Category: Jonah

I Will Raise Up a Righteous Branch

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James 2

20 Does some stupid person want proof that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Well, our ancestor Abraham pleased God by putting his son Isaac on the altar to sacrifice him. 22 Now you see how Abraham’s faith and deeds worked together. He proved that his faith was real by what he did. 23 This is what the Scriptures mean by saying, “Abraham had faith in God, and God was pleased with him.” That’s how Abraham became God’s friend.

24 You can now see that we please God by what we do and not only by what we believe. 25 For example, Rahab had been a prostitute. But she pleased God when she welcomed the spies and sent them home by another way.

26 Anyone who doesn’t breathe is dead, and faith that doesn’t do anything is just as dead!

Jonah 1

12 Jonah told them, “Throw me into the sea, and it will calm down. I’m the cause of this terrible storm.”

13 The sailors tried their best to row to the shore. But they could not do it, and the storm kept getting worse every minute. 14 So they prayed to the Lord, “Please don’t let us drown for taking this man’s life. Don’t hold us guilty for killing an innocent man. All of this happened because you wanted it to.” 15 Then they threw Jonah overboard, and the sea calmed down. 16 The sailors were so terrified that they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made all kinds of promises.

17 The Lord sent a big fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

Eschatology and Messianic Hope

The Messiah

Scriptures of many religions speak of a coming leader who will consummate the fulfillment of the divine will on earth. He will manifest in his person the righteousness and compassion of God, bring about the final defeat of evil, and establish the Kingdom of heaven on earth. The Hebrew title Messiah—Christ in Greek—means “anointed one,” that person specially chosen by God for this mission and empowered to accomplish it.
While the term Messiah is specific to only Judaism and Christianity, prophecies that a leader will come and accomplish such a mission are nearly universal. Buddhists anticipate the coming of the Mireya Buddha, and Hindu prophecies speak of a future avatar named Kalka. Muslims expect that the second advent of Jesus will be as a Muslim imam, and Shiite Muslims look to a future imam Mahdi. Zoroastrian scriptures prophesy the coming of the Saoshyant, and Confucian texts speak of a true Man who will bring peace to the world by perfectly instituting the Way of Confucius. Nevertheless, as this world is growing smaller and cultures increasingly interrelated, the task of world salvation should encompass all religions. Hence it is likely that God will send one person to fulfill all these religious hopes.
The next group of passages offer some specific prophecies about the Messiah’s coming, along with samples of Father Moon’s extensive teaching on these matters. Will the Messiah come supernaturally, as it were on the clouds, or naturally, born and raised as a human being on earth? Does the Messiah come in glory, or does he take the road of suffering and humiliation as did Jesus before him? Is the Messiah uniquely divine, or does he appear as the “first fruits” of a new, God-like humanity? How the Messiah is likened to Adam, and in what sense is he a new Adam? What is the meaning of the Marriage of the Lamb? Does the Messiah have a special mission to Israel?
The final group of passages consists of prophecies by Nostradamus and Asian mystics that speak of the Messiah appearing in the east, and even specifically in Korea. Especially the Korean prophecies relate directly to Father Moon’s self-understanding of his messianic mission

1. The Messiah and Savior Promised by All Religions

“Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
    Revelation 22.20
 
Behold, the days are coming, says the lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The lord is our righteousness.”
    Jeremiah 23.5-6
 
In those days, brethren, there will arise in the world an Exalted One named Metteya [Maitreya]. He will be an Arahant, Fully Awakened, abounding in wisdom and goodness, happy, with knowledge of the worlds, unsurpassed as a guide to mortals willing to be led, a teacher for gods and men, an Exalted One, a Buddha, even as I am now. He, by himself, will thoroughly know and see, as it were face to face, this universe, with its worlds of the spirits, its Brahmas and its Maras, and its world of recluses and brahmins, of princes and peoples, even as I now, by myself, thoroughly know and see them. The Law, lovely in its origin, lovely in its progress, lovely in its consummation, will he proclaim, both in the spirit and in the letter; the higher life will he make known, in all its fullness and in all its purity, even as I do now. He will be accompanied by a congregation of some thousands of brethren, even as I am now accompanied by a congregation of some hundreds of brethren.
    Digha Nikaya 3.76 (Buddhism)
 
What will be your state when the Son of Mary descends amongst you, and there will be an Imam amongst you? What would you do when the son of Mary would descend and lead you?
    Hadith of Muslim (Islam)
 
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. He will make you understand that virtue is a state of character which is always a mean between the two extremes, and which is based upon equity and justice. He will revive the teaching of the Holy Qur’an and the traditions of the Holy Prophet after the world has ignored them as dead letters…
    He will protect and defend himself with resources of science and supreme knowledge. His control over these resources will be complete. He will know how supreme they are and how carefully they will have to be used. His mind will be free from desires of bringing harm and injury to humanity. Such knowledge to him will be like the property which was wrongly possessed by others and for which he was waiting for the permission to repossess and use.
    He, in the beginning, will be like a poor stranger unknown and uncared for, and Islam then will be in the hopeless and helpless plight of an exhausted camel who has laid down its head and is wagging its tail. With such a start he will establish an empire of God in this world.
He will be the final demonstration and proof of God’s merciful wish to acquaint man with the right ways of life.
    Nahjul Balagha, Khutba 141, 187 (Shiite Islam)
 
When the practices taught by the Vedas and the institutes of law shall nearly have ceased, and the close of the Kali age shall be nigh, a portion of that divine being who exists of His own spiritual nature in the character of Brahma, and who is the beginning and the end, and who comprehends all things, shall descend upon the earth. He will be born as Kalki in the family of an eminent brahmin of Sambhala village, endowed with the eight superhuman faculties. By his irresistible might he will destroy all the barbarians and thieves, and all whose minds are devoted to iniquity. He will then reestablish righteousness upon earth; and the minds of those who live at the end of the Kali age shall be awakened, and shall be as pellucid as crystal. The men who are thus changed by virtue of that peculiar time shall be as the seeds of human beings, and shall give birth to a race that shall follow the laws of the Krita Age, the Age of Purity.
    Vishnu Purana 4.24 (Hinduism)
 
He shall be called the victorious Benefactor (Saoshyant) and World-renovator (Astavatereta). He is the Benefactor because he will benefit the entire physical world; he is the World-renovator because he will establish the physical living existence indestructible. He will oppose the evil of the progeny of the biped and withstand the enmity produced by the faithful.
    Avesta, Farvardin Yast 13.129 (Zoroastrianism)
 
It is only the man with the most perfect divine moral nature who is able to combine in himself quickness of apprehension, intelligence and understanding—qualities necessary for the exercise of command, magnanimity, generosity, benignity, and gentleness—qualities necessary for the exercise of patience, originality, energy, strength of character, and determination—qualities necessary for the exercise of endurance, piety, noble seriousness, order, and regularity—qualities necessary for the exercise of dignity, grace, method, subtlety, and penetration—qualities necessary for the exercise of critical judgment.
    Thus all-embracing and vast is the nature of such a man. Profound it is and inexhaustible, like a living spring of water, ever running out with life and vitality. All-embracing and vast, it is like Heaven. Profound and inexhaustible, it is like the abyss.
    As soon as such a man shall make his appearance in the world, all people will reverence him. Whatever he says, all people will believe it. Whatever he does, all people will be pleased with it. Thus his fame and name will spread and fill all the civilized world, extending even to savage countries, wherever ships and carriages reach, wherever the labor and enterprise of man penetrate, wherever the heavens overshadow and the earth sustain, wherever the sun and moon shine, wherever frost and dew fall. All who have life and breath will honor and love him. Therefore we may say, “He is the equal of God.”
    It is only he in this world, who has realized his absolute self, that can order and adjust the great relations of human society, fix the fundamental principles of morality, and understand the laws of growth and reproduction of the universe.
    Doctrine of the Mean 31-32 (Confucianism)
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

The Whole World Was Created Only for the Sake of the Righteous Man

2 Thessolonians 2

2 When our Lord Jesus returns, we will be gathered up to meet him. So I ask you, my friends, 2 not to be easily upset or disturbed by people who claim that the Lord[a] has already come. They may say that they heard this directly from the Holy Spirit, or from someone else, or even that they read it in one of our letters. 3 But don’t be fooled! People will rebel against God. Then before the Lord returns, the wicked one who is doomed to be destroyed will appear. 4 He will brag and oppose everything that is holy or sacred. He will even sit in God’s temple and claim to be God. 5 Don’t you remember that I told you this while I was still with you?

Richard: Right now, Bill Gates and his minions plus others of the same mindset are proclaming that they will play God through their technological fixes. However, with the whole COVID-19 fraud, they have way overstepped their rightful bounds, and God’s Kingdom is here and is expanding. See my video blog and podcast Defeating Godless Globalism and Devilish Depopulation and my eight part series The Great Fraud: The COVID-19 Agenda.

Jonah 1

13 The sailors tried their best to row to the shore. But they could not do it, and the storm kept getting worse every minute. 14 So they prayed to the Lord, “Please don’t let us drown for taking this man’s life. Don’t hold us guilty for killing an innocent man. All of this happened because you wanted it to.” 15 Then they threw Jonah overboard, and the sea calmed down. 16 The sailors were so terrified that they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made all kinds of promises.

17 The Lord sent a big fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

Richard: We have to remember our covenant and promises to God. Also, here and later in the book of Jonah, Jonah does not want to obey God and preach God’s message to the people so they can be saved. Interestingly, the people of Ninevah actually repent, and Jonah is angry that the Lord God did not destroy them, as He originally indicated He would.
We should offer help to God’s children. They may receive our message or not, but we have no right to be angry with God, regardless.

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 4

God’s Creation and Human Creativity

The Lord of Creation

3. Human Beings Are Worthy to Receive Honor from All Creatures, for They Lead All Creatures to Completion

The whole world was created only for the sake
of the righteous man. He weighs as much as the
whole world. The whole world was created only
to be united to him.
Talmud, Shabbat 30b (Judaism)

His movement is of Heaven, his stillness of
Earth. With his single mind in repose, he is
king of the world; the spirits do not afflict him;
his soul knows no weariness. His single mind
reposed, the ten thousand things submit—
which is to say that his emptiness and stillness
reach throughout Heaven and Earth and pen-
etrate the ten thousand things. This is what is
called Heavenly joy. Heavenly joy is the mind of
the sage by which he shepherds the world.
Chuang Tzu 13 (Taoism)

Elijah… went and dwelt by the brook Cherith
that is east of the Jordan. And the ravens brought
him bread and meat in the morning, and bread
and meat in the evening; and he drank from the
brook.
1 Kings 17.5-6

Thus I have heard, on a certain occasion the
Exalted One was staying near Uruvela, on the
bank of the river Neranjara, at the root of the
mucalinda tree, having just won the highest
wisdom. Now on that occasion the Exalted One
was seated for seven days in one posture and
experienced the bliss of release. Then arose a
great storm of rain out of due season, and for
seven days there was rainy weather, cold winds,
and overcast skies. So Mucalinda, King of the
snakes, coming forth from his haunt, encircled
the body of the Exalted One seven times with
his coils and stood rearing his great hood above
the Exalted One’s head, thinking, “Let not heat
or cold or the touch of flies, mosquitoes, wind,
or creeping things annoy the Exalted One.”
Now after the lapse of those seven days
the Exalted One roused himself from that
concentration of mind. Then Mucalinda, King
of the snakes, seeing that the sky was clear and
free of clouds, unwrapped his folds from the
Exalted One’s body, and, withdrawing his own
form and creating the form of a youth, stood
before the Exalted One, holding up his clasped
hands and doing reverence to him.
Udana 10 (Buddhism)

The earth’s condition is receptive devotion.
Thus the superior man who has breadth of
character
Carries the outer world.
I Ching 2 (Confucianism)

Only those who are absolutely sincere can fully
develop their nature. If they can fully develop
their nature, they can then fully develop the
nature of others. If they can fully develop the
nature of others, they can then fully develop the
nature of things. If they can fully develop the
nature of things, they can then assist in the trans-
forming and nourishing process of Heaven and
Earth. If they can assist in the transforming and
nourishing process of Heaven and Earth, they
can thus form with Heaven and Earth a trinity.
Doctrine of the Mean 22 (Confucianism)

“The flowers appear on the earth, the time of
song has come, and the voice of the turtledove
is heard in our land” (Song of Songs 2.12):
When God created the world, He endowed
the earth with all the energy requisite for it,
but it did not bring forth produce until man
appeared. When, however, man was created,
all the products that were latent in the earth
ppeared above ground. Similarly, the heavens
did not impart strength to the earth until man
came. So it is written, “All the plants of the earth
were not yet on the earth, and the herbs of the
field had not yet sprung up, for the l ord God
had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and
there was not a man to till the ground.” (Gen.
2.5)… When, however, man appeared, forthwith
“all the flowers appeared on the earth,” all its
latent powers being revealed; “the time of song
has come,” the earth being now ripe to offer
praises to the Almighty, which it could not do
before man was created. “And the voice of the
turtledove is heard in our land”: this is the word
of God, which was not in the world until man
was created.
Zohar, Genesis 97a (Judaism)

God Set the Standard as Living for the Sake of Others

Numbers 11

18 As for the Israelites, I have heard them complaining about not having meat and about being better off in Egypt. So tell them to make themselves acceptable to me, because tomorrow they will have meat. 19-20 In fact, they will have meat day after day for a whole month—not just a few days, or even ten or twenty. They turned against me and wanted to return to Egypt. Now they will eat meat until they get sick of it.

Jonah 1

13 The sailors tried their best to row to the shore. But they could not do it, and the storm kept getting worse every minute. 14 So they prayed to the Lord, “Please don’t let us drown for taking this man’s life. Don’t hold us guilty for killing an innocent man. All of this happened because you wanted it to.” 15 Then they threw Jonah overboard, and the sea calmed down. 16 The sailors were so terrified that they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made all kinds of promises.

Richard: Above we see two examples where God gave the people what they wanted. If we have bad leadership now, which we do in many cases, is it perhaps because we did not take care in choosing good, godly leaders through the election process? I will be doing a series of interviews with current candidates for office here in West Virginia. Please take the time to watch these, and consider doing interviews for candidates in your own area. The primary here in West Virginia is delayed until June 9th.

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Part 1
God and Creation

Chapter 1
God
God’s Goodness

2. God’s Goodness Manifest in the Creation

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

When looking at reality from the perspective of love, God is the root. The root communicates through the stem to the sprouting leaves, which spread out in all directions: east, west, south and north. As the plant spreads out, its leaves sprout more abundantly, the stem grows stronger and the root grows larger. Live like this, and you will discover that God is the loving vertical Father of our human world. God is our Creator and Father who bestows true love in abundance. (203:352, June 28, 1990)

Everything exists for the sake of something greater than itself, and the greater thing for something still greater. It is wrong to think that life is simply about the strong eating the weak, as Charles Darwin taught. That perspective on life is dead wrong. The Lord of the universe—the Creator of the universe—created all things for the sake of human beings. All creatures were created with that specific purpose in mind. (217:204, June 1, 1991)

God is the omnipotent and omniscient King of wisdom. In creating the universe of subject-object relationships, He had to decide whether the origin of true love, true happiness, true peace and the true ideal of the human world should be in the subject partner or in the object partner. God had to
decide on this matter with the eternal ideal world in mind. If God had set things up in such a way that all object beings must serve Him, then human beings would establish that same tradition: “Everyone must serve me.” This would have created serious problems. There would be no way to achieve unity, harmony or development. Thus we understand: rather than demanding that object partners attend the subject partner, God invariably takes the position that He exists for the sake of His object partners. This way,
everything becomes one; there is progress and development. Hence, the almighty God decided to set up the standard of peace, happiness, love and the ideal as “living for the sake of others.” (72:14,May 7, 1974)

We Find in this World a Philosophy that seeks Truth in the Body’s Pleasures

Watch the latest Richard Urban Show: Vaccines Are Unavoidably Unsafe: https://youtu.be/ap-Y1ZDvLWU.

Leviticus 3

3 Offer all of the fat on the animal’s insides, 4 as well as the lower part of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat. 5 Some of the priests will lay these pieces on the altar and send them up in smoke with a smell that pleases me, together with the sacrifice that is offered to please me.[b]

3 Offer all of the fat on the animal’s insides, 4 as well as the lower part of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat. 5 Some of the priests will lay these pieces on the altar and send them up in smoke with a smell that pleases me, together with the sacrifice that is offered to please me.[b]

Richard: We no longer need to make these types of animal sacrifices, as the words of Jesus brought a new understanding of truth. Furthermore, the words of Rev. Sun Myung Moon have brought us into the Completed Testament Age.

Jonah 2

2 From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the Lord his God:

2 When I was in trouble, Lord,
I prayed to you,
    and you listened to me.
From deep in the world
    of the dead,
I begged for your help,
    and you answered my prayer.

I Am Relating with Two Worlds

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
September 20, 1959

Romans 7: 15-25

If there is a movement which transcends the human mind in pursuit of the heavenly mind, what would that movement be? It is religion. Religions have made their best attempts to pursue the heavenly mind.

Religions have made great contributions to the cultural history of humanity. They have initiated movements to inspire people’s consciences to be oriented toward the heavenly mind and have carried out new revolutions and a new history. When centering on the human mind, the evil mind and the material mind join together to defeat the heavenly mind. It was destroyed. We cannot deny this history.

For this reason there is a common saying, “Live a conscientious life.” Can everything be resolved with that alone? Even if one lived by one’s conscience, if the rest of the universe did not live joyfully based on the conscience, and if one did not share joy with Heaven, that situation would need to be corrected. Isn’t this true? If you really live a conscientious life, then you will experience events that stimulate your mind.

Although people have consciences, they are not in a position to enjoy life based on the purpose of that conscience and the heavenly principles. People who have the fate of the Fall want to reach the goal of the heavenly principles. Having lost the purpose and freedom of the conscience due to the Fall, in other words losing the purpose and freedom of a life based on the conscience, is the source of lamentation. You must understand this.

If the first human ancestors had laid the foundation to enjoy life in a place of goodness centering on the good purpose, their descendants also would have been able to experience joy in their minds and Heaven’s mind. However, due to the Fall, human beings could not become connected to the purpose of the mind and life. This is how they fell. When they fell, what was the center of their actions? They fell centering on their bodies.

For this reason your mind and body are in conflict within you. You are subject to these kinds of difficulties. If you have a sincere mind, there should be a time when you try to resolve this. However, have you ever built such a relationship with history? Have you ever built such a relationship for one year, for several decades, not to mention for the course of your life? If you have not, then you stand in a position to betray the heavenly mind.

If you cut off the heavenly mind and pursue the path that the body’s pleasures lead you on, you will self- destruct. We find in this world a philosophy which seeks truth in the direction of the body’s pleasures and a philosophy which seeks truth in the direction of the mind’s happiness.

Human beings are extremely small, but they are micro-universes. Thus, even the fights that take place in their minds have the form of a world-level conflict. Something must emerge which can resolve this, yet nothing has emerged. Moreover, a model which can transcend the individual level and bring a solution for the people, the nation and world has not appeared.

Run With Confidence, Comforting God

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Judges 2

20 The Lord was angry with Israel and said:

The Israelites have broken the agreement I made with their ancestors. They won’t obey me, 21 so I’ll stop helping them defeat their enemies. Israel still had a lot of enemies when Joshua died, 22 and I’m going to let those enemies stay. I’ll use them to test Israel, because then I can find out if Israel will worship and obey me as their ancestors did.

23 That’s why the Lord had not let Joshua get rid of all those enemy nations right away.

Richard:  The United States is in such chaos right now due to rejection of God’s Word and God’s messenger, Rev. Sun Myung Moon.  Just as both liberals and conservatives, to a large extent, ignored or persecuted Rev. Moon, now those professing Godly values are also receiving persecution.

Jonah 2

8 All who worship worthless idols
turn from the God
    who offers them mercy.
9 But with shouts of praise,
I will offer a sacrifice
    to you, my Lord.
I will keep my promise,
because you are the one
    with power to save.

10 The Lord commanded the fish to vomit up Jonah on the shore. And it did.

Richard:  But there is hope.  We can study the eight sacred texts and honor and appreciate the messenger who brought these texts, Rev. Sun Myung Moon.

The Path In Search of the Original Homeland Rev. Sun Myung Moon July 5, 1959

Luke 15: 11-32

Are there young men and women today who are trying to embrace this nation? Is there any man who has the mission to lead the nation, opening up a path for it to go forward? Is there one who feels responsible for that mission? If there is such a man, he should look at the real condition of this struggling nation and know that the tears Jesus shed appealing to Heaven are historically linked to it. He should appeal to Heaven for the sake of this nation, as Jesus appealed for his.

This is the historical trend of thought today. This is the future outlook of the nation. Since we cannot deny that humanity is looking forward to the time when we are united to the heavenly ways, we must realize that we are struggling hard on such a course. Therefore, we must be able to have confidence in the course of life we go. We cannot do without it.

If there is a man who goes running with that confidence, having the Shim Jung that yearns for the original hometown of hope deep in his mind, he will say, “Mountains! Obstruct my view. Seas! Cross my path. Enemies! Make your appearance. Who is going to block my passage?” Even if the winds of persecution blow, it will last only for a time. Even if the arrows of trial come flying, it will be momentary. Even if the fear of death sweeps over, it will be transient. If there is one who, knowing this, runs to overcome this passing time, forgetting about his own short life in order to seek the time of greater value, he will be a success in the course of life.

Looking at your journey, the Father should be able to weep. The Father turned away His face when Jesus was being crucified. He didn’t look away because He was joyous. He turned away His face because at that moment, Heaven’s bones were melting. Jesus was thinking of the will of the original hometown even while facing death, and he feared that he might not be able to fulfill his filial duty. He was concerned about the parents of the original hometown. Because Jesus’ heart was of such a standard that he could connect to Heaven and earth, he resurrected, advancing through the line of death. The same condition applies to you, too. Without such a heart stirring within you, you cannot surmount the world of death. You cannot sing in triumph. You cannot become princes of victory.

If we think we should attend such a person today, we must strive to do so. Since we ourselves are not connected to and intoxicated by such a Shim Jung, we must strive to attend one who is. Since numerous ancestors in the course of history struggled hard, and God also has had a tough struggle in directing history, how can we expect to stand still?

To open up such a path Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matt. 7:7) If the providence of Heaven were comfortable and easy, why would we need such words?

People walk the weary path of life, believing that the path they take is the right one to their destination. But later on they realize that they have walked in the opposite direction. This is the sorrow of Heaven. While the direction the parents wish their son to take is something like this, the son, having turned profligate, walks in the opposite direction and then loses his rights. We should understand the hearts of the parents who watch this son’s miserable situation. Parents watching their son in such a situation would weep bitterly.