Category: New Testament

At the Second Coming There is an Invitation to a Wedding Banquet

Matthew 22

22 Once again Jesus used stories to teach the people:

2 The kingdom of heaven is like what happened when a king gave a wedding banquet for his son. 3 The king sent some servants to tell the invited guests to come to the banquet, but the guests refused. 4 He sent other servants to say to the guests, “The banquet is ready! My cattle and prize calves have all been prepared. Everything is ready. Come to the banquet!”

5 But the guests did not pay any attention. Some of them left for their farms, and some went to their places of business. 6 Others grabbed the servants, then beat them up and killed them.

7 This made the king so furious that he sent an army to kill those murderers and burn down their city. 8 Then he said to the servants, “It is time for the wedding banquet, and the invited guests don’t deserve to come. 9 Go out to the street corners and tell everyone you meet to come to the banquet.” 10 They went out on the streets and brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike. And the banquet room was filled with guests.

11 When the king went in to meet the guests, he found that one of them wasn’t wearing the right kind of clothes for the wedding. 12 The king asked, “Friend, why didn’t you wear proper clothes for the wedding?” But the guest had no excuse. 13 So the king gave orders for that person to be tied hand and foot and to be thrown outside into the dark. That’s where people will cry and grit their teeth in pain. 14 Many are invited, but only a few are chosen.

Jeremiah 49

I once was pleased
    with your famous city.
But now I warn you, “Escape
    while you still can!”[t]
26 Soon, even your best soldiers
    will lie dead in your streets.
I, the Lord All-Powerful,
    have spoken.

Let Us Be Persons of Forbearance

Sun Myung Moon
May 18, 1958

Matthew 24: 1-14

24 After Jesus left the temple, his disciples came over and said, “Look at all these buildings!”

2 Jesus replied, “Do you see these buildings? They will certainly be torn down! Not one stone will be left in place.”

3 Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him in private and asked, “When will this happen? What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world?”

4 Jesus answered:

Don’t let anyone fool you. 5 Many will come and claim to be me. They will say that they are the Messiah, and they will fool many people.

6 You will soon hear about wars and threats of wars, but don’t be afraid. These things will have to happen first, but that isn’t the end. 7 Nations and kingdoms will go to war against each other. People will starve to death, and in some places there will be earthquakes. 8 But this is just the beginning of troubles.

9 You will be arrested, punished, and even killed. Because of me, you will be hated by people of all nations. 10 Many will give up and will betray and hate each other. 11 Many false prophets will come and fool a lot of people. 12 Evil will spread and cause many people to stop loving others. 13 But if you keep on being faithful right to the end, you will be saved. 14 When the good news about the kingdom has been preached all over the world and told to all nations, the end will come.

Prayer

The time now is similar to when the Israelites were in confusion 2,000 years ago. It is the time when the Messiah must come. We know that in such a time as this it is difficult to distinguish between the true and the false. There have been many teachers who toiled in the course of history in the past. Men have attended many leaders. However, today we are losing the center of mind which we can rely on. Continue reading “At the Second Coming There is an Invitation to a Wedding Banquet”

Act for the Good of the Nation and World

CSG 565

You should think that you might
possibly die soon, perhaps within a year.
Therefore, you should make all prepara-
tions during this short time. You should
live with such thoughts. The shorter
the time you think you have, the hap-
pier you will be, and the less you have
to lose. Your sincere preparations dur-
ing this time become the building blocks
of your home for your eternal life. Have
you ever loved God with such a short
time in mind? You want to become one
with Him and love Him, but you can
not. God says to you, “Love Me!” If you
die after having lived this way, then you
will become the master of eternal life.

John 6

22 The people who had stayed on the east side of the lake knew that only one boat had been there. They also knew that Jesus had not left in it with his disciples. But the next day 23 some boats from Tiberias sailed near the place where the crowd had eaten the bread for which the Lord had given thanks. 24 They saw that Jesus and his disciples had left. Then they got into the boats and went to Capernaum to look for Jesus. 25 They found him on the west side of the lake and asked, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

26 Jesus answered, “I tell you for certain that you are not looking for me because you saw the miracles,[g] but because you ate all the food you wanted. 27 Don’t work for food that spoils. Work for food that gives eternal life. The Son of Man will give you this food, because God the Father has given him the right to do so.”

28 “What exactly does God want us to do?” the people asked.

29 Jesus answered, “God wants you to have faith in the one he sent.”

At a Field Service

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
May 11, 1958

Matthew 17: 1-18

Jesus did not enjoy himself at the summit of the Mount of the Transfiguration. It must have been a tragic scene. You today should not perceive this fact centering on yourselves.

Seeing the figure of Jesus shine with luminescence, at the summit of the Mount of the Transfiguration Peter suggested that Jesus stay there forever, saying, “Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah. (Luke 9:33) Although the three disciples tried to enjoy themselves in the environment, Jesus’ heart was not like that. Although the environment that appeared at the summit of the Mount of the Transfiguration was a good one, Jesus’ heart in that environment was pierced with the internal historical sorrow and the grief of the future. However, the three disciples were not far-sighted enough to know that the heart of Jesus was overcome with this kind of grief. Continue reading “Act for the Good of the Nation and World”

Your Relationship with Heavenly Principles

Rev 7

13 One of the elders asked me, “Do you know who these people are that are dressed in white robes? Do you know where they come from?”

14 “Sir,” I answered, “you must know.”

Then he told me:

“These are the ones
who have gone through
    the great suffering.
They have washed their robes
in the blood of the Lamb
    and have made them white.
15 And so they stand
    before the throne of God
and worship him in his temple
    day and night.
The one who sits on the throne
will spread his tent
    over them.
16 They will never hunger
    or thirst again,
and they won’t be troubled
by the sun
    or any scorching heat.

17 The Lamb in the center
of the throne
    will be their shepherd.
He will lead them to streams
    of life-giving water,
and God will wipe all tears
    from their eyes.”

2 Chronicles 29

12-14 When Hezekiah finished talking, the following Levite leaders went to work:

Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah from the Kohath clan; Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel from the Merari clan; Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah from the Gershon clan; Shimri and Jeuel from the Elizaphan clan; Zechariah and Mattaniah from the Asaph clan; Jehuel and Shimei from the Heman clan; Shemaiah and Uzziel from the Jeduthun clan.

15 These leaders gathered together the rest of the Levites, and they all went through the ceremony to make themselves clean. Then they began to purify the temple according to the Law of the Lord, just as Hezekiah had commanded.

Richard:  It’s great to hear the Word, but even better to put it into practice.

The World of Ideology Which We Seek

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
May 4, 1958

1 Peter 1

18 You were rescued[c] from the useless way of life that you learned from your ancestors. But you know that you were not rescued by such things as silver or gold that don’t last forever. 19 You were rescued by the precious blood of Christ, that spotless and innocent lamb. 20 Christ was chosen even before the world was created, but because of you, he did not come until these last days. 21 And when he did come, it was to lead you to have faith in God, who raised him from death and honored him in a glorious way. That’s why you have put your faith and hope in God.

22 You obeyed the truth,[d] and your souls were made pure. Now you sincerely love each other. But you must keep on loving with all your heart. 23 Do this because God has given you new birth by his message that lives on forever. 24 The Scriptures say,

“Humans wither like grass,
and their glory fades
    like wild flowers.
Grass dries up,
and flowers fall
    to the ground.
25 But what the Lord has said
    will stand forever.”

Our good news to you is what the Lord has said.

Prayer

Father, since we have life, please allow the motivating force of that life not to be limited to ourselves alone. Since we have the power of the word, please allow that word not to come to a standstill on the individual level in us. Furthermore, Father, I pray from the bottom of my heart that You allow us to make that word and that power of life into an influence that can move Heaven and earth, going over the nation and sweeping over the world. Although we have tried to receive Jesus from a position of ease and have sought Jesus in peace, we know that we cannot help seeing Jesus appear as a figure covered in blood. Continue reading “Your Relationship with Heavenly Principles”

Toil in Place of Jesus

Deuteronomy 14

24 But suppose you can’t carry that ten percent of your harvest to the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped. If you live too far away, or if the Lord gives you a big harvest, 25 then sell this part and take the money there instead. 

Matthew 18

15 If one of my followers[b] sins against you, go and point out what was wrong. But do it in private, just between the two of you. If that person listens, you have won back a follower. 16 But if that one refuses to listen, take along one or two others. The Scriptures teach that every complaint must be proven true by two or more witnesses. 17 If the follower refuses to listen to them, report the matter to the church. Anyone who refuses to listen to the church must be treated like an unbeliever or a tax collector.[c]

Who Will Eliminate the Debt of 6,000 Years?

Sun Myung Moon
April 28, 1958

You have toiled, up to this point, for the sake of your own salvation, not for the sake of God. There has been no one to date who completely indemnified his sin and about whom God could feel happy. What kind of person will he be who can comfort God by having indemnified all of his historical debt? He will be a person who toils of his own accord while belonging to the realm of the goodness of Heaven. He will not let the Father be concerned over his sin. In that sense, the more such vanguards of the new era emerge amongst the people of a nation, toiling for the sake of the will of Heaven, the better chance the people of that nation will have to take possession of Heaven’s ideology of absolute authority and educate the world.

Although Jesus went through the path of crucifixion to fulfill the will of salvation, he could not comfort God completely and succeed in fulfilling the will of total salvation. For that reason, we who are faced with the last days have to attain that while we wear this physical body.

Jesus wishes the faithful believers of the last days to seek and attain the level of such a heartistic standard. He also wishes them to become people who can toil in his place. You must know that only when you become such people will you, for the first time, be able to stand before Heaven as the qualified ones who have indemnified all debts incurred throughout history. Jesus left without being able to say everything he wanted to say after coming to this earth. Jesus said,

“I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.”
(John 16:12)

Today, in this transitional period in history, Heaven wishes to see people emerge who can, not only indemnify such an enormous debt as this, but bless the individual with God. Filled with delight and happiness, holding hands, they can bless the denomination, the people of the nation and the humanity of the world. Going further, they can bless the many spiritual beings in the spirit world. You must know this clearly.

Accordingly, you must now realize that you, the infinitesimal beings of today, have such an enormous connection with Heaven. You must also know that each of you must become a person who has the confidence to step forth as the one sacrificial being who has cleared away all the debt left before Heaven and earth. You then will meet the requirements of having indemnified all historical debts for the first time.

 

Persue the Cosmic Heavenly Kingdom Ideology

1 Cor 9

6 Are we the only ones who have to support ourselves by working at another job? 7 Do soldiers pay their own salaries? Don’t people who raise grapes eat some of what they grow? Don’t shepherds get milk from their own goats?

1 Kings 1

2 Solomon answered, “If Adonijah doesn’t cause any trouble, I won’t hurt him. But if he does, I’ll have him killed.” 53 Then he sent someone to the altar to get Adonijah.

After Adonijah came and bowed down, Solomon said, “Adonijah, go home.”

Who Will Eliminate the Debt of 6,000 Years?

Sun Myung Moon
April 28, 1958

Jesus prayed at Gethsemane, “not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39) The “will” in this case included not only the ideology of the past, the present and the future; it also included the ideology of the creation.

Whenever an individual tried to stop Jesus from giving, he would cut that individual off. Whenever a family tried to stop him, he would cut off that family. If society stopped him, he cut off that society. If the state stopped him, he cut off that state. Accordingly, when the time comes when Jesus wishes to give for the sake of Heaven and earth and there happens to be something that stops him from doing it, he will cut that off.

We have stepped forth indemnifying the comprehensive will of Heaven today, hoping for the world of the ideology of Heaven. As Heaven has raised us up and loved us for 6,000 years, we must become people who possess such a mind also. We must remember that Heaven wishes each of us to become such a person.

The principle of the world is the law of give and take. Accordingly, the people of a nation who cares for the world will govern the world. When you come to the end of your life, in that fatal hour, what kind of word will you leave behind before you die? Dying on the cross after having been crucified and hounded as a heretical ringleader, Jesus said, “It is finished.” (John 19:30) As Jesus fought with Satan at the risk of his life, he worried about the people of the world. Accordingly, each of you should become a person who can pray on the day you breathe your last breath, “Father, it is finished.”

What kind of person will Jesus seek on this earth? He is seeking one leading character who will inherit his mission, crying out, “Father! Jesus!” who can say, “It is finished.” We should open our minds and become people who do not worry for the sake of today’s people of this nation, but for the sake of tomorrow’s people of this nation. We should step forth as people who worry not for the sake of today’s world, but for the sake of tomorrow’s world. We must go a step ahead.

What is the reason? Since we have come to know the will of Heaven ahead of others, we should seek the one worldwide ideology that men on earth do not know. Accordingly, one figure has to appear who can have such a mind and step ahead, surmounting the reality. Only when he can indemnify the realistic sorrow of Heaven and tread over all things that are historically inconsistent will he be able to set up the conditions to indemnify all the perplexities of history and liquidate them. For that reason, once you penetrate the mysteries, you will come to realize that Jesus in Heaven is envious of the faithful believers of the last days. The billions of believers in the spirit world, including God, are envious of them. Besides that, this land and all human beings in the course of history are searching for this kind of person, transcending time and place.

Therefore, you must now discern if this is the time for the providential dispensation for the world or for the individual or for the people of a nation. You must also discern if it is time to live for your own sake or for the sake of something else. When you can live pursuing the cosmic heavenly kingdom ideology beyond the world and you call for God, God will then bestow the blessing of the whole world upon you. Yet because they have not scaled the hill of creating a new world, making great strides, human beings today are still under the control of history and the habitual environment leading to the present.

Who has the courage to cross over that? We do not mind walking the path of crucifixion, the path of tribulation. We should go over any kind of path. We should cross the path that Jesus Christ left, the last path of Golgotha, without dying. You should not become a person like Mary Magdalene, who was rejected when she tried to seize the resurrected Jesus. If there had been one person who could guide the way, clinging onto Jesus at the time, if there had been one true disciple on earth, we would not have found the Bible so difficult to understand. We would not have struggled in the unknown world of faith.