Tag: Messiah

But First He Must Suffer Many Things and Be Rejected by this Generation

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Deuteronomy 7

17 You may be thinking, “How can we destroy these nations? They are more powerful than we are.” 18 But stop worrying! Just remember what the Lord your God did to Egypt and its king. 19 You saw how the Lord used his tremendous power to work great miracles and bring you out of Egypt. And he will again work miracles for you when you face these enemies you fear so much. 20 Some of them may try to survive by hiding from you, but the Lord will make them panic, and soon they will be dead.[a]21 So don’t be frightened when you meet them in battle. The Lord your God is great and fearsome, and he will fight at your side.

Ezekiel 18

14 But suppose this evil man has a son who sees his father do these things and refuses to act like him. 15 He doesn’t eat meat at local shrines or worship Israel’s idols, and he doesn’t have sex with someone else’s wife. 16 He never cheats or robs anyone and doesn’t even demand security for a loan. He gives food and clothes to the poor 17 and refuses to do anything evil[a] or to charge interest. And he obeys all my laws and teachings. Such a man will live. His own father sinned, but this good man will not be put to death for the sins of his father. 18 It is his father who will die for cheating and robbing and doing evil.

Richard: We will discontinue the Rheamas from the Bible after today. We will be using the Completed Testament scriptures of Rev. Sun Myung Moon exclusively for our Rheamas (daily inspirational verses that we post at the beginning of the Daily Inspiration each day).

Eschatology and Messianic Hope

The Messiah

4. The Messiah’s Suffering Course

But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
Luke 17.25

In the time to come… the Patriarchs will say, “Ephraim, our righteous Messiah, though we are your ancestors, you are greater than we. For you have borne the sins of our children, and you have borne heavy punishments, such as nei-ther the former nor the latter generations have endured, and you became the laughter and the mocking of all the nations for Israel’s sake, and you sat in darkness, and your eyes saw no light. And your skin shrank upon your bones, and your body withered like a tree, and your eyes grew dark from fasting, and your strength dried up like a potsherd, and all this befell you because of the sins of our children. Is it your will that your children should enjoy the felicity which God has destined to give them in abundance? Perhaps because of the pains which you have endured in overflowing measure for their sakes, and because thou hast lain fettered in prison, your mind is not at rest because of them?” The Messiah will reply, “Patriarchs, all that I have done, I have done only for your sakes and for your children, and for your honor and theirs, so that they may enjoy the felicity which God has destined for them in abundance.” Then they reply, “May your mind be appeased, for you have appeased the mind of your Creator and our mind.”
Pesikta Rabbati 162b-63a (Judaism)

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Since Christ at the Second Advent must restore through indemnity the course of the providence of restoration left unfinished at Jesus’ coming, he may have to follow a similar course. Jesus encountered disbelief among the Jewish people and had to walk a course of bitter suffering. Likewise, if Christians, the Second Israel, reject Christ at the Second Advent, he will have to go through tribulations comparable to those Jesus suffered. He will have to repeat Jesus’ painful course and restore it through indemnity, but this time during his earthly life. For this reason, Jesus said, “But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.” (Luke 17.25) (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Moses and Jesus 3.3.2)

Christian leaders today, like the Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day, will probably be the first to persecute Christ at the Second Advent. Jesus came to found a new era which would fulfill the words of the Old Testament proclaimed by the prophets. He did not limit himself to repeating the words of the Old Testament, but gave new words of truth fit for the new era. The Jewish priests and scribes criticized Jesus’ words and deeds based on their narrow understanding of the Old Testament Scriptures. Their mistaken judgment led them to deliver Jesus to the cross.
Similarly, the purpose of Christ at the Second Advent is to build a new heaven and a new earth (Rev. 21.1-4) upon the foundation of the spiritual salvation which had been laid by Christianity in the New Testament Age. When he returns, he will not merely repeat the words of the New Testament given two thousand years ago, but will surely add new words of truth necessary for the founding of a new heaven and a new earth. However, those Christians of today whose minds are narrowly attached to the letter of the New Testament will criticize the words and deeds of Christ at his return based on their narrow understanding of the Scriptures. Therefore, it can be expected that they will brand the Lord a heretic and persecute him. This is why Jesus foretold that at the Second Advent, Christ would first suffer many things and be rejected by his generation. (Luke 17.25) (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Second Advent 4)

I, Reverend Moon, stood between God and Satan, always fighting to eliminate Satan. How could I proceed in this work without confronting Satan’s accusation? I took the burden of restitution on myself, taking the required indemnity as my portion of responsibility. This is the human portion of responsibility [to defeat Satan], which people were not able to fulfill until now. Satan knows that is the responsibility of the Messiah; therefore he mobilized all of his forces to attack me. By enduring and overcoming these attacks, I could destroy Satan’s wall in the individual, the family, the tribe, the people, the nation, the world and the spirit world. It is the Messiah’s responsibility to go through the entire course of indemnity. (131:70-71, April 16, 1984)

The Lord Will Come as the True Parent

Happy Pal Jung Shik Celebration (Settlement of the Eight Stages)
Declared 8/31/1989 at Kokiak, Alaska.

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Cheon Seong Gyeong 2106

You should not return home to live a comfortable life alone. Upon your return you should first organize the church. Your sons and daughters should not be objects of public scorn. They should not be beggars relying on others for their livelihood. You should assist them with their living situations and teach them the new tradition which was created by shedding blood and sweat in order to establish a foundation of truth and justice. Moreover, you will live only when you invest yourself to save your clan and they, in return, establish a foundation for your settlement. Without inheritors who are willing to sacrifice themselves, the national foundation on which this land of South Korea can remain as a basis for the Kingdom of Heaven would not exist. (177-163, 1988.5.17)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1059

Each family should prepare a white cushion. They should prepare a clean and neat place, sit on that cushion, and take time to offer sincere devotion to God. (17-87, 1966.11.26

Eschatology and Messianic Hope

The Messiah

3. The Mission of the Messiah—To Restore True Human Beings and True Families

In the messianic future the Holy One will heal the injury [of Adam’s sin]. He will heal the wound of the world.
    Genesis Rabbah 10.4 (Judaism)

A man whose spirit shines brightly, a man whose mind is completely unified, a man whose virtue excels everyone—such a man will truly appear in this world. When he preaches the precious law, all the people will totally be satisfied—as if the thirsty drink sweet drops of rain from heaven. Each and every one will attain the path of liberation from struggles.
    Sutra of the Great Accomplishment of the Maitreya (Buddhism)

“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the
Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure”…
“Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”
Revelation 19.6-9

Beloved, we are God’s children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him.
    1 John 3.2

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

The man who comes as the Second Advent of the Lord is the primary example of a true individual. He is the first true man since the beginning of creation. (15:278, October 30, 1965)
 
The Lord will come as the True Parent. Because the human ancestors fell, they became false parents, and all humanity from birth has inherited the blood and flesh of these false parents.
    Coming as the True Parent, the Messiah will unite humanity with God’s love. Adam and Eve were supposed to marry in the love of God, but because of the Fall they could not. Now, six thousand years later, the Messiah resolves this problem by coming as the True Parent. He comes as the Bridegroom and receives his Bride. Christians refer to this as the Marriage of the Lamb. (32:266, July 19, 1970)
 
What is the mission of the coming Lord? He opens the path for humanity to receive God’s love. Due to the fall, we lost our True Parents. Our ancestors were not supposed to fall; rather, they should have attained perfection and been installed as humanity’s parents of goodness. Christ at the Second Advent reestablishes that position and hence enables humanity to receive the divine love they can have as members of the True Parents’ beloved family.
    Which is the greater happiness: When God’s beloved sons and daughters live on earth as a family and go to heaven as a family? Or when a believing mother goes to heaven while the unbelieving father goes to hell—each family member to his or her own separate place? Truly, every human being should enter heaven, beginning with the parents and extending to all the children. That way, the whole family enters, the whole tribe enters, the whole nation enters, and the whole world enters.
    Hence, these new Parents will give birth to a worldwide family. Their family relationship will be the basis for a new culture and tradition, rooted in a new teaching of love, which never before existed in human history. Once it makes its appearance on this planet Earth, this complicated sinful world will be transformed into the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. (52:324, February 3, 1972)
 
My teaching is that you should stand in the same position as Jesus and become a messiah to your tribe. (79:104, June 22, 1975)
 
The Messiah establishes the model for the ideal family of true love, which should expand to all families. All individuals are to be kings and messiahs. All individuals are to become true parents.
    God is the True Parent, the True Teacher and the True Owner. Inherit the teaching of True Parents by practicing true love. Fulfill your role as a true teacher. Become like God, become the true owner. Truly, all my teachings are to enable you to fulfill the Ideal of the Three Great Subject Partners. (222:140, October 28, 1991)
 
 

 

From His Mouth Issues a Sharp Sword with which to Smite the Nations

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The Rheama’s (scripture readings) for Saturday were missing. Here they are.

Luke 20

23 Jesus knew that they were trying to trick him. So he told them, 24 “Show me a coin.” Then he asked, “Whose picture and name are on it?”

“The Emperor’s,” they answered.

25 Then he told them, “Give the Emperor what belongs to him and give God what belongs to God.” 26 Jesus’ enemies could not catch him saying anything wrong there in front of the people. They were amazed at his answer and kept quiet.

Amos 1

5 I will break through
    the gates of Damascus.
I will destroy the people[i]
of Wicked Valley[j]
    and the ruler of Beth-Eden.[k]
Then the Syrians will be dragged
    as prisoners to Kir.[l]
I, the Lord, have spoken!

Eschatology and Messianic Hope

The Messiah

2. The Mission of the Messiah— to Vanquish Evil and Establish God’s Kingdom

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name inscribed which no one knows but himself. He is clad in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, followed him on white horses. From his mouth issues a sharp sword with which to smite the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron; he will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name inscribed, King of kings and Lord of lords.
    Revelation 19.11-16
 
For to us a child is born,to us a son is given,and the government shall be upon his shoulder,and his name shall be called“Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”Of the increase of his government and of peacethere will be no end,upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom,to establish it, and to uphold itwith justice and with righteousness, from this time forth and for ever more.The zeal of the lord of hosts will do this.
    Isaiah 9.6-7 
 
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.
    Nahjul Balagha, Khutba 141, 187 (Shiite Islam)
 
Then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; and he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
    Matthew 24.30-31
 
Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon
 
The Lord and Savior is coming! What will the Lord do when he comes? He is to rule the nation and the world. Will he rule arbitrarily, governing any way he pleases? No, he will rule with truth. Wherever in the world the Lord travels, he will govern with truth.
    The Savior wants to make a world that is pleasing to God. More than that, he wants to make a world that rejoices the conscience. After all, since the human conscience originates from God, it knows what is pleasing to God and desires what God desires. In that world, there will be no racism or wars between nations. There will be no discrimination based on religion, ethnic background or cultural tradition. Instead, there will be universal agreement about what goodness is, and it will be in accord with God’s view.
    The day when we can march forward to such a world is coming; it is the time of the Savior’s advent on earth. Christians call it the day of Christ’s Second Coming. (160:345, June 15, 1969)
 
The mission of the Messiah is to complete the will of God. He comes to destroy Satan’s evil sovereignty over this world. He comes to repair broken humanity and restore them to their original state of goodness and perfection. God sends him as the sovereign who will rule over the entire universe. (73:204, September 18, 1974)
 
Because the work of God is realistic and physical, the Messiah’s coming on the clouds does not make sense. Yet interpreting the Bible literally, many Christians think, “Jesus will descend on the clouds! It will be done by God’s power!” If that were true, if God could use supernatural power to do anything, then why did He need to send Jesus? Why would He call people to faith? In that case, God could simply create the Kingdom by Himself, without waiting for human beings to respond in faith… Yet, we know that even the omniscient and omnipotent God has been laboring for six thousand years and even longer to advance His providence of salvation without being able to send the [returning] Messiah until today…
 
Many Christians think that the Messiah will solve all the world’s problems in an instant. They do not understand that when the Christ returns he will have to plough the ground and sow the seeds again. (90:141, December 25, 1976)
 
Richard:  Find out more by reading the section on the Last Days in the Exposition of the Divine Principle, the teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon.
Also, I prophecy the following timeline for the unfolding of this Providence in the current era:  D-Day Was on January 13th, 2020 – VisionRoot.

He Could be an Asian, He Could be a Westerner, He Could be an African

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Cheon Seong Gyeong 2205

When God held out His hands to bless Adam and Eve, what kind of hope did He have for them as their Father? He would most likely have said, “Embrace the great cosmos that I have created and become patriots attending me as the King.” God had this kind of hope.

Cheong Seong Gyeong 1188

As viewed from God’s original ide-al of creation, the eldest son should come from God’s side and, of course, the second son should also come from God’s side. Due to the Fall, the position of the first son was taken by Satan, and the position of the second son went to God. This has to be made right. Thus, when we consider the story of Esau and Jacob in the Bible, Jacob united with his mother and received her help. He gave Esau the pottage of lentils and bread in exchange for the birthright of the first-born son. Until today, we could not understand why Bible history is the way it is. With the appearance of the Unifi-cation Church, its meaning was clarified for the first time. (134-304, 1985.8.16)

Richard: Without the teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon, we cannot fully understand the Bible.

Eschatology and Messianic Hope

The Messiah

1. The Messiah and Savior Promised by All Religions

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Today the Jewish people long to see the Messiah and Christians also long to see the Messiah. They both wish for the Messiah. Will the Messiah of the Jews and the Messiah of the Christians be two different people? Will there be two different messiahs? No, there will be only one Messiah. Why? Because God’s Will is one. Defeating Satan and fulfilling God’s Will have to be done by one person. Hence, there can be only one Messiah. (73:206, September 18, 1974)
 
Christianity looks forward to the return of Christ; Buddhism hopes for the return of Buddha as the Maitreya, while Confucianism predicts the appearance of the True Man. Each religion describes in its way the return of the Lord.
    When he comes, he will not simply restate the words of the Bible or repeat the words of an already established faith. The returning Lord awaited by these religions will come with a new truth of higher content. (7:198, September 6, 1959)
 
In God’s sight, the world is one, only one. Therefore, the time will come when God will establish one prophet for the entire world. He could be an Asian; he could be a Westerner; he could be an African; he could be anyone. Whoever he is, this prophet will have a worldwide responsibility.
    Through his leadership, the diverse religions of humankind will converge… eventually forming one world religion. The four major religions existing today will unite in one line, once they have ceased emphasizing the discordant elements that have kept them apart.
    This will require the efforts of a central figure to pave the path for their unification, from bottom to top, and save all people on the planet Earth. God recognizes that person as the Messiah; therefore, we on earth proclaim that he is the Messiah. He comes as a universal religious leader, bringing a teaching that connects with the teachings of all religions.
    The Messiah comes with a clear mission: to complete God’s Will by fulfilling the purpose for which God created humankind. The failure of Adam and Eve broke this purpose, preventing God from establishing His Kingdom in the beginning. Therefore, the Messiah comes with the mission to attain the perfection that Adam did not attain and to complete the Will of God that Adam did not complete. Thus, the Messiah comes to consummate the Will of God on earth. (97:276, February 27, 1977)
 
 

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)