God's Will and the World
Rev. Sun Myung Moon
God's Preparation for Our Church, and Its Early Days
May 1, 1977
Tarrytown, New York
he Unification Church was formally established in 1954; however,
prior to the founding of our church a most incredible series of events
took place to lay the necessary foundation. I want you to understand
that God had been working for this new dispensation for approximately
40 years prior to World War II, fulfilling His promises to the Korean
people for the forthcoming great event of the new age.
Through the Principle you know that God has been working to fulfill
His will by having His vertical dispensation indemnified horizontally.
This morning I would like to reveal some of the extraordinary works of
God in connection with our church's founding.
According to the Principle, the history of God's providence is
developed on three different levels: the dispensations centering on
God Himself, centering on the angelic world, and centering on man. The
Old Testament era is the period during which God Himself worked
directly in the forefront; in preparing the foundation for the future
dispensation God was revealing the pattern of restoration. The New
Testament era is equivalent to the work of the angelic world because
salvation could be achieved only spiritually. The Completed Testament
era, or time of the Second Advent, is the era in which people on the
earth assume the major responsibility. Therefore, in order to
consummate human history one nation must be found whose history
encapsulates the entire vertical history of God.
Abraham made three types of offerings to God on his altar: a dove and
pigeon, a she-goat and ram, and a heifer. The intriguing part of
Abraham's offering was that there were two animals representing the
growth stage, but only one animal representing the perfection stage;
this indicated that perfection was yet to come. Korea was chosen as
the stage for the fulfillment of the last chapter of human history in
God's dispensation, and consequently Abraham's offering had to be
physically and spiritually manifested on the horizontal level in
Korea. The work of God Himself, or the equivalent of the Old Testament
era, plus the work of Jesus and the Holy Spirit together in the New
Testament era, all had to be manifested in that land in order to
fulfill the final chapter of human history. The foundation for those
events had to be laid physically here on earth.
Eve's role in restoration
he ultimate goal of God is to find one perfected Adam, but that Adam
cannot come into being unless an Eve is found through whom he can be
perfected. In other words, even though Adam might be appointed by God,
he could never entirely fulfill his responsibility alone. In the
Garden of Eden, Eve was responsible for initiating the fall of man;
therefore, unless an Eve can be found who can indemnify the fall in
the Garden of Eden, Adam would have no way to assume the supreme
position of perfection.
Eve also had no way to reach perfection without Adam. In order to
reach her perfection, Eve must either create Adam, meet Adam, or give
birth to Adam. At the time of Jesus Christ, the role of John the
Baptist was similar to the bride's role, and through the fulfillment
of his mission the perfected Jesus was to truly stand as the Messiah.
These events of 2,000 years ago occurred on the national level, but
the coming of the Second Advent will take place on the universal
level, and Eve must take the role of John the Baptist in bringing
perfected Adam to the world.
The dispensation of restoration does not begin at the highest position
in heaven, but must always start from the lowest possible human
situation. Why is that? Ultimately Adam is solely responsible to bring
God back to this world and bring mankind back to God. As the man who
is responsible for all mankind, Adam should begin his journey at the
very bottom of hell and pass through every kind of human life and
environment on his way to the throne of God. In this way he can
embrace all of mankind in the bosom of salvation. Furthermore, the
Lord who is coming for that mission must ultimately serve Eve. He must
come all the way up from the bottom of hell and perfect himself, then
meet her and serve her almost as devotedly as he serves God.
Women have many qualifications, but the most precious title a woman
can have is that of mother. Adam must serve Eve even more than he
would serve his own mother. Another precious title that a woman can
win is that of a bride, or wife, and apart from her family the
greatest responsibility and glory that a woman can assume is that of
empress or queen of the Kingdom of God. When someone asks a woman,
"Can you be a — true mother?" and her answer is yes, then she is
already speaking in universal terms. Not every woman will become a
queen in God's kingdom; many more will become entitled to the roles of
true mother and true wife. But you sisters here all want to become
empresses also, don't you?
Who is authorized to bestow these titles upon women? God? Jesus, who
represents the angelic world? You women will not assume your true
rights until you meet the true Adam. That is principled, isn't it?
Since all the men who ever lived on earth were fallen, then in the
sight of God, women have actually never met a true man, and for this
reason were not able to assume their rights. Women have been
mistreated and miserable throughout history, cast out of their true
position. They have been exploited by evil individuals, evil families,
societies, nations and by Satan himself.
There have been many queens in the world, but their positions still
had no value, because until women meet the true man who is appointed
by God they cannot assume the true rights of the woman's role. When
will that day of liberation come?
Women's liberation
hristian history reveals the culmination of God's dispensation most
clearly. All the women of the world are waiting for the one moment
when the Messiah will come into this world representing the universal
man. Always in the past women have been taking positions above men,
even trying to control them. This trend in the history of women will
continue until 1988. The women's liberation movement has certainly
been successful in this country, with American women seizing the role
of empress.
In biblical history women had no rights and the men assumed the major
role in God's dispensation, but that was an extreme situation and in
one sense American women have the right idea. According to the Bible
women are supposed to wear veils, meaning that women should be humble
and meek in preparation to meet the Bridegroom. But instead of just
taking off their veils, women have even taken off their clothes!
Throughout the world women are accepted even when they are practically
naked.
In this country women have a commanding voice at home. In a typical
American home the wife is master of the house, while the husband is
like a servant; his shoulders are hunched over and he is always
checking to see what his wife's mood is. How about you women, do you
agree with that? The other day in New York I saw an incredible scene.
A bunch of poor miserable men had gotten together in a picket line and
were carrying signs proclaiming a men's liberation movement: "We want
liberation from women." Your laughing testifies that these problems
are real. Actually all those men are wasting their time demonstrating;
they should just join the Unification movement.
None of these things are happening at random. There is a reason and a
principled meaning behind them. This is a critical time, and God is
consummating His entire history; 70 represents perfection, and so for
70 years women will be trying to assume their rightful, original role.
This is their time of preparation to meet the true man.
I understand the reason behind taking such initiative in America, but
it is also time for restored women to resume the objective aspect of
their original role. All you sisters, would you like to be recognized
for being feminine and charming, or would you like to be known for
being very courageous and tom-boyish? All you brothers who laughed,
would you like to have tom-boys as your wives, or women who are
feminine and charming? When I was matching couples for the Blessing, I
asked the Western men what nationality they would like their wives to
be. Ninety-nine percent of them asked for Oriental women. I am sure it
was very embarrassing for the Western sisters to hear this.
It would not be easy for most of you American women to have an
Oriental husband, because most of them are shorter than you are. Would
you sisters like to have tall men or short men as your husbands?
Generally a man thinks that his wife should be at least slightly
shorter than he is; that looks very normal. God gave women the
privilege of always looking up to their husbands. They should not look
down on men; that is the Principle. God actually made women shorter
than men for the sake of women. If women were taller than men, then
throughout history their lives would have been even more miserable
because they would have to do all the reaching for high things.
God thought a lot about how to create women. Instead of making women
taller than men, He made women a little shorter, but with bigger hips.
Why? Because women are to assume two roles. First, in giving birth to
children women need a strong foundation, and second, they will be
living most of their lives in a sitting position, so God provided
built in cushions. Men have narrow hips without cushions because men
are supposed to take the initiative and always be in action. A woman
is to be objective, receiving grace from her husband and always
sitting home comfortably waiting for him. That is the way it should
be. At the same time aman should be masculine, and that is why he has
broad shoulders and strong arms. Going out into the world is the man's
role.
Now the time has come for women to restore their original role,
particularly American women. Nowadays American men just do not want to
get married and become the slaves of domineering women. Sometimes
women get married intending to take advantage of men by divorcing them
later and getting their money in alimony. Currently in America, a man
who is divorced more than once can become miserably poor because the
courts award everything to his ex-wives, while a woman who gets
divorced more than once gets richer and richer. Again, there is a
dispensational reason for this. Women are important in the sight of
God since they are in a position to take more of an objective role to
the Messiah when he comes. Previously Satan used women to take
everything away from men, but at this time God is using women to take
everything away from Satan. However, such actions will be justified
only if the wealth is subsequently given to God.
Where in American society can we find the true mother, true wife, and
true empress? This is the problem, and a recreation process must take
place. We should reeducate women to become true wives and mothers, and
then they will be eligible to become queens. Are you Unification women
being reeducated? Is your thinking different from that of ordinary
American women? Your answer is very spiritless. If you have to be
asked to answer willingly, then you have not met the standard yet.
This phenomenon of women being able to rise and entrench themselves in
power is very recent, showing that the time has come when God will
elevate one woman to completely embody the Holy Spirit on earth. This
is the time for the birth of the true Eve. God is looking for the
ideal woman who has the qualifications and potential to become a true
wife and true mother, and eventually the true queen or empress of the
universe. Every woman is a candidate for this position, which is why
women in general have been given a chance to rise. But God is looking
for one perfect woman to summon out of the satanic world. She must
have the potential to become the true wife and mother and queen, in
order to be established as the first God-centered wife, mother and
queen.
Beginning my public ministry
here were symbolic internal conditions that had to be fulfilled
before I was eligible to begin my ministry. You now know that the
appearance of the Messiah is drastically different from the
conventional belief about the Lord coming in glory. The history of
God's dispensation starts from the servant period of the Old Testament
era, continues through the adopted son's period of the New Testament
era, and culminates with the Completed Testament era as the period of
true son, true father, true husband, and true king. The entire
vertical history of 6,000 biblical years has to be indemnified in the
life of the Messiah before the physical dispensation even begins.
This internal dispensational history that I speak of all took place
before 1947; my public ministry began after that year. The 7-year
period from 1947 to 1954, the year that the Unification Church was
formally established, was the period in which I set physical
conditions. The first place I went was North Korea. That 7-year period
was truly an incredible time. Having spiritually recovered the
qualification for lordship before 194% I had to set the condition of
physical suffering in order to launch my own ministry, as well as the
organization that came about in 1954. Those 7 years were a time of
incredible suffering.
That foundation was finally laid in 1954, when the formal name of our
church was established as the Holy Spirit Association for the
Unification of World Christianity and our church began as a legal
entity. From that year on through the 7 years leading up to 1960, I
built the substantial foundation of our movement in preparation for
the installation of the True Parents in 1960. This was the greatest
turning point of all; God's blessing came to Adam's family with the
Blessing of the True Parents. The first 7 years of the True Parents'
21-year course took place from 1960 to 1967. This was the foundation
for the heavenly family. My personal 21-year course, which paralleled
Jacob's 21-year course, also ended in 1967.
I worked to lay the national foundation during the 7 years from 1967
through 1974. In order to lay the national foundation, the members in
Korea, particularly the blessed members, completely sacrificed their
family life. For a 3-year period the Korean family endured incredible
suffering and tribulation.
By 1972 I had already established a victory on the national level, and
had begun working on the worldwide level. Therefore, in 1972 a tremen-
dous movement was initiated in America, while in Korea a fierce battle
was yet being waged, both spiritually and physically. The Korean
family members had gone out and were confronting tremendous physical
sacrifices. They were leading lives of great physical suffering during
the time I came to America to build the spiritual foundation on the
worldwide level. In other words, I began working on the worldwide
level while the Korean family was still working on the national level.
The dedicated efforts of the blessed families of Korea were symbolic
of the fulfillment of Jesus' mission.
In 1972, by undertaking the Day of Hope tours, I launched the
spiritual condition of declaring God's message throughout America.
Do you think I was victorious? America had never seen such a man.
For 3½ years I moved like a whirlwind through every state
in America, meeting this nation's leaders and receiving many
proclamations from mayors and governors, including Jimmy Carter,
who was then governor of Georgia. At that time I received spiritual
acceptance from America. This was a most fortunate condition for
America to make. Even though many Americans have since become very
negative, America at least welcomed me when I first came. In the
future some Americans will beseech God, "Please forgive us. Even
though people don't understand now, please remember that as a nation
we gave Reverend Moon more proclamations than any other nation."
By the end of 1974 I had successfully completed the Day of Hope
crusade, in Los Angeles, and on Dec. 26, 1974, I returned to Korea. My
return was needed to directly link to Korea the spiritual victory that
we won here in America on the worldwide level. My worldwide victory
must finally become a physical one. In order to do that I had to reap
spiritual victory here in America, bring it back to Korea, and then
begin the physical worldwide dispensation from that land.
The worldwide dispensation
he worldwide dispensation on the physical level began in 1975. That
was the year I substantially turned Korea upside down. On Jan. 6,
1975, I invited all the prominent people in Korea to the banquet room
of the Chosun Hotel in Seoul, and there made the first address of my
public ministry in Korea, in my native tongue. I invited people from
all walks of life — the prime minister and government ministers —
all were in one room. That was the first time they had heard me speak
in public. That banquet was the beginning of the Day of Hope tour in
Korea.
Before that time I had never made a public appearance or address in
Korea; instead I only spoke behind the scenes to our church members.
The mission of the Messiah must be manifested on a worldwide level,
and for this reason I first spoke publicly in America, which
represents the world. In addition, America is the Christian nation
that is playing the central role in God's dispensation.
In 1975, a most important dispensational victory was won in Korea.
After the Day of Hope banquet at the Chosun Hotel I went to every
major city throughout the Republic of Korea, declaring God's message
to tens of thousands of people. It was the most historical evangelical
crusade that ever took place in Korea. It was climaxed by the Korean
Rally for World Freedom on June 7, on Yoido Island, which was attended
by 1.2 million people. At that rally I publicly declared that
communism is the enemy of mankind and the enemy of God.
It is most interesting that at that time the Korean government was in
the position of supporting me instead of opposing me. The major
Christian denominations were accusing the Korean government of
violating civil liberties, but their opposition to the South Korean
government could only benefit Kim Il Sung of North Korea. However, the
Unification Church took a stand representing the true spirit of
Christianity, supporting the South Korean government and declaring war
against Kim Il Sung. The rally on June 7 was a most tremendous
dispensational victory. Why? When Jesus came 2,000 years ago, the
leaders of Judaism, the central religion of God's providence,
cooperated with the governments of Israel and Rome in crucifying the
Messiah. But in 1975 the Korean government and the Unification Church
members accepted me and raised me up in a most dramatic way instead of
rejecting me. It was also most significant that representatives from
60 nations participated in the rally under my leadership.
The Christian population in Korea is said to be 4 million. The
Christian leaders saw how the Unification Church was able to mobilize
such a dramatic demonstration against communism, and to keep from
being outdone by us, they hastily organized a rally against Kim Il
Sung that was held several weeks later. But even with 49 Christian
denominations supporting it, attendance at their rally was less than
one-third of our 1.2 million.
The situation at that time was like a showdown between the Unification
Church and all the Christian churches, with the government looking on.
The Unification Church had won such an obvious landslide victory,
however, that the whole nation had to acknowledge what I had
accomplished. Shortly afterward the government decided to compete with
me and they also held a big rally against Kim Il Sung, but even under
government auspices less than 1.2 million people came. The Korean
people just couldn't imagine how I could have been so successful that
year; it was almost as though some ghost had appeared and overnight
done incredible things.
By attracting world attention and gathering the representatives of 60
nations, the June 7 rally accomplished a physical victory on the
worldwide level. On the foundation of all our successes I could expand
that substantial victory, and so I returned again to America, this
time with a different, heightened mission. My previous mission in
America had been on a spiritual level, but in 1975 I came back to
America to fulfill a physical mission. You know what we have done in
this country since then.
The first 3 years of the third 7-year course were 1975, 1976, and
1977. You are the eyewitnesses of the Yankee Stadium and Washington
Monument campaigns, which culminated in physical victory. on a
worldwide scale. Initially I had planned to have the Washington
Monument rally in 1977, but we were even ahead of God's schedule. The
purpose of the Yankee Stadium crusade was to completely win American
public opinion in support of us, and to demonstrate our strength.
However, God was wiser, and He gave us rain that day, thinking,
"Instead of being deterred by the rain, I know Reverend Moon will be
spurred on to do more. I will give the rally a little sprinkle of
water so that he will even be inspired to work ahead of schedule."
That was God's plan.
Within 100 days, God's prediction came true. I was determined to
schedule the Washington Monument rally ahead of time. However, the
total time devoted to the Washington Monument campaign only amounted
to 40 days. We had to make plans and get all the permits, and that
took so much time that we didn't even know whether we could legally
have the rally that year. By the time all the permits were secured
there were only 40 days left, but I said, "The die is cast. Go ahead."
The Washington Monument rally will remain recorded in American
history, but not just as a record breaking religious crusade; its
tremendous impact will be felt even more in the days to come. Scholars
in all the social sciences and in all religions will research it very
deeply, trying to find out how one man from Korea could accomplish a
rally that not even the American government or any churches had
thought about attempting. Whether they like it or not, and whether
they accept me or not, people everywhere have to recognize my
tremendous impact. This is one decisive result of the Washington
Monument rally.
I have explained before what Washington Monument means in light of the
dispensation. No matter what difficulty or opposition comes to the
Unification Church, it will not disrupt our advance and prosperity. I
am the only one who can build the superhighway that will enable
mankind to reach God.
God has three major headaches. The greatest problem of mankind is
communism, and we are the only group with a solution to communism.
Second is the decline of Christianity, and third is the immorality of
today's young people. Only under my leadership can we bring new life
to the young people of America. Does President Carter have solutions
to these problems? Are the Christian churches posing solutions?
America since World War II
n reality the decline of Christianity is like the rushing waters of
Niagara Falls. Even the famous evangelists and religious leaders
cannot reverse the tide. However, suppose today's Christians and the
media were open minded enough to assist us in what we are doing. The
Unification movement has the conviction and philosophy that can
reverse the tide of decline in the churches with 3 years. There is a
way back to true life and we have a God given solution. But because
most people have closed their minds and become negative, they are
unfortunately missing this great opportunity to be revived. The entire
free world has become helpless, crumbling before the threat of
communism, yet the solution to communism is resting in our hands.
There is a solution for the present dilemmas of the world; there is a
way to liberate American young people from being victimized by drugs
and immorality. We have the solution, yet most people refuse to look.
Because you know the solution, you are responsible for America. You
are going to save this nation and give the young people a new vision
and sense of morality. Through the victory of World War II, God gave
America the chance to influence a vast portion of the world. If
America had truly been God-centered, then significant groundwork would
already have been achieved for the Kingdom of God. But what happened
after World War II? America retreated constantly from her worldwide
responsibilities, becoming dangerously isolated.
God has given America a most extraordinary chance to work for Him by
literally bringing the free world into a God-centered kingdom. America
was in a position to take the initiative for good in Africa, Asia,
Europe and South America, but look at the world situation now. One by
one America has closed its door to those continents; already America
has almost entirely retreated from Asia. Unless America advances in a
new direction, it will soon be trembling alone. The Soviet Union was
demolished during World War II and was struggling to survive against
great odds, but even under those circumstances the communist leaders
expanded their power and influence in the world. If the Soviets could
advance in such a way in 30 years under adverse conditions, then what
can they do in the next 5 years, when world conditions are more
favorable?
In the next 5 years America is going to face a very difficult time of
danger and crisis. It is like a locomotive racing toward a cliff. I am
the one man who is singlemindedly trying to brake that locomotive. I
am trying to turn this nation around by mobilizing a handful of young
people. It may seem to be an impossible task, but you will see that
what we are doing is God's mandate.
If I had never known God, then I could be America's worst adversary,
even worse than the communists. But the only reason that I have the
capabilities I do is because I know the dispensation of God. In
looking at what America has done to me, my personal reaction is
sometimes an intense desire to get revenge; I even sometimes feel that
this nation cannot be forgiven. But by knowing God's feelings I can
suppress these emotions.
I have a dual position regarding America. I love this nation and I
want to be America's guardian, a real champion for this nation's
survival. At the same time my mission has a most fearful aspect
because if God were to say, "All right, My son, you have done your
job. Leave that country alone;' then there would be no mercy given to
this nation. If God ever cut Himself off from America, you would see
for yourselves how quickly this nation would decline.
I did not come here to take direction from the State Department or to
win the little green card that permits me to live in this country. I
am only here because of the mandate of God. Put yourself in my
position; look at what the media has done in the last 3½ years,
portraying me as a monster If you were in my position, how would you
feel toward this country on a personal level? From that point of view
this nation has committed unforgivable acts. Yet if I were to leave,
this country would be in a miserable state.
You should not just know these things, but take up the responsibility
for them. Even more than I, you have got to go and awaken these people
and turn this nation back to God. I am determined to train young
people to become responsible for this country. For example, I am now
training the seminarians; they are making up a new fishing net now,
and I have had them fishing in the icy waters of the Hudson River in
order to see what kind of young people they are. They are not making
nets and fishing for the sake of making money, but in order to build
their own iron will and to become the determined young leaders who
cannot be stopped by anything.
I do not only deliver sermons to you. When I get down to action I can
do anything, and do it better than anyone. The seminarians are really
rediscovering me, finding out that I do not just have theories, but
that I have the kind of knowledge that can only come from experience.
I have studied fishing and designed several patented tools for
fishing. For instance, sometimes the hook gets caught in the fish's
mouth and fishermen have an awful time getting the hook out. I have
invented a small tool to push the barb through and get the hook out
easily.
One member saw me cutting the metal to make this tool myself, and he
said, "Father why do you work so hard? Why don't you just go to a
tackle shop and buy one?"
I told him, "America doesn't have such a tool. If I could buy this
kind of tool then why should I make it?"
I invented a new net at Barrytown, one you have never seen. It is a
one-way-street net, and once the fish goes into the net there is no
way it can turn around. Yesterday I had an appointment with some
people at Belvedere, but I had a new inspiration for the net and got
caught up in directing the seminarians about how to make it. We worked
hard all night and I could not come here on time.
Do you want to come fishing with me? I don't want you to come, because
you just don't know anything about fishing; I would have to yell at
you and give you a hard time. How can I train you people? Do you still
want to join me?
Why I accept this path
hrough this dispensational history that I have partially described
this morning, I have come to the position where all the debts in
history have been paid. We are now beginning to erect a new history
and I have declared the opening of a new age. Based on the victories I
have described, I was able to proclaim the Day of the Victory of
Heaven on Oct. 4 last year. On Feb. 23, the first day of the Year One
could be declared. Tens of thousands of spirit men have been assigned
to each one of you, and if you reach out you will feel them around
you. If you feel you are accompanied wherever you go, then you shall
be successful. You can fight hundreds of battles and reap hundreds of
victories. If you have gained confidence by knowing what age we are
living in and who I am, and you also know what victory has already
been won and what kind of foundation has been laid, then wherever you
go you can bring victory.
The foundation and cornerstone of the worldwide victory have been
laid. This year and next year we will expand our substantial strength,
aiming to raise up 30,000 dedicated young men and women in this coun-
try. By mobilizing this force the three major headaches of God can all
be solved. The time will come when this nation and government will
say, "Reverend Moon, won't you stay longer? Don't go; we need you."
That is the time that I will go.
Many kings and queens and heads of state will urge me to come to their
countries and I will accept many of their invitations. Even now I have
many invitations but I decline them, saying, "I am more needed here in
America. I have a challenge and mission in this country" The fact that
I still receive opposition here shows that my mission is not yet
completed, so I want to stay. Are you Americans or Koreans? As
Americans you should love your country more than a Korean like me. If
you fail to do that, then do not call me Father, because you and I
have nothing in common with each other. I did not come here to serve
Korea, but to serve America. Are you Americans going to do more than
I? Are you ahead of me now or will you be in the future? I want you to
be greater than I am.
The past that I described this morning was a lonely path that I walked
all by myself; it is a lonely battle that I have been waging my entire
life, having no friend to understand me. Now, 30 years later they come
to me saying, "Father, now we understand what you said 30 years ago."
That is their honest confession. You may not understand what I am
saying this morning until 30 years from now. This is always my
situation.
I have always been a lonely man, because no one has ever truly under-
stood me. No one wanted to volunteer to go this lonely path, and the
only reason that I would accept this responsibility was because I knew
that God also was deeply lonely and sorrowful. Without this
understanding I would never have accepted it. The true road of
restoration is not an easy one. Following me also is not an easy path
but a most difficult one. Many people, even yourselves, may-not be
able to consummate this path in their lifetime. It is probably far
better for those who have no confidence to pack up and go live as they
wish.
Along with everything else, much of my hard time here in America is
because of you. Without you no one would criticize me. I am so well
known that when I go to New York I have absolutely no freedom. I
cannot even buy clothes or go to a cubbyhole of a restaurant without
people asking, "Aren't you Reverend Moon? Would you please sign this?"
I have never preferred this way of life, but since I did not want it
God gave this role to me. What can I do? I have become famous and I
want you Americans to also become famous; the American people love to
be proud of themselves. Please go ahead and make yourself famous for
doing the work of God, and after doing so you can become a shield
around Mother and me and we can relax a little bit.
Can you become famous in the name of God? If you cannot do that by
yourselves, then I can make you famous. Do you prefer to become famous
on your own in the name of God, or do you want me to make you famous?
If you do not go ahead of me and really give yourself totally for the
sake of this nation, then when you go into the spirit world all the
Americans there will be pointing accusing fingers, jeering, "What a
poor American you are! You knew the dispensation and met Father but
how little you did!" You do not want to be ashamed, do you?
When I had some American women go into the Hudson River to fish the
other day, some of them became stiff and numb. I have a mammoth task
to make you into real women and then bless you. It might take 10 years
for you to pass the test, but do you want to pass before you get
married or after? It took God 6,000 years to restore one Adam, but
that is using biblical terminology. Counting by our years, it took
many thousands or even millions of years for God to recreate one Adam.
Is 10 years very long for me to recreate a perfect Eve?
At the recent Blessing here everybody's appetite was whetted, with
even young brothers and sisters asking, "Father, what about me?" At
East Garden one of the staff, who is only 23 years old, said, "Father,
can I be included?" I had to laugh. "You are hardly even born yet!" On
the other hand, in America you have every freedom to get married, even
five or ten times. Why don't you go ahead and exercise your freedom?
If you all go away, I will have fewer problems.
This is the 23rd anniversary of the founding of the Unification
Church. These 23 years are just the external history of our church,
but the true history, prior to the founding of the Unification Church,
is known only to a few people whom I can trust. I was destined to
suffer — as a servant, adopted son, son, husband, father, and king —
more than anyone in those positions ever suffered in history. This was
my destiny, and by doing this I could totally restore those who
suffered on every level. This period of indemnity and suffering shall
be over by 1981 at the latest.
If white America fails to respond, then God will raise up another
people or another nation that will come against the white people of
America. I do not have to defend my actions; I can just be silent,
waiting and knowing that God's timetable is ticking by. On the other
hand, however, since primarily white people are denouncing me, God can
send more young white people to us, and in the future more white
people will rise up in my defense. That is the way God will work.
Most of you are not qualified
efore I came, the universe was engulfed in darkness. All the many
philosophers and religious people did not know of the heart of God and
the deepest meaning of the Bible, and when I revealed many things for
the first time it was like the sun rising. Now everyone can see the
true picture of God and history. I have not only discovered the truth,
but I have lived it, and through experience I know how this universal
truth will work.
The Unification Church is a school far greater than Harvard or Yale or
Princeton, and is a place where only the elite of the universe can
enroll. Harvard University can graduate a Ph.D., but that person can
only turn around and teach theories at a blackboard. Even a thousand
Harvards together could not create one son of God, but our school
turns out sons of God every day. Millions of dollars could not pay the
tuition at this school, and only a special kind of people can come
here. To make sure that only God's elite come to the Unification
Church, God is purposely letting opposition and negativity be stirred
up. In the face of negativity from society, those who can come to the
Unification Church have to be special. Under such adverse conditions,
you could not join unless you have received special revelation from
God, or have a brilliant conscience and heart. That is why I say that
this is really a gathering of the elite.
Only those who are given direct revelation from God are actually
eligible to join this group, but all of you are like by standers who
all of a sudden had some good luck. Why? The Principle is bringing
people faster than the revelations are coming from God. This is where
the blessing of receiving God's revelation can be seen. But because
you joined the Unification Church by using your logic, then you
analyze and evaluate everything too much. When I give some direction
you stop and think about whether you will obey or not. However, the
person who has received revelation from God directly knows who I am
and does not even have to debate about following any direction I may
give. God has told him who I am and he can instantly respond.
You are not actually qualified to be in this school, but God has made
a special dispensation. You are like freshmen and sophomores in this
great school, just eager to soak up the truth like a sponge. How could
you ever say, "God, You must make me famous"? Just to be here is such
a privilege that you cannot presume to expect that you will
automatically receive the Blessing. From God's standpoint it is
laughable for a person who is not even crawling like a baby to think
about being married. After 2,000 years even Jesus does not yet have
his bride with him. How could you assume that you deserve the
Blessing? You older sisters may be thinking, "Father, I am 30 years
old. It is getting late!" But think of Jesus who is 2,000 years old.
You think you know me well, but you hardly know anything about me;
only God knows me completely. Actually you have met a most unusual
person. How are you different after meeting me? Those who say, "I am
an absolutely different person since meeting you," raise your hands.
What is the difference? You have been fund raising and witnessing and
getting all kinds of persecution and scornful treatment. Is that what
is different? Have you just done all of those things passively and
reluctantly, or because a gigantic change has come about in you so you
can tackle those things willingly?
How do you know I really sacrifice myself for humanity? After a long
trip in the car my back aches very much, so would you buy me a giant
plane? When? You may answer, "When you need the plane, we will buy you
one ' but don't you know that I needed a plane the first day I landed
here in America? America is a huge country to travel around. The time
will come when contributions will come from all over the world from
people wanting me to buy a plane that I can fly to their countries.
But if I do get a plane, the American State Department will say, "He
just sent his young people out and exploited them to buy his gigantic
plane." My buying a plane will bring even more criticism.
I have already done many things, creating factories to manufacture
many varied products, and certainly before you buy me a plane, I can
create one. These things are easy compared with the work of
restoration. The process of restoration is such a complex labyrinth
that even for me it is never easy. I am glad that you were not given
direct responsibility restoration by God. You are lucky not to have
received that mandate.
Your only connection to me
ou will never know me fully. No matter what you think, even though
you call me Father, you will never really know my true value until you
die. In spirit world you will all of a sudden discover how much you
are indebted to me. In all of biblical history, starting from Adam and
Eve, and Cair and Abel, every mission ended in failure. Noah, Abraham,
Moses, all of the Old Testament prophets and John the Baptist all
ended in failure. Even Jesus' mission was left uncompleted. The record
of biblical history is a record of failure. In my own lifetime I have
to mend everything and replace all those past failures with success.
Do you think that is easy?
The foundation you stand on in the Unification Church is truly miracu-
lous; all the historical failures have been mended properly and put
into one unified work of God. I have successfully laid the foundation
on the family level and expanded it to the worldwide level. Now I am
ready to rest and welcome my Sabbath. Now that I have done my job I
can stand before the throne of God without shame and say, "Father, I
have done what You asked." Can you grasp the significance of this? All
the events in the history of God are not some blind sequence of human
behavior; there is a definite pattern and formula behind them all. I
not only unlocked all the hidden formulas behind history, but I have
put all of history together into one victorious harvest.
I am a complex and difficult person to meet. If you meet me in the
wrong way you could be ruined. Your own conscience and the spirit
world will come against you. I have witnessed the downfall of people
who met me incorrectly. America and the world shall not be an
exception to this. I think it is impossible for you understand this,
but I say it anyway.
I came to stop the destruction of the individual, family, tribe,
nation and world, to brake this rushing locomotive that is racing
toward its doom. You also have the power to do that once you make up
your mind. Once you are firm in your commitment to serve God, then God
will be with you; there is no exception to this. Once your mind is
completely set, then I know God will be with you.
God's work has been that of taking serious, drastic action to reverse
the rush of human history toward its doom. I am sure you have a
certain reservation in your commitment because this is so vast to
grasp and digest. You are in awe of what it means to have the weight
of history on your shoulders; Can you seriously say, "All right, I'm
going to lift up history. I can be the moving force to turn history
around." Have you ever thought about it, and can you realistically
feel that weight upon your shoulders?
Equivalent to the Old and New Testament eras, many spiritual groups
appeared as the forerunners to raise up this one religious movement.
They all came to serve a certain purpose, but they are all gone and
the Unification Church is thriving now. From its very birth in Korea
the Unification Church has been controversial, really upsetting the
nation and world. Do you think this is a movement that will eventually
decline and disappear, or will we not only ourselves prosper, but
bring new life to the rest of the world? We shall either be destroyed
or enable the world to live. Either we will be victorious or our
opponents will be victorious. If down in our guts we have the hidden
potential power to transform our enemies into our friends, then nobody
can doubt us. Restoration' is very difficult, and in living the
Principle you have to follow the formula'. There can be no jump, and
each step must be taken with your entire life at stake. If you are
holding anything of yourself in reserve, then you can never progress.
The 7,000 years of biblical history extend from the original creation
of man to his recreation or perfection. The indemnity for this 7,000
years must be encompassed in one man's 7-year course. In one 7-year
period of my life I paid the debt of %000 years of history. Would God
recognize that I had done that if I simply made an announcement of it?
Do you think Satan would acknowledge that? I waged an absolute battle
to go each step of that course. I had to literally pay, so that even
Satan could not find fault. You are now riding piggyback upon that
victorious foundation. You are like a hitchhiker. I have acquired a
car and put gas in the tank and become an experienced driver. You just
happened to be nearby and I said, "Come along." You will be eternally
grateful just to have had the privilege to ride in this car, but do
you as a passenger have the privilege of telling the driver to get you
food and give you a heavenly marriage? That is exactly your situation.
Outside of the will of God, there is no connection between you and me;
I do not need you. I only give 100 percent of my attention to you
because I know God's desire. Do you understand? Actually you can
contribute very little to the fulfillment of the dispensation, since
it is already done. Do I still need you when you are only a burden?
God cannot abandon this country upon which His will is so directly
resting. You at least have a chance to do something to help God's
providence here so that you can receive eternal credit in spirit world
for your accomplishment. If you have no strong desire to dedicate
yourself for the salvation of this country, then do not even mention
that you are a Unification Church member. If your goal is not parallel
with mine, then you are no longer a member of the Unification Church.
Are you fully aware of what you are expected to do? You have no right
to call me Father unless your purpose is parallel with mine. Before
you call me Father you must become worthy to be my child. Before I
speak about anything, I live through the situation and fulfill it.
Will you do that too?
April is over and one-third of 1977 is gone. If America does not
change, if you make no remarkable headway in 1977 and 1978, then I
will have no further interest in this country and will go elsewhere.
You may rest and relax, but I will never do that. I will always
reserve the right to say before God, "There is nothing I have left
undone for the sake of America's dispensation. The American people
never responded to me! but Father, You know that I have done every
single thing I needed to do." Are you serious about the salvation of
this country?
You must follow my path
o find the path for restoration you have to search diligently and you
have to go every step. The secrets found in my search for restoration
have been revealed. I have completed that search and put the Principle
together so that all can find it. All you have to do is live it. I
organized the 7,000 year history of mankind's failure into a 7-year
course, and I have showed you how to walk that course. You must do
that, but you must be deeply serious about it, like Jesus was while
walking toward the Mount of Calvary. You must adopt the seriousness of
that moment.
Are you looking forward to the day of fulfillment and hope? You are
now burdened by the responsibilities of yourself, your family,
society, nation and world, and you must go individually, just as I
have gone. I have laid the superhighway of the Principle so that
everybody can go, but each one of you must actually do the traveling.
In this 7-year period of time you will start by going the servant's
path as obediently as a lamb, then going through the period of adopted
son, the period of the son, husband and wife, father and mother, and
finally the emperor and empress of the universe. You have to precisely
cover this in 7 years' time.
When you are triumphant in this 7-year course, then the past emperors
and empresses will bow down to you when you are elevated to the spirit
world. This is a very precious time because we can live through this
while on earth. I have been walking this path for 40 years here on
earth and now I am asking you to successfully go this course for only
7 years. If you say, "Father, please give me an easier task ' then you
have the mind of a thief.
When I began the Unification Church in Korea, our headquarters was a
small shabby house. On May 1, 1954, I set up a small plaque in front
of that shabby house, probably the smallest sign you could find in
history, but the biggest words ever spoken: "Holy Spirit Association
for the Unification of World Christianity." The biggest words, but the
smallest sign and smallest house — that is the way the Unification
Church began!
The room was so small that when I lay down, my head hit one wall and
my feet hit another wall. I was utterly penniless at that time, and
that shabby house was not even owned by the church but was rented. But
now here in America, there is a concrete foundation laid in all 50
states in terms of having physical centers. You are going to do
precisely what I did 23 years ago. You live in a small cubbyhole, but
you will treat every person who comes to you like a king and queen,
serving them like a servant.
If any of you state leaders want to be served because you hold some
position, then you will never be successful. You have to start out as
a servant of servants, and go through each step. Unless you
demonstrate the true spirit of service you will never be successful,
because the Unification Church was not built that way. You must go the
path that I went.
Unification Church women have to think, "God, don't worry about me. I
am not even worthy to look at any man as my husband. I am not quite
ready, and I would only be a burden to the man who would marry me. I
am perfectly content with what I am doing, and I will give every ounce
of energy for Your purpose." Is that how you think, or are you proud
women instead, thinking, "I am capable, and I certainly deserve the
respect and admiration of men"? Are you that confident?
Have you ever imagined having a beggar from the street as your hus-
band? Internally that beggar might be a godly man. Have you ever
thought, "I am not even worthy to receive this man as my husband"? I
started out as a servant of servants and you also must start out as a
servant of servants.
For the sake of God and for the restoration of mankind, there is
nothing that I cannot do. After you are successful in the servant
position, you will be elevated to the position of adopted son. But
remember that such a recommendation does not come easily. Does a
master lightly say, "You are even too good to be my adopted son. I
will make you my son and my heir"? That kind of recognition is not
given freely. You are starting as a servant. Will God soon pronounce
His blessing upon you, saying, "You are truly my son, and I am going
to give you my blessing to become husband and wife"?
Unless you as parents have the firm conviction that you have been
totally liberated from Satan and from sin, how can you ever give birth
to a sinless child? Do you have the confidence to say, "My children
are born of God and no longer have anything to do with original sin.
They are not born of Satan and are eligible directly for the Kingdom
of God." That is not easy, is it? Furthermore, can you raise yourself
up to be an emperor or empress so that when you go to spirit world the
highest possible saints will bow down to you? You are going to be the
ancestors of your restored family tree, and those who carry your
family name shall be your descendants. I have covered that entire
territory and consummated it victoriously. The Unification Church is
the school where you can be taught, and I am now in the position to
show you the way.
My 40 years' experience and fulfillment can be organized so that you
can go that entire path in 7 years. I am 57 years of age; 40 years
have passed since I started the dispensation at the age of 16. Ever
since I was 16, I have encountered intense experiences and walked the
thorny path. I am the pioneer who cleared away every obstacle and made
a broad, smooth highway ready for anyone to find and follow. I not
only laid the highway, but I created an automobile for you. All you
have to do is get a license to become a driver and then go to the gas
station to get gas. At least that much is your responsibility. If you
deny and reject even this small responsibility, then forget about
driving quickly to heaven; you will have to walk and nobody will
sympathize with your foolishness.
Will you drive on that highway? It is necessary for you to complete
your 7-year course and establish your own qualification to be blessed.
You are not working for anyone else — the Unification Church,
Reverend Moon, or God — you are working for yourself. First you must
become victorious on every level, starting as the servant of mankind.
I will give you more and more detailed truth, expounding on everything
so precisely that you will realize, "I thought I had been a good
member of the Unification Church, but now that I understand Father's
criteria, I see how phony I am!"
Your Blessing should be unexpected
o not worry about anything else for these 7 years, but become
literally crazy for God and crazy to serve mankind, forgetting about
yourself. All of a sudden I will say, "You are my child. The time for
Blessing has come; I want you to get blessed." Then you might respond,
"Have 3 years passed already? Oh no, Father, I still have more to do
and I must become more mature." That is the natural response. In the
Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were not to tell God that it was time for
them to get married. Instead, God was to call Adam.
When a News World staff member wrote to me asking, "Father, I want
to get blessed. Can't you bless me?" I wondered, "Does that brother
really know the Principle?" Another brother was extraordinarily lucky;
he was not even a candidate for the Blessing, but was just driving the
candidates up for the matching when he happened to be selected. He
never expected to be blessed at that time. That should be the natural
situation. If you really know the Principle, you will know that this
is the way the Blessing comes, just all of a sudden.
The True Parents' wedding in 1960 was not done on my own initiative.
God gave me revelation after revelation, insisting, "The time has come
My son. You shall prepare the altar to receive holy matrimony, and I
shall bless you." This is the principled way. Even Mother never
considered herself to be Mother. She was just living as a member of
the church when all of a sudden her name was called to be married.
Some members are thinking that. they need the Blessing or that they
deserve the Blessing, but that is closer to satanic thinking. All you
have to do, actually, is to find your path in the Principle and just
keep busy, running and running. Then all of a sudden you will find
yourself kidnapped by God for the marriage ceremony.
In the strictest sense, when I observe the American family members,
there is not even a single one who passes the test. If you die in the
state you are in, then you cannot be fully elevated into the Kingdom
of Heaven, but will only end up in a middle level like a waiting room.
You need to be reeducated before you can enter heaven. You cannot
avoid this principle; you have to walk and live this principle and
there is no room for complaint. Could I complain to God about having
so much hardship? Could I cajole God to come up with some kind of easy
path or solution for me? If I ever complained, God would say,
"Reverend Moon, you are not worthy to be My son. I will have to wait
for another man to come."
Dispensational history was necessitated only by the fall of man. I
founded the Unification Church 23 years ago and I am giving you the
feeling that I had at that time. You must inherit that spirit and make
it your own path. This is the meaning of this day. You must feel my
heart of 23 years ago, and you too must be a pioneer of that day. My
situation was just impossible at that time; under those circumstances
could anybody even imagine that 23 years later I would lead events
like the Washington Monument rally?
Those committed will remain
t that time I was always being investigated by the Korean government,
which was constantly trying to find some reason to put me in jail.
Under those circumstances could you have thought that some day I would
come to America and gather together all these young people and speak
at such fantastic rallies? At that time nobody else believed it, but I
know who I am and where I am going, and how successful I will be. The
basic determination I had then has never changed. Many people who were
following me have since become tired and left the movement, but the
movement still continues. Those who were self-centered just could not
stay but had to leave sooner or later. Only those people who can give
up their lives for the sake of the mission will remain. Compared with
my 40 years, your 7 years will pass very quickly.
Shall we go or not? Without any question, we absolutely must go. In
those 7 years you must experience heartbreak and tears for the sake of
the family, society and nation. You must spend anguished, sleepless
nights for the sake of others and the sake of the dispensation. Do not
try to get by in some easy way. In the same way that I have struggled
from the most lowly place all the way to the point where I could
receive God's greatest blessing, you must also progress through every
step. You have to realize that you are reaching higher levels as you
progress with the movement.
Do you sometimes experience uplifting feelings? These are not just
your feelings, but spirit world actually inspiring you. Spirit world
has to be one with you for every inch of your path. From this time on
my teaching will be more precise and analytical, and you will know the
truth word for word. You cannot avoid your 7-year course.
You came to our movement at the most opportune time; in the shortest
possible time you can cover tremendous ground and be given full credit
for helping in the overall dispensation of God. You shall become a
person who can help. pioneer the final chapter of God's dispensational
history. You are participating in the nick of time, and all you have
to do is get down to work. You have the great privilege of working
together with the True Parents, which millions and billions of people
have been in anguish to do. They will not have that opportunity.
Instead, you are the ones with me in person.
Even the people who come to join our movement now are one step behind
you because they did not help to bring the great victory in
Washington. You fought the battle together with me, and there will not
be any more opportunities like that in history. Now our task is to win
America to God and win the free world. The more you realize this the
greater will be the burden you feel, but that is the way it has to be.
With that realization you will know precisely what responsibility you
carry.
Your 7-year course
ou have heard before about your 7-year course, but you did not feel
it to the bone. Those who can say they are already committed to it,
please raise your hands. Have you prayed, "God, at this moment I
pledge to You that I will begin my 7-year course. I shall no longer
follow the course of Adam and Eve who failed, but within 7 years' time
I shall finish the path of perfected Adam and Eve. God, trust me."
Have you had that showdown prayer with God? Then how can you begin
your 7 years? The Bible predicts that in the Last Days there will be 7
years of chaos, suffering and hardship. All of world history will be
condensed into that 7-year period of time that the Bible describes.
The Bible says that very few will survive this period of suffering,
and that is very true, in that the only ones who will remain within
the will of God will be those who are truly determined and who truly
know God, committing themselves deeply to that 7-year course.
As soon as you undertake that 7-year course of your own, you will
automatically draw opposition. Nothing will occur according to your
desire. If you want to go this way, then Satan will be trying to block
every inch of your way, and inevitably circumstances will drag you
down to the lowest possible level. You will be deprived of all honor
and left with nothing, feeling completely naked. Satan will push you
down, but you must welcome it, swallow it, and digest it.
What is the method to be elevated to the position of adopted son or
son? You must become a person who is ready to sacrifice yourself for
the sake of a servant. When you are willing to give up your life for
the sake of a servant, then you will begin to find your life. At every
step of the dispensation you have to be willing to give up your life.
That is the quickest way to meet the heavenly requirement.
You must come to think of your own life as a trivial matter, like the
morning dew. When I discovered the entire meaning and secret of the
dispensation, then I felt the teachings of Jesus all the way to my
bone. I felt so deeply such teachings as, "He who loses his life for
my sake will gain it." Not just once but many times you must totally
give up your own life. That is the only way you can cover this ground.
When you give up your life and go beyond the 7-year course, then all
of a sudden the universe will change and you will find your life
protected. I was ready to die for the sake of the mission during the
Yankee Stadium and Washington Monument campaigns. On the way to Yankee
Stadium and on the way to Washington Monument I prayed, "I am willing
to die for You. Whatever is required of me, God, Your will be done."
There were many assassination plots and threats but I never hesitated
to risk my life.
Those were truly extraordinary emergencies. Unless you can be in a
position to commit yourself to that degree, you will never understand
God's mission, or know the heart of Jesus, or become one with me.
Whenever you encounter hardship, you can see how miserable and inade-
quate you are. At that time you can rediscover yourself and spur
yourself on to higher levels. This is my everyday life. .
The best way for you to safely journey through this period is to put
yourself down on the lowest possible level, where you can even envy
the beggars, where even sitting down at a table to eat becomes a
luxury. Servants do not have the luxury of sitting down to eat at a
big table with napkins and wines and so forth. We must put ourselves
in the position of servant of servants.
With that attitude you can leap forward, and then you can understand
humanity. Until I was 30 I never bought even one suit for myself, and
for the clothes I did get I always went to a second-hand store. I
never wore ties or used hair tonic or body care items. During those
years I put myself in a sinner's position; I never had the courage to
lift my face up but was always looking down.
Nature is asking to be seen by the true man, but unless I could
fulfill my dispensational role, I did not feel privileged to even look
at nature. I was so humble in my thinking that I wanted to hide in the
presence of nature. Now I go to movies, but at that time I never even
walked in front of a movie theater. Now I have graduated from that
path, and nothing can affect what I have accomplished. I have
perfected that course and transcended it.
I am like a rock and no one can entice me away from God's will. There
were many women who actually wrote love letters to me with their own
blood, showing their genuine devotion to me. The religious path is not
easy because of the many temptations around, and you have no idea what
it takes to lay the foundation. But I have done it and I am freely
sharing the fruits of it with you. No one has the right to complain;
rather, continually be grateful and put yourself in a meek position.
Even now, that is my basic attitude toward God. After all the
dispensational success so far, I still put myself in a humble position
before God.
For 7 years in the Unification Church you should be determined to
fulfill your mission, forgetting about eating, sleeping, and
everything else. Even after your Blessing I will give the couples
separate missions, and for 3 years they will go their own respective
ways to fulfill another significant time period. Through all of that
you must be absolutely obedient.
You must have a true picture of yourself. Some members look very
substantial externally and seem to be doing a great job, but inside
they are empty people, who are not worthy in the sight of God. In this
period you will be given the opportunity to experience everything,
being cursed, or struck, feeling great hunger, and even envying a
beggar's situation. It will be a precious period, and then you will be
able to say, "I know the heart of God, I know Jesus Christ, and I know
Reverend Moon." My hands are not so big but they have gone through
much. The Unification Church was built upon my foundation of
pioneering this hidden spiritual task. This foundation is not the
product of easy living, but of the most incredible suffering and
spiritual endurance.
When fund raising have you ever been kicked, hit, or spit upon by
others? When you taste these experiences then you must think, "This is
the path that was walked by all the saints and men of God in history'
Being spit at or hit is not that painful to bear, but being spit at or
hit by someone who was previously a member and who has now betrayed
God is very painful. It is heartbreaking and you have to taste even
that. You will finally know Jesus when you experience these things.
Jesus had not only external enemies — the people who physically
nailed him down on the cross — but he had internal enemies who
betrayed him.
I have tasted prison life, not only under the communist regime but
also in free Korea. I can never forget one former member who came up
to me when I was being taken to the West Gate prison in Seoul. He
looked at me and laughed scornfully, "You fool! Are you still doing
this stupid thing?" I can never forget that man. At that moment I did
not say anything to him, but in my heart I prayed, "God, give me a
chance to testify to how righteous You are, and how I was obedient to
You." This is just one instance of personal betrayal; there are too
many to count. When I close my eyes and start to pray, tears always
come forth. I have experienced so much agony and pain and heartbreak
that I know God, and I am in a position to comfort Him.
I have no way to sit still
o one understands me. My parents never understood, even my wife and
children can never really understand. My understanding of God is a
lonely understanding. You also can be a companion to that lonely God.
I always feel how vulnerable and weak I am, but I know that God trusts
and is depending on me to fulfill. When I see God's expectation I just
have no way to sit still. I feel, "God, You are Almighty. You can do
anything You want, but because of Your own precious children's failure
You put Yourself in a position of such suffering. You don't need to
suffer, but You have been helpless, waiting so long for some man You
could depend on. God, I really sympathize with You. I understand You."
If anyone truly knew me internally then he just could not help but be
crushed by sorrow. Spiritually enlightened people who can receive
revelations and instructions in their prayers are the people who stay.
When they pray about me God's response is always the same; He responds
to their prayer in tears because when God thinks about His lonely
champion here on earth, God just weeps. The vast entanglement of human
history seems utterly impossible to ever reorganize, and even God
hardly knew where to begin the dispensation. But one lonely man found
the secret and lived through everything to bring the movement this
far. Even for God that was something to behold.
Day after day I continuously wept. My eyes became swollen and painful
because the tears poured out in gallons. I could not even open my eyes
to the sunlight. So many tears were shed in laying the foundation of
this church. I will not explain this to you completely; you will never
know because I will not tell you. If I were to tell you then you would
be responsible to also go that way and I do not want that. I would
rather leave an easier way for you.
That is why I do not want every one of you to repeat my entire 40
years' experience; I want to have sons and daughters who can inherit
from me instead. However, if in your prayer you receive a glimpse of
my path and agony here on earth, then you will certainly be blessed.
If you can understand this, then in a short time you can do on earth
what would take many millions of years of experiences in the spirit
world. You will eventually know anyway in spirit world, but
actualizing it would take a millennium of effort. Here on earth you
can cover that same ground in the shortest possible time.
I am very sympathetic with Moses' position. When Moses went to the
mountain to fast and pray for 40 days and nights he could receive the
Ten Commandments, but when he came back down, his own people had
created a golden calf and were worshiping their idol. Moses was over-
come with wrath and cried, "How could you betray God in this way?" He
flung the stones to the ground and they were shattered. I have felt
that same furious impulse many times. Moses went to the mountain and
worked so hard to win the truth for his people, but their hearts were
so small.
I have a fiery temperament and when I see such utterly impossible
betrayal I just want to cut off that person and turn away. I have to
impose the strictest discipline on myself in this area. I have my own
credo and judge myself, saying, "Before you want to conquer the world
or be the lord of all creation, you must attain lordship over
yourself." I want to conquer the weaknesses of my own temperament.
Personal relationships are the key
f you truly want to become sons and daughters, you have to inherit
the spirit of the True Parents — my spirit and my way of thinking. If
you want to be a leader you must inherit my spirit. In whatever
mission you are doing, if all of a sudden you just burst into tears,
feeling such a sense of urgency and sorrow for God, then your mission
will definitely prosper.
We are talking about the universal salvation of mankind. We are going
out fund raising to earn pennies and dollars, almost begging. How
pitiful God's situation is! But you must put deep meaning into the
money you earn. Compared with the wealth of the world one penny is
nothing, but when your heart is resting in each penny you earn, then
it shall become a gift of extraordinary value to God. The face value
of a bill may be one dollar, but no millions Or dollars can purchase
your heart; when you have invested your heart in that dollar it
becomes priceless. When you receive the people's money and offer it to
God for the sake of their blessing, every deed of yours becomes holy
and divine. Then you feel such an urgency and sense of closeness with
God that sometimes you just embrace a stranger and in your heart you
cry out for the people. There have been many times like that in my own
life.
Once I wanted to rescue a prostitute, a young girl who came to be in
that pitiful situation. I loved her as my own sister, and wept with
her and truly uplifted her. At first she thought I had an entirely
different purpose, but instead she found a big brother, someone who
really cared in the truest sense; That memory is as vivid as if it
were yesterday. That kind of deed is greater and more precious than
prayer.
When you are fund raising and working hard all day you may sit alone
by the roadside, feeling lonely as you eat whatever humble food you
have. In the middle of eating you may break out in tears. When you put
yourself in such a miserable position then you will feel God so
strongly. When you are selling newspapers you meet all kinds of
people. Do not curse them or yell at them if they do not want to buy.
They are busy people and sometimes they do not want to be bothered, so
when you stop them and they complain to you, you must accept them.
Your personal relationships are the key to everything. You do not
understand how much I am training and disciplining you, molding your
character according to the path that I have gone. I am taking you
along that same path. When I was in school I wanted to give my friend
a chance to be educated so I worked extra time at night in order to
earn his tuition. Earning money was very difficult at that time, and
it had to be saved penny by penny. Why was I able to do that? Because
I knew the true God.
If I had developed my skills in a secular way, then I would have been
the president of many corporations by now. I would have been
successful and respected in an entirely different manner, but I never
undertook that direction. There is no one who has shed more tears than
I have, and God knows they were shed for His sake. I willingly chose
the route of suffering for God's sake.
I want to stand up for you
have been unreasonably treated by the people and persecuted. There
was no personal reason for going through that suffering. But I know
God's position, and instead of trying to be respected and admired by
other people, I wanted to side with that lonely God. Do you think that
I actually did not have personal ambitions? As a young man I certainly
had ambitions and dreams, but I cut them off and closed all those
doors. That is the only way I could have come this far. Even now many
people think I have a great deal of money, but actually I am still
penniless, even though I can influence the spending of millions of
dollars. Whenever I spend money I always think of you. I never like to
spend money on just myself, eating out or buying clothes.
One time I took about 20 young members out to get them seafood in New
York City. The restaurant manager saw me but did not recognize me, and
since I was not wearing a tie he said I could not be seated in the
restaurant. I said, "Thank you very much' and left. All of a sudden he
discovered that the 20 young people were following me out, and he
realized who I was. He tried to fix his mistake, but I simply said,
"No thank you." I am sure he knew that he missed a great opportunity,
but I will not go to that place any more. Is human value decided by
wearing a tie? If they treat me like that, how will they treat black
people? They may kick them out. You are all suffering people and I
want to stand up for you. I do not want you to be mistreated.
Every penny you earn shall go for the restoration of this country, not
for personal things. The Mobile Fundraising Team members are working
very hard from early morning to late at night, but they have no word
of complaint toward me. If it were not for Mother I would change my
underwear only once a week; it is only out of courtesy to her that I
change every 3 days. Why? I know your position, and sometimes you
never have a chance to change your underwear, and sometimes you have
no time to do laundry.
In the past I have gone through precisely what you are doing now. You
are truly inheriting my path. You and I are comrades with one thing in
common we put ourselves in a position of suffering only because we
know God. If we have ever committed any crime, it is that of knowing
God. We willingly chose this route; nobody has imposed it on us, so
how can we complain?
Are we pursuing the wrong way and bringing destruction to the world?
Is knowing God a crime? The whole world is in chaos and communism is
expanding because people do not know God. The churches are breaking
down. No matter how miserable such a life might look, knowing God is a
privilege, and it is the one thing we cannot ever relinquish.
Who will take care of God?
wise person will go all the way once he has made a commitment; Do
not go only halfway or be mediocre, because you will only end up as a
loser. If you want to become victorious, then you have to persevere
all the way. In doing God's will I want to go the fastest way, never
being mediocre or half-hearted. For the sake of my followers I took
every precaution and checked everything about the Principle two and
three times. I wanted to be absolutely sure that this is the true way
of God. A true researcher tests and retests to make sure of his
results before he announces anything to the world. I have tested this
out in every way possible. You can see then what an incredible
discovery I have brought to the world.
Since we are committed, we cannot afford to go just halfway. Is this
month of May a new beginning, far different from April? Let's go
forward with tremendous excitement. I am waiting for the kind of
champion who can defeat me. Many times I am sad, feeling that I cannot
afford to die because I know that even at this stage no one is
competent enough to inherit my mission. No one has given me that
comfort yet. I have given my life to God, but now who will love Him as
much as I do? This is my only concern. When I die, who will take care
of my God here on earth? I want to see someone emerge who can do that.
Is there anyone who could truly say, "Father, let me take care of your
God and my God. You can go"? The person who could live up to that
statement would be the center of the mainstream of history and would
never perish, but prosper.
Counting in the Korean way I am now 58, and in 12 more years I will be
70 years old; in 22 more years I will be 80 years old. Recently in a
serious conversation with Hyo Jin, I said, "As my son, do you know
what road you should take and what preparation you should make?" When
I was so serious, even that most energetic Hyo Jin became very
serious. I feel that I can give myself totally for 15 more years, and
in that time I must find someone to succeed me.
I cannot afford to leave the world as it is, destined to more
suffering. I must leave behind a world that is being resurrected.
People think that after I die the Unification Church will die. Is it
true? Would you prefer the movement with me or without me? Indirectly
what you are saying is that after I am gone the movement will suffer.
As long as I live I want to bear the burden of persecution so that
after I leave the persecution will be finished. In my lifetime I want
to bring this movement to success.
As your generation reaches its maturity, our movement will soar into
prosperity. In my own lifetime I want to take care of all the bitter
experiences, suffering and turmoil of restoration. I have already-made
up my mind to take the burden with me. How about you? Will you join me
in taking care of these, or are you going to wait for the easy time?
Do you wish this persecution would go away, or do you welcome greater
challenge and persecution? Have you made up your mind already? That is
the way you should be. Starting this month of May, let us have a new
day so that a new history can be erected.
If you feel just like I did when I initiated our church 23 years ago,
then you are initiating your own movement in your own area of
responsibility, saying, "Today I, too, am erecting a new church. I
shall be like Reverend Moon in my own area." Are you going to do that?
Those who are determined to go that way, raise your hands. Let us
pray.
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