True Believers Are Filled with Awe at the Mention of God

Numbers 9

23 They obeyed the Lord’s commands and went wherever he directed Moses.

Psalm 104

8 The Lord is merciful!
He is kind and patient,
    and his love never fails.
9 The Lord won’t always be angry
    and point out our sins;
10     he doesn’t punish us
    as our sins deserve.

Islam

Today Islam is playing a major role in God’s unfolding providence. Father Moon finds in Muslims a firm faith and moral clarity that is sorely needed in this relativistic age, when Christianity has grown feeble. He totally rejects the “clash of civilizations” scenario that would see the Muslim world as an enemy of the West. Because Islam is a higher religion, it has the spiritual blessing to be one of the pillars of the Kingdom of God.
Islam is a righteous religion, and holds itself above Judaism and Christianity, which it regards as filled with errors and hypocrisy. Nevertheless, what is required in this age is reconciliation between these three religions as the spiritual mainstays of humanity. Father Moon identifies the source of their conflict neither in doctrine nor in the events surrounding Muhammad’s ministry, but rather in the crucifixion of Jesus, which sowed the seeds that have borne their inevitable fruit in the contemporary world. Resolving the mistakes of that time will require the concerted efforts of all—Christians, Jews and Muslims—the descendants of the actors in that drama.

1. A Religion of Faith and Righteousness

You are the best community that has been raised up for mankind. You enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency; and you believe in God.
    Qur’an 3.110

God has endeared the Faith to you, and has made it beautiful in your hearts, and He has made hateful to you unbelief, wickedness, and rebellion: such indeed are those who walk in righteousness—a grace and favor from God.
    Qur’an 49.7

We believe in God, and in that which has been sent down on us and sent down on Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac and Jacob, and the Tribes, and that which was given to Moses and Jesus and the Prophets; of their Lord; we make no division between any of them, and to Him we surrender.
    Qur’an 2.136

This [Qur’an] is the Book which We have revealed as a blessing; so follow it and be righteous, that you may receive mercy; lest you should say, “The Book was send down to two peoples before us, and for our part, we remained unacquainted with what they learned by studying it”; or lest you should say, “If only the Book had been sent down to us, we should have followed its guidance better than they.” Now then has come to you a clear proof from your Lord, and a guide and a mercy; then who could do more wrong than one who rejects Allah’s revelations and turns away from them?
    Qur’an 6.155-157

The true believers are those whose hearts are filled with awe at the mention of God, and whose faith grows stronger as they listen to His revelations. They put their trust in their Lord, pray steadfastly, and give in alms of that which We have given them. Such are the true believers. They shall be exalted and forgiven by their Lord, and a generous provision shall be made for them.
    Qur’an 8.2-4

O you who believe, be upright for Allah, bearers of witness with justice; and let not hatred of a people incite you not to act equitably. Be just; that is nearer to observance of duty. And keep your duty to Allah. Surely Allah is aware of what you do.
    Qur’an 5.8

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Islam is a comprehensive religion. It adopted the teachings of the Old and New Testaments of the Christian Bible, but with God alone as its center. It was founded with contents appropriate to Arab culture. (39:316, January 16, 1971)

Today Islam will become a prophetic religion to ignite this deviating world. (39:42, January 9, 1971)

The Grand Mufti of Syria is a leader of accomplished self-discipline who has highly cultivated his spirit. After World War II he received a revelation from Heaven that dreadful punishment would come unless Islam united with Judaism and Christianity. Because he kept this revelation for forty years, he was persecuted and imprisoned several times. Still, he could not fulfill Heaven’s commission.
    After learning of my interreligious activities, he was moved to think, “I should go and visit Father Moon.” (212:324, January 11, 1991)

 

Christianity Had Degenerated into a Dead Body of Clergy Trailing Empty Slogans

Cheon Seong Gyeong 2296

God’s right of ownership was completely snatched away by this fallen world that inherited the devil’s love, life and lineage. Now the time has come for us to retrieve it, to become sons and daughters who can receive God’s true love and bring this world under control. Finally, as such, we need to redeem the blood ties in the family lost by Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel. On the foundation of all nations being liberated and welcomed, the right of ownership currently belonging to the devil and the satanic world, should be returned to God, the Owner of true love, through the number one man and woman, the number one son and daughter, the beloved of God.
    All peoples in the world need to go through the True Parents’ love. Without passing through that gate, there is no way back to the original homeland in the heavenly world. The only path open before them now leads to hell. We need to trace the path back. We need to fight and triumph over nations opposing us. By so doing, the Unification Church of today has inherited the victory of the global messianic realm, passed through the national messianic realm and traced down to the tribal messianic realm. Through the tribal realm of the satanic world, we now need to enter Satan’s family and change his world. (210-42, 1990.11.30

Cheong Seong Gyeong 1265

When you think of the words True Parents you should remember that history will be reset through True Parents. The origin through which we can build a new world will come into existence, the internal standard through which Satan can be brought into submission will be determined, and Satan’s domination of the external world will be conquered. Only then can the central point be set and the liberation of God take place. Therefore, you should be thankful for this great blessing which has been bestowed upon you, which is the grace of being able to live in the same era as True Parents and act upon their orders. (43-144, 1971.4.29)

 

Christianity

4. History of Christianity: Triumphalism, Corruption and Renewal

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

In the Middle Ages great corruption appeared in the Roman Catholic Church. It allowed itself to be shackled by its own power and self-serving dogmas while forgetting about God’s Will to bring salvation to the world… To save the world, Christianity should take the path of self-sacrifice, but instead the church glorified itself and its elite clung tenaciously to their positions.
    Yet, God is alive, and because His desire is to save the world, He could not leave the church as it was. He had to reform it. Hence, God inspired Martin Luther to launch the Protestant Reformation. He approved when Luther came forth to confront the church and its corruption. (69:102, October 21, 1973)

Christianity, the Second Israel, had to deal with the confused situation of the Renaissance and the humanistic philosophies of the Enlightenment. Enlightenment figures like Voltaire, Rousseau and Montesquieu believed that Christianity would collapse. However, pious people from Germany advanced Christianity by raising the Pietist movement, which focused on internal, mystical experiences with God. The Pietist movement influenced the English clergyman John Wesley, who raised the Methodist movement. The Quakers contributed to the development of Christianity by elevating the value of mystical experience even further.

    At the same time, due to the widespread influence of materialism, modern people forgot about loving God, lost their reason to love other human beings, and came to value material things above all else. Nevertheless, the time is coming when God will strike down all materialistic ideologies. He will surely do so, because human beings must ultimately return to their original position before the Fall. (4:18, February 16, 1958)

When ecclesiastic love waned, when waves of capitalistic greed surged across Christian Europe, when starving masses cried out bitterly in the slums, the promise of their salvation came not from heaven but from the earth. Its name was communism. Christianity, though it professed the love of God, had degenerated into a dead body of clergy trailing empty slogans. It was then only natural that a banner of rebellion would be raised, arguing that a merciless God who would allow such suffering could not exist. Hence, modern materialism was born. Western society became a hotbed of materialism; it was the fertile soil in which communism flourished. (Exposition of the Divine Principle,Introduction)
 
The first thing the Pilgrim Fathers built was a church. They invested all their effort to build it, giving everything they had. Next they built the road to the church. For the sake of God they worked day and night. They prayed, “God, we pledge ourselves to build a place where You can dwell, surpassing anyplace in the Old World. We pledge ourselves to establish Your ideal nation, surpassing any nation in the Old World.”34 The Pilgrims suffered a great deal, but the more they suffered, the more determined they were to build God’s Kingdom, a godly society transcending what existed in Europe.
    After their church, they built a school. For they resolved to educate their children well, surpassing what they could learn at schools in Europe. Last of all, they built their homes. Yet even these they built not for themselves, but dedicated them to God. Thus they created a society where God dwelt in the church, in the school, in the family, and even in the workplace. They surely lived a God-centered way of life, entrusting everything to God…
    George Washington, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, was defeated in many battles. When he faced the heartbreaking winter at Valley Forge, I am sure George Washington prayed like this: “God, You led this people from Europe and brought us to America, where there is freedom of faith. You would not wish to deliver this people back into the hands of England, to suffer under its monarchy and the yoke of state-enforced religion. Please bless this nation to become the land that You desire to build, upholding freedom of faith and laying the foundation for Your ideal world.” In his prayer, George Washington must have pledged that he would lead his nation to become the land desired by God.
    Isn’t it true that very day your Congress is convened in prayer? America is not merely the land where Americans live; it is the nation blessed by God. In this respect, America is unique. Your money is imprinted with the inscription, “In God We Trust.” Does any other nation in the world do that? Americans promote the motto, “One nation under God.” Does this motto refer only to America? Ladies and gentlemen, the Kingdom of Heaven should occupy the whole world. It was for this reason that America was born: as a nation composed of all the peoples of the world, it should be the model for one worldwide nation. Why did America establish freedom of religion where the new Protestant faiths could thrive? For what purpose did America throw off the state religions of Europe? It was not just for America’s sake, but to save the world. To save the world!
    Americans, do not think that you are prospering because you yourselves are great. God did not bless this nation so that you can enjoy an affluent life. You should remember God’s original purpose in blessing America, to use this nation as His instrument for saving the world. (69:102, October 21, 1973)
 
Christianity in the Middle Age should have embraced all people regardless of class, and integrated them based on its religious ideals. However, it failed in doing so, and instead corrupted itself by becoming politicized. As a result,
God had to strike it.
    Had the Roman Papacy not become corrupt, and had it instantiated the teaching of living for the sake of others before seeking for its own benefit, with a sense of mission that it existed for the world and humankind, it would not have fallen down. However, due to its failure, God struck Catholicism externally through the Renaissance and internally through the Protestant Reformation.
    Then the Puritans sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to the new continent of America and built a new nation based on Christian ideals. America’s liberal democratic ideology that prevails throughout the democratic world is based on an integration of Roman political ideology, Christian religious ideas and Greek philosophy.
    However, for America to fulfill its responsibility… she should give up her idea of being Number One in the world. For the people of the United States this is the most essential thing. (5:22-23, November 9, 1958)
 
 
 
 
 

You Are Peter, and on This Rock I Will Build My Church

Numbers 36

36 One day the family leaders from the Gilead clan of the Manasseh tribe went to Moses and the other family leaders of Israel 2 and said, “Sir, the Lord has said that he will show what land each tribe will receive as their own. And the Lord has commanded you to give the daughters of our relative Zelopheha the land that he would have received. 3 But if they marry men from other tribes of Israel, the land they receive will become part of that tribe’s inheritance and will no longer belong to us. 4 Even when land is returned to its original owner in the Year of Celebration, we will not get back Zelophehad’s land—it will belong to the tribe into which his daughters married.”

Esther 9

12 Then he told Esther, “Five hundred people, including Haman’s ten sons, have been killed in Susa alone. If that many were killed here, what must have happened in the provinces? Is there anything else you want done? Just tell me, and it will be done.”

Richard: God’s people must lead the way. Secular leaders are not to be in charge, except as God will allow. Secular leaders have to seek God’s way, and specifically understand that a New Age has come, and what the New Truth is and what must be done. Start with this speech and this Principle booklet.

Christianity

4. History of Christianity: Triumphalism, Corruption and Renewal

About noon, when the day was already beginning to decline, Constantine saw with his own eyes the trophy of a cross of light in the heavens, above the sun, and bearing the inscription, CONQUER BY THIS. At this sight he himself was struck with amazement, and his whole army also, which followed him on this expedition, and witnessed the miracle.
    Eusebius, Life of Constantine
 
I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock33 I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
    Matthew 16.18-19
 
The true faith compels us to believe there is one holy Catholic Apostolic Church, and this we firmly believe and plainly confess. Outside of her there is no salvation or remission from sins.
    Now, therefore, we declare, say, determine and pronounce that for every human creature it is necessary for salvation to be subject to the authority of the Roman pontiff.
    Pope Boniface VIII, Unam Sanctam 
 
For the defense of the faith secular authorities ought publicly to take an oath that they will strive in good faith and to the best of their ability to exterminate in the territories subject to their jurisdiction all heretics pointed out by the Church.
    Fourth Lateran Council, Canon 3
 
The Romanists have very cleverly built three walls around themselves… In the first place… temporal power had no jurisdiction over them… In the second place… only the pope may interpret the Scriptures. In the third place… no one may summon a council but the pope…
    Therefore, when necessity demands it, and the pope is an offense to Christendom, the first man who is able should, as a true member of the whole body, do what he can to bring about a truly free council. No one can do this so well as the temporal authorities.
Martin Luther, On Papal Power
 
Religion is the sob of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.
    Karl Marx, Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right
 
The God of Israel is among us… when He shall make us a praise and glory, that men shall say of succeeding plantations: The Lord make it like that of New England: for we must consider that we shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all people are upon us. John Winthrop, A Model of Christian Charity
 
No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential urgency.
 
George Washington, First Inaugural Address
 
 

God So Loved the World

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1976

On the Korean peninsula, the Republic of Korea is destined to battle and triumph over communism. When it does, the Republic of Korea will play an active role in the world. However, if it is defeated by communism, the Republic of Korea will disappear without a trace. The Vietnam War is a prime example of the tragic fate that awaits you after defeat. North Korea represents evil, while the Republic of Korea represents good. The devil controls North Korea, while God sides with the Republic of Korea. In this manner, the Korean peninsula is becoming a region in which good and evil are in the sharpest confrontation in the world. All the evil in the world will perish when good overruns and defeats evil in this area. Throughout providential history, God has been eagerly waiting for the Korean people and the free people of the world to come together and achieve a complete victory. (129-331, 1983.12.14)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1735

Should not Adam and Eve’s wedding be God’s wedding? Where will you go to meet God, who created the object partner of His love to be superior to Him? Where will you go to unite with Him? Through the nose? Where would it be? This is a weighty matter. As such, the sexual organs, found in both men and women, are the original garden wherein God can reside. That is where His love is perfected for the first time. That is the place where concave and convex come together as one. That is where the perfection of human beings, that is, the perfection of woman, man and God, takes place centering on love. (261-220, 1994.6.19)

3. The Church’s Mission to the World

I am the Lord , I have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,
a light to the nations.
    Isaiah 42.6

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but shall have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
    John 3.16-17

In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
    2 Corinthians 5.19-20

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the close of the age.
    Matthew 28.18-20: The Great Commission

When they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.”
    Acts 1.6-9

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Christians enjoy reciting John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but shall have eternal life.” Christians emphasize the second part of the verse and forget the most important thing—that God so loved the world. God did not so love the church, or the Jews, that He sent His only begotten Son. It was because God so loved the world—the universe.
    Who is Jesus? He is the central person of the world. He came to save the world. Those whose faith is to believe in Jesus should have the world—including God, this planet, everything—very much on their minds. Yet most Christians are ignorant of this.
    Have you heard complaints that many Christians are worse than ordinary people? They believe in God, yet they are more selfish and wicked than nonbelievers. Was Jesus a self-centered, individualistic person? Nevertheless, why have so many American Christians, followers of Jesus in the nation that most represents the Christian faith, become individualistic? If they truly believed in Jesus well, they would not. It means that they only use faith in God and Jesus to advance their self-interest. (124:294, March 1, 1983)
 
God desires that all of you should become sacrificial offerings. As an offering, it is not proper for you to raise your head until the day when God and all humankind rejoice. If a Christian church raises its head before God is happy and before all humankind rejoices, it will perish. Christianity has the mission to serve all people. It exists as an offering for humanity. If not, it has not been fulfilling its mission and needs to be reformed without delay.
    Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Crown Prince of Heaven, came as such a universal offering. Therefore, although he looks from heaven and sees believers on earth rejoicing in his grace, he cannot be happy. The day will finally come when Jesus can rejoice; it will come only after God and all humankind rejoice. That is the day of the Second Coming. But first, he will have to lead the church on the sacrificial path of an offering. (5:79-80, December 21, 1958)
 
Jesus was chased out on the road of death, yet his road followed the way of Heaven. His path was not that of a worthless life, but rather a path of lofty and infinite value. It lifted the standard for all humankind. It contains the core teachings sought by the whole world. Jesus’ teachings are definitely the standard that humankind must seek, and his path is the path humankind must follow. Indeed, his teachings are the basis of today’s democracies and world community. (41:70, February 13, 1971)
 
Christianity will form the world’s dominant cultural sphere in the Last Days. Centered on Christian civilization, the nations of the world will join in a world community. (39:44, January 9, 1971)
 
We should enlist the cooperation of all Christians throughout the world to build God’s nation on earth, just as Jesus in his day was to fulfill his mission to build God’s Kingdom by enlisting the cooperation of Judaism. Christians today should understand that they have a mission to accomplish: to build God’s Kingdom on this earth. Christian thought is the basis of democracy worldwide. Christians should uphold Christian thought to build God’s Kingdom based upon democracy. (3:123-24, October 13, 1957)

 
 
 

We Should Be As Members of One Household

Luke 9

Jesus said to his disciples, “Have the people sit in groups of fifty.” 15 They did this, and all the people sat down. 16 Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up toward heaven and blessed the food. Then he broke the bread and fish and handed them to his disciples to give to the people.

Richard: We have all the resources that we need, if we can work together, centered on God’s New Word.

Ezekiel 20

6 I swore that I would rescue them from Egypt and lead them to a land I had already chosen. This land was rich with milk and honey and was the most splendid land of all. 7 I told them to get rid of their disgusting idols and not to sin by worshiping the gods of Egypt. I reminded them that I was the Lord their God, 8 but they still rebelled against me. They refused to listen and kept on worshiping their idols and foreign gods.

Christianity

2. Christian Unity

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all.
    Ephesians 4.4-6
 
You are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
    Ephesians 2.19-22
 
I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me.
    John 17.20-23
 
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.     Colossians 3.12-15 
 
Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon
 
We frequently hear that the church is the body of Christ. What is the body of Christ? Does it consist of church buildings made of wood or stone? No, the body of Christ is the congregation, the people. We who believe in Jesus are Jesus’ body and Christ’s representatives on earth.
    If the believers are the body of Christ, then can there be more than one church? Today’s church, divided as it is into numerous denominations, is a church in error. It is heartbreaking for Jesus to see the existence of so many denominations, each bearing his name. It is as though his body has been torn apart into many pieces…
    Christianity should have become a single worldwide religion, based on the victorious foundation of Jesus’ sacrifice. Like Jesus’ own body, the church should have become a whole offering before God; then by that victorious foundation of offering, it could have become one worldwide religion, one Christian church. Instead, the heart of Jesus Christ is grieved to see his body so shamefully divided. Jesus is the mind and today’s Christianity is the body. How can there be one mind and 1,000 bodies? How can the mind and body differ to such an extent? Therefore, our task is to unite them as one mind and one body.
    What is the core conviction that Jesus has sought to convey to Christianity until this day? It is this: “God is our Father, all people are our brothers and sisters; the earth belongs to all of us; therefore we should be as members of one household.” Today’s Christians should adopt this outlook. Since it is God’s teaching and Jesus’ teaching, it should be Christianity’s teaching. Therefore, we should not get caught up in sectarian squabbles. We should restore the people, even if to do so we have to abandon our denomination. We should restore the earth, even if our denomination must perish in the process. (93:12-25, May 8, 1977)
 
Why is today’s Christianity divided into numerous denominations? The proliferation of denominations contradicts the Christian doctrine that we ought to love our enemies. Christian doctrine instructs us to love the brethren, but people have forgotten it. Christians may love one another within the same church, yet their churches are fighting one another. Jesus taught us to love our brethren. From Jesus’ perspective, the Presbyterian Church, the Methodist Church, the Holiness Church and all other denominations are each other’s brethren. (107:20, February 21, 1980)
 
God’s heaviest burden is to create oneness among the declining remnants of Christianity and among the many religions. While God is trying hard to create oneness among the religions, some Methodists are praying, “O Father, I don’t care what happens to other churches, but please bless the Methodist Church.” Do you think such a prayer will reach God’s ears? Methodism is only one of more than four hundred denominations. God will say, “You rascals! You denominationalists! Before praying for yourselves, you should make the Christian church one! If you do that, I will listen to your prayer.”
    What would God say if Christians were to unite as one and pray, “O Lord! Give us strength to resolve your biggest headache by uniting Christianity and creating oneness among all the religions. Gives us the ability! Help us to create this oneness!” Surely He would say, “Yes, I will grant your prayer.”  God is waiting for the appearance of people who can break down the walls surrounding the denominations and make them one. (98:114-15, May 7, 1978)
 
By what means can we unite Christianity throughout the world? It is by the Holy Spirit. Hence, I named our church, “The Holy Spirit Association.” Not by fists or bayonets, but by the Holy Spirit.  We cannot unite the churches by human power. It is possible only by the power of the Holy Spirit, through mobilizing the hosts of heaven. (113:97, May 1, 1981)