Rev. Hwang's words to leaders and the staff of the Korean church headquarters, the HSA-UWC (business) Foundation and the international office of FFWPU, on September 26th at the Dowon (International Headquarters) Building, Seoul.

Human history, as a whole, has been a history of God's providence of salvation. When we examine history, there are times when it seems that God remains silent, as if He did not exist. There was even a time when the Israelites offered their full devotion to God, while going through immense suffering, but God did not answer them for four hundred years. There has never been a time when God has ceased to work for the salvation of humanity. Having developed through the Old and New Testament ages and come into today's Completed Testament Age, God's work for salvation has culminated in the life course of True Parents. To elaborate on the meaning of True Parents' life course, it can be said, providentially, to represent the whole of human history. A day in the Bible, just like a day now, was twenty-four hours, but a day in this era holds the same providential significance as one thousand or ten thousand biblical years. True Parents' course, which is restoring through indemnity the whole of human history, is a course that has never stood still but has continuously developed towards a goal.

In a world where God's will is fulfilled, people must live like True Parents. This mean we have to become original people, original Adams. The name Adam can be used as a normal noun. That's why Jesus is an Adam and True Father is an Adam. They're the second and third Adams, right? So another way to say we need to become original people is to say we must become fourth Adams.

There will never be a fifth Adam. The fourth Adam era is the final stage of human restoration. This final stage is being realized through the registration blessing. So, how great is the providential significance of the registration blessing? God's providence began at the beginning of human history. From that time until now, the final conclusion of the providence of restoration is the era of the fourth Adam. That's why Father said, "If you receive the registration blessing and become fourth Adams than we can separate." That means becoming independent. Receiving the blessing was restoring the blood lineage and being born again. Then we become tribal messiahs. Receiving the registration blessing is like getting married after we have consciously inherited our faith. Marriage is when we become independent and take care of our own family. The registration blessing represents this stage of life.

In principle, there are a few conditions necessary for us to receive this blessing. A family-level four-position foundation is needed. A four-position foundation is the completion of God's purpose of creation. The family is the smallest unit of the realization of this purpose. We must have persuaded a hundred and sixty families to receive the blessing; we must become tribal messiahs. We must have participated in the Ideal Family Education in Jardim, Brazil. The main points of this education are absolute faith, love and obedience. This is the order of the original world. Even if we are not within True Parents' realm of direct dominion, if we maintain a standard of absolute love, faith, obedience, then no matter what the circumstances, we will not fall. We also have to make the Total Living Offering. There are two reasons for this: one is liberating God; the other is transferring the right of possession back to Heaven. These conditions symbolize the entire history of the providence until now. They also symbolize the whole of an individual's course of faith. So only after receiving the registration blessing on the foundation of the completion of these conditions can we become fourth Adams.

After receiving the registration blessing, we stand in front of Heaven with the name of a central blessed family. We come to stand in a position of reporting, rather than praying. We receive the right to directly bless the second generation. True Parents, on the foundation of restoring all of the humanity, creation, and spirit world, conducted the Coronation Ceremony on January 13, 2001. In providential terms, the year 2000 ran from True Parents' birthday in 1999, by the lunar calendar, to their birthday this year.

And now this year's providence is also advancing. This year we have to work to establish God's fatherland. This is the task we now face and also the goal of the providence. The time period we have is sometime between 2004 and 2010 at the latest. Though we don't know the scale or the content yet, I'm sure it will be revealed within a short time. The problem is our not being aware of everything we have to do to establish God's fatherland. The first step is creating a culture of heart, which means first building such a culture within our own church.

If we look from a historical and realistic viewpoint, we can see the reason for this. Let's look at the Israelites. Although after four hundred years of slavery in Egypt they finally made it to the land of Canaan, they could not settle and so were unable to establish God's kingdom. This is a lesson for us who live in the age of settlement today. During their four hundred years of slavery, they went through many struggles. Then God called Moses to lead them to Canaan. On the way, there was a forty-year course through the desert. Through those times of hardships, God was able to plant within the Jewish people Yahweh's culture and faith.

When the Israelites entered Canaan, they attempted to destroy the tribes within. They met with various difficulties, however, and instead of solving these they began worshipping the god Baal. In the end, they lost the purity of their faith. They were unable to settle substantially in the land of Canaan. This is an example and lesson for those of us in the present settlement age of the providence. We need to instill our faith substantially into our way of life, our culture of heart, but we are still weak in this area. That's because creating a culture is not easy. What is a culture? This is a way of life for all people. Through our way of life, faith has to be bound into a common culture. God's nation is the same way.

The realization of God's nation is the expansion into society of a culture of heart. Even if people are Buddhist, they can still realize the nation of God. This is possible when they share a common culture of heart. If people share a true family culture and purity, then the kingdom of God can be realized. That's how settlement works. The reason the Israelites failed to settle themselves in Canaan was because they did not settle their faith centered on Yahweh's culture of heart, and were crushed under the culture of Baal. It's the same for us. In this era, our settlement means entrenching our faith towards a culture of heart within our community.

Next, let us look at the history of Christianity. Christianity started out as an "observing" group. They had experiences with Jesus and lived with him, but this group was not a church as such, because they did not profess Jesus to be the Messiah. In the end, after Jesus' death, the group scattered. If they had accepted Jesus as the Messiah, then they would have become a "testifying" group. After Jesus resurrection, they truly realized he was the Messiah. Theologically speaking, the Christian church did not begin with the people who followed Jesus, the "observing" group; it began in the Upper Room, with the beginning of the "testifying" group. The church began from that event on that Passover.

Thirty to forty years after Jesus' death, two tasks had to be undertaken. One was the work of creating the scriptures, and the other was that of creating the organization of the church. That is why the "observing" group developed into the "testifying" group. They organized communities and formed one culture, Christianity. When we see this, our task becomes clear. We have to accomplish these things while True Parents are with us. We have to finish the work of creating our scriptures and the work of establishing and working out the problems of the church organization.

During its two-thousand-year history, Christianity went through many changes and struggles, and through the years denominations became separated and divided from each other. But we can't let that happen. The division of Catholics and Protestants, the division of the Western Church, Eastern Church, and Latin Church, the many different religious factions all add to True Parents' burden. In the end, however, True Parents will establish our culture while they are on earth.

Brothers and sisters, what era are we now in? The same era as when the Israelites finished their forty-year course in the desert and the second generation entered the land of Canaan! So as one era goes and another era comes, those that are left until the end must open this new era. That is what the settlement age means. That's why, in the end, we have to establish God's culture of heart on this earth. In the center of that culture of heart are True Parents and the True Family. The way of life of the True Parents will be our way of life. For example, if True Parents wake up at six to do Hoon Dok Hae, then all the citizens of that nation will follow. That's not the way it is now, however. This is because we are separate from their culture of heart.

To establish a culture of heart, there are two important things we must do first. We must inherit True Parents' life as our own. We must become completely one with True Parents, and from within our own life the value and nobility of True Parents must stream forth. But looking at our present state, how close are we to this?

The second point is that culture is settled through a community. Faith is not given, but passed on [bequeathed]. Culture is also not just given, but passed on. Bequeathing is only possible when you stand in the middle as a mediator. You must stand in the central position. The person who bequeaths is the person who, through their own life and actions, plays the role of conveying True Parents' life and spirit. Faith is the same. How is the faith of parents passed down to the children? Is it given? It is learned through life and heart. The conclusion is that the life and spirit of True Parents, the center of the culture of heart, can be settled through the role and responsibility of a person who passes them on. This will come to pass according to the passage of time and the age, so that God's kingdom can be realized on this Earth. Therefore, the position of a central person is very important.

You who have gathered today are among those closely attending True Parents. A few days ago, the business leaders and the leaders of the various providential organizations also attended an event like this. Those people have the closest experience of True Parents. Those leaders share with you the characteristic of being in the position of those who bequeath the culture of heart centered on True Parents. Through your effort and devotion, the center of the culture of heart, which is True Parents' life and essence, can be conveyed to the members and leaders wherever they are.

If the internal aspect is the settlement of a culture of heart, what would the external aspect be? That would be the building of God's fatherland. How will it be built? If we go by Father's words, he said it was possible through the victory of all blessed families as tribal messiahs. In other words, when we get our tribes in order, then we can build a nation. If that's true, how can we organize our tribes? There are two ways: through the blessing and by working at the grassroots level.

There two meanings of the word "tribe." A tribe by blood and a tribe by faith. A tribe by blood refers to your family and relatives. A tribe by faith refers to spiritual sons and daughters. So, the way to gather your tribe "by blood" is to set up your tribe "by faith" through finding spiritual children, the blessing and working on the level of your local area.

This year is the first year of the building of God's fatherland. True Parents have elevated us to fourth Adams by opening the door for the registration blessing and setting the standard through the Coronation Ceremony. They have directed us to build God's fatherland with our own hands. This is an incredible new start. The foundation for this is the accomplishment of blessing 12,000 single men and women. There are only three months left. From October, all blessed families must take part in a movement to find one couple, two single people, to attend.

In order to succeed, who should be the first to set the example? The central figure has to. The central figures are the leaders and the people working at the headquarters. After them, it's the church leaders and those working in the providential organizations and businesses. The number of people working in these central places is at least 1,200. You 1,200 should go out first, and ignite a fire in the hearts of all the members.

Now we really have to open our eyes. They should be popping out of our head. Starting from the church president, regional leaders, department heads, and leaders of the providential organizations, we should take responsibility with strong determination. Then this movement will develop. I beg all of you to be mindful of this call, and participate in your local community. Representing the members, the church president, department heads and regional church leaders will come to bear this burden. We are now in an emergency period when we must act.

The World Culture and Sports Festival and blessing ceremony will be held at the time of our True Parents' birthday next February. So, during the next three months, I want you to witness to one couple-preferably two single people-so that we can present to Heaven an incredible victory in the blessing.

If we can succeed in witnessing to one couple, then the blessing will be a success. If you who are gathered here succeed, then the church leaders throughout Korea will also succeed. The people in the businesses and providential organizations will also succeed.

When those in the headquarters demonstrate an effort to accomplish a new goal, then the church leaders and the members working in the field receive strength. They become ignited. That is the power of inspiration. Let's make this a day of strong determination and a new beginning that leads to concrete activities.

[Originally published in Today's World, October 2001]

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