification Church. The backbone carries the central nervous system, linking it with every tissue in the body. The 36 couples perform that role in the Unification Church.

What matters is not whom Mother or I love the most, but who will be the king or queen of loving brothers and sisters. You can even hold a love competition. Whether I am present or not should not matter, for you already know the secret of going to heaven — loving each other.

From today on, our membership around the world shall perfect this heavenly way of life.

Fallen Man Has the Disease of Fallen Love

Listen to the Richard Urban Show #84:

President Trump Should Stay In Office

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.