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

All Have Sinned and Fall Short of the Glory of God


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Cheon Seong Gyeong 1418

At which time should Western Civilization and oriental civilization be joined together? When the two combine, where will this union take place? They will not be combined in an island nation. They will be joined together on a peninsula. From this point of view, as a peninsular nation, Korea is in the most precarious situation in Asia. When you consider Korea’s location, you will find that it is surrounded by the Soviet Union, communist China, Japan, and even America. Taking into consideration the Pacific coast, it can be regarded as being connected even to America. All scholars are saying that history will now advance into the era of the Pacific cultural sphere. Scholars in the fields of politics, economy, and history are asserting that such an era will come. In America, they regard this as indisputable.
    Then, which nation will play the leading role? Will it be Japan? Will it be China? Japan and China are enemies. They were enemies forty years ago. Korea and Japan are also enemies. They are all enemies. In Asia, Japan fought against China, against the Soviet Union, and also occupied Korea. They all regard Japan as an enemy nation. She was the Eve nation on the satanic side that could replace Great Britain. (196-162, 1990.1.1)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1270

The love of Jesus, the groom, and the love of the Holy Spirit, the bride, must unite into one. Their united love must then become one with your bones and flesh. In other words, as Jesus said, “I am in you, and you will be in me.” There can be no rebirth if the foundation of love is not established. (114-27, 1981.5.14)

Atonement

2. Atonement by the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ

Since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies him who has faith in Jesus.
    Romans 3.23-26

But when Christ appeared as the high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once and for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
    Hebrews 9.11-14

In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
    1 John 4.10-11

For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt.
    Hebrews 6.4-6

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Jesus Christ came to the earth to save humanity, bringing with him the glory, love and eternal life of God. Yet there was one condition that obstructed his way. This was none other than sin—sin intertwined like a gigantic steel net, woven through this person and that person, this organization and hat organization, this society and that society, this nation and that nation. Jesus willingly offered himself to eradicate sin; otherwise we could not see the glory of God on this earth; nor could we know the love of God or the life of God. (1:167, July 11, 1956)

When someone owes a huge debt, if the creditor displays good will in forgiving a portion of the debt, then the debtor can pay back less than the total amount and still satisfy the entire debt. The outstanding example of this is redemption through the cross. Merely by fulfilling a small indemnity condition of faith in Jesus, we receive the much greater grace of salvation, which entitles us to participate with Jesus in the same resurrection. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Restoration 1.1)

Many Christians believe that the omniscient, omnipotent, benevolent and loving God forgives us even though we commit sins tens of thousands of times. Then as soon as they go outside the church door they start fighting again. A church is not a house of forgiveness, dispensing forgiveness to people who commit sins unceasingly.
    If God could forgive sins so lightly, why would He not forgive the one sin that was committed in the Garden of Eden? Furthermore, if God could find a way to forgive Satan, would He not have done it? Surely He would. Nevertheless, God cannot forgive Satan’s sin, which transgressed the core principle of the universe. For God to forgive that sin would be to fundamentally undermine the universal law of love, causing the world, which was created for love, to fall into chaos. Satan violated God Himself. This cannot be forgiven.
    This is why God had to set up the Providence of Restoration to enable humans to reach the standard prior to the Human Fall. By this means, when people reach that standard, Satan can be expelled and a new perfect Adam can appear. It has taken God six thousand years to prepare that foundation. (19:161, January 1, 1968)

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)

Sin Cannot Be Removed Unless Someone Takes Responsibility

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Cheon Seong Gyeong 2091

When I tell you to go find your hometown, it means planting a new seed. Since you have become the seed of Adam and Eve, I am trying to put down a new root by planting new seeds through you. So when planting new seeds, you will need buckets of fertilizer. So you should go and receive insults. You should receive curses for the cause of goodness and endure much suffering. Try it for about three years. You won’t need three years; I see it being done in six months. When you were first sent out for witnessing, I sent you out to find 120 households and to build churches in towns other than your hometowns, right? And you haven’t been able to do it, have you? Then, I gave the direction to start Home Church, but you couldn’t fulfill that either, could you? This is it. (219-158, 1991.8.29

Richard: Here Rev. Moon emphasizes that Home Church is the actual way to build the Kingdom of Heaven (Cheon Il Guk).

Cheon Seong Gyeong 359

Human beauty does not just reside in the face. It can be seen and felt from all directions. Beauty is three-dimen-sional, like a ball. Whether seen from above, seen from the side, or seen from any direction, a person has his or her own perfect beauty. So you should not carelessly evaluate your wife’s face. Many beautiful women are poor, but women who have virtue or good for-tune are of a different type. We often see that even in the case of a woman with a pretty face, her face becomes strange after having just two or three children. So we can conclude that those who can maintain their beauty even after child-birth are beautiful women. (God’s Will and the World – 543)

Atonement

Sin cannot be removed unless someone takes responsibility to make expiation for the transgression. this is the concept of atonement. atonement is required because of God’s lawful nature, which requires that the object of his love be worthy to receive it. the predicament of the sinner is made worse by Satan’s accusation, which serve to remind God of sins he might rather overlook. therefore, some act of sacrifice is needed to pay the debt, clear away the sin, and remove the obstacle to full forgiveness and fellowship between God and human beings.
In Christianity, Jesus Christ offers himself on the cross as atonement for sin. this is the ultimate atonement: a sinless man dying to save sinners. and yet, Jesus’ atoning death on the cross is an example of a larger principle, as vicarious atonement can occur in many situations: a priest offers a sacrifice for sins of the worshippers, a good man pays with his life for the sins of the community, or a patriot sheds his blood on the altar of his nation. in each case, a righteous person’s sacrifice provides atonement for many.

1. The Principle of Atonement

When God desires to give healing to the world He smites one righteous man among them with disease and suffering, and through him gives healing to all… A righteous man is never afflicted save to bring healing to his generation and to make atonement for it. The ‘other side’ prefers that punishment should light upon the virtuous man rather than on any other; it would disregard the world on account of the joy it finds in having power over him.
     Zohar 5.218a(Judaism)
 
Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. Then he shall take the two goats, and set them before the lord at the door of the tent of meeting; and Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats, one lot for the lord and the other lot for Azazel. And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the lord, and offer it as a sin offering; but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the lord to make atonement over it… He shall kill the goat of the sin offering which is for the people, and bring its blood within the veil, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat and before the mercy seat; thus he shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the people of Israel… And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins; and he shall put them upon the head of the goat, and send him away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. The goat shall bear all their iniquities upon him to a solitary land… And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month… on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins you shall be clean before the Lord.
    Leviticus 16.6-30
 
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that made us whole,
and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned every one to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 
    Isaiah 53.4-6
 

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)