We are headed for a certain destination whether we know it or not, even as we move and even as we rest. Not just you, but this nation, this world and even heaven and earth are headed there as well. This is an undeniable fact.
Cheon Seong Gyeong 1110
When God created human beings, He created both the realms of direct and indirect dominion. Then, why did He create a realm of indirect dominion? When would the realms of direct and indirect dominion connect? When Adam and Eve, the original ancestors of humankind, matured and were ready to unite in love based on the horizontal, God would have descended and dwelt with them. Their marriage would have enabled them to join together in horizontal love based on the vertical love of God. In this way, heaven and earth would have unified. (135-306, 1985.12.15)
Eschatology and Messianic Hope
The Messiah
6. Prophecies of the Messiah’s Advent in the East
Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon
The Korean people have long cherished a messianic hope, nurtured by the clear testimonies of their prophets. The First Israel believed in the testimonies of its prophets that the Messiah would come as their king, establish the Kingdom and bring them salvation. The Second Israel was able to endure an arduous path of faith due in part to their hope in the return of Christ. Similarly, the Korean people, the Third Israel, have believed in the prophecy that the Righteous King will appear and found a glorious and everlasting kingdom in their land. Clinging to this hope, they found the strength to endure their afflictions. This messianic idea among the Korean people was revealed through the Cheong Gam Nok, a book of prophecy written in the fourteenth century at the beginning of the Yi dynasty.
Because this prophecy foretold that a new king would emerge, the ruling class tried to suppress it. The Japanese colonial regime tried to stamp out this notion by burning the book and oppressing its believers. After Christianity became widely accepted, the idea was ridiculed as superstition. Nevertheless, this messianic hope still lives on, deeply ingrained in the soul of the Korean people. The hoped-for Righteous King foretold in the Cheong Gam Nok has the appellation Cheong Do Ryeong [The One Who Comes with the True Word of God]. In fact, this is a Korean prophecy of the Christ who is to return to Korea. Even before the introduction of Christianity to Korea, God had revealed through the Cheong Gam Nok that the Messiah would come to that land. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Second Advent 3.3.4)
Just as the French prophet Nostradamus prophesied, and as is clearly recorded in one of the Orient’s greatest books of prophesies, Kyeok Am Yu Rok, Reverend Moon has come as the one who has received Heaven’s appointment. He is fulfilling the responsibilities of humanity’s True Parent and the King of Peace. (May 1, 2004)
The surprising fact is that in the spirit world, the Founders of the five major religions gathered and declared that God is the Parent of humankind. They declared that Reverend Moon is the Savior and Messiah, the Second Coming of the Lord, and the True Parent. They also affirmed that the Unification Principle is a message of peace for the salvation of humanity. They declared that its core teaching, that we live for the sake of others with love, transcends religion, nationality, and race, and that practicing its teaching of true love will complete the peaceful unification of the cosmos. They further resolved that they would attend the True Parents and unite with one accord, devoting themselves for the sake of God’s Kingdom and world peace. (July 11, 2003)
We should have the same parents and become bonded with our broth-ers and sisters. Then, we should inherit the daily life, habits, and traditions of those parents just as they are. We should form a family that heaven can rejoice in. Only then will there be family members. (155-209, 1965.10.30)
Cheon Seong Gyeong 1381
Why did I set the number at 360,000 couples? Of all the Blessed Couples in our church, the most central of them all are the 36 Couples. They signify Adam’s, Noah’s, and Jacob’s families, and thus together form the vertical foundation. These three types of couples had to be united. Once they accomplished that, they could make good the number twelve. When you apply the three stages to this number, you arrive at the number 36. In this way, the 36 Couples become the ancestors who represent all previous ancestors in history and all human-kind. In terms of the human body, they are like the backbone. We are talking about the vertical standard that is like the backbone of a human body. The cells in the flesh can stay alive only when the flesh is united with the bones.
Eschatology and Messianic Hope
The Messiah
6. Prophecies of the Messiah’s Advent in the East
No matter how long we wait there is no chance that he will come from Europe. It is Asia from whence he is to come. A great union will be born out of Hermes. He will surpass all the kings of the Orient. The country of the sun will main-tain a great messianic law. A new leader of the spirit will come in the East.
Nostradamus, Quatrains 10.75
After three years of war, when the land of Korea is devastated, there will begin to dawn the heavenly nation in the East. In the West, voices will cry out, “Cheong Do Ryeong, Cheong Do Ryeong!” and “Messiah, Messiah!” However, when that time comes, one must find the double bow and the double ul [the white cross], before one can partake of the great benefit.
This is the time when humankind meets the central fortune of Heaven. The eldest son of the East [Korea] meets and marries the eldest daughter of the Southeast [Japan].24 Everyone covets and waits for the True Man, but who is he? He is the one who judges all good and evil.
The one who comes with the full power to administer Heaven and earth does not come from the mountains, nor from the fields, but from the place of the white cross. Verily, he comes with the heavenly law.
The number of the heavenly law is 21,600—the number denoting Heaven, and 14,400—the number denoting the earth. Their sum is 36,000 [the sum of yin and yang, Heaven and earth]. When good men and women in matrimony reach this number, the holy man will come.
Yin and yang in harmony bring the fortune of the heavenly way. The united fortune of the East and the West is the Fortune of the Ten Victories.
This number changes the predisposition of nature. The religions of the East and the West come into good accord, and all the people of the world become as close as brothers and sisters. This is the manifest white cross, according to the principles of yin and yang, Heaven and earth.
The Great Way of the Ten Victories appears from the East. A thunderous voice calls out, offering the blessing. If you scorn this and go against it, your act will be as that of a praying mantis or cricket trying to stop a rolling wheel, and the holy man will only laugh.
Matching good men and women, the holy man will live comfortably. Receiving his matching and returning gratitude to God in prayer, they will receive precious children. Then the whole world will be united, such as has never happened from the dawn of creation.
In the East where the sun rises there will appear a white cross, and it will shine upon all corners of the world. The Cheong Do Ryeong is the Great King of the Ten Victories. Remember! He is the king of all kings!
Cheong Gam Nok
For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man.
Matthew 24.27
Do not doubt that the heavenly Holy One will descend from Heaven in the East. If the East fails to recognize him, he will come to be known through newly educated Western people. If both East and West are unable to discern the One who is to come, both East and West will be discarded and new humankind will emerge. What can we do?
He returns from the West after receiving such regretful treatment, and looks down from the high mountain upon the world far away. In the latter half of the twentieth century, come to the East and undo all regrets…
Two holy men appear. The first one is not the real one, but the one who comes the second time is the Savior. When Heaven sends him to the earth secretively, his family name is Moon. When the message gets to the unwanted ones, they will cause problems for the Messiah because no human being wants to be defeated. Thus the Messiah appears amidst difficulties.
Kyeok Am Yu Rok
Richard: You can see from the above readings that Rev. Sun Myung Moon has successfully fulfilled the role of the savior and returning Lord. Most importantly, he has successfully fulfilled the role of the True Parent, along with his wife, Mrs. Moon.
35 Repeat this ordination ceremony for Aaron and his sons seven days in a row, just as I have instructed you. 36 Each day you must offer a bull as a sacrifice for sin and as a way of purifying the altar. In addition, you must smear the altar with olive oil to make it completely holy. 37 Do this for seven days, and the altar will become so holy that anyone who touches it will become holy.
Richard: What is today’s holy altar? It is the Blessing of marriage given through True Parents.
Psalm 139
9 Suppose I had wings like the dawning day and flew across the ocean. 10 Even then your powerful arm would guide and protect me.
Eschatology and Messianic Hope
Recognizing the Day of the Lord
3. The Seventh Millennium of Sabbath Rest
Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon
In the Old Testament Age, God taught the people through His servants and angels. In the New Testament Age, He worked through His Son. From then on, He works through the Holy Spirit. (10:197, October 2, 1960)
During the two-thousand-year period from Adam to Abraham, people had not yet fulfilled sufficient indemnity conditions to receive God’s Word directly. At most, fallen people made indemnity condi-tions through offering sacrifices; but in doing so, they laid the foundation for the next period when God could begin to work His providence of restoration based on the Word. Hence, this period is called the age of the providence to lay the foundation for the Word. During the two-thousand-year period from Abraham to Jesus, humanity’s spirituality and intellect developed to the formation stage based on the Word revealed in the Old Testament. Hence, this period is called the formation stage of the providence, or the Old Testament Age. During the period when the providence of restoration is to be completed after the Second Coming of Christ, humanity’s spirituality and intellect are to develop through the completion stage based on the Completed Testament Word, which will be given for the fulfillment of the providence of restoration. Hence, this period is called the completion stage of the providence, or the Completed Testament Age. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Restoration 2.2.1) Paul said in I Corinthians 13, “And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.” We human beings, however, lost hope and faith through the Fall. By losing hope and faith, we also lost God-centered love. The six-thousand-year history of the providence of restoration was for the sake of restoring this love… Examining these six thousand years, in the Old Testament Age people exerted effort in hope. In the New Testament Age people made effort in search of faith. The coming Completed Testament Age is the age for making effort in search of love. In the Old Testament Age, circumcision was the condition made by the chosen people as they lived in hope. In the New Testament Age, baptism of water and the fire of the Holy Spirit established faith before God. In the coming Completed Testament Age, you will be able to enter into a loving relationship with God by receiving His seal of love. (5:108, January 4, 1959)
Listen to the Richard Urban Show #4 podcast The Great Fraud: The COVID-19 AgendaPart 1-Introduction:
Cheon Seong Gyeong 2377
You must honestly look again at True Parents. You must love your mother and father, your spouse, your nation and the world with that kind of true conscience. We are entering the age in which it is necessary to unite completely with True Parents as our absolute subject partner. Since True Parents’ family is now settled, you must completely unite with the True Family centered on that foundation. You shouldn’t harbor your own conventional ideas. Your minds and bodies must be united. You must create unity with your spouse. Your children must create unity as well. Without achieving these things, you can’t recite the Pledge or call me father. You have been calling me your father to take advantage of me. I don’t want to be called father in that way. For that reason, you must have the standard of totally upholding the Family Pledge. (263-244, 1994.10.4)
Cheon Seong Gyeong 1273
Everyone, you must change completely after you go through the ceremony of converting the lineage. Would this be possible if True Parents were not here? Think about the path of hardships previous generations had to persevere through ever since the time of the creation of the world. Having True Parents here right now is something for which you should all be truly grateful. It is even more amazing that you have received the Blessing from them in person. Through the Blessing, the tradition of the lineage, that is, the tradition embedded with true love, life and lineage can be established. You must always keep this in mind. (216-36, 1991.3.3)
Eschatology and Messianic Hope
Recognizing the Day of the Lord
How can we recognize whether the Last Days are at hand? numerous millenarian movements have appeared in history proclaiming the Lord’s coming, often leaving their followers disappointed when the appointed hour came and went without seeing the expected event. Part of the problem turns on the nature of what is expected: will it be a supernatural cataclysm with the Lord riding in on the clouds, or a natural process occurring over months and years like a change of seasons? Some scripture passages discourage such speculation, saying that it is not for humans to know the details of God’s plan. They caution us not to believe easily in rash claims, otherwise ‘false Christ’s might lead many credulous people astray. Other passages call for faith and patience, warning that only those who have prepared well will remain standing to greet the returning Lord. Another group of passages have been widely interpreted as a basis for calculating the date of the Messiah’s coming. among them, we have selected passages from Christian and Jewish sources that speak of a seventh Millennium, a millennium of Sabbath rest, as these are in agreement with Father Moon’s teaching about the millennial age, the ‘completed testament age,’ that is to begin at the end of 6,000 years of biblical history since Adam. Finally, we look at Father Moon’s teaching about the world-historical changes of the twentieth century that presage the second coming, rooted in the bible’s teaching that the end will not come until the Gospel has been preached to all nations.
1. No One Knows When the Last Days Will Arrive, Making Speculation Fruitless
As Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “Take heed that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet… “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” Matthew 24.3-5, 36
They ask you about the Hour—when will be its appointed time? Say, “The knowledge of it is with my Lord alone; none but He can reveal as to when it will occur. Heavy were its burden through the heavens and the earth. Only, all of a sudden it will come upon you.” They ask you as if you were eager in search of it: say, “The knowledge of it is with God alone, but most men do not know.”
Qur’an 7.187
You yourself know well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When people say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as travail comes upon a woman with child, and there will be no escape. But you are not in darkness, brethren, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all sons of light and sons of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 1 Thessalonians 5.2-6
Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon
Some Bible verses teach that you should not believe anyone who comes with news of the Last Days. Although a preacher may sweat and pour his heart out, do not believe him. Do not even believe me, the person who stands here speaking to you. You do not know if what I say is the truth or a lie. In the Last Days you will not be able to trust even your parents, brothers or sisters, so how can you trust a stranger? At this time you need confidence to discern these matters with your heart. Discern each message with your heart, and reject it if your heart tells you that it is wrong. Your heart knows. But what if your heart is too clouded to discern properly? Anoint your head with oil, go into an isolated room and pray seriously to find the truth. There are countless denominations and preachers who say, “Follow me.” Who is the one whom God has prepared? Which church has created the best environment to welcome the Lord and a foundation where he can come and work? Are these people equipped to build a world filled with the Lord’s teachings? Have you prayed about these things? Most people are not even aware that they are in a rut that will kill them, and yet they go on blabbing with their mouths open. (9:265, June 5, 1960)
Although Jesus said that the Lord would come like a thief, (Rev. 3.3) it is also written that for those in the light, the Lord will not come covertly, like a thief. (1 Thess. 5.4) When we reflect upon the events at Jesus’ First Coming, we realize that he came like a thief to the priests and scribes who were in darkness, but to the family of John the Baptist, which was in the light, God plainly revealed Jesus’ birth beforehand. When Jesus was born, God divulged this secret to the three wise men, Simon, Anna and the shepherds… The secret of the time, place and manner of his return will be revealed to the faithful people who are vigilant, that they may prepare for the day of the Second Advent. In the providence of restoration, God always revealed to His prophets what He would do before He carried it out. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Second Advent)
41 When we lift our hands in prayer to God in heaven, we should offer him our hearts and say, 42 “We’ve sinned! We’ve rebelled against you, and you haven’t forgiven us! 43 Anger is written all over you, as you pursue and slaughter us without showing pity. 44 You are behind a wall of clouds that blocks out our prayers.
Psalm 5
5 No one who boasts can stand in your presence, Lord, and you hate evil people. 6 You destroy every liar, and you despise violence and deceit.
Jesus
9. Jesus Gathered Disciples and Trained Them for the Kingdom
Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon
Rejected by the prepared people, Jesus appeared as a laborer and became a friend of fishermen. He shared with them his life, heart and desires. He fought for them, determined to satisfy their hearts’ desires. As a result, Peter and the other fishermen could follow him. After selecting these uneducated disciples, what did Jesus do for three years? He served them, just as God had toiled for 4,000 years as a servant to raise the Israelites. Jesus had great hopes for his twelve chosen disciples. He never forgot that God had sent him to influence Judaism by guiding its priests and officials. His teaching was grand, his hopes were high, and his passion was great. After enduring the agony of rejection by the chief priests and scribes… Jesus sacrificed and served to raise up his disciples to take their place. Through the three years of his ministry he searched for them, forgetting food and drink. If he acquired new clothes, he gave them to his disciples and was content with his rags. If he found a comfortable place to sleep, he let his disciples sleep there and sat in an uncomfortable place. (5:225, February 1, 1959)
People believe in religion to find salvation, and the purpose of salvation is to reach perfection. To this end, religious people know that they should love God and the founder of their religion more than anyone in the fallen world. We should clearly know that the path of religion requires such a pledge. All religious believers should walk this path—to go beyond the love of the world—and thereby win over Satan’s world. We can connect with God’s love only when we have transcended the love of the fallen world. This is the very reason Jesus said, “He who loves father or mother—or wife or husband—more than me is not worthy of me, and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Why should we love Jesus more than our own family members? By so loving Christ we become people with greater love than people in the fallen world, and through our bond of love with Christ we are entitled to enter heaven. Meeting this condition is a requirement of God’s Principle; therefore Jesus had to say these words. (93:326, June 17, 1977)
Hunger and suffering creates a bond of heart between us. Just socializing together while we wear good clothes and lead a comfortable life does not link us together. Rather, you and I should experience the misery of persecution and oppression, working day and night in difficult circumstances as we shoulder the enormous burden of fulfilling our responsibility. There is no way to build a bond of heart except through tears… You talk about a relationship of heart with Jesus or with True Parents, but where can you find it except through suffering? There is no other way. (94:233, October 1, 1977)
When people receive revelations about Christ at the Second Advent or hear his words, they will respond in ways similar to the way the Jews in Jesus’ day responded. God did not reveal the news of the birth of Jesus to the priests and scribes, but to gentile astrologers and pure-hearted shepherds. This is like the case of a father who, due to the ignorance of his own children, has to confide in his step-child. Likewise, God may well reveal the news of the return of Christ first to lay people, to marginal spiritual groups and churches which the mainstream treats with disdain, or to conscientious non-believers. Only later may the news reach the mainstream Christian clergy who are unthinkingly keeping to their conventional ways of faith. In Jesus’ day, those who sincerely received the Gospel were not the Jewish leaders, but simple common folk and Gentiles. Likewise, at Christ’s return, simple Christians and non-Christians will accept the Lord’s words before the Christian leadership, which regards itself as God’s elect. This is the meaning of Jesus’ parable of the marriage feast. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Second Advent 4)
