Today I'd like to tell you about how Father would never break a promise. I told you many times a promise can't be made by one person, it needs at least two people. Two people make a promise centering on a purpose which benefits both of them. This is the case between two people who are married, between a company president and an employee, or a national president and a citizen.

At the time of creation, there was a promise between God and mankind; that promise was not just to guarantee God's happiness, nor only mankind's, but to guarantee the happiness of both. The relationship between mind and body is the same as well. The purpose of a promise is to guarantee mutual happiness and joy; it doesn't aim for a personal purpose, but for the common purpose of both sides, which we call the purpose of the whole. The Fall happened because mankind broke this promise.

There are three elements to think of in a promise. One is the relationship between a subject and an object; the second is the purpose of the whole, and the third is the element of time. Some promises must be kept for a limited period, like one year or 10 years, and others for eternity.

I'd like to talk about how a promise is kept or broken. Let's begin with the promise between God and man. First of all, God is the subject and man is the object; secondly, the promise was backed up with a purpose for the whole -- what we call the purpose of creation -- which should guarantee not only God's happiness but also man's happiness. The purpose of creation aimed for the realization of the ideal of creation. Thirdly, the promise was for eternity. When a subject and an object make a promise, there should be a person who witnesses it. There were angels at the time of Adam and Eve who did this. It is the same with a treaty between nations. Mankind couldn't keep the promise, but God has kept it, because it was an eternal one. Then what became of this promise? A promise would be broken only if both sides broke it. It is the same with a divorce. A divorce can't be agreed upon by only one party. The agreement of both makes a divorce possible. Man broke his promise, but God has kept it.

What has become of the promise, the ideal of creation? God's purpose, the realization of the ideal of creation, remains as long as God keeps the promise. The providence of restoration wouldn't have been possible if God had broken the promise as well as mankind. If God keeps this promise eternally, then man, the object who broke the promise, can be replaced by another. As long as God keeps the promise, He can fulfill the original purpose by replacing the object. It is the same with the relationship between man and man. If Adam had kept the promise, Eve could have been created again. Can you follow me? Actually, because both Adam and Eve broke the promise, God couldn't recreate them, so He started the providence of restoration through indemnity.

At that time, if Adam had remained unfallen, God could have wiped out Eve and created a new Eve. Where there is a perfect plus, a perfect minus comes out naturally and automatically. Now you have understood that the realization of God's ideal is possible even if man changes, one after another, as long as God keeps the promise eternally.

In a sense, 6,000 years of the history of the restoration of mankind can be called the history which explains how God kept His original promise made with man. Father walks the same way with Heavenly Father. When we make a promise with Father, we must know that there are both Satan and God who witness it. Why both Satan and God? Because we are fallen. In the beginning, there was God, mankind and the angels, but, after the Fall, Satan took the place of the angels.

A promise with Father is an eternal one, which is kept not only in this world but also in the spiritual world. Sometimes we break our promise with Father. Many spiritualists and other members who once promised Father that they would follow him have now forgotten it. But Father didn't annul the promise. He prayed for them. He kept the promise with them even after they started opposing him and so God could substitute other people to follow him. When a partner breaks a promise, we usually become upset and break off the relationship. It is the same between nations when they start a war.

What would become of us if Heavenly Father or Father were to take the same attitude as that of fallen man? There would be no eternity, nor any ideal to think of. Then let's think of the relationship between a leader and team members. How should the members behave when the leader doesn't keep a promise? I'd like you to have the conviction that the members will be given a better leader who can fulfill their ideal on a higher dimension, if the members keep the promise. When the members can't keep the promise, the leader will get better members. Why? When your partner doesn't keep a promise, you don't want to keep it either. But when you keep the promise even when you don't want to keep it, you overcome your limitations.

You have to pass through a certain period to keep a promise. If a purpose has already been fulfilled, we need not make a promise. We make a promise today, looking forward to the future when the purpose will be fulfilled. Therefore, both a subject and an object must pass through a certain period, keeping the promise together, until both reach the destination. If one partner reaches the destination but the other drops out on the way, then God can find a substitute for the partner to enable him to reach the original destination. The same theory applies to the fact that a perfect minus appears for a perfect plus, to the fact that God could have adopted another Eve if only Adam had reached the destination .

The person who broke the promise doesn't matter but the one person who keeps it does, because God can find another person to fulfill the promise to replace the person who broke it. When both break a promise, there is no foundation for God to work on. Therefore, God has to create both to start again. In such a case, will God's Providence be postponed or shortened? It will be postponed. If one of them keeps the promise, then God can proceed with the Providence without postponement. As long as you keep a promise, even if your partner doesn't, you will be given a better partner. This can be adapted to a relationship between a husband and wife: if one partner keeps a promise with God and doesn't change his or her mind about wanting to establish a happy family, he or she will be given a better partner to fulfill the original purpose to make an ideal family. If he or she breaks the promise as well, feeling empty and having nothing to believe in, happiness will not come to that family. Father has kept the promise with the members even after they left him. This attitude enables Heavenly Father to bring many more better members to the Unification Church and enables the providence of restoration to be developed and fulfilled.

I told you that God and Satan are there when we make a promise with Father. When Father visited Japan in 1967 together with the Korean leaders, he planned to bless the brothers and sisters of Japan. When he left Japan he performed one ceremony and reported that he had to postpone the blessing of the Japanese members. Father also reports everything to Heavenly Father. When things don't go as he plans, he reports the main reasons to Heavenly Father and changes the plan.

Suppose a member promised a leader that he would visit a certain person, but he couldn't go. He has to report why he couldn't go to the leader. If not, he will lose the trust of the leader. In Korea, Father used to attend the Pledge service and give us a sermon. One Saturday Father stayed on Chong Pyong lake. It was raining heavily and the boat was not in such a good condition. So Father started back much earlier so that he could be in time for the Pledge service, but even so he was late. He said he started a prayer to apologize that he would be late as soon as the promised time, five o'clock, came. Father said that we should start a prayer of repentance at the moment when the promised time comes. A promise is such an important thing. Father himself keeps a promise in this way.

At the service Father explained how he had left Chong Pyong early so that he could make it in time. At the same time, he found, when he arrived, that the members had not yet gathered, even though they also had promised. He felt sorry and dissatisfied. Father testified that he kept the promise heartistically and also externally (from the viewpoint of time), even though he was actually late, as he had left Chong Pyong early because of the rain and the condition of the boat. Can you follow?

Let's take a look at ourselves. We take it for granted that the leaders arrive late. It is thought to be an authoritative attitude; members, however, are expected to come earlier. You leaders don't usually keep a promise and yet you don't feel guilty about it, do you? Then it is natural for the members to follow your example. You have scolded them for having been late, haven't you? Do you understand Father's way?

If the external promise is so important, then how about the eternal promise made at the risk of your life? Have you ever heard of Mr. Pak with the broken leg? He made deep promises to Father in the prison; one of them was that he would build a building with a capacity of over 300 people once he got out of prison. When Father came back to Pyongyang after he left the prison, Mr. Pak had already broken his leg. He was staying with his sister's family, but they had left him behind when they had gone to the South as refugees. It was certain that he would be killed if he was left there alone. Father brought that heavy man on a bicycle all the way to Pusan.

At that time, Father's beloved father, mother, brothers and sisters all lived in North Korea, not far from the church, but Father took this man, not his own family. It was an incredibly difficult thing. Father kept his promise with God and Mr. Pak at the risk of his life. From now on, I would like you to keep any promise you make. You can understand now how important a promise is.

All the troubles in the world occur because we don't keep promises. What we always have to think is that we make a promise in order to be happy with each other. We make a timetable on a workshop for both participants and staff to keep. We can understand God's heart by keeping the timetable and be more confident about becoming a respected leader. We should not make a one sided promise. Leaders are apt to force members to promise in a one sided way: "You had better do this or that." A promise is made when both sides say "Yes".

A promise does not precede an agreement, so you must listen to your partner carefully and fully; hopefully an amicable agreement is made. Even in the case where you are certain your idea is better and that your partner is far inferior to you, you should listen to him first, make him compare his idea with your idea and judge which is the better of the two ideas himself. You have to give him an opportunity for him to think that he has chosen it of his own free will, even though he came to follow your idea as a result. If not, he feels he is being pushed to choose your idea. He feels he is being pushed when he thinks he cannot use his own free will in the decision.

You must have a headache, since I am always telling you difficult things; some of you may feel so heavy that you will not be able to go forward for a while. Father didn't tell you about his experiences because he thought you wouldn't be able to feel at ease in your work if you understood how difficult his experiences were. Members don't understand this and want to know about Father's experiences. Father doesn't want you to go the same difficult way he has walked; if you know his past, you also have to go the same way. It shows the parental heart of Father that he does not tell the story of his past. Father opened up a difficult course in this way, but he wants to lead us through an easier way. That's why he doesn't want to speak about himself.

What Father requires us to do is to believe and follow him, but you can't believe him without understanding him and you ask him to let you understand a little bit more. But when you listen to it, you are in the position of having to practice it.

Two thousand years ago Thomas could not believe in the resurrected Jesus. Jesus told Thomas to touch him if he couldn't believe him. He touched Jesus and believed. Jesus said: "Blessed are those who can believe without touching." If we touch and still don't believe, we will be accused; if we don't touch and don't believe, then there is a way for forgiveness. Do you follow me? It is important to understand, but your attitude after you have understood is more important. However it will be more forgivable, as you didn't hear from Father directly, but from me, your brother.

As you grow up, Father will give you a deeper story than the one I have told you. It blocks your growth if you try to listen to what is beyond your standard. It is the same as giving a baby solid food. I thought it was important for you to know this part of Father's experience. Thank you very much.

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