Amos | Daily Inspiration

From His Mouth Issues a Sharp Sword with which to Smite the Nations

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The Rheama’s (scripture readings) for Saturday were missing. Here they are.

Luke 20

²³Jesus knew that they were trying to trick him. So he told them, ²⁴“Show me a coin.” Then he asked, “Whose picture and name are on it?”

“The Emperor’s,” they answered.

²⁵Then he told them, “Give the Emperor what belongs to him and give God what belongs to God.” ²⁶Jesus’ enemies could not catch him saying anything wrong there in front of the people. They were amazed at his answer and kept quiet.

Amos 1

⁵I will break through
    the gates of Damascus.
I will destroy the people^[i]
of Wicked Valley^[j]
    and the ruler of Beth-Eden.^[k]
Then the Syrians will be dragged
    as prisoners to Kir.^[l]
I, the Lord, have spoken!

Eschatology and Messianic Hope

The Messiah

2. The Mission of the Messiah— to Vanquish Evil and Establish God’s Kingdom

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name inscribed which no one knows but himself. He is clad in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, followed him on white horses. From his mouth issues a sharp sword with which to smite the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron; he will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name inscribed, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Revelation 19.11-16

For to us a child is born,to us a son is given,and the government shall be upon his shoulder,and his name shall be called“Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”Of the increase of his government and of peacethere will be no end,upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom,to establish it, and to uphold itwith justice and with righteousness, from this time forth and for ever more.The zeal of the lord of hosts will do this.

Isaiah 9.6-7

The Imam [Mahdi] who will create a world state will make the ruling nations pay for their crimes against society. He will bring succor to humanity. He will take out the hidden wealth from the breast of the earth and will distribute it equitably amongst the needy deserving. He will teach you simple living and high thinking.

Nahjul Balagha, Khutba 141, 187 (Shiite Islam)

Then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; and he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Matthew 24.30-31

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

The Lord and Savior is coming! What will the Lord do when he comes? He is to rule the nation and the world. Will he rule arbitrarily, governing any way he pleases? No, he will rule with truth. Wherever in the world the Lord travels, he will govern with truth.

The Savior wants to make a world that is pleasing to God. More than that, he wants to make a world that rejoices the conscience. After all, since the human conscience originates from God, it knows what is pleasing to God and desires what God desires. In that world, there will be no racism or wars between nations. There will be no discrimination based on religion, ethnic background or cultural tradition. Instead, there will be universal agreement about what goodness is, and it will be in accord with God’s view.

The day when we can march forward to such a world is coming; it is the time of the Savior’s advent on earth. Christians call it the day of Christ’s Second Coming. (160:345, June 15, 1969)

The mission of the Messiah is to complete the will of God. He comes to destroy Satan’s evil sovereignty over this world. He comes to repair broken humanity and restore them to their original state of goodness and perfection. God sends him as the sovereign who will rule over the entire universe. (73:204, September 18, 1974)

Because the work of God is realistic and physical, the Messiah’s coming on the clouds does not make sense. Yet interpreting the Bible literally, many Christians think, “Jesus will descend on the clouds! It will be done by God’s power!” If that were true, if God could use supernatural power to do anything, then why did He need to send Jesus? Why would He call people to faith? In that case, God could simply create the Kingdom by Himself, without waiting for human beings to respond in faith… Yet, we know that even the omniscient and omnipotent God has been laboring for six thousand years and even longer to advance His providence of salvation without being able to send the [returning] Messiah until today…

Many Christians think that the Messiah will solve all the world’s problems in an instant. They do not understand that when the Christ returns he will have to plough the ground and sow the seeds again. (90:141, December 25, 1976)

Richard: Find out more by reading the section on the Last Days in the Exposition of the Divine Principle, the teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon.

Also, I prophecy the following timeline for the unfolding of this Providence in the current era: D-Day Was on January 13th, 2020 – VisionRoot.

Abraham Obeyed When He Was Called

Amos 1

¹¹The Lord said:

I will punish Edom
for countless crimes,
    and I won’t change my mind.
They killed their own relatives^[s]
and were so terribly furious
    that they showed no mercy.
¹²Now I will send fire to wipe out
the fortresses
of Teman
    and Bozrah.

Luke 22

⁵⁴Jesus was arrested and led away to the house of the high priest, while Peter followed at a distance. ⁵⁵Some people built a fire in the middle of the courtyard and were sitting around it. Peter sat there with them, ⁵⁶and a servant girl saw him. Then after she had looked at him carefully, she said, “This man was with Jesus!”

⁵⁷Peter said, “Woman, I don’t even know that man!”

⁵⁸A little later someone else saw Peter and said, “You are one of them!”

“No, I’m not!” Peter replied.

Abraham

Abraham is the source of the three monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He is the ancestor of the Jewish people; for Christians he is the father of faith (romans 4.1-3); in Islam he set up the Kaaba in Mecca and is the father of the Arab people through Ishmael. Abraham is renowned as the first monotheist, who came to the truth of the one God despite growing up in an idol-maker’s household. Then he left home at God’s command and obediently followed to an unknown land. He put his life and his future in God’s hands, trusting that he would provide. Though sojourning as a stranger among the peoples of Canaan, he showed remarkable compassion for them, particularly when he interceded for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Father Moon teaches that God entrusted his entire providence to Abraham, and looked to him as a partner to make the conditions on earth needed to advance the work of salvation. Therefore, every act, every offering, every prayer of Abraham was fraught with significance. When Abraham did well, as when he left home at God’s command without hesitation, God’s providence advanced. When Abraham made a mistake, as when he failed to cut the birds in two at the important sacrifice described in Genesis chapter 15, God’s providence was set back and prolonged. When there was a quarrel in Abraham’s family, as between Sarah and Hagar, it created a negative condition for enmity between Jews and Arabs that has persisted to this day.
Abraham passed through many trials in his walk of faith. The culmination of these, when God asked him to sacrifice his son, is treated in the next section.

1. Abraham: A Man of Absolute Faith

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves.”
So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions which they had gathered, and the persons that they had gotten in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. Genesis 12.1-5

We gave Abraham of old his proper course, for We were aware of him, when he said to his father and his people, “What are these images to which you pay devotion?” They said, “We found our fathers worshippers of them.” He said, “Truly you and your fathers were in plain error.” They said, “Do you bring us the truth, or are you some jester?” He said, “No, but your Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, who created them; and I am of those who testify to that. And, by God, I shall circumvent your idols after you have gone away and turned your backs.” Then he reduced them to fragments, all save the chief of them, that perhaps they might have recourse to it.

They said, “Who has done this to our gods? Surely it must be some evildoer.” [Others] said, “We heard a youth make mention of them, one called Abraham.” They said, “Bring him here before the people’s eyes that they may testify.” They said, “Are you the one who has done this to our gods, Abraham?” He said, “No, their chief has done it. So question them, if they can speak.” Then they gathered apart and said, “You yourselves are the wrongdoers,” and they were utterly confounded. Then they said [to Abraham], “You know well that they do not speak.” He said, “Do you worship instead of God that which cannot profit you at all, nor harm you? Fie on you and all that you worship instead of God! Have you then no sense?”

They said, “Burn him and stand by your gods, if you will!” We said, “O fire, be coolness and peace for Abraham!” They wished to set a snare for him, but We made them the greater losers. And We rescued him and Lot, and brought them to the land that We have blessed for all peoples.

Qur’an 21.51-71

The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord god, what wilt thou give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, thou hast given me no offspring; and a slave born in my house will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, “This man shall not be your heir; your own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed the Lord; and he reckoned it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15.1-6

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Hebrews 11.8-10

I Will Place You In Your Own Land

John 6

⁵²They started arguing with each other and asked, “How can he give us his flesh to eat?”

Richard: People of faith often argue with each other and cause divisions. Rather, we should focus on the core content of what God is asking us, as believers, to do. That involves loving God and loving your neighbor, and following God’s commandments regarding sexual purity before and within Blessed marriage.

Amos 7

7 The Lord God showed me that he is going to send locusts to attack your crops. It will happen after the king has already been given his share of the grain and before the rest of the grain has been harvested. ²In my vision the locusts ate every crop in the land, and I said to the Lord, “Forgive me for asking, but how can the nation survive? It’s so weak.”

³Then the Lord felt sorry and answered, “I won’t let it be destroyed.”

Resurrection

The resurrection of the dead prophesied in the Bible and the Qur’an holds out the promise of a blessed future life with God. Resurrection is not simply a matter of the soul’s natural transition at death from this world into the afterlife. It is God’s saving act to raise the soul from the realm of death to life eternal. In resurrection, we gain not simply a new opportunity to live; we gain a new quality of life. Father Moon teaches that we are raised spiritually from a hellish existence within the realm of death to a blessed existence in the bosom of God. Resurrection requires some condition on our part to claim the new life that God offers: dying to self, confirmed faith, even martyrdom. This is the “death” to self that severs our ties with Satan, in order that we may more completely relate with God. Just as Jesus died on the cross as a precondition to his resurrection, so we too may face a trial. Jesus’ triumph over seeming defeat at the hands of the romans demonstrates that God can turn defeat and even death into victory and life. scripture speaks of a Day of resurrection in the end times, when all the souls of the righteous will be raised up to heaven. The bible speaks of the 144,000 saints of the “first resurrection.” this means that even in the afterlife, spirits are languishing in darkness, oppressed by evil conditions until the future day of their liberation. When the Messiah comes and defeats and binds Satan in prison, on that day all souls in heaven and earth will taste the freedom of resurrection and new life. But as Father Moon makes clear, the purpose of the first Resurrection is not to reward certain believers with eternal glory at everyone else’s expense. rather, the saints at the first resurrection will join in the struggle to defeat all the powers of evil, until, in the words of Paul, “the last enemy to be destroyed is death,” that is, until not one soul remains in the realm of death.

1. The Dead Return to Life

And listen on the day when the crier cries from a near place, the day when they will hear the Cry in truth. That is the Day of the Coming Forth (from the graves). Verily We give life and give death, and to Us is the journeying. On the day when the earth splits asunder from them, and hastening forth they come. That is a gathering easy for Us.
Qur’an 50.41-44

The hand of the lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; it was full of bones… and lo, they were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord god, thou knowest.”
Again he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the lord. Thus says the Lord god to these bones, Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live. And you shall know that I am the Lord.”
So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And as I looked, there were sinews on them, and flesh came upon them, and skin covered them… and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great host.
Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord god, Behold, I will open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people, and I will bring you home into the land of Israel… And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the lord, have spoken, and I have done it, says the lord.”
Ezekiel 37.1-14

“I will place you in your own land. Then you shall
know that I, the Lord , have spoken, and I have
done it, says the Lord .”
Ezekiel 37.1-14

“Shall we really be restored to our first state
even after we are crumbled bones?
That would be a vain proceeding,” they say.
Surely it will need but one shout,
and lo! they will be awakened.
Qur’an 79.10-14

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
1 Corinthians 15.22

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.”
John 11.25

I know that my Redeemer lives,
and at last he will stand upon the earth;
and after my skin has been thus destroyed,
then from my flesh I shall see God.
Job 9.25-26

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
John 12.24-25

And among His signs is this: you see the earth barren and desolate, but when We send down rain to it, it is stirred to life and yields increase. Truly, He who gives life to the dead earth can surely give life to men who are dead. For He has power over all things.
Qur’an 41.39

So it is with the resurrection from the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown in a physical body, it is raised in a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
1 Corinthians 15.42-45

The Liberation of the Self Is Based on the Unity of Your Mind and Body

Acts 10

⁹The next day about noon these men were coming near Joppa. Peter went up on the roof of the house to pray ¹⁰and became very hungry. While the food was being prepared, he fell sound asleep and had a vision. ¹¹He saw heaven open, and something came down like a huge sheet held up by its four corners. ¹²In it were all kinds of animals, snakes, and birds. ¹³A voice said to him, “Peter, get up! Kill these and eat them.”

¹⁴But Peter said, “Lord, I can’t do that! I’ve never eaten anything that is unclean and not fit to eat.”^[c]

¹⁵The voice spoke to him again, “When God says that something can be used for food, don’t say it isn’t fit to eat.”

¹⁶This happened three times before the sheet was suddenly taken back to heaven.

Amos 1

⁸I will destroy the king of Ashdod
and the ruler of Ashkelon.
I will strike down Ekron,
and that will be the end
of the Philistines.
I, the Lord, have spoken!

Judgment on Phoenicia

⁹The Lord said:

I will punish Phoenicia
for countless crimes,
    and I won’t change my mind.
They broke their treaty
and dragged off my people^[r]
    from town after town
to sell them as slaves
    to the Edomites.
¹⁰That’s why I will send flames
to burn down the city of Tyre
    along with its fortresses.

Liberation

2. Universal Liberation

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Liberation means that all hazardous conditions in our world are transformed into harmonious relationships. Our world becomes unified, without any sharp edges, where up and down, right and left, and front and rear have equal value.

Once liberation comes, grandfathers and grandmothers will like it, quarreling husbands and nagging wives will be satisfied, children and grandchildren will be glad. The multitudes will rejoice, and people of all nations will cheer. (341:161-62, January 1, 2001)

Before trying to liberate North Korea, you should ask yourself whether you are liberated. The liberation of the self is based on the unity of your body and mind. The liberation of the nation is the fifth level after the liberation of the individual, family, tribe and people.18 (187:126, February 5, 1989)

All things that were supposed to be united into one were shattered into pieces. They were turned upside down throughout humanity’s fragmented history, because countless indemnity courses blocked heaven and earth and passed each other in all directions. Therefore God has been leading a course of re-creation. To walk that course, True Parents came to the earth.

Heavenly Father, we know how hard Thou hast striven throughout history, in Thy providence of recreation which Thou hast conducted through our forbearers, to reconnect all the divisions in the mineral world, the world of microscopic organisms, the plant kingdom, the animal kingdom, the human world, and even in the heavenly world…

Therefore, centering on the love that is proper to God’s ideal of creation, we should restore back what was lost in the world of minerals, the world of microscopic organisms, the plant kingdom, the animal kingdom, the human world, and the heavenly world. Thou, Heavenly Father, and we, True Parents, should create the realm of oneness… I sincerely hope and ask Thee to guide us to create one unified world, joining the heavenly world and earthly world. (May 4, 2003)

Throughout history, human beings have been searching for their own liberation and salvation, but who has been concerned about God’s situation? Does God dwell in blissful joy for eternity, not in need of liberation? God is the Parent who has been mourning over human beings as they suffered in sin and evil throughout history. How, then, can God rejoice with a liberated heart? It is impossible. Depending on the degree of earthly liberation, God’s heart can also be liberated. Only when God is liberated can human beings be liberated, be free to enjoy a family life of true love, and bring liberation to the creation. Furthermore, only when God is liberated can the beings in the spirit world be liberated and released. (April 30, 2004)

The ultimate goal of God’s providence of salvation goes beyond the individual; it is to liberate and save the family, tribe, nation, physical world and the spirit world including hell. Until this is done, God Himself is not liberated. When the purpose of God’s providence of salvation is fully attained, in other words, when even hell and all the spirit world are liberated, on that day, God will declare the completion of His ideal, proclaiming, “My will is done! Hallelujah! March forward into one world, under the dominion of my love.” (114:78, May 17, 1981)

Spirits Can Neither Grow nor Be Resurrected Apart from a Physical Self

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Romans 15

15 If our faith is strong, we should be patient with the Lord’s followers whose faith is weak. We should try to please them instead of ourselves. ²We should think of their good and try to help them by doing what pleases them. ³Even Christ did not try to please himself. But as the Scriptures say, “The people who insulted you also insulted me.” ⁴And the Scriptures were written to teach and encourage us by giving us hope. ⁵God is the one who makes us patient and cheerful. I pray that he will help you live at peace with each other, as you follow Christ. ⁶Then all of you together will praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amos 3

³Can two people walk together
    without agreeing to meet?
⁴Does a lion roar in the forest
unless it has caught
    a victim?
Does it growl in its den
    unless it is eating?
⁵How can anyone catch a bird
    without using a net?
Does a trap spring shut
    unless something is caught?

⁶Isn’t the whole city frightened
when the trumpet
    signals an attack?
Isn’t it the Lord who brings
    disaster on a city?
⁷Whatever the Lord God
    plans to do,
he tells his servants,
    the prophets.
⁸Everyone is terrified
    when a lion roars—
and ordinary people
become prophets
    when the Lord God speaks.

Spirits of the Departed

2. Helping the Spirits and Gaining Spiritual Merit

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

According to the Principle of Creation, the growth of the human spirit requires two kinds of nourishment: life elements received from God and vitality elements received through give and take action with the physical self. Spirits can neither grow nor be resurrected apart from a physical self. Consequently, the spirits of people who died before they could reach perfection during their earthly life, can be resurrected, only by returning to earth and completing their unaccomplished responsibility through cooperation with earthly people. By assisting people of faith living on the earth to fulfill their missions, the spirits may complete their mission at the same time. Herein lies the meaning behind the verse, which foretold that in the Last Days the Lord would come “with His holy myriads.” (Jude 1.14)
How do spirits help people on earth fulfill the Will of God? When people become receptive to spirits through prayer or other spiritual activities, the spirits descend to them to form a common base with their spirit selves and work with them. Spirits perform various works. For example, they pour spiritual fire on earthly people and give them the power to heal diseases. They help people enter states of trance and perceive the realities of the spirit world. They give people revelations and the gift of prophecy. They can also give deep inspiration to the soul. In these various works, spirits act on behalf of the Holy Spirit, guiding people on the earth to accomplish the Will of God. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Resurrection 2.3.1)

If you went to the other side, to the spirit world, do you think you would see people living happily or people fighting each other? Murderers and their victims are there together. Don’t you think they would be ready to fight, brandishing swords or knives and seeking revenge? However, there are many walls that block them. For this reason, evil spirits go to the descendants of their enemies and cause sudden deaths by accidents in order to fetch them to the spirit world.
The quarrels between spirits should all be resolved. Yet for this to happen, the resolution must first take place on earth. It requires that we offer something precious—something more precious than the memory of their murder or their grudge against their enemy. Only in this way can quarrels among the spirits be resolved.
With what offering can the spirit world be liberated? With what can God be liberated? Our ancestors bound themselves, thus making a mess of the spirit world. Therefore, we, their descendants, should now resolve our ancestors’ wrongdoing.
We have learned the proper tradition of filial sons and daughters: we should pay back our parents’ debts. In that light, who should knock down all the walls that our ancestors erected in the spirit world? We should do it. In doing this work, we have to make our ancestors come down to meet us directly, and teach us. It sounds like a dream, but it is real. We are not alone. If I look at you, I can see what kind of people your ancestors are, and what they did. The faces of your ancestors appear and quickly disappear. I can distinguish which of them are good spirits and which are evil. (191:205-06, June 24, 1989)

During Jesus’ advent on earth, there was a special opportunity for good spirits who had lived previously to resurrect. They could rise from the form-spirit level of the spirit world to the life-spirit level of the spirit world. Likewise, your ancestors in the spirit world also have a special opportunity36 to resurrect by returning to earth, based on the condition afforded by your earthly life.
Your ancestors are eager to return to earth and do the work of returning resurrection. Isn’t it wonderful that you give them that opportunity? Among the ancestors of your family and clan were loyal patriots, filial sons and faithful wives. Call them in prayer, and they will come. They can come because the time is right, when your ancestors should cooperate with you. (14:22-23, April 19, 1964)

The question is whether we have set the standard to mobilize the spirits of the spirit world, and have them bear witness. The spirit world is also demanding to be mobilized. The spirit world is aware of the heart of God. Therefore, if people on earth appeal on behalf of God’s sorrowful heart, then the spirit world will mobilize many spirits. They will help in the work of realizing the teachings of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Why can’t spirits in the spirit world come to this earth plane? It is because the earth is beset by barriers of lamentation. If the earthly environment were free of the conditions of lamentation, if we were free from the miserable conditions that beset our flesh, and if we would enter a state of peace, unafraid of Satan’s threats, then God would help us. (4:60, March 2, 1958)