Why Did Jesus Fast for 40 Days?

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Cheon Seong Gyeong 2082

North and South Korea cannot
become one if they remain as they are.
For this, we need patriots who fight with-
out sleep and possess hearts of determi-
nation, willing to overcome all obsta-
cles. The unification of North and South
Korea begins with people who think, “I
truly want to live together. I would like
to die together if we must die, or live
together if we must live. I would like to
live together with our forefathers, with
those who are in the spirit world.” (148-277,
1986.10.11)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1278

The holy wine contains elements rep-
resenting all creation, which cannot be
accused by Satan. After drinking the holy
wine, and becoming one with True Par-
ents, if you commit any acts that defile
your body, you will be worse off than
Satan himself. Satan defiled and violated
the perfection level of the growth stage.
But if someone receives the Blessing and
then commits a sin, he defiles the sub-
stantial body of God in the perfection
level of the completion stage and cannot
ever be forgiven. This is a truly terrifying
thought. (Blessed Family – 596)

Let Us Follow the Way of Jesus

Sun Myung Moon
April 26, 1959

Matthew 7:1-20

Jesus came in place of Heaven as the Savior of all people. Yet there was no one who fathomed his heart and who came forward among the nation, which was in need of salvation. They did not even know about the thirty-year course of hard effort he had gone through, not to mention his heart. Even the clique of John the Baptist, who had lived in the wilderness and should have been responsible for the nation, wound up opposing him.

Looking at the nation with such sadness, Jesus had a thread of expectation in John the Baptist. However, when even he turned away from Jesus, greater sorrow was added to Jesus’ heart.

Although the time was approaching when he would appear to the nation with the gospel of Heaven, the nation and John the Baptist were nowhere to be found. Therefore, Jesus could not appear before humankind. This is why Jesus went through the forty-day course of fasting in the wilderness.

Even though Christians believe that the forty-day fast was a glorious moment necessary for Jesus, this is not true. Jesus fasted because the nation and John the Baptist’s followers were nowhere to be found. Furthermore, it was because the three wise men from the East and Anna, Simeon and Mary, who had conceived Jesus with a definite purpose, failed to acknowledge him when he set out on the course of praxis. We should know that Jesus met such a miserable fate, although he was the master of the earth and the prince who had come to save all people. Continue reading “Why Did Jesus Fast for 40 Days?”

Ask, Seek and Knock for the Incarnation of God’s Will

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Acts 3

14 You rejected Jesus, who was holy and good. You asked for a murderer to be set free, 15 and you killed the one who leads people to life. But God raised him from death, and all of us can tell you what he has done. 16 You see this man, and you know him. He put his faith in the name of Jesus and was made strong. Faith in Jesus made this man completely well while everyone was watching.

Richard:  Don’t reject Christ at His Second Coming.

Isaiah 35

2 Deserts will bloom everywhere
    and sing joyful songs.
They will be as majestic
    as Mount Lebanon,
as glorious as Mount Carmel
    or Sharon Valley.
Everyone will see
the wonderful splendor
    of the Lord our God.

Let Us Follow the Way of Jesus

Sun Myung Moon
April 26, 1959

Matthew 7:1-20

Jesus knew that this nation should serve the Messiah. Jesus watched as the nation failed to ask with hearts more desperate than others for the substance of the Messiah. The church left its place and failed to seek when it should have sought with a heart more sorrowful than others. Jesus saw the Jews failing to knock when they should have knocked and waited for the heavenly gate to open.

The nation was eager for the realization of the heavenly will, yet failed to fervently ask, seek and knock on the door for the incarnation who could fulfill it. Jesus intended to realize the will with a nation that did not know the true will of Heaven. Thus, he did not pass even one day, one hour, or one second without thinking of the will.

Jesus’ Shim Jung before the will was greater than Mary’s. As he was quietly helping Joseph make a living, his Shim Jung was such that the more he watched the nation and lost confidence in them, the more seriously he worried about the will and made a new determination. We should know that he had a course of preparation like this for thirty years.

We should know that the life of Jesus was such that with a passionate Shim Jung of worry about the will, he worked hard in an unknown place to fulfill the responsibility for the sake of Heaven and the nation. We should know that with a heart more fervent than anyone else’s, Jesus worked hard and ceaselessly in place of the nation to ask, seek and knock on the heavenly gate. Continue reading “Ask, Seek and Knock for the Incarnation of God’s Will”

Set Up the Hoon Dok Hae Study Tradition in Your Families

Happy True God’s Day (celebrated on the first day of the year by the Heavenly Calendar)!

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Special reading for True God’s Day:

Convention to Proclaim the Word that Firmly Establishes the True Parents of Heaven, Earth and Humankind

Sun Myung Moon
July 24, 2010
Manhattan Center
New York, NY

Respected leaders from around the world, distinguished guests from home and abroad, ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of True Parents, True Family, the Republic of Korea, the United States of America, and Unification Church members worldwide, I sincerely welcome and express my deepest appreciation to you for coming to participate in this providential World Assembly to Proclaim the Embodiment of God’s Word and the Era of the Parents of Heaven, Earth and Humankind despite your busy schedules.

In this year alone, thousands of representatives and top leaders from 120 nations of the world honored us with their presence on several occasions, including our Golden Anniversary, Coronation, and various Legacy-of-Peace Memorial Festivals held at the UN building and in cities around the United States and the world — making for many wonderful events. Once again, I would like to express my appreciation on behalf of all the people of the Republic of Korea and all of humankind.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is a very eventful time in God’s providence. A few months ago I celebrated my ninetieth birthday and took my first steps toward the hundredth year of my life. I have been blessed with a long life, beyond the average human lifespan. My wife and I arranged for today’s world-level celebration to commemorate our fiftieth wedding anniversary. From a providential point of view, this year is not simply the year of our Golden Anniversary; it is also a Jubilee year. Continue reading “Set Up the Hoon Dok Hae Study Tradition in Your Families”

What Was the Heart of Mary and Joseph?

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Cheon Seong Gyeong 1892

Catching tuna is not fishing. It is
more like hunting at sea. You are hear-
ing the term “hunting at sea” for the first
time, right? Catching one tuna is hard-
er than killing a large cow. One tuna
weighs more than one thousand pounds.
Some tunas can weigh five hundred, six
hundred, or even seven hundred kilo-
grams – that is bigger than a bull. It is
exciting to catch such fish! We take all
the blood out since the fish will spoil if
left for a long time after being caught,
and in an instant the water becomes a
sea of blood. At that moment, I cannot
help but think, “Oh, I am so merciless!”
Whenever I feel that way, I think “God
allows people to suffer because they are
the sacrificial offerings for the libera-
tion of humankind.” Also, I feel better
when I tell myself, “Well, these fish were
caught from nature and I never invested
myself in raising them, but from now on
I will raise fish and offer them as a sacri-
fice.” This is why I carry out the fish farm
and marine product industries. (219-196,
1991.8.29)

Richard:  Rev. Moon loved fishing.  It’s good to have a hobby you really love!

Cheong Seong Gyeong 1009

Yet, there are some silly people who
say that they will just do as I do – follow-
ing me when I go down to the country
or using crude language because I do….
I have lived a life of attendance to God,
and even served and bowed respectfully
to young children until the time came
that I could speak without using honor-
ific language. After knowing God’s will,
people feel awkward to such an extent
that when I speak to them in respectful
language they cannot respond with their
faces raised. Imagine how awkward it
would be if I had to treat you so politely.
(57-277, 1972.6.4)

Richard:  We may get a revelation as we near the top of the growth stage that ‘you are the lord’.  However, this does not mean you are the returning Lord and Savior.  Rather, you are to be a lord of creation according to the original ideal of creation.  We have to discern between good and bad spiritual influence and use God’s word (the eight sacred textbooks to discern between what is right and wrong.

Let Us Follow the Way of Jesus

Sun Myung Moon
April 26, 1959

Matthew 7:1-20

Mary said after being told about the birth of Jesus, “Lord! Do as You will.” This remark should be made at least once by every fallen person. Not only Mary, but anyone seeking the path of life must have the heart to say, “Lord, do as You will.” Without such an answer, no one can make a connection of life with Jesus.

Jesus came on such a foundation. After conceiving, Mary thought about the will more than anyone else did as the baby grew inside her womb. Believing that when the baby was born, the Messiah would appear and clear away the resentment and sorrow of the nation, Mary must have thought more than anyone else about the time when God’s will for the earth would be realized. Jesus was born in this way.

Without Joseph’s family, how would Jesus have been born? If it had been known to the world that Mary had conceived a child as a virgin, she would have been stoned to death according to the law of Moses. This was the worst violation of the law; it was considered unpardonable in the social circumstances and situation of the age, the worst shame upon the nation. Since Mary and Joseph had a Shim Jung ardent enough to defy all the circumstances and come forward for the will, Mary could give birth to Jesus. Continue reading “What Was the Heart of Mary and Joseph?”

We Can Live With Jesus Only When We Live With God

Luke 14

26 You cannot be my disciple, unless you love me more than you love your father and mother, your wife and children, and your brothers and sisters. You cannot come with me unless you love me more than you love your own life.

Nahum 3

3 Doom to the crime capital!
Nineveh, city of murder
    and treachery,
2 here is your fate—
cracking whips,
    churning wheels;
galloping horses,
    roaring chariots;
3 cavalry attacking,
    swords and spears flashing;
soldiers stumbling
    over piles of dead bodies.
4 You were nothing more
    than a prostitute
using your magical charms
and witchcraft
    to attract and trap nations.

Let Us Follow the Way of Jesus

Sun Myung Moon
April 26, 1959

Matthew 7:1-20

Jesus came to the earth with God’s mission. He went through an earthly life and went to the spiritual world. Now he is fighting along with the Holy Spirit to achieve the historical purpose of God. We should long for this Jesus. We should repossess this Jesus. We must live with this Jesus. To do this, we should live with God. We can live with Jesus only when we live with God. What then should we do? We should be the ones who fulfill the hope of God, Jesus, and human history. We should know that, without doing so, we cannot stand before Jesus when he comes in glory.

What path should we follow to receive this Jesus? This is the problem. Even if Jesus comes down from heaven to the earth, we are unable to receive him as we are today.

We can receive and serve him only after we have the Shim Jung to connect to his situation and complete the task he was to carry out on the earth. We should know that the day when we meet this Jesus is the day of Second Coming, the day to which today’s Christians look forward. Continue reading “We Can Live With Jesus Only When We Live With God”