God's Will and the World
Rev. Sun Myung Moon
Defense of the Unified Front
January 1, 1972
Washington, D.C.
his year's
motto is "Defense of the Unified Front." I feel honored to come to the
United States and welcome the New Year and God's Day.
Last year, the motto was "The Security of the Foundation of Unification." We
worked hard for one year with this motto, and we have accomplished many
things and received much blessing from God.
The democratic world is currently facing a very critical time. We know
very well that it is threatened by communism. Not only the United States,
but all of the democratic world — Asia, Western Europe, all nations,
organizations and churches — are threatened by this ideology.
The free world is standing on the front line in order to carry out its
external responsibility to defeat communism. However, if it becomes threatened
and cannot fulfill its mission, those who bear the internal mission will have
to fulfill the external one as well. In the democratic world, among the many
religions, Christianity must be the choice to fulfill this internal mission.
But if we ask whether present day Christians have a thought system capable
of overcoming the communist system, and are devoting themselves fully to help
society and world, the answer is disappointing. If established Christianity
cannot fulfill this mission, then another religious movement must rise up which
can. This is, of course, the Unification movement. We have a responsibility
to shield Christianity and all religions from the threat of communism.
So far, the Unification Church has been developing foundations in
order to help Christianity and the democratic world cope with the communist
world. Looking at the present situation from God's point of view, this unified
front is clearly the final frontline force upon which God can rely, on the
world level. Therefore, we have to defend this unified front not just for
the sake of any one church but in order to take responsibility for saving
all of Christianity, religion, and the entire democratic world. This is why
our motto this year is "Defense of the Unified Front."
God's will is our priority
xternally
speaking, our mission is for the world. We also have an internal providential
world level mission. The Principle does not allow us to accomplish just one
part of the whole; achieving the internal victory is not enough; we must
complete the external victory as well.
Then, which is more important — internal things or external things?
We should attach more importance to the internal things, since internal
issues are for the sake of God, while external issues are for the sake of
man. God's will takes priority.
God's will is for progress to begin with an individual who becomes one with
God, and continue with a family who unites internally with that individual. It
continues with a clan that is one internally with the family, a tribe that is
one with the clan, and eventually a nation that is one with the tribe or race.
In all past ages, the goal of the dispensation has been to find
the completely God-centered nation. Someone who can fulfill his total
responsibility would also be capable of mobilizing a nation. Hence, for 4,000
biblical years God prepared for a truly responsible person who could become
one with Him internally, and then take responsibility for a family, clan,
tribe and nation. Jesus Christ came as the central person who could take on
this responsibility on the foundation of God's hard work throughout the 4,000
years. However, the nation of Israel did not believe in Jesus and had him
killed. Jesus passed away without creating an earthly victorious foundation
on the individual, family, clan, tribal or national levels. The nation of
Israel was left without any way to become one with God internally. Only
those who believed in Jesus could approach God's heart. So, the history of
restoration was prolonged for another 2,000 years.
Today the Unification Church is the most internal movement within the
sphere of Christianity, which in turn is the innermost sphere among the many
external spheres of the democratic world. Now God's will is to consummate
this 2,000 year providence, centering upon the sphere of the Unification
Church. Therefore, we need to consider what the problem was 2,000 years ago.
Jesus lacked protection
t
that time, Jesus was not protected on the individual level as God had
willed. Therefore, he could not establish the earthly foundation on the
individual level. Furthermore, their clans did not protect Joseph's family
and Zechariah's family, which were supposed to have stood up with Jesus,
and their tribes did not protect the clans.
We can understand that we cannot fulfill God's will until we resurrect the
foundation lost when Jesus was not protected by family, clan, tribe, race and
nation. Today, we must protect the Lord of the Second Advent on the individual
level with our families, our families must be protected by our clans, and
our clans must be protected by our whole movement, representing our tribe
or race. Without strengthening these foundations, we cannot fulfill God's will.
So we must create the individual foundation to which heaven can give
its official approval Externally then, we must shield that individual by
creating a family foundation, shield the family with a clan foundation,
shield the clan with a racial or tribal foundation, and shield the race with
a national foundation. We have been fighting steadfastly so far in order to
attain all of these levels. Our goal is to form new clans centering upon the
new internal relationships, and we are forming a new race that is marching
toward a new nation.
Each of you stands on the borderline between God and Satan and must
shield those who are standing on God's side by gaining decisive victories
over Satan's worst attacks. For example, you should stand in a worse position
than Peter, James or John and maintain the authority by which you can defeat
Satan. Otherwise, God cannot protect you.
In the time of Jesus, Joseph's and Zechariah's families were in a position
to fight the satanic world and gain the victory, thus forming a shield for
Jesus' family. However, they did not do so. Jesus could not create his own
family and instead went to the cross. We all know this very well. Therefore,
in your own family, you must create the foundation to protect the family of
the Lord.
The lower or smaller position needs to be saved by the next higher
position. In order to protect Jesus' clan, the families around him had to
gain a victory in the racial or tribal sphere, and stand on that victorious
foundation. Therefore, Jesus' family could have been saved or shielded by
Jesus' relatives or clan, the clan by the race or tribe, and the tribe by
the nation.
You must shield me
p until
now, no one in the established churches or in the democratic world has ever
thought about such things. Therefore, you who know these things now have the
responsibility to create these foundations. You have been gathered here not
for the sake of your own salvation or your place in the Heavenly Kingdom,
but in order to protect the Lord individually. This is God's desire.
In the providence of restoration, Cain and Abel must become one, not
only on the individual level but on the family level, too. Each of their
families must be connected to one another and become like boards in a fence,
joined together to protect something precious.
Likewise the Unification Church must shield the families of the church,
and these Unification families must shield all families, becoming perfectly
unified. Then we will be beyond the reach of Satan's accusation and will
have the foundation upon which God can make a new plan and give us a new
source of power and motivation.
The nation of Israel did not protect Jesus. When a nation takes
responsibility to shield us, as Unification clans, that nation can be restored
as the new Israel.
Why did we choose the motto "Defense of the Unified Front" for 1972?
It is because this is a year of overcoming. Until now my history has been
a struggle in order to protect you, your family, your clan, your tribe
and your nation. But it should not continue this way forever. So far, I
have been working on the clan and national levels. From now on, however,
you must shield me in order to do God's will. You must take on a bigger
responsibility and work on the world level.
So far you have just been following me. Now, that is not enough. You can
continue to follow, but I can only take my proper position when you take
a position of active service. Until now, I have not had my proper position
as an individual. My family is in the same situation. If my family can take
their proper position, then blessed families can take their proper respective
positions. After that, a blessed clan can take its proper position. If the
foundation is enlarged enough to establish one nation, other nations in
the world will be restored in a short time. So you as individuals face a
challenge. Can you inherit my mission and fulfill its responsibility?
Protecting our church
have been
receiving persecution from the nation. However, you must determine to receive
persecution from even the world. If you do so, the nation can stand within
the sphere of that protection. If I have any problem and receive persecution,
you have the responsibility to defend and shield me.
When there is a religious body which can shield the entire Unification
Church membership externally, the Unification Church will be able to
stand properly. If a nation can shield this religious body surrounding the
Unification Church, this religious body as well will be in a position to reach
perfection. If other nations take responsibility to shield the nation which
shields the religious body, those nations can stand on a secure basis. Then
the restoration of the world can be accomplished in a short time.
If God's center is protected on the individual, family, clan, racial,
and national levels — all in one nation — then there will
be no big problems.
When Cain and Abel on each level unite, restoration will be
accomplished. This means that Cain and Abel on the individual level, Cain and
Abel on the family level, Cain and Abel on the clan level, Cain and Abel on
the racial level, Cain and Abel on the national level all must become united
upon the one center.
Enlarging our foundation
owever, what
is the situation of the Unification Church? We have received opposition from
nations, from Christian churches, from families, from everyone. The blessed
families and blessed clans are actively supporting me at the center. By
doing so, we have been growing gradually. Now in Korea, the Unification
Church is the Abel church and the established churches collectively are the
Cain church. We are beginning to negotiate with them and are also entering
a stage to negotiate with the nation.
It is possible that established churches will not believe us. Therefore, we
are forming a union church, which is an intermediate stage. This organization
was made possible by the cooperation among Korea, Japan and Taiwan. It must
become one with the established churches, creating an Abel sphere centered
upon the nation.
After this year, I must initiate an encircling, protective operation
in the United States to save Korean Christianity. Since Korea is directly
influenced by the United States, if the American people follow us to a certain
extent within the United States, there is a good possibility that Korea will
change favorably. I can see a direct possibility for it to happen. However,
it is possible that American churches may not respond to us. So, I am going
to create a group on the worldwide level.
The dispensation does not advance by keeping silent and sitting on
chairs. When the time is right we must create a defense line and deal with
Satan. Development can be accomplished by making bridges, so we need to enlarge
our foundation for protecting ourselves and marching forward. Otherwise,
the dispensation of restoration cannot advance.
We cannot perish. We must accomplish that which Jesus left uncompleted.
You would be happy if I came to the United States and worked with you
hand in hand. But I cannot do that because we must enlarge our foundation,
step by step. We must create an individual foundation, family foundation,
clan foundation, tribal foundation and national foundation. Then, upon this
basis, we can create a world foundation. Therefore, I cannot come to the
United States until we create a national foundation.
If I stay here in the United States and Korea is totally destroyed,
what will happen? Please understand that up until now, I had to focus only
on Korean problems.
You are staying in the United States, but you are not only members of the
Unification Church of America; you are also part of a larger clan. From the
dispensational point of view, when you work for the restoration of one nation,
you must do your very best to protect it.
You understand that you had to create evangelical work in all 50 states
and to restore the United States and the world as soon as possible. In order
to restore the world we must restore the nation. This is the Principle.
Whoever tries to restore the world must inevitably go through this
course. The basis of the world is the nation; unless you grasp the very
center — the nation — you will be destroyed by the world. So,
what do we have to do? In order to restore the world through 50 states,
we must bring the result of victory through our foundation to the national
level of restoration, and we must create the path upon which we can go to
the world. This is very important.
Cain protects Abel
he core
position is a trinity centered upon my family. The family needs a clan
centered on it, but one family is not sufficient by itself. Both an Abel
family and a Cain family are necessary. When they become one, they can
restore a clan. Cain's family cannot restore its clan alone. Restoration
requires Cain and Abel becoming one. Then it can proceed to the clan, racial,
and national levels. We must become one and must march forward together for
our mutual protection.
So we create our foundation for our protection. That means we must become
one, completely one. For example, the relationship between Abel and Cain is
like that between bone and flesh. The bone should not be hit directly. Jesus'
body was beaten, but his bones were not broken. If his bones had been broken,
everything would have been shattered.
We must totally unite in order to create a world level foundation within 20
years; we need a World Mission Department for the world. We need to restore
our own nation so we can save the world. I want you to clearly understand
that the goal of all our activities is unity. We are not trying to save a
country, Korea. We are trying to restore God's Kingdom. Korea is the nation
where I was born, but it is not my own country. We are still fighting.
Assume the parent's responsibility
o far I
have been fighting alone within the context of the family. But it is now
the completion stage, the age of the children attending the parents. The
parents have been working untiringly, and your protection is so precious
to them. You cannot protect your parents unless you take over the things
which they are doing, and assume their responsibility. This same principle
applies in the Unification Church. Cain's family exists for the sake of
Abel's family, Cain's clan for Abel's clan, Cain's race for Abel's race,
and Cain's nation for Abel's nation.
Only this type of thinking can create a protective sphere. When difficulties
arise, you must take total responsibility for them. The nation of Israel
perished after Jesus' death because their thinking was opposite to his. They
expected a Messiah to solve everything for them when he came, even if they
themselves did nothing.
For example, it is a big mistake if our blessed families think that they
can go somewhere and live a good life. You received the Blessing to shield
Abel's position, namely, my family. Families in America should not accuse
Korean families. You must feel responsible to stand on one line with them and
work with them. That way you can become one with the Korean families. Don't
isolate yourselves from each other, doing as you please. Some day we will
build apartment complexes where families from 120 nations will live together
and learn a cooperative way of life.
From now on, blessed families must become one. The 1972 motto, "Defense
of the Unified Front," indicates that this is the historical perspective of
our church.
In Korea, we must build houses and churches, and an international training
center. I have vast plans, to be carried out in Korea, but I am thinking
of bringing these plans to the United States, and carrying them out here,
even though they were originally meant for Korea. I am planning also to
found a theological seminary.
These plans will cost money. If we send money over there, are you confident
that you will not become poor? When such a need arises, we must totally unite
and determine to fulfill what is needed several times over by our own hands.
Follow a straight course
estoration
must maintain a straight course. If a plant grows straight, then the branches
will be balanced in all directions. If the stem is curved, everything becomes
unbalanced. Concentrate on how to grow straight. I am most concerned about
this point. There is no use for branches unless they grow straight. One
thing I don't worry about is whether you have the necessary materials to
develop a proper standard and direction.
In conclusion, "Defense of the Unified Front" means this. When people
on the outside take responsibility to stabilize the inside, the inside is
secure. Therefore, all members in the entire nation must become one and work
together for the sake of the center. In this way, the Heavenly Kingdom is
established as this sphere expands from the individual on the world level,
to the clan on the world level, and then to the race on the world level.
It is impossible to create this kind of ideal Heavenly Kingdom unless
we create both the fundamental, philosophical foundation and the living
foundation upon which we can defend this unified front. Realizing that you
will have to do this kind of mission from 1972 on, I set this year's motto as
"Defense of the Unified Front."
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