Category: Old Testament

People Who Only Seek Self-Centered Love Cannot Achieve It

Nahum 2

These are the same lions
that ferociously attacked
    their victims,
then dragged away the flesh
    to feed their young.

13 The Lord All-Powerful
    is against you, Nineveh.
God will burn your chariots
and send an army
to kill
    those young lions of yours.
You will never again
    make victims of others
or send messengers to threaten
    everyone on this earth.

2 Chronicles 23

They all came to Jerusalem 3 and gathered at the temple, where they agreed to help Joash.

Jehoiada said to them:

Joash will be our next king, because long ago the Lord promised that one of David’s descendants would always be king. 4 Here is what we will do. Three groups of priests and Levites will be on guard duty on the Sabbath—one group will guard the gates of the temple, 5 one will guard the palace, and the other will guard Foundation Gate. The rest of you will stand guard in the temple courtyards. 6 Only the priests and Levites who are on duty will be able to enter the temple, because they will be the only ones who have gone through the ceremony to make themselves clean and acceptable. The others must stay outside in the courtyards, just as the Lord has commanded. 7 You Levites must protect King Joash. Don’t let him out of your sight! And keep your swords ready to kill anyone who comes into the temple.

8 The Levites and the people of Judah followed Jehoiada’s orders. The guards going off duty were not allowed to go home, and so each commander had all his guards available—those going off duty as well as those coming on duty. 9 Jehoiada went into the temple and brought out the swords and shields that had belonged to King David, and he gave them to the commanders. 10 They gave the weapons to the guards, and Jehoiada then made sure that the guards took their positions around the temple and the altar to protect the king on every side.

Richard: This is an interesting story as Queen Athaliah had been an unrighteous and scheming ruler for six years who ordered that the legitimate heirs be murdred. But Joash was hidden in the temple for six years. After that time the army decided to help him become the rightful King.

Enilghtenment

3. Opening the Third Eye

I am blind and do not see the things of this world; but when the light comes from above, it enlightens my heart and I can see, for the Eye of my heart sees everything; and through this vision I can help my people. The heart is a sanctuary at the center of which there is a little space, wherein the Great Spirit dwells, and this is the Eye. This is the Eye of the Great Spirit by which He sees all things, and through which we see Him. If the heart is not pure, the Great Spirit cannot be seen.
    Black Elk (Native American Religions)
 
The enlightenment consists of a mysterious light which the shaman suddenly feels in his body, inside his head, within the brain, an inexplicable searchlight, a luminous fire…for he can now, even with closed eyes, see through darkness and perceive things and coming events which are hidden from others: thus they look into the future and into the secrets of others.
    The candidate obtains this mystical light after long hours of waiting, sitting on a bench in his hut and invoking the spirits. When he experiences it for the first time, it is as if the house in which he is suddenly rises, he sees far ahead of him, through mountains, exactly as if the earth were one great plain, and his eyes could reach to the end of the earth. Nothing is hidden from him any longer; not only can he see things far, far away, but he can also discover souls, stolen souls, which are either kept concealed in far, strange lands or have been taken up or down to the Land of the Dead.
    Iglulik Eskimo Shaman Initiation (Native American Religions)
 
Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon
 
Most people do not know the spirit world. They know only the world they perceive through their five senses. However, when we directly relate to God in true love, we can cultivate our ten senses—the five physical senses and beyond them, the five spiritual senses. This will enable us to resonate with the spirit world.
    People who only seek self-centered love cannot achieve it. Fallen love is dark; it is destruction itself. The more you immerse yourself in fallen love, the more darkness will envelop you. It is as if an insulator covered your electrical terminal; no electricity can flow. (399:220, December 24, 2002)
 
Cognition of spiritual reality begins when it is perceived through the five senses of the spirit self. These perceptions resonate through the five physical senses and are felt physiologically. Cognition of truth, on the other hand, arises from the knowledge gleaned from the physical world as it is perceived directly through our physiological sense organs. Cognition thus takes place through both spiritual and physical processes.
    Human beings become complete only when their spirit self and physical self are unified. Hence, the experience of divine inspiration gained through spiritual cognition and the knowledge of truth obtained through physical cognition should become fully harmonized and awaken the spirituality and intellect together. It is only when the spiritual and physical dimensions of cognition resonate together that we can thoroughly comprehend God and the universe. (Exposition of the Divine Principle,Eschatology 5.1)
 
 
 

God is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth

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Joshua 7

The spies left and went to Ai, which is east of Bethel and near Beth-Aven. 3 They went back to Joshua and reported, “You don’t need to send the whole army to attack Ai—two or three thousand troops will be enough. Why bother the whole army for a town that small?”

Richard: Even a small number of Blessed families doing Home Church can make a big difference.

Psalm 112

Shout praises to the Lord!
    The Lord blesses everyone
    who worships him and gladly
    obeys his teachings.
2 Their descendants will have
    great power in the land,
    because the Lord blesses
    all who do right.
3 They will get rich and prosper
    and will always be remembered
    for their fairness.
4 They will be so kind
    and merciful and good,
that they will be a light
in the dark
    for others
    who do the right thing.

Enlightenment

2. Inner Enlightenment

Brahman is all in all.
He is action, knowledge, goodness supreme.
To know Him, hidden in the lotus of the heart, is to untie the knot of ignorance.
    Mundaka Upanishad 2.1.10 (Hinduism)

In the golden city of the heart dwells
The Lord of Love, without parts, without stain.
Know Him as the radiant light of lights.
There shines not the sun, neither moon nor star,
Nor flash of lightning, nor fire lit on earth.
The Lord is the light reflected by all.
He shining, everything shines after Him.
    Mundaka Upanishad 2.2.10-11 (Hinduism)

God is the Light of the heavens and the earth.
The parable of His Light
is as if there were a Niche,
and within it a Lamp;
the Lamp enclosed in Glass:
The Glass as it were a brilliant star:
Lit from a blessed Tree,
an olive neither of the East nor of the West,
Whose oil is well-nigh luminous,
though fire scarce touched it.
Light upon Light!
God guides whom He will to His Light:
God sets forth parables for men, and God knows all things. 
    Qur’an 24.35

Even as a mirror stained by dust
Shines brilliantly when it has been cleansed,
So the embodied one, on seeing the nature of the Self,
Becomes unitary, his end attained, from sorrow freed.
    Svetasvatara Upanishad 2.14 (Hinduism)

The Self within the heart is like a boundary which divides the world from That. Day and night cross not that boundary, nor old age, nor death; neither grief nor pleasure, neither good nor evil deeds. All evil shuns That. For That is free from impurity: by impurity can it never be touched.
    Wherefore he who has crossed that boundary and has realized the Self, if he is blind, ceases to be blind; if he is wounded, ceases to be wounded; if he is afflicted, ceases to be afflicted. When that boundary is crossed, night becomes day; for the world of Brahman is light itself.
    Chandogya Upanishad 4.1-2 (Hinduism)

The Sixth Patriarch was pursued by the monk Myo as far as Taiyu Mountain. The patriarch, seeing Myo coming, laid the Robe and bowl [of office] on a rock and said, “This robe represents the faith; it should not be fought over. If you want to take it away, take it now.” Myo tried to move it, but it was as heavy as a mountain and would not budge. Faltering and trembling, he cried out, “I came for the Dharma, not for the robe. I beg you, please give me your instruction.
    ”The patriarch said, “Think neither good nor evil. At this very moment, what is the original self of the monk Myo?” At these words, Myo was directly illuminated. His whole body was covered with sweat. He wept and bowed, saying, “Besides the secret words and secret meaning you have just now revealed to me, is there anything else, deeper still?” The patriarch said, “What I have told you is no secret at all. When you look into your own true self, whatever is deeper is found right there.”
    Mumonkan 23 (Buddhism)

Your Word Is a Lamp to My Feet and a Light to My Path

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Ezekiel 25

15 The Lord God said, “The cruel Philistines have taken revenge on their enemies over and over and have tried to destroy them. 16 Now it’s my turn to treat the Philistines as my enemies and to kill everyone[b] living in their towns along the seacoast. 17 In my fierce anger, I will take revenge on them. And when I punish them, they will know that I am the Lord.”

Matthew 24

29 Right after those days of suffering,

“The sun will become dark,
and the moon
    will no longer shine.
The stars will fall,
and the powers in the sky
    will be shaken.”

30 Then a sign will appear in the sky. And there will be the Son of Man.[e] All nations on earth will weep when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 At the sound of a loud trumpet, he will send his angels to bring his chosen ones together from all over the earth.

Enlightenment

Enlightenment means dispelling the darkness of ignorance. According to the manner in which reality is perceived in the different traditions, enlightenment may be either the intuitive grasping of inner wisdom, illumination by the truth of the Word, or direct apprehension of transcendent reality. the true self, formerly obscured by false habits of thinking and vain desires, is suddenly revealed. the inner eye, which was blinded by defilements of worldly living, opens to a vision of the true reality. From that moment life can never be the same, as the enlightened person begins to live by the knowledge he has acquired.
There is rational enlightenment, the cognition of truth. Knowledge of God’s Word enlightens the mind, lighting a marked-out path to a person formerly lost in the darkness of ignorance. Father Moon is one with the Christian tradition in teaching that the Word of God can transform lives.
A second group of passages describe enlightenment as self-realization, the inward experience of finding one’s original mind, the God within. this describes the experience of salvation in Hinduism and Buddhism, yet is common to most religions. this can be a soul-shaking experience, as the mind opens to receive massive amounts of energy. having stripped away everything false, the enlightened mind corresponds to the standard of the Divine Mind, setting up a powerful connection. Father Moon encourages every person to gain such an experience on the path to wholeness and completion. he teaches that no amount of conceptual knowledge or faith can substitute for realization of the God within.
Finally, there is shamanistic enlightenment, which opens the five spiritual senses and enables one to see, hear and sense the invisible spirit world. With proper training, anyone can access this knowledge and source of spiritual power.

1. The Light of True Knowledge

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
    Psalm 119.105

The truth has come, and falsehood has vanished away. Surely falsehood is ever certain to vanish.
    Qur’an 17.85

Jesus spoke to them, saying “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
    ”John 8.12

You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.
    John 8.32

As sight is in the body, so is reason in the soul.
    Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics 1.6 (Hellenism)

The holy Preceptor by the Word lighted a lamp;
Thereby was shattered darkness of the temple of the self,
And the unique chamber of jewels thrown open.
Wonderstruck were we in extreme on beholding it—
Its greatness beyond expression.
Adi Granth, Bilaval, M.5, p. 821 (Sikhism)

To know the eternal is called enlightenment
Not to know the eternal is to act blindly, to result in disaster.
He who knows the eternal is all-embracing.
Being all-embracing, he is impartial.
Being impartial, he is kingly [universal].
Being kingly, he is one with Nature.
Being one with nature, he is in accord with Tao.
Being in accord with Tao, he is everlasting,
And is free from danger throughout his lifetime.
    Tao Te Ching 16 (Taoism)

It is wonderful, Lord! It is wonderful, Lord! It is as if, Lord, one might set upright that which had been upturned, or might reveal what was hidden, or might point out the path to one who had gone astray, or might bring an oil lamp into the darkness so that those with eyes might see material shapes.
    Udana 49 (Buddhism)

When they listen to that which has been revealed unto the Messenger, you see their eyes overflow with tears because of their recognition of the Truth. They say, “Our Lord, we believe. Inscribe us as among the witnesses.”
    Qur’an 5.83

God Only Asks People to Pay a Small Amount

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Jeremiah 49

30 Run and hide,
you people of the desert
    who live in villages!
Nebuchadnezzar has big plans
    for you.
31 You have no city walls
    and no neighbors to help,
yet you think you’re safe—
    so I told him to attack.
32 Then your camels
and large herds
    will be yours no longer.

People of the Arabian Desert,
disaster will strike you
    from every side,
and you will be scattered
    everywhere on earth.
33 Only jackals will live
where your villages once stood.
    I, the Lord, have spoken.

John 7

37 On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and shouted, “If you are thirsty, come to me and drink! 38 Have faith in me, and you will have life-giving water flowing from deep inside you, just as the Scriptures say.” 39 Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit, who would be given to everyone that had faith in him. The Spirit had not yet been given to anyone, since Jesus had not yet been given his full glory.

Atonement

  1. The Principle of Atonement

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

In the Old Testament Age, the chosen people of Israel made atonement through offering ceremonies involving the shedding of blood. But they did not know the principle behind it. God is the owner of all creation. However, the sacrificial offering represented the people. It was divided into two: one part was taken by God and the other, by Satan. (309:203, May 30, 1999)

What is meant by indemnity? No human being could possibly pay all his debt of sin. Even if he tried for his entire lifetime, he would die with the debt still unpaid. Therefore, salvation requires that there be a way to lighten the debt and shorten the period to pay it off. God would shorten the period to, say, one year. However, at that point Satan makes accusations and insists that God cannot be so lenient; he demands a greater payment, one that might require ten years. Then what happens? God and Satan agree to a compromise. In other words, there is a struggle between God and Satan. Satan demands that human beings pay a great deal of the debt as is their due, while God only asks people to pay a small amount as a condition to forgive the whole debt. Actually, Satan is correct from the viewpoint of principle: debts should be paid in full. Yet, God is correct from the viewpoint of love, in seeking a way to reconnect human beings with His love. And love is the very core of the principle. (111:147, February 10, 1981)

We received the amazing grace of forgiveness of our sins thanks to the altars of blood erected by the many saints and sages. 11 (9:161, May 8, 1960)

Why has God patiently made sacrifice after sacrifice, developing His providence to the worldwide level? For whom has God made these sacrifices? Not for America, nor for Christianity; God did it to save me. God sent the Jesus Christ and allowed him to die on the cross for me, for my salvation. God then raised up the Christian church, established it throughout the world, and prepared it for the Second Coming in these Last Days—all for me. (77:46, March 30, 1975)

There are several categories of people who go to the spirit world. One group lives out their full span of life; another group does not. Among those who go to the spirit world earlier than their given life span, there are two categories: those who are being punished for their sins, and those who are taken as indemnity conditions for the sins of the world.
There is a saying that if in a village three exemplary young men die in their prime, great blessings will come to that village. The same is true for a clan: if three great young men die in a clan, that clan will receive many blessings. That is, to deserve blessings a price must be paid. This is by the law ofcause and effect: it applies everywhere.
When God lets one central person, worthy of one thousand people, go the path of death, ifthose one thousand people are moved by his love and are determined to live like him, taking after his example, they will enter that person’s realm of benefit. People want to follow the path of a patriot or a saint because they want to enter the same realm of benefit. Last year, many of our church members went to the spirit world, and it will be the same this year as well. Although I do not speak of it, I am already aware it will happen. Why is it so? Every time we take another step forward, we must pay indemnity for it. (33:11, July 28, 1970)
You should become like a chief priest, repenting of the past on behalf of your people and making an offering of atonement before God. In order to make such an offering, you should share your people’s path of tribulation. This is a principle in approaching God. (13:265, April 12, 1964)

God Resolutely Works to Cleanse the Human World

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Leviticus 23

37 I have chosen these festivals as times when my people must come together for worship and when animals, grain, and wine are to be offered on the proper days. 38 These festivals must be celebrated in addition to the Sabbaths and the times when you offer special gifts or sacrifices to keep a promise or as a voluntary offering.
Richard: We should be aware of and celebrate the Holy Days that God has set up. On the Heavenly Calendar there are eight major Holy Days.

Joshua 16

9 Ephraim also had some towns and villages that were inside Manasseh’s tribal land.

Richard: Even though we are living in a fallen world, Cheong Il Guk (the Kingdom of Heaven) has been established and must be expanded centering on Blessed families.

CSG 2305
Sovereignty, territory and citizenry are necessary for creating a nation. You must believe that the eternal settlement of Cheon Il Guk was declared on the foundation of all its constituent parts. Have confidence as God would and when you push forward with all your strength with confidence equal to that of Rev. Moon, the True Parent, nothing will hold you back. (364-87, 2002.1.1)
CSG p 1511
Your families represent the sovereignty of God’s Kingdom. The parents stand on behalf of this sovereignty. The children stand in the stead of the citizens, and the material possessions rep-resent the land of that kingdom. Subsequently, being filial to one’s parents is the same as being loyal to one’s nation, and also leads one to fulfill one’s duties as a saint. At present, the family has become the origin of many disgraceful acts, but God hopes that the family will be transformed into sanctified ground. Therefore, the mission to save corrupted families in the fallen realm lies with us. Though families worldwide are shattering, we are not in a position to abandon them. (35-306, 1970.10.30)

Forgiveness

2. Cleansing and Purification

On this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins you shall be clean before the Lord.
    Leviticus 16.30

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to thy steadfast love;
according to thy abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.

Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,
and done that which is evil in thy sight,
so that thou art justified in thy sentence
and blameless in thy judgment.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward being;
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Fill me with joy and gladness;
let the bones which thou hast broken rejoice.
Hide thy face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
     Psalm 51.1-10

Thus hearing the litany, and that there be no blot of sin in the court or the country,
May the deities bestow their purification that no offense remain, and
As the wind blows from its origin to carry away
the clouds of heaven,
Even as the wind of morning and the wind of evening clears away the morning and
evening mists,
As the ship in harbor casts off its moorings stem and stern to be borne out onto the
great plain of the sea, and
As the rank grasses beyond the river are swept away with the clean stroke of the scythe—
Even so, may the deity Seoritsuhime-no-kami,
Dwelling in the swift-flowing stream that falls
from the high mountains and low hills,
Carry away these sins and pollutions without
remain, to the wide sea plain.

Our sins thus swept away, may the goddess
Hayaakitsuhimi-no-kami,
Who lives in the stream of the sea plain,
Open wide her great mouth to engulf those sins
and impurities, and
When they are thus imbibed,
May the god Ibukidonushi-no-kami,
Dwelling in the place where breath is breathed,
Blow them out with a great rushing breath.
And when he has thus banished them to the
underworld,
May the goddess Hayasasurahime-no-kami
disperse them once and all.
Even in this way, may the sins of all in the realm,
from officials of the court on down,
every transgression within the land be washed away. 
    Engishiki 8 (Shinto)

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Just as the ocean takes in all manner of sewage and muddy water and then cleanses it, God, the original entity of absolute true love, resolutely works to cleanse the human world that deviated from the principles of His creation. (December 27, 2002) 
 
Father! Please purify the minds and hearts of all Thy children who kneel before Thee.
Work with Thy purifying touch in the soul of each one here.
Please reveal all that is in each of our minds and bodies, Father, and sanctify everything.
Since it will not do unless all improper elements are separated out and cast away,
O Father, please personally be the Lord who purifies us
and the Lord of our hearts. (1:162, July 11, 1956)