REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON
SPEAKS ON
The Father and I
John 14:1-19
July 12, 1959
Former Church Headquarters,
Seoul, Korea
Prayer
Father! The arrogance of the Jews about being the chosen people, an
arrogance Jesus faced all the thirty years of his life, was mitigated
in Jesus' heart by the desire to realize peace and freedom for the
Israelites. The painful four thousand years of history it took to send
the true son to the Israelites and the blood spilled in the process
are deeply embedded in the history of the Israelites. It is eternally
tragic that the Israelites of that time could not create a
relationship with God in spite of God's sufferings, blood and sweat.
Today we know and believe in Jesus. Yet there is no one who realizes
the misery of Jesus' heart as he was driven from one village to
another, hounded out of one place after another, struggling. No one in
history has known Jesus, who appeared representing the heart of
Heaven.
As they waited for the Messiah, the Israelites fought and endured for
thousands of years with the hope of receiving him. They were longing
and wondering when the Messiah would appear. But they were so involved
with their own interests and overcome by their environment that even
when the object of their dreams did appear, it was as if they were
deep asleep, unaware of God's heart. We have the responsibility to
liberate the pained sorrow that is deeply embedded in the Father's
heart. As we recollect such a sorrowful history, allow us to take on
and liberate the sins of Israel who did not recognize Jesus. Allow us
to repent and be responsible for the mistakes of Israel which brought
sadness to Jesus.
Jesus spent thirty sorrowful years of life. Even though he gave
everything in the three years of his public life, who has ever
understood his heart and his many untold stories? No one. Even the
disciples, who shared every aspect of their lives with Jesus, who
shared sadness in times of sorrow and loneliness in times of
desolation and who called Jesus their teacher, did not know. Sadness
and a sense of futility came to the heart of Jesus when he looked at
the disciples, who still wondered and questioned who he was after
three years of his endeavors. They should have been pleading to God
with desperate hearts and worrying about the teacher who was going to
walk the path of death. What greater sorrow is there than this? What
is more painful than this?
There may be Christians who revere and serve Jesus in his revealed
authority, but there is no Christian who wants to cling to the
footsteps of Jesus as he was trodden down and pushed around. Father,
we cannot help but plead to You with blood and tears that many sons
and daughters may appear who can hold onto the miserable heart of
Jesus and go forward.
Father, You are alive and steering the course of the history. We know
that You are mysteriously showing us the way. Father, do not let us
long for the Jesus of the past. We sincerely pray that You will allow
us to strive to testify to the Jesus of the era.
Please allow us now to comfort the heart of Jesus, who had to be
called back to You. Let us bow our heads to such a heart. Please allow
us to fulfill the dream Jesus desired. Father, we sincerely pray that
we can be filled with the heart of Jesus, who had to take
responsibility for all of humanity two thousand years ago. Let us be
the sons and daughters who establish a relationship with his heart.
Please allow these sons and daughters to repent. They have struggled
on with lonely hearts in the world of death. Father, I sincerely pray
that You may whip them on with the force of life so that all the
wrongs of the past will be renounced and this may be a time when a new
relationship is created with Heavenly Father.
Father, how desperate is Your heart in wanting to talk to mankind? How
much have You desired to restore humanity and to find joy? Allow them
to open their hearts at this hour and revitalize all their senses so
that everything of Your world can be felt and they may long for Your
heart. I sincerely pray, my Father, that this may be a joyful hour
when they can be immersed in the will of goodness, to call to You and
be remolded and reborn with the words.
Father! Please do not allow this time to be spent in vain. As Your
words are shared, I pray that there will be no gap between the giver
of the words and the receivers. Please allow penitence and humility to
be felt now. Many have gathered here, but I sincerely pray that they
may become one, one altar and one living offering.
Please bless the many other altars that have gathered this day,
representing humanity. Your sons and daughters are sincerely
beseeching, unrecognized and in miserable situations. Please be the
counsel of their deepest heart. I pray that You will create a
relationship of blessing with them so that their lives may be
resolved. Please guide the remaining hours. We leave everything up to
the Father. Please let this hour never be invaded by Satan. I pray
these things in the name of the Lord. Amen.
The title of the words that I would like to reflect upon together
with you is "The Father and I." On a greater scale, this becomes
"The Father and Us, God and Humanity." I will speak briefly upon
this topic.
Out of all the sadness in this world, there is probably none greater
than that of children losing their beloved parents. Likewise, there is
probably no greater sadness than parents losing their beloved
children.
The Problem of Fallen Mankind
Christianity tells us that mankind fell. This is a fact that cannot be
denied when we look at or speculate upon society. It can be
conjectured that the society we see today resulted from a sinful
cause. We are standing on the course of history, which is the result
of that cause. Furthermore, we cannot deny that we are struggling
because we ourselves are also results of it.
What can be the problem of all problems? It is the agony of losing our
parents, who should never have been lost; it is the agony of trying to
find the lost parents, the agony of not having parents in spite of
one's right to have them, and the agony of not having children in
spite of one's full right. These are the greatest problems.
We say there was a Fall, but this involves both mankind and Heavenly
Father. We cannot help but accept the fact that it involves us, too.
We are certainly not ideal. When we accept that mankind has fallen, we
cannot deny that a Fall cannot occur without a reciprocal
relationship. When we do not feel good, it is because we have the
inner potential to be better. When we desire to be greater, it is
because we have that potential within us. Such a relationship
interconnects each person to everyone else.
We may have a lot of confusing problems, but there is only one
fundamental problem in our hearts. It is the fact that we have lost
our parents. Mankind's loss of the parents and Heavenly Father's loss
of His children has to be recovered. It is our foremost priority to
reestablish that lost relationship, to regain the lost happiness, to
repossess the lost joy.
What will solve all these problems for us? We acknowledge the evil
history, we acknowledge that we are living in a sinful world, and we
are struggling due to the conflict between our mind and body. This
cannot be solved by any systematic philosophy, ideology or conceptual
faith. The only way is through the heart. The world of the heart has
no before or after, no highness or lowliness. It has no beginning or
end. The situation can only be solved through heart.
What is mankind's sorrow? The sorrow is that, due to the Fall, the
true master was lost from Eden. Mankind could not sing and live with
eternal happiness in the ideal of creation of all things of Heaven and
earth. Mankind could not sing along with the heart and life force of
all created things.
The Relationship of God and Man
What kind of being is the Creator? He is certainly the owner of our
bodies and minds. He is also a being who can stand as the subject or
master of our ideals and emotions. Furthermore, He is the subject or
master of our hearts. Such a God is absolutely necessary for us. We
absolutely need Him. It is not a conceptual need based on
consciousness or human relationships. The sorrow is that we have lost
such a master.
Besides being an owner and the Creator of all things, God is
furthermore in the position of the Father of humankind. He has
elucidated the relationship, saying, "I am your Father, and you are my
sons and daughters." He wants to find joy in such a relationship. We
have to realize that this is the focus of Heavenly Father's life, the
focus of His ideal, and the purpose for which He created humankind.
Christians call God the Father. Although we were created to stand as
sons and daughters in front of the Father, humankind lives miserably
due to the Fall. What is the reality of Heavenly Father, who wants to
call mankind His sons and daughters? What is the situation of mankind,
created to be God's children? The reality is that they cannot call
each other "Father" or "son." The Fall is the fact that they are
placed under the dominion where the father cannot respond to the call
of the son and the son cannot respond to the call of the father. The
course of history has been passed down in order to rid us of this
sorrowful reality. If Heavenly Father exists, it is His work to fight
to destroy this sad reality and get rid of it.
It is easy to call Him a father, but it is difficult to experience Him
substantially as a father. It is possible to sense that He is the
Father through our understanding, but it is difficult to attend Him in
a substantial way.
Why is this? It is due to the Fall. Reality sank to this level because
of the Fall. We will feel how distant we are from such a Father when
we acknowledge that we are struggling in this environment, trying to
fight, not wanting to die in such a situation. We long for a guide to
appear in this world who will lessen this gap. We long for a world
leader to appear who can bridge the gap and pave a smooth path. That
guide will guide not only our minds and bodies but our hearts as well.
He should not change periodically or possess only revolutionary
contents. He would have to be an eternal and absolute guide.
Since you have not even imagined such a guide, you should repent today
and criticize yourselves for being caught up in mere concepts. You
have to realize where you stand. You should re-evaluate your
self-worth and critique your position in relation to the grand course
of Heaven.
If there is something that fallen mankind can be grateful for, it to
be reintroduced to the Father we lost. If there is something Heaven
can rejoice over, it is in finding the lost children. If an individual
appears who can reestablish these lost relationships, he could
liberate God's historical effort.
Something Fallen Mankind Should Long For
God does not will that humanity perish. Instead, He has gone forward
with the will of the providence to show us the way to live. Thus, a
figure who can restore the relationship of father and son, which both
God and humanity desire, absolutely must appear. In looking back
through history, this is undeniable.
We should criticize our sinful, struggling selves. We have to be
indignant over this reality as well indignant over the Fall. Then what
should we long for? We should long for our original parents who were
lost. A lonely path of sacrifice will open up for those who are
sincerely longing to find the original father who was lost. If such an
individual, such a group, and such a movement exists in this world,
then Heavenly Father, who is searching for His children, will work
with such people. Wanting to regain the father and son relationship,
He will hold on to such people.
If we have not heard of this from people throughout the thousands of
years of history, they are to be blamed. If holy sages throughout the
course of history have not introduced such facts, they also should be
blamed. If such contents could not be found in the words of the sages
who have lived to fulfill the will of God, it would be permissible to
deny that God exists.
God, who works the providence to restore mankind, wants to live within
us and wants us to reside within Him. Thus, Jesus told his disciples,
"I am God's begotten son and you are my brethren." He also said,
"Where I am going is not of my own will but of the will of the Father.
The nation that I want is not my nation but the nation of the Father.
The people I am looking for are not my people but the people of the
Father. The place I want to live in is not with my family but with the
family of the Father. The nation that I can be proud of is not my
nation but the nation of the Father." He also said, "God is the Father
and earth is the Mother." Toward mankind, he said, "I am the
bridegroom and you are the bride."
We can acknowledge God's existence if these valuable propositions
remain within heavenly law. Religions have been established to usher
mankind in the right direction. From this perspective, the religion
that can reveal the proper relationship between father and son,
husband and wife, and between siblings would be the final religion. We
cannot deny that Christianity possesses these qualities. We have to be
grateful for this.
Although numerous sages have come and gone throughout history, they
have only revealed God conceptually and vaguely. They did not bring
the answers as to how to substantially experience God. Jesus called
the invisible God "Father" in spite of the mockery of the Jews. He
overcame hardships and showed concern for God in spite of heavy
persecution. This shows that Jesus had experience and knowledge like
no one had ever had before. He stood in a position to clarify the
universal frame of mind and the frame of mind for life, which no one
had ever known.
Jesus illuminated this through his heart rather than through his
circumstances. Since he illuminated it with his substantial self, he
was the Messiah. If someone like that appears, even if God did not
send him, that person should be acknowledged as the Messiah. Heavenly
law works in such a way.
Jesus was sent by Heavenly Father. Jesus did not come to this world to
work beneath sin and evil. He came as the central person who could
liberate all the sorrows and resentments of history caused by the Fall
and sin. He came to solve all problems, starting from where God's
heart could still abide to where it could no longer flow. Jesus wanted
to connect the love of Heaven to this world. He said, "I am the
bridegroom and you are the bride." We should then acquire the position
of children, bear the heart of a bridegroom and bride, and ultimately
reach the position of the parent, which is what Jesus called Heavenly
Father.
The Relationship between the Father and I
Which Must Be Reestablished
It seems as though all the world's Christians call Christ the
bridegroom and assume they are the bride and can stand boldly in front
of him. But this does not happen so easily. This does not happen
through circumstances. It is only possible with an unchanging heart.
Such a heart is not only one's own heart; it has to be the historic
heart of God as He strove for six thousand years, the heart that can
transcend the present reality into the future. Heaven will only
respond when we become the bride of such a heart, when we will live
for Heaven, acknowledge the value of the subject and proclaim, "Oh,
Lord, our bridegroom!"
We only treasure the words they left behind; we do not treasure those
individuals who kept and live by the words. It is an historic sadness
that people valued the promised, expected Messiah, but could not
treasure him when he came as the embodiment of the word. The word
seemed acceptable to them, but as a person, he was no different from
any other person.
Unless we rethink such historical incidents, clear up our own
sorrowful situations and elucidate the relationship of father and son
which is supposed to be reestablished, neither hope, nor the Kingdom
of Heaven, nor the ideal world will exist for us.
How can we explain the relationship between the Father and I when we
are individuals who have received the blood lineage of sin? We cannot
escape the bridle of sinful history. We live within the realm of
sinfulness, unable to overcome it. Because we cannot accomplish these
things even with effort, it is said that we are to believe in our
hearts. This is the Gospel Christ passed on. He said to believe in our
hearts, not through conditions.
Instead of being well-versed in the words of the sixty-six books of
the Bible, you have to understand the heart of the Father behind it
and what He wanted to reveal. You also have to understand the heart of
the Father who did not want the Fall to take place. Instead of the
bitterness due to the Fall, you have to understand the heart that
desires to regain the lost Father and the heart that wants to restore
humanity so that people no longer remain in such a situation. That
will be your assignment. You have to transcend the gap if you wish to
call God "Father" and become His sons and daughters.
God never told mankind to read the Bible at all times. Jesus did not
even say to listen to his words all the time. He said to pray
ceaselessly. During the three years of his public ministry, Jesus
spoke many words. But until now, he has not said to live only by his
words; he longed for us be concerned about his substantial self.
Because the world of the heart has no limits of distance, we can call
even the greatest and most holy God "Father." When He is called
"Father" and sought after with a heart that is filled with the love
between father and son, He would not be able to shun you. He would not
say, "Your hands are not of Me, your body is not of Me, and your heart
is not of Me." When the heart is brought into oneness with Him, we
become the Father's extension. We are the extension and the Father's
second self. That is why the Bible said our body is a temple of God.
Then the question is: how do we go about unifying the heavenly nature
of Jesus as he called God "Father" and our own nature? The unification
of heart is more important than the question of similarities or
differences of our natures. Thus, the words of Jesus, "In that day you
will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you" (John
14:20) are precious words indeed.
The world of heart transcends time and space. Here, there cannot be
such a word as revolution. That is why we can attend Jesus who passed
away two thousand years ago as the Jesus of today. We can establish a
relationship with him today. What should this relationship be based
upon? It is not just words, and it is not just for a conceptual notion
that Jesus carried the cross and died for me. It is possible only with
heart.
The World of Jesus' Heart
From this perspective of heart, Jesus was an eternally sorrowful
person. Nobody knew that his tears were shed representing mankind's
tears; his grief represented Heavenly Father's grief. No one
understood that the tribulations of his three years of public life
were suffered for mankind and for Heaven. No one knew that he died in
humanity's stead to erase the bloody stain left in the heart of
Heavenly Father.
When Jesus made his final prayer to God, he said, "My Father, if it be
possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but
as thou wilt." (Matthew 26:39) This was a prayer that transcended all
circumstances. This was a prayer that overcame the world. Jesus
thought that since he belonged to Heavenly Father and Heavenly Father
belonged to him, his sorrow was the Father's sorrow. Thus, he did not
feel wronged by his own death. Instead, he felt oneness of heart with
God who had striven even more than he had, who was more pained than
he, and whose wrongs were even greater. Jesus could overcome his
difficult path so confidently because he knew that God maintained the
will of saving all people in spite of such pain. Jesus united in heart
with God, centering on the will of saving humanity in spite of his
imminent death on the cross. He died trying to fulfill that will.
It is easy to say we believe. The question is can we fathom the
essence of and reach the position where we can relate through heart?
If God does not search for someone to connect with in heart, there
would be no such thing as true love.
The voice of Jesus calling on the Father, and his words toward the
miserable children, all originated from the heart of God. They were
spoken through Jesus. Have you felt a desire to call on him as the
Lord and cling to him as if he were in front of you as you read the
Bible? Have you experienced a heart of wanting to say, "Father, I
belong to you; my body is Yours, my mind is Yours. Even my longing
heart is Yours. There is absolutely nothing that belongs to me except
that which belongs to You"? If not, you have not yet stood in the
position of children.
When Jesus prayed through the nights, forgetting about sleep, he
prayed with a heart of gratitude, knowing that the Father was with
him. Throughout his thirty years of life, he lived with a heart which
could overcome everything in spite of persecution and the difficult
course of the cross which lay before him. That is why Satan could not
invade him.
The world of the heart cannot remain divided. The world of reality has
room for many exceptions, but the world of the heart cannot become
two. In the heart of the four thousand years of history, there cannot
be anything other than the relationship of father and children. There
cannot be any other argument. We should realize that Jesus' word is
the word of the Father and his desires are the Father's desires.
The Most Precious Thing for Jesus
You should not be boastful that you go to church and live a life of
faith. I have felt and seen that the people who can connect in heart
and be grateful to Heaven and earth are in a higher position when they
go to the spiritual world than the people who take joy in thinking
they have a faithful character just because they have lived decades of
a life of faith. This is true even if the people of heart do not know
the word.
Thus, the way to Heaven is to lose everything. It is a path that
entails losing everything of this world. You have to throw away
everything, including the sinful world and your sinful self. What is
the only thing that should be kept? It is the heart that allows you to
call Heavenly Father "Father." Only with such a heart can you meet the
Lord, the bridegroom. This is a universal truth that can encompass
even the cosmos. In this day, there is absolutely no need for any
ideology. God could be with Jesus because he had such a heart. That is
what we need.
Jesus owned almost nothing. His only clothes were the ones he wore.
The only thing he had was probably the staff he used. Even if he did
possess many things, what would have been most precious? If there is
anything so precious that it cannot be exchanged even for the whole
universe, it is the desperate heart which can call on God as the
Father. We should realize that this is the total value of Jesus.
Where Is the Resting Place For Humanity?
Paul said even the words would pass. He said that out of the three
things, faith, hope and love, that the greatest was love. Paul felt
Heavenly Father's desperate heart of love for mankind, torn and
saddened while trying to find the lost ones throughout the
tribulations of history. Paul realized Heavenly Father's loving heart
as God sincerely hoped that he would overcome the environment of
severe persecution on the left and on the right and where the hostile
arrows of the enemy flew at him.
Thus, Paul said, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall
tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or
peril, or sword?" (Rom. 8:35) What he said is correct. All of Jesus'
words and life testified to this. Because God had dominion over Jesus,
who had such a heart, He could resurrect Jesus from death. History
brought about revolutions in society amidst various tribulations.
Heaven went through those tribulations, too. The only thing that can
engulf this sorrowful history, stained with sin, is heart.
That is why history today is leading into the realm of the ideology of
Jesus. This cannot be denied. If there is an individual who can
transcend the present history to remain until the time of the new
ideal world, that person will be the person who has the heart to call
Heavenly Father "Father." Furthermore, that person would be able to
call Jesus the bridegroom and older brother. Jesus said, "You are my
friends and brethren." We should feel like this.
If there is a gift that can be given to mankind in the last days of
history, it is for all of humanity to be able to call Heavenly Father
"Father." It is not only to understand God's historical character with
our hearts, but to feel it and make it our own. If that happens,
humanity will receive the new world.
The heart of mankind belongs to Heaven. Jesus brought the Gospel and
said to love him more than anyone else. He also said he was the son of
God, the bridegroom, and that we are the bride. Does this sound
contradictory? Yet we must be grateful for such words. Doesn't his
saying so mean everything when we have to walk the sorrowful path of
restoration, that God is our father and that we are the bride? Jesus
lived with such a heart from birth; he spoke with such a heart, and he
fought with Satan for decades with such a heart.
The True Relationship between Parent and Child
The resting place of mankind is not a private world. It is where the
heart flows. It is the world of heart that transcends national
boundaries, where one feels just right. If today's humankind cannot
transcend the historical realities with the consciousness of such a
world of heart, God's ideology of unification cannot be accomplished.
Then the advent of Jesus would have been in vain. Then the
relationships of the bride and the father are meaningless. When the
heart is truly felt, race is not a problem. Ideology is not a problem.
When such a heart is felt, all these can be overcome and we will be
joyful. In the last days of history, that will be inherited.
Jesus said that the kingdom of Heaven is within us. What does this
mean? The fact that eternal Heaven is in my mind means that Heaven
starts from my heart. That is why we should have a connection of heart
when we relate to Heavenly Father.
When God becomes our Father and we become His children, His body and
our bodies are one. The Father's flesh and blood are my flesh and
blood. Even the world acknowledges that. Why does a parent love his
child? It is because the child is an extension of the parent. It is as
if one is loving oneself. Parenthood means the blood line is
connected.
From the perspective of heart, God and Jesus were one. When God's
artery moved, Jesus' artery moved. Their hearts beat as one. Isn't
that so? Is there any parent who says, "I love you" first and then
goes on to love the child? Is there a child who says, "I love you"
first and then loves the parent? The movement of love is automatic
because the blood is connected. Such a world transcends logic as we
know it.
Paul said in Romans 8 that we are adopted children because of the
Fall. You should not be so proud. Fallen mankind is in the position of
adopted children. Adopted children have a different blood lineage.
Therefore, Heavenly Father is longing for a child who can get rid of
the adopted blood lineage and receive the blood lineage that
originates from His heart. Then the child will be naturally loving in
His eyes. The Father should love me even if I do not say that I love
the Father. I should have the heart to admire Heavenly Father without
having to speak it. I would fight for the Father without having to say
so. Such a heart is not felt in the fallen mind.
Jesus was different in this respect. If he called on the Father,
Heavenly Father would reply even if He was in sadness. In Jesus'
calling "Father," God felt such a heart that it transcended the
prayers of millions of people. Such a call and reply exist within the
natural relationship that transcends the sorrowful history, centering
on God's purpose of creation. This is a situation in which nothing
else matters, where no one can deny it, and no condition can prevent
it. Have you been in such a situation?
When you are in such a situation, even your cells can feel it. You may
say, "This young man is speaking nonsense," but I don't mind what
anyone says. The heart and touch of love are the essence of the
existing world and have the quality of the whole. That is why you long
for Heavenly Father.
When you pray in such circumstances, the deepening of night is no
problem. You transcend consciousness of hunger or weariness. The world
of love is such that its internal emotion surpasses thousands of times
what people perceive with their physical bodies. Would that not be the
case? The hour in which Jesus was praying quietly to Heavenly Father
on the Mount of Olives, dragging himself in after being persecuted,
was an hour of happiness no one else knew. The moment he called out
"Father," his whole self was absorbed into the world of the heart. He
could wish blessing upon his enemy because in communion with the heart
of God even death on the cross could be forgotten.
This world should witness people calling upon the Father with such a
heart and Him loving those people as His children. Jesus was like
this, but he could not get across the lifestyle of the world of the
heart. Although he introduced it, he must come again because the
content of heart was not made into a reality.
If you want to reach the unifying point of heart where you can call
Heavenly Father "Father," your body has to be the body of Heavenly
Father. Your blood has to be the blood of Heavenly Father. When you
have reached such a state, you will be a holy temple. When you become
a holy temple, your mind and body are not yours. They belong to
Heavenly Father. You are not your own origin. Because everything began
from Heavenly Father, it has to end with Heavenly Father. Therefore,
your existence is not yours but the Father's.
When you have entered the realm of heart where your flesh and blood
take the place of God's flesh and blood, you will unconsciously shed
tears when Heavenly Father is grieving. Those of you who have come
here for the first time may ask how in the world such a thing is
possible, but it is. The world of the heart surpasses by thousands of
times the value of all existence. We will transcend awareness when we
connect with such a world.
What Should You Do after Becoming
Sons and Daughters of the Father?
To reach such a state, you should have the same blood lineage. You
should feel as if your own flesh and blood are the Father's flesh and
blood. As you become the Father's son or daughter, you should share
the common will. What is that will? It is to restore the fallen world.
It is to create a world in which a good person who has liquidated the
sinful history of mankind can live within the bosom of the Father.
Therefore, our body should inherit the Father's flesh and blood, and
our mind should bear the Father's will to establish His nation. We
should feel the Father's heart in our life. If not, you cannot stand
as a child of Heavenly Father. Isn't that so?
When a father grieves, his son should grieve. When a father suffers,
his son should suffer. When a parent lives a difficult life, the child
should go through the same thing. Isn't that so? If one is truly a
filial child, that person would live according to the will of the
parent. You have to realize that only when you are connected in flesh
and blood with the Father, only when the will is shared, only when the
heart is prepared for one's daily life can you call Heavenly Father
"Father." Heavenly Father is still working in order to show this to
humankind.
You should not forget that Heavenly Father has striven greatly to
fulfill such a relationship, even if mankind was not aware of it. God
is struggling in the extreme to pull us from the position of adopted
children to real children whose hearts are connected to His. We may
have many wrongs done to us and may possess much sadness and
indignation. But such sadness, indignation and wrongs are not
comparable to those of Heavenly Father. No matter what kind of wound
may have been inflicted upon us, it is not to be compared to Heavenly
Father's. Heavenly Father has experienced greater pain throughout
history than any of us. He has grieved along with history more than
any of us. He has borne a thousand times more than our indignation. He
has been wounded more than any of us. We should realize that such is
Heavenly Father.
The Reason Satan Could Not Accuse Jesus
Jesus knew God as his father, but what kind of father did he know Him
to be? When Jesus wore the crown of thorns, he felt that God was
wearing a crown of thorns that was a thousand times more painful than
his. When he was being nailed to the cross, he realized that God was
experiencing his pain thousands of times over. Even when the spear
pierced his side, he accepted it as if it were deserved since he knew
that Heavenly Father had continued to struggle for His children in
spite of pain much greater than his.
That is why he could not hold a grudge and sorrow in his heart. He was
determined not to leave a grudge and sorrow in his heart in front of
humanity in spite of his pain. Although he was in a position to hold
unimaginable rage and vengeance toward his enemy, he could not do so
when thinking about what Heavenly Father had endured. Jesus had to
overcome his own sorrow because he had come to save sorrowful
humanity. He had to overcome his own pain and death because he had
come to resolve the pain and death of mankind. Because he was like
this, Jesus was the Savior. Because mankind had already lost its life,
he had to be in a position never to condemn God even if he lost his
life or had to give up all desires. We should realize that Jesus was
able to become the savior of life who had taken on God's heart because
he accepted this.
Satan was unable to accuse Jesus because he had no heart of vengeance,
no indignation, and was not dominated by the historical sorrow. What
kind of being is Satan? He accuses you by putting forth the historical
sorrow and blocks you when you are caught up in private matters. Yet
Satan still could not accuse Jesus because Jesus had nothing to do
with the sorrows of this fallen world and the universe. Satan, who
even accused God, threw up both hands and gave up.
It was not empty talk when Jesus said to love your enemy. Satan cannot
accuse the one who cries and worries about the eternal death of
humanity more than about his own death. If he does, Satan's own being
will be destroyed. Satan cannot have dominion over such a person. Only
God can have dominion over such a person. Although Satan may at any
time accuse within the realm of faith and hope, he cannot touch one
iota of the realm of an unchanging, sincere heart. Because the Kingdom
of Heaven transcends everything connected with Satan, it has nothing
to do with him.
We call God our Father and Lord upon Jesus' merit. We are unworthy to
do so. Even now we are struggling within the realm of sin, and we cry
over the small sorrows in our life. When we look at today's society
and this world, the trends bear out the historical sorrow and are
surrounded by fear. What controls my emotions in such a world? Fear.
What overwhelms my life? It is justice that is in tatters. God wants
to establish the new world and uphold true justice, yet there is no
one to accomplish this. We have to realize that God, as always, is
still searching for such a person.
The Position of the People of Korea from
the Providential Perspective and Their Path to Life
Although the people of Korea may not know God, we have to realize that
He was always there in the history of this people. Whenever there was
a righteous-minded, loyal subject who was sacrificed in order to
uphold righteousness, we have to understand that God remembered him
and walked on the foundation and heart of such a person and his race.
We are an indebted people. This race is the most indebted among all
the indebted races. Heavenly Father desires to save the miserable
people and has the heart of a parent who laments over the fallen
children. He would feel more sympathy in looking at an unfortunate
race than a race that is well-off.
Our people have nothing special to be proud of. The people had
nothing. They were all robbed and lost everything. If we have hope of
having anything back, what I desire is for the young people to possess
the desperate heart of Jesus. Let the desire that burned inside of him
as he wandered, the desire to call Heaven "Father" burn within them.
When they become such people, no other race will be able to dominate
them.
This world deserves to be forsaken and many ideologies are bound for
destruction. Yet when many sons and daughters who have become such
people appear in front of Heavenly Father's heart, who looks on with
sympathy, this world will be rejuvenated. If such young people, such a
group and such a race exist, then they would be able to rule the
world. It was the same in the age of Jesus. There was a great deal of
confusion in the trend of faith under the Roman oppression, and
everything was shaky. The people's spirit had been crushed. God sent
Jesus during such a time of sorrow.
The sorrowful and painful fact is that Korea became the object of
sacrifice, the focus of conflict between the two great opposing camps
of democracy and communism. This is the sad reality. We have no
friends. Both camps are standing face to face with our race as the
sacrifice in the middle. This race, which was supposed to establish
the blessed nation, is going through a life of danger and risk as a
sorrowful race. One thing that we have to keep in mind is that we have
to be sons and daughters who can unite with the heavenly direction,
knowing that Heaven has provided for the environment and has supported
this race. This race will survive if we can establish a relationship
with Heaven. Jesus, who had nothing externally, was able to introduce
the world of hope which overcame this world and drove this world
toward the realm of his ideology. Something must have been there to
establish the heartistic bond with Heavenly Father. It must have been
the one absolute standard which mankind has no choice but to submit to
in search of the heart and the mind. Today the people of Korea are
undergoing a confusion of faith. At this time, when there is no value
to one's character, when people live in fear, and when this whole race
is being pushed out in confusion, what can we hold onto?
The Path Korea Must Take
Jesus came to this world as the son of God, but he had to go through
thirty miserable years of life. He walked the path of three painful
and tumultuous years of public ministry. Yet he was a brave warrior
who demonstrated a confident spirit which could overcome anything that
stood in the way. He possessed a burning heart that would have easily
restored the whole race of Israel at that time. Such a warrior is
needed in today's age. Instead of fighting against the people every
time they drove him into difficulties, Jesus prayed for them through
long nights on the mountain of Gethsemane. Such a big-minded character
is admirable.
Jesus took the path of solitude and went into quiet places in order to
call on the Father during times when the nation faced persecution. The
path to life for this race is the same. There has to be the heart. You
should be able to forget all human conditions, even forgetting about
eating or clothing, and call on the Father as His sons and daughters.
When there are such sons and daughters, this race will be closest to
Heavenly Father in the world of heart, even if the people are
sacrificed and trampled on. Do you think God will then treat you
badly? No parent would ever not accept a child with a heart that
connects the past, the present, and the future. If people are like
that, God is even more so. Is there a human being who does not embody
God's attributes? God is like that. Therefore, mankind is the same.
This miserable race is searching for the heart of God to find the path
to life. Even in this situation, one should be able to show gratitude
to Heavenly Father. There is a world of difference between people who
denounce Heavenly Father even in a free situation and people who show
gratitude to Heavenly Father with tears even in a difficult situation.
Now that we have a father and son relationship with Heavenly Father,
no matter how challenging and manifold the difficulties and
persecutions that block our path, they are not even comparable to the
course that Heavenly Father walked for six thousand years. So when you
are injured while working for the will of God, do not look at your own
injury and cry. Rather, comfort Heavenly Father who has had greater
pain inflicted on Him. The Father is someone who will come to you with
tears when you are injured, forgetting about His own pain. We are
truly unworthy of this.
Now we should really accomplish something. This race is losing its
national spirit. What can this race be proud of in front of Heaven?
There is nothing that it can put forth before the world and this age.
The heart of God has never been attained. Who has ever deeply felt
this world of the heart? It is someone who experiences difficulty. It
is someone who calls on the Father, enduring his own difficulties. We
have to realize that we need to have conditions with which we can be
close to the Father who has borne historic sorrows.
That is why we have this difficult environment. After all, this race
need not feel sorrowful. We should be sorrowful if Heavenly Father did
not exist. But He does, and there is no need to feel sad. Even if this
nation is the most miserable nation in the six thousand years of
history, it would have moved Heavenly Father deep down to His bones,
more than any other nation, if it had remembered Him. If there is a
movement that will establish the relationship of father and son in
this nation, the new world will open up. As Heavenly Father has firmly
promised us, and as Jesus' great purpose was to teach us, where would
God go without us? We have to start out with such a conviction.
The One Life that is Greater than the Universe
God is not a God for America, nor a God for England. He is not a God
merely for the democratic world. He is our God and my God.
Heavenly Father longs for believers, the brides who can be a part of
the world of the heart of the historic Father and sing of its value.
Wouldn't that be so? Such an individual cannot be bought even with
billions of dollars. Such a person cannot be bought with earth or
Heaven. Jesus has said that such a person has value greater than that
of the cosmos.
Fortunately, today we were given a talk on the relationship between
father and son from Heavenly Father. But the question is: how much
have I attended the Father? How filial have I been? We have to relate
to Heavenly Father as a filial child on the individual level and as a
loyal subject on the national level. Isn't that true? The traditional
three bonds and the five moral disciplines in human relations in Asia
all make sense. They are to teach this concept. Filial piety and
loyalty towards Heavenly Father is the same thing. One cannot be
filial to Heavenly Father if one does not first become filial toward
one's parents. One cannot be a loyal subject toward Heavenly Father if
one does not first demonstrate loyalty to the nation. This world is
the same toward Heavenly Father. The content is different, but the
world of the heart is the same.
Unification members! For us, denomination means nothing. Our name
means nothing. This church building and our houses mean nothing.
People are the issue. The people with heart are the real issue. There
are billions of people in the world, but only one person draws your
heart. Isn't that so? It is the same for God. What is the first thing
that God, who moves all things of the cosmos and dominates the great
universe and the created world, still desires? More than a multitude
of people, He longs for one individual who can give all his heart and
then forget about his giving. Wouldn't that be true? Heavenly Father
dreams of one such person more than He dreams of a mere multitude.
Therefore, Jesus was sent after four thousand years. And after six
thousand years, the Second Coming is one who comes in place of Jesus.
Where are the sons and daughters who long for and call to Heavenly
Father as "Father", who wander in search of the other children? The
day God finds such sons and daughters is the day of hope and the day
of liberation. In religious terms, such a day is called the feast day
of the lamb.
The True Christian of the Last Days
What kind of person is a true Christian? It is not someone who dances
with joy. It would be someone who prays with concern for God. He or
she would not pray for themselves but would pray for the sake of God.
That person would not worry whether he or she would become the bride
or not, but would worry about whether Jesus, the bridegroom, is happy
or not. The person would not pray asking God to send him or her to
Heaven, but instead would pray, asking to free God of His sorrow. The
person would not ask for his or her value to be acknowledged in
Heaven, but would hope that God's value may be acknowledged in this
world, even through his or her own death.
We have to totally change today's understanding of faith. It has to be
changed fundamentally. Do people want to go to Heaven by believing?
What are they going to do in Heaven? Are they going to steal from God
again when they are there? That is like being joyful after losing the
heavenly essence. The essence is the heart of giving. Even fallen
minds can perceive such a nature of love. The pit of death awaits
those who are striving to receive. The realm of resurrection of life
awaits those who are struggling to give. Jesus was someone who
struggled for thirty years of his life to give. Jesus endeavored to
give during his three years of public ministry. In the end he even
gave himself. You have to realize that the Messiah was the prince who
strove to give and give again.
Those who are following such an example must repent and see how much
of an offering you have made yourself in order to liberate God's
sorrow in your lives. Such a person has no concept of Heaven or hell.
Such a person would say, "Who cares if I go to Heaven or if I go to
hell?" When God wants to resurrect such a person, even Satan has to
agree. Here the historic standard of life gets established.
Today's Unificationists need the words of the Bible in order to
console the Father who is filled with sadness. You also need a
teacher. But I do not want you to go forth just looking at the
teacher. I hope that you yourselves will establish the bond of
relationship with Heavenly Father's heart, with the teacher as the
center. God will never desert you when you pray for this nation with
heartfelt pleas, when you strive to introduce God's heart to it, and
when you become the offering. God will not give up on us.
When we think about God, we know that He is the master of all things.
But have you seen His deeds? As the subject of love, was He ever able
to say "I love you" to mankind? Never. Although He was in a position
to own everything, He was never able to claim mankind as His own. And
although there are numerous people in this world, and although there
were the Israelites who were prepared for four thousand years,
Heavenly Father was never able to raise them up as His own sons and
daughters or as warriors who could defeat Satan.
There are many Christians in the democratic camp today, but God has
not been able to place them as generals in command of an offensive
attack against Satan. He also wanted to have Jesus command the angelic
world to establish a relationship with this world, but that could not
be achieved. God gave mankind the ideal of the bride, and He sought to
find such brides. But He could not find one person who could stand as
the proud bride in front of Satan. We are truly sorry in front of
Heavenly Father.
The world calls the leader of the Unification Church the ringleader of
a cult. That's fine. I just want them to receive all the blessing. I
don't want to give excuses or explanations. This is not the time to
fight over such things. Our lives are busy, and what is more urgent is
how we are to be recognized by Heavenly Father.
We are all miserable, we are all the same. There were times when we
called on the Father and all pledged to die together if we had to.
There were times when we called on our Father with tears. We had to
stand in such a position representing this nation. Although there may
have been times of sorrow, we have to go this path as the Father has
led us. We should be grateful and feel unworthy if we can't feel this
historical sorrow. We should be grateful that we can feel the traces
of our ancestors' tears and blood, to tread together down this
sorrowful valley. Even if this body may be ripped to pieces or fall
down, we have nothing to feel sad about. We have to realize we are the
Christians of the last days who have to find and walk this path of
heart again.
It is fine to be called a cult or to be misunderstood. None of that
can be an obstacle for me. I am here to clarify the heavenly concept.
I am telling you now that God will by all means pull us forward along
with history if I can share that heart, kneel down in understanding of
such a heart, and speak with the heart to raise up the people who will
cry with that heart.
The Faith of Mary Magdalene toward Jesus
Judas Iscariot chastised Mary Magdalene, who was a prostitute, as she
knelt and poured three hundred denarii worth of oil on the feet of
Jesus and washed them with her hair. When he did so, Jesus defended
her. Mary was not acting unreasonably. Because she was concerned for
the heart of Jesus, who was to be killed, an aspect of God's pained
and indignant heart was reflected through her. Therefore, Jesus
predicted that her name would remain wherever the words of the Gospel
spread.
When Mary wanted to hold Jesus, who had resurrected from the grave,
Jesus prevented her out of concern that the resurrected self might be
stained. In other words, Jesus stopped her because he wanted her to be
more joyous in meeting the Father than in meeting him. He wanted her
to be more glad for the Father than for him, and more glad for the
hope that humanity might again be reborn than happy to see him. It is
sad that the Jesus we believe in today came and went with such a
regret-filled heart. That is a sad thing.
We have to let this be known to the Christians of the world today.
What is needed is not someone who takes pride in his own faith, based
on Jesus who was glorified by history. There is a need for people like
the woman who searched for Jesus on the mountainside of Calvary, who
can take pride in Jesus even if they themselves are trampled on and
pushed out by history. There is a greater need for people like Mary
Magdalene than for the twelve disciples who walked their own separate
ways, denying their knowledge of Jesus.
To Become the Sons and Daughters the Father Desires
In believing in Jesus, have you ever made God cry? Have you ever made
Jesus cry? Have you ever shivered, holding onto the crying Father who
said, "How difficult it must have been for you to walk this path that
I have gone through. How difficult it must have been to find Me in My
sorrow"? Have you held the hands of Jesus who cried as he called out
for you? If not, don't say anything. Do not be proud of anything.
The people who were ridiculed and cast out will be the princes and
princesses of the Kingdom of Heaven. Even if everything is lost, we
should long for the heart and will of the Father. When you are able to
find meaning in your life, meaning in the church, and meaning in
society, while you long for those, God will not send you to hell even
if you try to go. God will claim such people.
The topic of today's talk was "The Father and I," but we are unworthy
to use the word "Father." We should experience the times when even
saying the word "Father" makes us feel unworthy. We should have the
attitude that says, "Father, how can a lowly person like me call you
Father?" There is no need to say anything else. The right of ownership
of the cosmos will be decided as you call out "Father" with your body
and mind united and a desperate heart. Heavenly Father is longing for
such Unificationists.
It is fine to follow the path of a teacher, but that will all pass.
One thing that I want to convey to you, even if I die or disappear, is
that you should transcend race, humanity, and the world to cry with
the heart of God. I want to die seeing such a sight. You should
realize that only then do you have the authority to oversee the cosmos
and the realm of hell.
From now on, we should be proud of our Father. What kind of Father is
He? We have to introduce the Father who has labored in historic
endeavors. We have to boast of our Father. We have to introduce the
Father who has fought, holding onto this age. We are to introduce the
Father who has longed for us and who had to fight for us. But if the
heart is not laid as a foundation in conveying this, everything is
just wild fancy and rash acts.
We should exalt the Father. We have to exalt the historic Father, the
Father of the age, and the future-oriented Father with our heart
connected to His. Thus, you should be able to exclaim, "Father, is
this not Your will? Your will is my will. Oh, Father, You who have
found us like a parent who could not forget his own blood, You are my
Father!"
Heavenly Father longed to live with us for six thousand years, but
Satan came in front of Him. Heavenly Father longs for the brides, the
figures who will understand His heart, and speak out, "Hey, you Satan,
you have no place to rest your foot in this world. Hey, you and all
the forces of evil, just look at my Father," and get recognition from
him. He would have to say, "You are right. What you are saying is true
for eternity." Wouldn't that be so?
Jesus' body was killed, but his heart was never killed. His body was
invaded by Satan, yet the world of heart was not invaded. That is why
Heavenly Father brought forth the ideal of the bride, and He is
looking for the bride who possesses the loyalty of the world of the
heart. Thus, you should be able to call on the Father and the Lord
with the heart of the bride.
We should be grateful that the saints of the past strove and that
Heavenly Father and the world have endeavored to find the sons and
daughters of the direct lineage to create the relationship of father
and children. Furthermore, you should say a word of apology to the
ancestors, to numerous spirits, and even to Satan, and become figures
who can protect this land. Only then will you become God's sons and
daughters. God wants to hear such sons and daughters call Him
"Father." Aren't you also like that? When there are sons and daughters
whom God truly loves, He does not want to hear the physical father say
to such children, "Hey, So and So, you are my sons and daughters."
Wouldn't that be true? He doesn't even want to hear that they belong
to a certain nation. "They are My own sons and daughters and they
belong to My nation." He doesn't want them to be called the people of
Korea or America. Such a thing is ridiculous to Heavenly Father, who
has the ideal of the heavenly world. God is searching for us from such
a standpoint.
God was unable to live with the individual, with the family, with
society, with the nation, and with the world. How much must He have
endeavored to work backwards from finding the world to finding us
today? Not only does He have to find us, He has to take us along with
Him. It is difficult enough to find us, but it is more difficult to
drag us along. The Lord comes in order to take even the historic last
days along with him.
I urge you to clearly understand this and become God's proud sons and
daughters, the brides and bridegrooms who will stand heart to heart
with Jesus. He professed that we are not of this nation, the heavenly
family is not of this nation. His society, nation, and the created
world are not of this fallen world.
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