ORDER NUMBER
77-02-06
REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON
SPEAKS ON
THE SPIRIT WORLD AND
THE PHYSICAL WORLD
February 6, 1977
Belvedere, New York
Translator - Bo Hi Pak
Do you know that there is a spirit world? Who of you are actually
convinced of the existence of spirit world in your hearts or through
personal experience? Everyone has a certain anxiety to know about the
spirit world and the nature of life after death. Through history all
religions have preached about the existence of a spirit world and
their doctrine and goal has been to secure eternal life there.
Religion has been losing its influence, however, and has lately been
reduced to being simply the crutch and comfort of the weak.
Many of you came from Christian homes, but the Christian doctrine and
way of life in America has been weakened to such a degree that many of
you were probably raised with only a vague concept of religious
values. Religion is taking a more and more trivial role in daily life.
You were wanderers in modern day America until you finally met the
Unification Church. Are you still wandering in the Unification Church,
only to go somewhere else some day?
Why has Christianity been weakened? Christianity has a promise of
eternal life, a profound covenant between God and man. Why then are
young people like yourselves losing their vision and hope for
Christianity?
The first major reason is that people today do not clearly know that
there is a spirit world. Human beings have the innate gift of
comparison. When their wisdom dictates that certain things are better
than others, they abandon the things of lesser value and seek to
secure those which are of higher value. This is human nature. If you
definitely know that something is better than your present way of life
then you certainly want to change.
People do not know clearly of the existence of the spirit world.
Secondly, people do not realize the relationship between God, the
spirit world and man. Third, they do not know God, nor do they feel
deeply that God exists solely for the purpose of love. They do not
realize the love of God and how the two worlds of God and man are
interlocked by love. If they realized these things then their lives
would certainly be changed.
As long as there is love, it does not matter whether one is socially
high, low, or in the middle. For instance, between a loving husband
and wife it does not matter if the husband is of a cultured background
and the wife is an uneducated person. As long as love unites the two
these things do not matter. 'Me power of love stimulates their unity.
Love brings the two together into one, wherever they may be.
People today are more and more aware of the necessity of bringing
harmony and unification to our world. How can we bring that unity?
Some claim that force will unite all people under one dominion. Others
are convinced that in this computer age we can unite the world through
meticulous organization. Still others insist that only a common
ideology or a common language can bring the world together. But none
of these have come close to the God-centered method of unification.
None of these can bring complete harmony in man's heart or unity
between his body and mind. None of these really has the power to
embrace every conceivable existence in the universe. Money will not do
that nor will knowledge or force.
There is one universal force which can bring every conceivable
creation into oneness, allowing the entire universe to join in common
goodness and common purpose. This is the power of true love. Do you
agree? A person can become completely intoxicated in love. No other
force has such attraction. For example, within true love our bodies
and minds melt together in elation for eternity; money cannot do that,
nor anything like knowledge or power. The power of true love activates
all our senses so that our whole being is completely awakened and
electrified. In other words, the human spirit and body truly respond
to that certain element which is love.
The divine mind
There are two distinct worlds created by God; one is the spirit world,
the other is the physical world. Only the power of God's love can
evoke a reaction from both worlds. None of the things cherished by the
physical world, such as money, power or knowledge, have influence in
the spirit world. Existence in the spirit world is God-centered
existence. Without the existence and the power of God's mind spirit
world could not exist.
You each recognize that you have a mind. How does your mind differ
from your spirit? Many people think the mind is the spirit but that is
not true. A fallen man has a mind but that mind has nothing to do with
spirit world. Suppose your body did not have bones. Can you imagine a
human form without bones? It would be a most miserable entity,
actually having no form. This illustrates the contrast between the
fallen mind and the spirit. The fallen mind has no connection with the
spirit world, being like a body without bones.
In addition to the physical mind there is the distinct existence of
soul or spirit mind. Furthermore, each person has a distinct spirit
body. Even though we cannot see the spirit body with our physical
eyes, it is the substantial reality of existence in which the spirit
mind dwells. However, the mind of fallen man has nothing to do with
God. God is dealing only with the spirit mind.
How does your mind react to situations? Do you sometimes feel your
mind change, as though you changed faces? Communists promote the
theory that the human mind can be altered. They want to revolutionize
the human mind, even to the point of denying God. They also insist
that there is no existence beyond this physical existence. They
believe they can successfully convince people of these things;
however, the spirit mind does not change. Once the spirit mind is
awakened and grasps the true value of life it will never change, but
continue for eternity. Why? The flesh mind belongs to the physical
body, but the spirit mind belongs to God and reflects the unchanging
quality of God's nature.
In the Divine Principle there is a section in the Principle of
Creation about the original or divine mind. That mind is the essence
of each person, being the living soul which is eternally connected to
God. It is through the original mind that people can be regenerated,
to live the true value and purpose of life here on earth. Without the
divine mind we have no means by which to make any relationships
between ourselves, God, the spirit world and the physical world. Your
divine mind functions in conjunction with your conscience. As it does
your whole body will certainly have a purpose and direction. By
working in obedience to your divine mind you will become one with God.
The greatest problem of humanity today is the separation between mind
and body, with these two contradicting each other instead of
harmonizing with each other. In restoration, it is when the divine
mind or soul becomes the master of the human body that a person's life
can become God-centered. It is as if God's mind were coming to dwell
within that person. As a person responds to his divine mind that
person will find his purpose and goal. Fallen man has no hope or
direction unless that connection with the divine mind takes place.
Until then, man's existence cannot have value.
The purpose of religion is to plant the divine mind in the human
heart. There are many kinds of religion: some form small circles and
others large circles, but some even form distorted circles. The
important thing is to realize that even though there are many
religions, very few actually deal directly with the divine mind.
Fallen man's ultimate goal is to reach his divine mind. Religions have
evolved now to a point where they are close to finding the divine
mind, yet still they have not touched it. They circle around and come
out again yet they do not see it. When the true religion of God
finally is fully revealed its focus will be the divine mind; it may
come out and go in and circle around many times, but still it will not
fail to pinpoint the target.
The amazing thing about this search is this: In searching from the
outer to the inner circle the individual is in front. However, after
reaching your divine mind there will always be someone else in front
of you; from that time on God is ahead of you. Once you reach the
divine mind within you and come back out to the world, you will find
that God is already before you; thus nothing will be able to
disconnect you or overcome you. In this way the world is guaranteed of
finding peace.
Regardless of what age one may live in, every human being is a seeker.
We are pioneers searching after the center of the universe. In our
common search after the truth, however, we must be careful to not
misjudge our ultimate goal. Some people think that the most
fundamental goal in the universe is money, yet those who accumulate
money realize that it is not the highest goal. Many people seek power
while others pursue knowledge, but once they reach their objective
they feel empty; what they sought was not the central point of the
universe.
Communism misjudges the central point of the universe
Communists, for example, believe that they have found the ultimate
purpose or center of the universe through their ideology. Believing
that the end justifies the means, they have used exceptional cruelty
in attempting to reach their goal. However, once communism exercises
absolute power, its followers discover within their own hearts that
their ideology has not really shown them the center of the universe.
In order to accomplish their goal they have disregarded everything,
including their families and the well-being of others. Under communism
only the state is important and it must have absolute power even when
it uses the most ruthless means to achieve its goals. The people
following this ideology thought they were going to find paradise, but
the ecstatic joy that they expected was not there.
The communists misjudged the central point of the universe; they
misjudged the ultimate purpose of life. Therefore, even though those
working under communism are trying to get to the central point they
are deeply disappointed. They thought that dialectical materialism was
the truth, but once involved in communist activity they discovered
that their values were always being changed. They found that communism
is not based on an eternal and unchanging truth.
What is it in this universe that is unchanging and unique, in which we
can truly find a union of our body and soul and in which there can be
joy for eternity? What is it? There must be an unchanging center which
remains from eternity to eternity. But even that is not enough; there
must be an unchanging quality which we can enjoy within our own lives
for erternity. This center is love.
Love is the central truth that we must reach. The direction in which
you move and the shape your circle takes does not make such a
difference as long as you reach that unchanging center of the
universe: the truth and love of God. God, the eternal and central
being, exists there. I am not speaking of a concept or some theory of
my own. I am speaking of the reality of God. We can make an unchanging
relationship with Him through love. Once you reach this experience,
not just by logic but by your own feeling and emotion, then no one can
change your heart. Even in the communist world people certainly taste
love and long for love within their relationships. Although they may
officially disregard these things they can never eliminate the innate
desires of their human nature.
Does anyone want only temporal love which will last only a year or
two? Could that ever be true? Why is love so precious? Because love
has an unchanging, eternal quality it will never decrease in value
with time. Do your parents only give out love for a certain period of
time, telling you, "All right, I can love you for one year. You take
it now because then I will have no more." Parental love is not that
way.
Parental love has no end. Even though the children become senior
citizens, the parents still consider them their sons and daughters,
feeling the same intensity of concern and love that they always
bestowed upon them. If a grandmother is 150 years old and her son is
120, she will still say to him, "Watch out for traffic when you go
outside." Such beautiful warmth and concern for children will not be
tarnished with age. Even when the mother is 1,000 years old and her
child is 970 she will still think of him as the child that she has
always cared for. Do you feel embarrassed when you are treated by your
own parents like that or do you feel loveliness and beauty in their
hearts?
This particular pattern does not change from the East to the West. And
throughout the ages no one has ever revolutionized love or changed it.
The way of love stretches from eternity to eternity. The quality of
love will never change. Neither will truth change. Does truth have
dual aspects, with one aspect applicable only in the East and one in
the West, or is it always the same? The truth or the true quality of a
thing does not change. Gold may be heated hundreds of degrees, but it
will continue to be gold. Even if one were to repeat this process a
thousand times, the nature of the gold would not be changed. Gold is
gold. Does value derive from the changeable or unchangeable qualities?
Value is derived from unchangeable quality.
Dialectical materialism, on the other hand, does not recognize any
eternal or unchanging power; it asserts that progress toward higher
value is made only through relationships of conflict. However, this
process will never bring man the ultimate happiness for which he has
been searching. Man can only achieve that goal and happiness through
an ideology which leads him to what is unchanging and unique and
absolute. That concept is centered upon love. There is no other way.
Someone must show the world the living love of God.
Why did you come all the way to Belvedere this early on a cold
morning? Is it because you know that I am wealthy and you came to see
if I will give you money? However, there is nothing here, not even
chairs or warmth. People cannot grasp the purpose that draws you young
people together. The important thing is this: value does not have to
be tangible. We gather here to search after something intangible yet
eternal and concrete. That intangible something is the center of the
universe and the love of God.
Actually you are finding yourself in God's position. Think for a
moment about His situation-most of the world curses Him, arguing,
"There is no such thing as God. God is dead." People who haven't found
God are trying to be comfortable without Him; they do not even want to
remember Him. But God is God. Looking down, He still has the same
unchanging quality of love and is still trying to embrace the world.
Even while people are denying Him God is looking down and calling to
them.
Do you think God will be angry with a person who says, "There is no
God; God is dead"? Or will God say, "Hmmm. Is that so?" He does not
get mad, but will sadly smile. That is the way I also prefer to be.
What am I doing? Simply speaking, I am trying to resemble God, to
become closer to Him and take after Him. Consequently the entire U.S.
and even the world is ridiculing me, saying all kinds of untrue and
terrible things about me. I like to say, "Hmmm, is that so? All right,
you will see."
The amazing thing is that the love of God is not only bestowed on
those who respond, but is given also to those who do not respond; even
greater love is given to those who do not respond. It would be normal
for you to love only those who responded to you in love. But when you
sacrificially give of your love to those who are hostile to you, you
begin to reflect the real quality of God's own love. True love moves
in this way. Its quality does not change regardless of the response of
the people.
Parents deeply suffer if their child makes a grave mistake, perhaps
becoming a criminal, but that does not break or lessen the love of the
parents. They find themselves giving out more compassion, love and
sympathy, and feeling even greater anxiety for their child in jail.
That is the heart of the parent. If their child is sentenced to death,
the parents would not say, "You deserve your death because you
committed such a terrible crime." They will never curse but
desperately search even up until the last minute, willing to do
anything to save their child's life. The parent has the heart of
forgiveness. That is unconditional love.
If the heart of human parents reacts in such a way to their children,
then do you think that God, the parent of mankind, would be any
different? No, His heart reaches far beyond this. God is the parent of
all parents. The love of God surpasses the feeling of all the parents
of the world. It is only His forgiveness, the giving and unconditional
love of God, our parent, that can pull all peoples of the world into
unity. It is only through the power of the love of God that all of
mankind will be brought together.
This world has been looking for the manifestation of God's love.
Someone must be found who can show the world the living love of God
through their own action of love; then this world will have a
direction and hope of unity and harmony.
God's dispensation has been precisely that. Indeed, God sent Jesus to
the world as a representative of His parental love. The life of the
Messiah of 2,000 years ago was one of total parental love, embodying
the love of giving and the life of sacrifice. He not only forgave
mankind but blessed his own personal enemies even as they were taking
his life.
That love goes beyond any kind of love ever seen here on earth. It is
more than brotherly love and more than that of husband and wife. All
the love throughout the world put together cannot compete with the
parental love of God. The central expression of the love of God was
manifested here on earth in Jesus Christ, but he was crucified and
could not proceed to the completion of his mission. God desires to
continue His dispensation and ultimately fulfill His will on earth.
For this He is preparing for the Messiah to come again. When the
Messiah comes again, mankind will see and hear God. That is God's
dispensation and the fulfillment of His Biblical prophecy and promise.
Mankind has only one hope in this world: the promise of God that such
love exists, and that God will send His own son once again to show to
the world by his love that it is possible to unite. No matter what
mankind has been suffering, no matter how much confusion and chaos
persists in the world, as long as there is that promise of God we have
hope.
The hope of mankind is not communism but it is not democracy either.
Our hope lies in the manifestation of the love of God in living form
here on earth. God will create His own headquarters here on earth.
Through His own representative He will show this love to the world.
This power and love will bring harmony and unification to the world
and it is the only hope of the world; this is the plan of God and His
promise. The Unification Church embraces a hope that is crystal clear
while the world is yet in despair. We can grab God; we know that His
love exists and furthermore, that the love of God will manifest itself
in human form here on earth.
The Unification Church member is a good diver or jumper. In order to
jump we must crouch all the way down and then plunge down to the
bottom of hell in this world, deep amidst the sin of mankind to bring
everything back all the way to heaven. That is our way of life. Our
purpose is not to stay in hell but to use hell as a springboard. If we
plunge all the way down with tremendous energy and power, we will
easily spring all the way up into the heights of heaven. Most
importantly, we must always remember that it is God who will bring us
up and that we will bring those who are in hell with us into heaven.
That is our job.
Now you can understand why every member of the Unification Church goes
down into hell. By going all the way down into the suffering of
mankind you are tasting the misery of the ages. I am pushing all of
you down there that you might taste this. Is your attitude, "Oh, I
don't want to do it, but I have to because Father wants me to go"? Or
do you courageously plunge down into the darkness with willingness and
bubbling enthusiasm?
Are you anxiously thinking, "If the Unification Church looks so
miserable now, what will tomorrow bring?" Is that your concern, or do
you know what tomorrow will bring and therefore you can go into the
dungeon of hell as a liberator, with the determination to bring hell
into heaven? That is precisely what Jesus Christ did.
Jesus came to this earth, the dungeon of hell, to bring this hell to
heaven. Furthermore, after his crucifixion he went down to the hell of
spirit world. According to the Biblical description Jesus went down to
hell for the first three days following his crucifixion. Why? He has
the power to liberate the people who are bound there and to bring them
with him up to heaven.
By his coming down to the hell of the physical world and the hell in
spirit world, Jesus left millions of ropes or lines by which every
soul suffering in those dungeons could climb to their liberation.
Jesus left hope behind him, and all those multitudes of suffering
people have the chance to be liberated.
Few of those people had the desperate desire to reach the final
destination, however. Many would start but then lose their energy and
fall down into hell again. To be successful they had to realize that
those lines were the only hope of life and that there was no other
choice. They had to look up and just keep going, not stopping for any
reason. The spirit world and physical world have been separated
throughout history, having no meeting ground and no unity. This is why
so few people have even glimpsed the spirit world, and why as a result
most people do not even think that there is a spirit world. For most
people it is natural to see only what is here and now and never what
is beyond our physical realm. They think this is all that there is.
Everyone must sweat and labor
together to find the Kingdom
Even though few know anything about spirit world, there is an
intrinsic desire for unification and harmony among men in the heart of
each person. They desire the ideal unified world but they do not
necessarily want to take the responsibility for creating it. "If
someone creates such a world then I will be glad to enjoy it." Many
people think in this selfish way.
When the ideal world comes, do you think it will automatically fit
into the standard of your life as it is now, or would you have to
change in order to fit into the ideal world? American young people
must awaken to the wonderful realization that each person will have to
change himself in order to be qualified for the ideal world. Most
people who are yearning after love and goodness do not realize that as
the first ones to participate in the ideal they would have to be the
first ones to change. In many cases their attitude is, "The ideal
world will come and accommodate me. I don't want to move; put me into
the ideal world." Rather, we must search for the ideal world, learning
and growing into its standard. We must bring the revolution to
ourselves and in this way adapt ourselves to the ideal world. The
youth of America and the world must realize that they are a most
prestigious group of people because they are young and have the zeal
and energy to change the world and to change themselves.
Communists delude what they call the working class people into
supporting them by promising that utopia will come to them. But that
will never happen. Everyone must sweat and labor together to find the
Kingdom. The Communists speak sweet words about their ideal paradise
here on earth, but the reality of the communist system only chains
nations and peoples in even greater turmoil, hardship and slavery. The
ideal world will not come in that fashion.
Each of us must participate in building the ideal world. You must
learn the truth and put yourself in the pioneer's role, getting fully
involved in it at great cost. It is irresponsible to idly wait for the
ideal day to dawn and expect to wake up on that day with the Kingdom
of Heaven on earth. That will not happen.
Do you think I am wrong? America thinks so and is coming against me,
trying to show me how wrong I am. However, I am bringing together many
young people; while the world accuses me of trying to enslave you I am
teaching you how to be the foremost pioneers of the Kingdom of God. If
you get down to work and joyfully take up the most difficult
responsibility then your reward in heaven will be just extraordinary.
A better world will never come unless people such as yourselves
determine to give of themselves in unparalleled sacrifice and
devotion, not for their own sakes, but for the very purpose of the
Kingdom of God. Will complaining, protesting, demonstrating, and acts
of violence be effective in bringing the Kingdom of God and the ideal
world? The ideal world can only come where those people are gathered
together who are trying to plunge down to the very heart of sin and
human misery, sacrificing everything in working to cleanse and
liquidate the sin of men's hearts and the vice of society. Only that
kind of effort, dedication, and sacrifice can bring the Kingdom of
God. I know to the depths of my being that the ideal world can be
brought about only by people like that. I not only know this but I
have been living this knowledge my entire life.
I know that this cause will never fail. It is secured and guaranteed,
not only by the power of God, but by the fact that I have worked
harder than anyone else here on earth. How can I fail? People talk
about me in a most unkind way, but let them talk. Let the New York
Times and the Washington Post talk. The communists think they will
control the whole world by violence, deceit and demonstration, but you
will see. We are moving quietly; however, the quiet force will be the
winner. In the end it is history that will tell.
How fortunate you are to be here. When the world looks at you it will
say, "You poor, miserable children! You look so pale and tired." Do
not be deluded by these words. During my entire ministry of thirty
years I looked just as you do now; often I was pale and most
miserable. When I was imprisoned and tortured in indescribable ways I
looked a thousand times more miserable than you do. But I was a
winner; I am a winner; I will be a winner continuously. That must be
the pattern of your lives as well.
Presently everyone views me either positively or negatively; that
represents a certain personal influence and power on my part The
American government and the FBI are looking at me and always wondering
what my next plan is. Even the communists scrutinize my every action
to determine if I am really going to Moscow.
I did not begin my work in a gorgeous palace but in the most miserable
situation. The center that I established was so small that I could
reach out and touch all four walls while sitting in one place. That
was the first Unification Church, the birthplace of this new world.
God's ideal and dream was planted on the earth in that little center,
just like a tiny baby conceived in its mother's womb and then coming
out to grow and bear influence in the world. In the same way, the life
of the new world was conceived and was born in that small cubbyhole.
By every standard I am a successful person. I am victorious and still
moving forward without limits. I am fresh and do not feel like a man
of 60 years.
Where would you like to live--the physical world or the spirit world
or both? Where would you like to start your eternal life? Do you begin
eternal life after your life in the physical world is over, or do you
start it right now? Have you started it already? Because of the fall
of man the two worlds were separated. When these two worlds do meet
according to the plan of restoration, will man or Satan be aware of
that meeting place first? Of course God is the master planner, but
apart from God who else would detect that plan?
There must be a central, chosen person who pioneers the world to bring
about this unity. God will plan to send that central figure at a
certain time and to a certain part of the world. Do you think Satan
will not know? When there is a heavenly maneuver God Himself has to
manifest a certain plan and then it remains no longer a plan but
becomes an action. When an action begins to unfold, Satan will quickly
detect it because he is constantly alert.
The Messiah is coming to bring these two worlds together. However,
that particular intelligence is picked up by Satan before man detects
it. Satan knows how the Messiah will come, being fully aware that the
Messiah is coming to destroy his power. Satan will do his utmost to
kill that child at birth and to crush the birth of his movement. This
world has been controlled and dominated by Satan, and from the time of
the Messiah's conception in his mother's womb through his entire life
and ministry he faces the threat of destruction by Satan. He is
destined to fight through the most difficult possible conditions here
in the world, with nothing to ease his path.
The Messiah is destined to take the most extraordinary path of
tribulation. God knows it and He will do everything possible to
prepare for him. Through the ages religions have been revealed in
order to establish a groundwork for the coming of the Messiah. They
are merely God's preparation for the Messiah. When the Messiah
actually comes he will bring the new world and the existing religions
will be consummated by following him.
Christians must realize that the Messiah
is not coming to do things their way
The chosen people are indispensable to God's dispensation. At the time
of Jesus Christ the chosen people were the people of Israel. It was to
them that Jesus came. However, at that time the chosen people thought
the Messiah was coming to fulfill their desires for a better life and
for independence. They forgot that the Messiah was coming for the
ideal of God and His new order and that they were to work to establish
the Kingdom of God in God's way, not their own way.
If there had been understanding between the Messiah and the chosen
people then Jesus Christ would never have been crucified. Instead
there was a fatal difference of opinion. The Messiah's goal was one
thing and the people's desire was another. The tragedy came about
because of this difference of opinion.
This lesson is vitally important to Christians today. What is modem
Christianity throughout the world? It is the gathering of the people
prepared for the ultimate day of the Lord of the Second Advent.
However, Christians today feel that the Messiah is coming only to
fulfill their own desires, to liberate them and give them happiness
and a place in heaven. They do not think in terms of the Messiah
coming to fulfill the original ideal and will of God.
If the Messiah comes only to fulfill the wishes of the Christians
today then there will be no kingdom. In fact, there would be no value
in his coming. Christians accept the most horrendous idea that when
the Messiah comes all the disbelievers will be burned in unquenchable
fire and judged to eternal damnation while the Christians will ascend
up to heaven to enjoy the heavenly kingdom with God and Christ.
The Christian world itself is not only hopelessly fragmented but
corrupted in its practices. Christians have erected barriers among
themselves in order to continue believing in their own comfortable
way. If the Messiah came and fulfilled all their conflicting wishes
there would be nothing but war.
When the Messiah comes with the will of God he will not condone and
praise Christianity but will ignite a spiritual revolution and clean
house first. The Messiah comes as the greatest of all revolutionaries,
not using weapons and violence but bringing peace through truth. Great
changes will come about and people must prepare to adapt themselves to
the way of the Messiah, not thinking in terms of the Messiah adapting
himself to the ways of Christians.
Will the Messiah's revolution begin in the spirit world or physical
world? Among the rich or down in the gutter of human misery?
Liberation from sin starts at the very bottom of hell, so the Messiah
must begin his work at the bottom of human misery, The Messiah will
begin his religious movement to build the Kingdom of God here on earth
at the very bottom of human misery. He will gather young people like
yourselves and ask them to go into hell and transform it into the
Kingdom of God. The worst enemy is conquered when the worst sin is
conquered.
If Christianity accepts such an extraordinary revolutionary movement
then there will be harmony and a new world will come easily. But if we
study the lessons of history we know that the Messiah's acceptance is
most unlikely. The people working with him who launch the spiritual
revolution will face a wave of persecution for each step of their
accomplishment, until finally they can encompass the entire world.
Satan is the worst kind of enemy and he will try to block the spread
of this movement in every conceivable way.
Are you ready to receive the same treatment I have received?
Any religious movement will face the possibility of persecution if it
is determined to deal with the reality of human sin and misery at the
bottom of hell, while at the same time proclaiming to the world the
highest possible goal of the building of the Kingdom of God here on
earth. One way to confirm the emergence of God's new Messianic
movement is to find where worldwide persecution is concentrated on one
group. Why? The reason for this is that God must begin His work in the
satanic world, and this world is Satan's territory.
The Unification Church fits this qualification. This movement began in
the most humble circumstances on a mountainside of Korea, becoming the
center of a worldwide hurricane of controversy within the lifetime of
its founder. The Unification Church is the very honorable bulls-eye of
the world. Almost every conceivable type of group, even including
government bodies, are disturbed and want to throw me out. Established
religions have had their peace disrupted and are agitated enough to
actually unite in making a statement against me! Why did the powerful
religions of the world today unite together to try to destroy this one
man and his small handful of followers? The only explanation could be
that they feel threatened. Let us compare the two opposing factions by
their present-day fruit. Are you members assembled here in the
Unification Church just the cast-offs of mankind? Even our persecutors
admit to the quality of our people and comment on their shining faces
and their ideals, dedication and sacrificial spirit.
I know and you know that we are trying harder to live lives of
unselfish sacrifice than most people outside our Church who do not
know the truth. In our dedication and in our understanding of the
world situation we are more solid. It is my pride that I will never
fall behind anyone in dedication or unselfish giving for the cause of
God. The President of the United States does not have the insight and
vision to really stop the corruption of the youth and engender a new
generation of leaders. But I have a purpose and ideal and a plan of
action, and I can show young people how to become champions of God.
The world is coming to know the power of the Unification Church and
our opponents in the past have seen how we will not be crushed. When
they push us down we merely spread out to the sides! Even under
persecution we have expanded to the worldwide level. President Nixon
was crushed by the criticism of America and the world, but even though
harsher accusations have been made about me, I am still going and
going strong.
Are you intimidated by this headwind? Nothing can stop you;
persecution should only make you stronger. Where does the Kingdom of
Heaven begin here on earth: the most luxurious place or in the pit of
misery? Who does this world belong to? In every possible way Satan is
trying to stop us, but eventually he will give up and then you will be
the winners.
If you follow me then you will receive the same scornful treatment I
receive. Even with your youthful vitality this road is not an easy
one. Maybe the newcomers here are shocked by hearing these things, but
we are honest and say that this is not an easy way. You should pack up
if you don't want to face this life. Perhaps then you would not feel
any pressure, but if you think about it there is no hope outside of
this Church. At least one thing is sure; if we stay here then at least
we have hope. To stay in the Unification Church you need a lot of
faith, both in me and in the Principle.
My life for the past thirty years is my enduring testimony; by looking
at my whole way of life you can be convinced that I will not fail. The
established generation are the ones who are attacking me and trying to
destroy my work, and yet you people here this morning are their
children. The Unification Church is primarily blessed by the
participation of the youth. God is truly working here. Many of your
parents have taken a position opposing me, but God has changed the
hearts of their children, that you might understand and pursue this
way of life. Eventually you will also be the ones to persuade your
parents to change their opinion. Some parents passionately feel that I
am their worst enemy, but all of a sudden they find their own children
defending me! Only God could inspire such a revolutionary happening.
Temptation always comes through those nearest you
Our enemies know that it would be hopeless to try to deprogram me, but
they think they can deprogram you. The deprogrammers use many
enticements such as money, your former love relationships or finally
even extreme threats, like, "I will kill you unless you do what I tell
you." Are you confident to win over these? No matter how special their
offers are, you will be tempted unless you have put away your desires
for such things. I see many weak spots in you! Satan looks at your
weak spots and he knows which ones to use.
Many times members are resolved that they could never be deprogrammed
but when they become too concerned about how soon they can get married
and start having children they may get discouraged. That feeling
becomes a hook which Satan can grab, and then those members decide to
leave. You may be vulnerable in another way. You may be working hard
fund raising and witnessing and then your parents phone you, tearfully
pleading, "You don't have to suffer this way. Why don't you come home
and we'll get you new clothes and you can have a happy life for a
change! " At that time you may feel sorry for yourself and say, "I've
been in the Unification Church for three years and nobody cried tears
for me." Your parents' offer may be very tempting.
I personally know all these enticements very well. I too have lived
through the reality of these things; the most important thing to
realize is that temptation always comes through those nearest you, to
whom it is so difficult to say no, people like your friends, your
spouse or children or parents.
Unresolved doubt is always a hook for Satan to pull. You may even feel
sometimes that there is no God or that our movement is inhumane and
unjust. That is why you must be wise in understanding the Principle.
God sometimes tests you by pretending that He is unconcerned or even
that He is betraying you. You must understand the Principle more
deeply than to be swayed by that experience. When you go over that
experience you realize that God wants to give His entire love to you,
but only on the condition that you have completely won over Satan on
your own.
God wants you to be free from any condition of accusation. Then He
will fill you with unconditional love and blessing. He wants to give
His blessing freely, without any condition of accusation from Satan,
and the entire world will say, "God, that man certainly deserves that
blessing. We have no complaint about him." God wants us to meet that
standard, becoming people who are victorious in heaven and on earth.
He wants to say to the world, "I even denied this person, but their
loyalty and trust and faith never swayed even one iota. This is indeed
My victorious child." When God can say that about you then you have
received the highest praise possible. By meeting that highest possible
standard you can secure the ideal center upon which God can rebuild
the entire world. Once we meet that standard then God can pour His
blessing upon the Unification Church. Satan will not be able to say,
"God, they do not deserve the blessing you have given them so freely."
Can you now see why we can become truly victorious only under
persecution? Persecution is the most ideal situation in which to
demonstrate to God and to ourselves who we really are. The entire
spirit world knows that America came against me and against the
Unification Church. Once we meet the high standard of heaven and God
can fill us with His blessing, then there is no way for any American
on earth or in spirit world to complain or accuse us before God. There
are many in the spirit world whose descendants are trapped in
communist countries and we don't want to be accused by them for not
doing everything in our power to help save their descendants. Already
some of our members are working in communist countries and are
suffering at this moment in communist prisons.
Last year I sent missionaries out to 120 nations, knowing that because
I am well-known they would receive the same persecution that we are
receiving here in America. No one on earth or in heaven will be free
to accuse me of not paying attention to their nation by at least
having our Church established there. As a movement we are bringing
ourselves into the position where we can be free from the accusation
of Satan, and even from those in spirit world. If that principle is
true, the day will come when the worldwide level of God's blessing
will pour down upon the Unification Church.
I have spiritually liberated every kind of human misery
Where will the Kingdom of God begin? The Kingdom of God will germinate
here on earth in the depths of human misery, the pits of hell. Have
you received threats on your life here in America because you were
acting on your beliefs? That has not seriously happened in this
country. Then who has laid that foundation for this Church? I am the
one who really tasted the misery at the bottom of hell, being
threatened and imprisoned and tortured many times. That is how the
foundation was laid upon which you now stand. I started out all by
myself to erect the family, tribal and national foundations; then I
worked to set the foundation in Asia and for the world, and now in
America, the focal point of God's dispensation, I am unfolding the
universal level of the dispensation.
Because I have liberated every kind of human misery by participating
in every walk of life, I have a friend everywhere. I have talked with
murderers and given them hope; I have suffered together with people in
prison camps and labored with dock workers and miners and old mountain
people. Do you know why we bought the New Yorker on 8th Avenue, where
there is so much prostitution? It is our responsibility to solve that
particular situation. Recently I even went to Las Vegas and prayed for
that most carnal city The gamblers and strip-tease dancers need to be
saved some day and I had to set some condition for them to eventually
be liberated from that life.
I do the most unique and extraordinary things, which have never been
seen in human history. I am making connections with the entire human
race in order to truly create a most spectacular international family.
I am responsible to redeem every human misery and crime, to leave a
spiritual rope by which these people may some day have hope to climb
out of their hopeless situations. Absolutely no one knows more about
human misery on all levels than 1. No one has ever visited more kinds
of places around the world than I have. I specialize in the keen
observation of human misery and human sin because that is the area I
am going to liquidate. I have many friends, even those who have
committed crimes, but who have become new people and committed their
lives for God's cause. There are many beautiful stories that you would
be moved by because you also have felt something touch you.
Have you ever spoken to God concerning some threat to my life,
"Heavenly Father, let me be his shield; take my life instead of his
and let him remain on earth to continue with this work for humanity!"
Why do you think in that way? My entire life has been lived that way
and something is inspiring you to live like that as well. My prayer
has always been, "Father in Heaven, let me suffer in Your place.
Whatever arrows come to You, let me be the target."
Right now I am like the shield before God, receiving all the criticism
from the world. Ultimately I am responsible for every deed you do and
every mistake you make. Our enemies have planted false members in the
Church who act like model followers and then after six months or a
year commit some crime or immoral act in order to give myself and the
Church a bad name. All the blame comes to me.
The world may think I am like a "godfather," being totally evil and
only exploiting young people for my personal gain. You, however, have
come to respect and love me as a man of God. Your belief in and
understanding of me will be strengthened in the days to come, and the
world's wrong conviction about me will slowly change because of a lack
of foundation in fact. Slowly but surely the world will be won.
The time has come to unite spirit world and physical world, finally
ending their separation. That unity will not occur in a smooth,
peaceful transition, but through earth-shaking events. Why should that
be necessary? An extraordinary confrontation will take place, with God
exerting all His power to accomplish His will and the satanic powers
desperately trying to stop Him. One such dramatic battle took place in
Washington, D.C. on September 18, 1976. February 17 is the final day
in 1976 by the lunar calendar. In the heavenly dispensation the lunar
calendar is often very important and influential, and God is
continuing the dispensation for 1976 until that day.
The age is now dawning in which Satan will no longer have the power to
accuse man in the sight of God. The spirit world may blame others, but
they cannot blame the Unification Church. Furthermore, the time has
come when all the spirit world on the side of goodness will come down
and assist our crusade. With that assistance our work will be greatly
speeded up. The time has come for the great spiritual leaders of the
past, such as Buddha, Confucius, Moses, past Christian saints and
Mohammed, to appear before their own disciples, telling them that they
must receive the benefit of the Unification Church.
We have laid a foundation for unity on every level
Until now all of spirit world has been divided by many barriers, but
the victory of the Washington Monument Rally broke through all those
barriers and allowed the spirit world to become one unified world. The
spirits there communicate with each other and now know who the central
figures are and where the central movement is. They are traveling in
their respective channels to break down the barriers between people in
the physical world and create a similar unity here as well.
So far there has been no fellowship in the spirit world between East
and West, but now that barrier has been broken. The power of absolute,
heavenly love has united the two with God at the center. On earth, the
Unification Church is bringing the two cultures of East and West into
one, intermingling them by international marriage and international
gatherings of members working together. In our Unification Church
there is no boundary between East and West.
We have laid the foundation for unity on the individual level, family
level, tribal, national and world levels. Anything we bind on earth
shall be bound in heaven, and anything we loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven. In the future we will take more and more initiatives
in world affairs, and you will witness how even our most violent
opponents will fade away. This phenomenon of persecution will persist
until 1981. Therefore, we must act now to set the foundation and
strongly establish ourselves; we must develop the will of a captain in
steering his boat through a storm.
These next five years will be an extraordinary period in which the
entire world will be shaken, including the communist world. Already
the communists are troubled; since their signing of the Helsinki
Agreement the free world has a reason to attack them for their
terrible abuses of human rights. Communist leaders always disguise
their true motives, deceiving the free world into allowing the
expansion of communist power. The communists have no intention of
giving anything to the free world. However, deprogramming on a large
scale is presently taking place in the communist world; Ted Patrick is
not doing it, but the spirit world. Spirit men are descending to the
children of communist leaders, saying, "Communism is wrong. This
ideology is based on a lie. It is not the truth." A great deal of
turmoil will be seen soon between those parents and children as the
two ideologies confront each other.
In the garden of Eden Adam and Eve came against God, their Father. In
the last days God would like to indemnity this situation within the
communist world by having the parents and children in conflict with
each other over the heavenly ideology. This same confrontation is
already widespread in America and the free world.
Why does this situation persist? It is not a sign of decline but of
preparation for God's Kingdom. The American youth have tried every
conceivable thing--hippie life with its sexual freedom, streaking,
drugs-but they did not find anything there. Now they are coming back
to religion but not back to the established churches. Young people
have not found anything dynamic and fulfilling in the churches they
knew before so they are searching after something new.
I know very well that people outside our church have usually heard of
me in a negative way and they think this is some kind of terrible
cult. But you will see that in two years this movement will be
completely changed by an avalanche of young people flowing into our
Unification centers. Because the young people of America are wise
people they will inevitably pass through the gates of the Unification
Church to investigate it. We are like the catchers in a baseball game;
the young people are the ball being thrown by all of America. We need
a lot of catchers to receive them and I am preparing them right now.
The time will come when many balls will be flying toward us. The most
beautiful young people will come to us and we will train them with the
truth, giving them a new direction and purpose to live.
When young people without any preconceived notions about the
Unification Church come to hear lectures for one week, they are
ignited by the deep spiritual insight of the Divine Principle and say,
"What a powerful gospel this is! Why didn't we know about this
before?" Then they hear that this is the message of Reverend Sun Myung
Moon. At that point they cannot say anything in opposition. The
testimony to the power of the truth will be seen in their inspiration
to change others' minds about Reverend Moon.
We are the only ones who can overcome the negativity of those around
us. We have the power to change the youth of America, and once that
happens the communists will have absolutely no power. I know in detail
what the strategies and techniques of the communists are; I am an
expert on it. We are the only ones who have the power and truth not
only to overcome but also to liberate the communists. Because they
know that this positive truth will liquidate their own lies, the
communists are afraid of our ideology.
We must have the pride and joy of realizing our good fortune at living
in this particular age of awakening; we can live and accomplish what
no saints or religious leaders of the past could accomplish. In your
mind new spring has dawned and you are becoming a new, ideal
individual, and establishing a new ideal home, society, nation, and
world, with one main truth interconnecting them all. With one common
base you can build all these levels of perfection, centering upon the
heart of God which will become your heart and your love.
Once you are united to God and His love your personality will become
universal and you will not only be the central point of a family,
society, nation and world, but the central point around which the
entire universe can be harmonized. It is not necessary to go many
different routes to fulfill each level; there is one route and by
uniting with one central point you can realize them all.
The communists say, "We are going to liberate the proletariat and the
poor people." We are going beyond that goal, aiming to liberate the
conscience of all mankind. We are not limited to concern for material
wealth but are concerned for the conscience of man and the love of
God, in which there are no classes.
Even Almighty God forgets Himself
Before you met the Unification Church your goal was nothing abnormal;
in the everyday world it is natural to be focused upon yourself. But
since coming to the Unification Church your goal has completely
changed, focusing not on yourself but upon God and humanity. Of the
two possible ways of life we can live, the selfish way only leads you
down. On the other hand, the more you are unselfish and public-minded
the more you will rise in happiness and prosperity.
Those who say, "I don't care about God or the world, my country, or my
family, only about me," will end up in the dungeon of hell. The person
who truly lives his utmost, investing every ounce of energy for the
sake of God and the sake of humanity, will end up in the highest
possible level of Heaven. Why should the Principle work like that? The
world is created according to that principle and nobody can prosper
apart from it. God Himself does not exist for Himself but solely for
the sake of man; even God forgets Himself.
True parents are those who live solely for the sake of their children.
Truly pious sons and daughters are those who live for the sake of
their parents, forgetting themselves. In any nation the government
must exist solely for the sake of the people and the world, and the
people must live for the prosperity of the nation and mankind. This
same formula applies up to the highest possible level. God lives
solely for the sake of the world and humanity. He does not claim that
His people exist for Him, but instead He lives for them. God is the
ultimate and eternal parent and His children must also live for the
purpose of their Father.
In comparing this to the communist ideology we see that communism is
an evil, false ideology which is trying to destroy both God and
humanity. Communist leaders sometimes test the loyalty of Party
members by requiring that they kill their own father or mother. That
ideology is the total abandonment of God's principle and must be
liquidated. No matter what the communists may boast, the time will
come when their internal division and external problems will move them
slowly but surely to extinction.
America is trying to withdraw from world responsibility when instead
this nation should be willing to sacrificially give itself for the
sake of world salvation. If that became America's national goal then
this nation would not only lead the entire world, but eventually
possess even God. There was a time when the American people were
respected overseas and when American citizenship was a very glorious
thing, but the time is rapidly approaching when people will spit at
anyone calling themselves American.
America should not have become involved in Vietnam without intending
to take full responsibility for any consequences. Millions more people
were killed by America's becoming involved and then abandoning
Vietnam. If America had left that nation alone the Vietnamese would
not have suffered as many deaths after coming under the communist
yoke. Instead, when America withdrew all the people who had trusted
America were lost. All became victims of communist retaliation.
When faced with the responsibility America has assumed in Korea,
politicians are increasingly saying, "We must withdraw our armed
forces from Korea." If this nation fails Korea then not only that
nation but God will react. Americans are thinking, "Oh, we have so
many problems internally that we have to take care of ourselves first
and forget about the outside world for now."
America will never take care of its problems by withdrawing from its
worldwide responsibilities; instead the internal problems will become
more desperate and America will catapult into a rapid decline. If
American young people will stand up by the millions, willing to give
their lives for the sake of the world, then America will have hope.
However, Christianity has failed its mission in this respect.
I am accused of brainwashing because my message is so strong
l came to treat the patient which is America, providing a worldwide
vision for which it can stand up and to which it can give its energy.
No American leader dares to make the statement, "I will act as a
doctor to heal this country." I am not even American but I uttered
that at the Yankee Stadium Rally. At Washington Monument I proclaimed,
"I came to restore the young people, the leaders of tomorrow, back to
God." Nobody else can utter such a clear statement because they have
no conviction. The white people and particularly the religious leaders
of America should be embarrassed that a yellow man from Asia could
challenge the American people with such a dynamic commitment. I am not
making empty statements at all, and the proof is seen by the fact that
I am doing things that no religious leaders in the world have ever
done.
Why am I accused of brainwashing you? Simply because I brought the
message with power so strong as to ignite a heavenly revolution in the
hearts of young people. Such a thing has never been seen before and
thus I am accused of brainwashing. How could I brainwash you if I
never met any of you when you first came to the movement? There are
many members in state centers and on MFTs all over the nation who have
never seen me. How could they be brainwashed without even seeing me?
Many people think I am a dangerous hypnotist, but this is contradicted
by the fact that our members remain dedicated for many years. If I had
the power to hypnotize people without them even seeing me then
wouldn't I have already hypnotized all the 4½ billion people of the
world?
My enemies want to stop me by spreading rumors and vicious
accusations, painting a grotesque picture about the work I am doing. I
do not have to go to 120 countries for this work to grow, for even
without my presence our movement is expanding in those nations. Do you
think a gun or even the atomic bomb could stop our activities in those
120 nations?
The spirit world and physical world have been separate for a long,
long time, ever since the human fall, and now for the first time in
history the two worlds are being linked together again with the
Unification Church acting as a catalyst. I am sure that most of you
here have had some spiritual experiences. Because you can have a
living relationship with God you can continue your dedicated work
under any circumstances. This is the experience of the members of the
Unification Church all over the world.
Why did you come here early this morning? Did you come to gain
something for yourself or did you come to lose something? You came
because you know you can advance spiritually by being here. Here the
power of God's love is manifested in truth. I am not the world's best
orator, but you can recognize truth in my words and in my own being.
It is not flowery words that give inspiration but the living truth
coming into your heart that makes you want to act.
The Unification Church's mission is to build the Kingdom of God by
going to the very bottom of human misery and building the highway up
from there, both up through the whole physical world and the spirit
world as well, all the way to the throne of God. We will not end at
the throne of God but will march proudly toward the heart of God, for
our ultimate destination is the heart of God's love.
Do you think that the joy and ecstatic excitement of being entirely
absorbed into God's love is far superior or far inferior to the
experiences of drug users? Compared to the love of God, the love the
world offers is very cheap and shallow. When you become the kind of
person who completely forgets himself in giving for the sake of God
and humanity, all of spirit world is yours. You will have complete
freedom to go anywhere and will be honored as princes and princesses
of God. Even the love of a married couple in this world is nothing in
comparison to the experience of the love of God.
The love of God is electric and there is nothing it cannot melt and
absorb. When the love of God unites two into one there is no way those
two will ever be separated. If there had been no fall then your lives
would have been charged with the electric love of God. Your mind and
body would have been completely one and the entire universe would have
been ignited by your ecstatic joy and intoxicated in your happiness.
Since I know that world of love as a reality, neither persecution nor
even death can sway me. Your opportunity to live on earth is at most
70 to 100 years, but it is important that in that time your body and
mind are united into one and you experience the love of God.
God's idea is to swap lives with man
Man and God have a mutual goal: It is God's goal to become completely
one with perfected man and to manifest Himself in man here on earth,
and at the same time man is working to elevate himself to be one with
God. In a sense man and God are striving to swap positions with each
other. We all have the ambition and desire to become the kind of
person who can influence the entire world. God is already in the
position to have dominion over the world, so He wants to come down and
live side by side with man. Man is seeking God's position and God is
seeking man's position.
Why did God create Adam and Eve? God wanted to manifest Himself as a
living person on earth. Why does man desire to unite with God? Man
would like to become one with God and enjoy His position. After they
become one, everywhere you go you will find God; when you are on earth
God is there and when you go to spirit world God is there. Right now
God is only in heaven and man is only on earth, but when they are one
in love God will be everywhere.
The power of God is descending, seeking to dwell with men, while we
are striving to meet God and become His dwelling place. When you live
completely in communion with God on every level then God will be able
to completely embrace you. God's idea was to swap lives with man, with
His life being for each man, and each man's life being for God. If you
demand that your partner love you, trying only to receive instead of
give, then there will be separation. The universal principle calls for
you to exist for others. This is the only way for two to become one
and there the ideal will blossom for eternity.
The wise man is the one who understands the universal truth of living
for others. Actually the existence of the entire creation is already
centered on serving something else. The mineral world exists for the
plant world and the plant world exists for the animal world, which in
turn exists for the human world. V,/hen you eat meat you are actually
being fed at the sacrifice of something else. Then do we exist for
ourselves? No, we exist for God and God exists for us. When we swap
positions joy is generated. That is the formula of the universe.
God created everything to exist for something else. Logically then we
were never created to exist for just ourselves. The theory of
evolution claims that inevitably the weaker become the prey of the
stronger. The shark, for example, eats smaller fish for food. This
fact was not invented by the scientists, but is God's principle at
work. Man's physical life is also a reflection of this principle; man
is nourished by all the things of creation. They were given for that
purpose by God. However, the only way you are justified in eating
those plants and animals is by living for the joy and service of God
and the universe.
God Himself lives for His children and the universe. Even Almighty God
puts Himself in the position of sacrifice, giving Himself for you, for
humanity, and for the sake of the world. If you in turn do not want to
live for God and humanity then you have no right to eat the things of
God's creation. How can you ever complain about being object to the
same principle?
The most beautiful thing about this rule is that it does not result in
your decline. God will give you the best of all blessings under the
sun when you live for Him and for humanity. If beef on the table had a
mouth, it would say, "I wish to be eaten by a man of God. I want to
become part of God's flesh." When a God-centered man eats that meat it
becomes that man's flesh, and since man's body belongs to God that
beef can be very happy in fulfilling its purpose of creation.
Fruit and vegetables as well wish to fulfill their lives by becoming
part of God's flesh. Even clothes wish to be possessed by a truly holy
man in order to serve God's purpose. God created all these for the
purpose of God-centered man and only saintly men have the right to use
them. All things of creation want to share the love of God by becoming
part of the flesh of God-centered people. They will actually ask you
to eat them when you become men and women of God.
If you understand this basic principle of creation, you understand how
all things of creation feel. Those who feel it is vicious for the
stronger to eat the weaker do not understand God's point of view. Just
as those plants and animals want to become a part of God, so we want
to plunge into the heart of God.
If you feel a sense of service to God then when you eat breakfast,
lunch and dinner you will never have stomach trouble. However, when
you eat food with an ungodly mind the food will demonstrate inside of
you, "No, I don't want to become that person's flesh and blood."
If you really become sons and daughters of God and look at all the
things of creation from God's point of view then you can hear the
music of your surroundings and share in the happiness of the food
which you are about to eat. Unless you become the embodiment of the
love of God then in spirit world you have no right to even look at
nature or to enjoy food. In hell in the spirit world you will have no
right to eat and even though you hear of certain places that are very
beautiful and glorious, you will not be free to go there.
Our human destiny is to harmonize with the love of God, plunging into
His heart to become a part of Him and to enjoy the universe from His
point of view as His representative. That is the ideal of creation
that God originally intended to fulfill. The love you will receive in
heaven will be as much as the love you have felt for this world,
humanity and God while on earth. You will not be able to receive even
one iota more or less. This is the law of cause and effect and God's
justice is absolutely carried out in that respect.
The higher realms of spirit world are reserved for those who gave
their lives in service to others. Those who live here on earth with a
self-centered way of life, regardless of their positions as noted
religious or world leaders, will end up in the lowest realms of hell.
Our goal in the Unification Church is to serve, even to the point of
liberating the communist world. We are not trying to destroy the
communists, but to free them through our service.
If the communists ever seize us they will first of all kill our
members. In contrast, if we gain power over them we will make them our
brothers and sisters. Which ideology is stronger and is destined to
win eventually? Our positive ideology must be stronger even than
communism. When your passion and zeal to serve the world is stronger
than the communists' conviction, you shall not only save this world
and liberate the communists but you shall be entitled to live in the
Kingdom of God.
Distance between us does not matter
Are you preparing to enter the Kingdom of God? Will you continue
preparing just today or tomorrow, or for ten years or a hundred years?
You are like a wild olive tree and must be grafted into the true olive
tree. Has this process been completed in your lives?
Have you seen me in your dreams or in visions? Unification Church
members all over the world are experiencing the same thing, some
seeing me all the time; sometimes they even walk with me on the
mountains of Africa or in South America. Distance does not make any
difference in this case. Some of you are probably experiencing such
mysterious, unprecedented phenomena. This will not be just a passing
thing but will become more frequent and widespread.
Before the fail, God spoke to Adam and Eve directly and walked beside
them. In a parallel way if you are spiritually sensitive then as you
mature I will be involved more and more directly in your life through
visions and dreams. The person who willingly accepts my directions
with obedience and enthusiasm will experience great spiritual
accomplishment sooner.
If a person seriously pledges, "Father, give me the worst mission you
have, the worst problem and I will solve it," then spirit world will
intervene to give him the power and wisdom to fulfill. If any person
has the kind of commitment to volunteer for such a task then he will
never be alone. Even if you plunge into the communist world and go to
liberate the millions of suffering people there, with the willingness
to give up even your life, then spirit world will intervene and help
show you the way to save some of those lives.
Whenever I was in prison God intervened to give me guidance. I have
experienced communist prisons in North Korea, prisons under the
Japanese and prisons in South Korea, but even when I faced the worst
circumstances, God's intervention came immediately.
The supreme power of God does not manifest itself in a palace or from
a gorgeous throne but always at the bottom of human misery, where
blood and sweat are shed and where cries of anguish are heard. That is
the place where the love of God is manifested in a supreme form.
Though I did not preach even one word during my prison terms, the
spirit world testified to me and most loyal disciples joined with me
there, people who were willing to die for me. If I had been a
desperate criminal I could have ganged up with those followers and
escaped, but I never did.
I experienced God's intervention in the worst possible situations.
Food is absolutely precious in a prison camp because there is never
enough food given for the prisoners to survive, just some barley and
salty water. Sometimes one of my disciples would receive spiritual
instructions to hide the rice cakes which had been brought to him by a
visitor. Of course he was hungry to the point of starvation and wanted
to eat them himself, but instead he would bring it to me, whispering,
"Won't you share this little piece with me? Hide it here." You cannot
imagine how this was a precious, precious gesture and true expression
of love. Truly they risked their lives in such acts as this, and I
have never forgotten each of those moments.
Although we were kept in separate cells, my followers had dreams of
what I was doing and what my status was, and I also knew what they
were doing and thinking. More than once they said, "Let me die in your
place." I too was willing to lay down my life for their safety and
well-being.
You have not gone that far yet; instead your thinking is, "I've been
here in the Unification Church for three years and I've done nothing
but suffer." However long you have been here does not make any
difference; what matters is where your heart lies and whether you are
still fervent in elevating your maturity of heart centered upon God.
No matter what happens to me, if everything I have done is stripped
away, or if one morning I become a leper, I still have value and
cannot give up this way of life. If you also feel that to the depths
of your heart then for the first time you are really entitled to the
highest heaven.
We have more difficulties ahead. Blessed are those who continue
steadfastly on this road with appreciation and a grateful heart. They
will end up at the final goal. Because there is still so much distance
to cover, the faith of many members will crumble in complaint and the
desire for reward, even after only one or two years. Those people
cannot be rewarded. If you are that way you will never be together
with me in spirit world. Even though I would like you to be with me,
without having the right heart we will be separated by a great
distance. Whether you believe this or not is up to you; soon enough
you will experience the truth in spirit world.
If you believe me then you must want to put that faith into action.
You will never regret it. Even though you may be alone you can always
have communion and companionship with God and live in anticipation of
communicating with me in visions or dreams. As you prepare to go out
witnessing you can anticipate unforgettable experiences. You never
know when the opportunity for great blessing will come, so you must go
on until it arrives. At the moment you get discouraged I may be but
the next step ahead of you. Always press on with that expectation.
Do not ever think about whether you feel hungry or count how many
hours you slept. Forget it! When you forget the earthly things then
spirit world will feed you, and even if your forget to eat you will
not be hungry. When spirit world intervenes, though you may run and
run, you will feel as light as a bird. When you feel this joy of
assistance from spirit world you will not even want to live in this
clumsy earthly world. Nevertheless, God needs you here because His
work is to be done on earth. Also He wants you to have a spouse and
children. That is why God does not want you to enjoy spirit world too
much but rather wants you to wait until your lime is finished on
earth.
You must keep your purity and give your heart to God first
One of the important qualifications to enter the Kingdom of Heaven is
that of creating your family. The love of husband and wife and the
love between parents and children is essential to this physical life.
That is why Heavenly Father wants you to have your focus here on
earth, although the cooperation of the spirit world is essential.
Once you know the spirit world's standard of justice, you will be
serious about maintaining harmony within your family. A husband and
wife must seriously repent for their quarrels, even over a period of
several months if necessary. Disunity between parents and children is
also serious.
I would like to train you and leave you with the standard of
spiritually perfected people. Can your own parents or your college
professors train you that way? Your natural parents and professors
cannot take responsibility for your eternal life, though I am doing
it. No one else can take up the responsibility which I am fulfilling
for you. I am coming into your life through dreams and visions to
elevate your spirituality.
After coming into the Unification Church your understanding of God's
heart and the intervention of spirit world may come quickly, but you
do not realize the value of what you receive. Behind the grace given
you is the sacrifice of the saints and holy men of history. You are
reaping the fruits of their suffering, standing upon the priceless
foundation they have laid.
Spirit world has not yet seen perfection, but because life in the
flesh is in the subject position, perfection of both the physical and
spirit worlds must be accomplished by work in the physical world. The
flesh is most important and precious. While you have your body you
have to invest it properly, and it is your heart which will consummate
the purpose of your body; through your heart you will fulfill
individual, family, national and world perfection.
You single people must keep your purity and give your heart to God
first. Those who have committed earthly sins such as lustful acts need
to repent and work out the entanglements of your life. You will be
forgiven if you repent and forever leave behind those ideas; only as a
purified person can you be admitted to the Kingdom of God. Without
purification you are incapable of receiving God's pure love. God's
intention was for you to first taste His pure love, but this world has
been a place of illicit and unprincipled love. Even so, there is no
excuse for losing individual purity. In God's sight fallen men are
dirty, impure creatures who have lost the qualification to come before
Him.
Upon entering the Unification Church you should have begun this
cleansing process, completely dropping all connections to your past
illicit relationships. Your concentration on God should become so
intense that you even forget the names of those you were involved
with. One serious condition for your blessing is that you restore
yourself in purity before God.
You must bring yourself into a new realm of life in which you love God
more intensely than your feeling of any past earthly love. To be
acknowledged as a child of God your first love must be given to Him
and to the True Parents. The illicit, impure love of the fallen world
will not be accepted. You have a lot to forget and to cleanse. As
members of the Unification Church you must not think about who you
might marry. You will never reach the level of sons and daughters of
God with such thinking, but only leave a hook by which Satan can snag
you at any time. Your love should be connected to God and to the True
Parents, being innocent, genuine and pure like Adam and Eve's before
their fall.
Once you have purified yourself to that degree then the entire spirit
world will open to you and unification between the spirit and physical
worlds can take place through your being. That is the Principle. The
wisest way for you to go in the Unification Church is to become a
person who is single-mindedly focused on one goal, not looking from
side to side. Only then can you take up the worst possible sacrifice
and accomplish the most difficult task. God will accept that person
first.
In San Francisco there was one blessed Korean woman whose husband
passed away. When she came to America I gave her the most difficult
task of working in a restaurant so that she would not have a moment to
think about her grief. Recently she said to me, "Thank you for giving
me this task; I have had to concentrate on this task so hard that
there has not been a moment to think about anything else."
Idle time without purpose is your enemy
Idle time or time having no purpose is your enemy because that is when
your thoughts usually become self-centered. If you look back in your
life then you know how true this is. I do not allow myself an idle
moment but schedule my time in such a way that my whole attention is
needed at every moment right where I am.
Take up the greatest possible responsibility and work yourself the
hardest; then God will be free to accept you. In the morning get up
early and stay out all day long; then come back and have supper and
pray and sleep like a log. The person living such a life is the
happiest person because he can cover the longest distance in the
shortest possible time. Always push yourself and also ask God to push
you. Once you deeply realize your situation in world restoration and
feel the urgency of God, no power can bring you down. Recently many
brothers and sisters have been vacillating back and forth, wasting too
much time in idle moments and purposely wandering about. You must be
straight and single-minded, directing yourself in such a way that all
your time is given to God, True Parents and your mission.
This is why my message is concentrated on the spirit world and
physical world. Unless you are earnestly pursuing that level of
perfection and accomplishment, you don't deserve to be blessed. When
you truly experience the world of God's love you will feel, using an
American expression, like you are on Cloud 9. Then the next morning
you will come back to the world of reality and the physical world will
seem absolutely strange to you. You might have an even more extreme
experience of being embraced in the heart of God and then coming back
to yourself. Seeing your family's faces you will think "Is she my
wife? Where did these children come from?" It is possible to forget
everything when you are living so single-mindedly in God's world.
No matter how much a couple loves each other, when one of them
precedes the other into a higher realm of spirit world, do you think
he misses his spouse still in the physical world? Being intoxicated
every moment of his life in spirit world, he will be constantly
looking up to still higher progression and spiritual accomplishment.
To those in spirit world the physical world is very clumsy and awkward
and they have no desire to linger here.
You older sisters who are still single, do not speculate and wonder
about your own blessing; if you are truly able to forget it amidst
your work then the blessing will come sooner to you. Concentrate on
your spiritual maturity. You clumsy brothers who are over 25 raise
your hands. You must purify yourselves; you have a much more urgent
mission for which you must intensify your way of life. From the point
of view of the spirit world many of you are not yet human beings. When
you came into the Unification Church you came into a new world and you
must forget the world that you came from.
I am always concerned about how I can guide you young people so that
you aren't always losing your single-minded sense of purpose. In order
to attain the highest possible heaven you need to strive for purity
and perfection. Do you want to go over that hill quickly? That is why
I push you out to do the hardest possible missions, in which you must
fight and battle uphill against great odds. Satan loves to see you in
an agony of confusion, but when you are joyful even in the midst of
suffering the worst kind of tribulation Satan has no power over you.
In the communist prison I was tortured and beaten and was at the point
of dying from losing so much blood. When the prison guards threw my
body out of the prison my disciples started to make preparations for
my funeral because they thought I had died. Even under those
circumstances my spirit was never defeated. My prayer to God was,
"Father, don't worry. I will never be a weak person. I shall never be
defeated by my suffering. I am concerned only for Your heart and I
want to comfort You. Don't worry about Your son."
I never prayed from weakness to beg God's help; I never said, "I'll
die unless You come to help me." I want to go over every difficulty
with confidence and show Heavenly Father that He has no further cause
for concern or misery or sorrow. My philosophy is to reduce the sorrow
and pain in the heart of God, not to add to it or burden Him further.
In your life also there will be a crossing point between good and evil
which you must go over. You must become the embodiment of God's love;
otherwise you will never be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Your
eyes must be focused upon the one single-minded goal of becoming the
embodiment of God's love. Because we have been living in the age of
indemnity the course has gone up and down, but from this time on you
must single-mindedly focus your attention and go up. We have come to
the end of fluctuation.
You can do the same and even greater works than 1. Since we know
things that other people do not know we can do extraordinary things,
performing miracles. I have the same kind of body you do, with two
hands and ten fingers. I am putting my life on the front line all the
time. The mission I am fulfilling has never been comfortable or even
safe. There have been many threats on my life, and without God's
protection I would have been killed a long time ago.
Because I know that God's protection is everywhere, I go anywhere with
faith that God's power will defeat an assassin's purpose. I have
already seen occasions when this happened. One time a person was ready
to kill me when suddenly he dropped dead. With danger always around I
always live my life on the brink.
When you can love someone at the risk of your life, your love is then
true love. The American people are deeply indebted to me because I
have been giving my whole-hearted attention and love to the American
people at the constant risk of my life. In the same way the entire
spirit world is indebted to me.
God will bring the victory, no one else. The blessing is wonderful but
you can ask for your blessing only after God's heart has been
comforted. Until then your point of view should be, "God, please push
me out all the way until we attain Your goal."
There are many things about God and the dispensation which I did not
tell you before, but now I can tell you the truth very plainly.
However, you must act accordingly. What I am telling you this morning
is not theory but the eternal truth. You must forget the ways of the
old world from which you came and become a single-minded person
centered on God's purpose. Since you had previously forgotten God and
devoted yourself to the world, you must now forget the world and
devote yourself to God. It is the road of restoration. As a person who
has not yet reached the goal you must humbly accept the fact that you
are far from perfection.
To indemnity the past, give your deepest love to God
Those who have experienced the love of someone in the fallen world
must indemnity this by giving a more intense love than you gave before
in your witnessing and fund raising. Without changing yourself you
will not be admitted into the Kingdom of God and His world of love.
Your love will be tested and then you can demonstrate that you love
God and the True Parents with all your heart and soul. That love
should exceed all your past experiences.
Have you ever experienced a longing for True Parents so great that you
could not sleep, but went outside and watched the moon rising and the
stars shining? In the everyday world people sometimes can't sleep for
longing to be with their fiancé or their family, but they go outside
and shed tears in the dark of night. Your change in heart must be
brought to the point that you long for God and the True Parents even
more. That is the Principle and the fastest means by which you can
obtain the Kingdom of God eternally. The person will be blessed who
can give his first love to God and to the True Parents. God wants to
give tremendous glory to those who offer their most precious love for
His sake.
Unless the intensity of your love for God is stronger than all your
past love experiences, Satan will always be able to hook you and
always you will have that one condition for Satan to claim. God is not
free to give you unconditional love and blessing until you liquidate
all conditions for the accusation of Satan. Do you think that is
right? You know this truth now. Once you die and give up your body it
will be too late to change easily; to make progress in spirit world
requires millenniums. You young people have something worthwhile to
live for now.
The standard of truth I am giving you this morning is a very, very
difficult standard for the average stained young people of America to
be challenged with. In this sense the background of Oriental young
people is much better. In the East genuine purity has been strictly
upheld so those people have a much greater chance to give their first
love to God. In the Western world your first love is often given
cheaply among yourselves, and what you call "experience" is what kills
true love. Pure love is like unstained linen, but stained love is like
linen with big ugly marks that are most difficult to wash out. You
have to wash away all the memories of the past from your mind.
Today's American society has lost the value of true marriage and many
babies are born out of wedlock. Society is in confusion. However, God
can even utilize this situation because in trying to change and go the
heavenly way people may more easily forget such relationships and go
the way God has called.
Degradation and decline can be seen everywhere; the world is
crumbling, but through it all God has a certain purpose. It is very
logical that the spirit world and physical world shall be united
centering upon the genuine pure love of God. That is the one thing
that can speak loudly in both worlds; nothing will work in either
world except through the pure love of God. Unity with God's love is
the most basic and fundamental means by which everything will be
restored. Without this one basic element, no matter how much effort is
made nothing will be accomplished.
When you are lonely then you can feel closer to God's lonely position
and you can more easily forget this lonely world and come toward a
single-minded devotion to God. God's goal is to make a personal
relationship with you. When you are in the direct dominion of God He
directly intervenes in your life.
You are entitled to know what kind of heaven awaits you; I am not
talking about a fantasy world but a more real world than man has ever
yet experienced. Let us experience and live that Kingdom of God on
earth. After that, the Kingdom of God in heaven shall be open to you
automatically as an extraordinary reward. Shall we build it or not?
God bless you. Let us pray.
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