The Words of Sun Myung Moon from 1975
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The Words of Sun Myung Moon from 1975 |
In the history of our world, the dispensation of restoration has often been repeated three times due to human failures. Originally, there was to have been no dispensation of restoration. The need for restoration and the subsequent repetitions ultimately came from one event: the fall. We have learned that since the fall, God, Satan and man have been tackling each other. Their interaction has formed history, with the heavenly side battling to establish turning points in order to restore the original position, and the satanic side battling to keep its dominion. The issue has always been to determine who will eventually gain the victorious turning point -- God or Satan.
The established religions and their adherents have never realized that man has a central responsibility for turning this evil world around. They have believed that anything can be accomplished if only God wishes it. They assumed that if God willed something, even Satan would not oppose Him. Unification theology says that man himself must take all responsibility. We say that we cannot reach the true turning point unless we expel Satan. Man must take a leading position. God, on His side, is trying to restore mankind centering on good people. Satan's side, centering on evil people, opposes this restoration. History has been developing through the repetition of these struggles.
Cain represents Satan's side and Abel represents God's side. They inevitably collide. God's side stands in the internal position while Satan's side is in the external position. Cain and Abel experienced this kind of struggle, and in their battle, Satan's side eventually gained the victory. Had God's side been victorious, history would have moved at that crucial turning point to the side of goodness.
At the times of Noah and Abraham, Satan was able to win more battles and frustrate the attempt to set the turning point toward goodness. At any historical turning point, heaven has always fought centering upon three stages or generations, representing the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Completed Testament, or the formation, growth, and perfection stages. Abraham, representing mankind, tried to make a complete turnabout by making symbolic offerings. Yet because he did not cut the birds in two, the condition was not established. Then the course of Abraham's family had to pass through three stages -- from Abraham through Isaac and Jacob. Finally, for the first time, a victorious historical turning point was made at the time of Jacob.
When Jacob gained the victory for the first time, a whole family was able to follow the path toward heaven. What was the next challenge? What is always critical after a new tradition starts? Passing that accomplishment on to one's descendants. The thought, faith, and action by which Jacob gained the victory be- came the new tradition which his descendants were to follow. Although Jacob was an individual, he did not set the indemnity condition simply as an individual, but rather as someone standing in a historical position. Thus, the historical turning point which he achieved had to be passed on to the family and then the tribe. They had to inherit the tradition through which Jacob gained his victory. This is the course of Jacob which we study in the Principle.
But the chosen people of Israel could not inherit Jacob's historical victory over Satan unless they could continue to follow the path which he and his family walked through the time of Moses. No matter how difficult the course may have been, they had to observe this rule through the time of Moses. This rule applied to them not only in their own country, but wherever they went. Furthermore, they had to create the turning point centering on the level of the race or the people at Moses' time.
Satan is always standing one step ahead of us. In the alien country of Egypt, God and God's people had to face Satan, Satan's people and Satan's country. By the time God had gathered His people, Satan had already claimed a country. By the time God had a country, Satan had the world. They have always been fighting in this way.
Moses was a leader in the palace of the pharaoh even though he was an Israelite. In the palace, since he represented the Egyptians, he was a man on Satan's side. But Moses left the palace and made a change. The day he changed, Moses became one of the people of Israel -- a man on God's side. No longer was he the Moses of the palace, dwelling on Satan's side.
Moses was able to gain the foundation to lead his race, his people, during his 40 year period in Midian. Moses and the people of Israel became one and battled against the palace of the pharaoh. God's side and Satan's side fought each other, and God's side subjugated Satan's side. The Israelites journeyed for three days until they reached the Red Sea. The initial three-day period for returning to Canaan was significant in Jacob's return to his homeland as well.
After winning these battles, the people of Israel began their exodus, ending 400 years of slavery in Egypt. Yet they did not go directly to Canaan, but spent 40 more years wandering in the wilderness. Why did they have to go this course? Because the Israelites were not willing to pursue their goal at the risk of their lives. They could not focus on one goal leading to God alone. Their way of thinking was humanistic and still tied to the satanic world.
From the time the people of Israel left Egypt until they returned to establish the national foundation and await the Messiah, the tradition they had to inherit was the one Moses used to gain victory in Egypt. Unless they followed and observed this tradition wholeheartedly, they could not inherit the foundation of victory on the level of a race or a people or bring the turning point to the level of a nation. This foundation was critical because upon the expansion of this foundation Jesus was supposed to come on the national level and bring the messianic age.
The level of the nation is one step higher than the level of the people. The nation encompasses families and people. Accordingly, in the national age, conditions to restore families and people do not have to be repeated individually. Therefore, when Jesus came to the earth as the Messiah, if he set the national standard victoriously, he could also accomplish all the requirements to restore the family and the people.
What did Moses have to focus on to accomplish restoration at the stage of a race or people? He had to inherit the tradition of Jacob's course. You must understand this. Moses represented the next goal in the process of development since Jacob, and he inherited the tradition which Jacob left. In the process of development, there is no growth stage without a formation stage, no completion stage without a growth stage. So, if Jacob's age is the formation stage, Moses could come on that foundation at the growth stage. In the vertical process of history, Moses inherited the past and stood on the present. The turning point was directed toward the future. So he decided to march forward. From this turning point, the concepts of past, present and future were determined.
Jacob's family passed through the formation and growth stages and went forward to the level of complete faith. They followed the formula of bringing victory by setting up three stages -- past, present and future.
Without making conditions, Moses could not simply tell the people, "Let's go to Canaan." He could start forming a nation only after he cleaned up all the failures from Jacob's age until his time and set up a foundation which excluded Satan. The formula is the same. Then what must be done after entering the national age? Jesus had to stand upon the foundation of a victorious Moses. Since Moses' foundation was the foundation of a people, Jesus could not succeed without inheriting Moses' position and eliminating any conditions for Satan to invade.
The nation of Israel and the people whom Moses led were to become the foundation for Jesus. Therefore, all the failures from the age of Moses had to be cleaned up within the time of Jesus. Once he prepared and cleaned the foundation of the people and connected it with the national foundation, then Jesus could go to the world level. Only in that way could he go one dimension higher.
Since the turning point can only be made by securing the historical tradition from the previous level, when the national foundation was not secured at Jesus' time, the possibility for world restoration was lost. All the conditions established centering internally upon God and externally upon Jesus were supposed to have created one national foundation to confront Rome and the satanic world. If they could have created such a national turning point then the national of Israel would have existed on the earth eternally.
After the time of Jesus, both Jews and non-Jews should have been able to follow the original tradition of Jesus, and unite and create a national foundation. Then can any individual, family, race or nation accomplish God's will on earth? What happened at the death of Jesus? Was the turning point on earth lost or does it remain?
Today Christians say that everything is accomplished by simple faith in Jesus. However, this is not so. Through the death of Jesus, Christians lost the earthly foundation upon which they can restore the past, present and the future on the individual through the national levels. Where should we make the turning point? It should be on the earth. Because a being of spirit and flesh fell, it must be a people of spirit and flesh who go back to God as an individual, family, tribe, race, nation and world. By the death of Jesus, all of these levels were lost.
At the time of Jesus, his followers had to create the spiritual foundation to reach out to the world. The time had been right to create the national turning point on earth and go forward toward the world level. However, the death of Jesus blocked the way to the national and world stages, and Christians had to start a spiritual movement to accomplish God's ideal. Is Christianity qualified to inherit the earth? First Christians had to understand Jesus' situation and keep his tradition. You must understand that Christianity became a spiritual movement through the death of Jesus. What is Jesus' spiritual victory? It means his followers are not violated spiritually on the earth; a victorious spiritual atmosphere has been established. What Christians must know is why Jesus' prayed, "My father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will but as thou wilt." From this we can draw the conclusion that Christians are not able to reach God's ideal without uniting with Heavenly Father's will, just as Jesus prayed at the Garden of Gethsemane.
It is clear that with Jesus' death, God lost the earthly foundation which Moses had set. Externally the situation became worse than it was before the Messiah came. The Christians, the second Israel, have no nation, no land. They are like members of a family with no head of the household. There is no guarantee that God can protect the people for whom He had so carefully prepared the foundation of individual victory, family victory, tribal victory and racial victory. Even though God is an almighty God, He has no foundation to protect this second Israel. This is why Christian history has been the most miserable in the history of religions. Christianity has been a religion of martyrs. People wondered: Why, if God truly exists, did the Christians have to go such a miserable path, individually and as a people? We see now how Satan can always attack physically when there is no foundation for the individual, the family, the clan, the tribe or the nation.
Then, should Jesus return? Absolutely. Today, many Christians say that it doesn't matter whether the Messiah comes or not; it is not necessary. Some believe that the Lord will come on the clouds and bum everything up, and then the world will be made over just as God and Jesus wish it to be. Can this happen? This kind of Christian thought is too far removed from true restoration history and it will perish. People with that kind of faith will never be able to see the Lord of the Second Advent.
Is the Lord of the Second Advent coming with glory? Does he have the principled authority to be able to overcome the satanic individual, family, race and nation? In order to come on a national foundation, the Messiah must inherit the foundation of a race or people. But to inherit that, he must first inherit a family foundation which is perfectly purified. Only then can he firmly stand on the national foundation. Without this kind of foundation the Lord of the Second Advent cannot come with glory. Then the prophecy that he will come under conditions of incredible suffering and misery will be fulfilled.
The present situation of Christianity is like clouds floating in the sky. Clouds drift as the wind blows. Today, there are many nations in the world whose national religion is Christianity. But they have no earthly foundation of individual victory, family victory, and tribal victory. They have not established a chosen nation.
Then, what should the Lord of the Second Coming do when he arrives? He cannot reach out and save the world unless he recreates a substantial foundation on the individual, family, clan, race, and national levels, which were all lost in the nation of Israel. Without reestablishing those levels, he cannot consummate world Christianity.
Where has the floating spiritual Christianity settled in these 2,000 years? Do you think something which could not settle anywhere else could settle successfully in the United States?
Where can God gain His base? The dispensation did not succeed in Rome, or in England, or in this Christian nation of America either. There- fore, God set His base in a small country in the East. He needed to find a nation that had a long history of more than 4,000 years, and it had to be a small nation with a population of a manageable size. He needed a nation of one pure race of people. That nation had to be one which had never invaded another, and its people had to have a distinguished culture. It had to be a nation that had kept a strong national heritage even if it had to become a dependent state or suffer an unstable situation. Also, it had to be a nation whose people had undergone much suffering, because they were needed to indemnify the suffering of the world.
In the course of history only two nations have met these conditions. One is Israel. The Israelites wandered without a nation. Yet, in order to receive the Messiah, they persevered as a nationless nation in spite of all kinds of persecution and harsh treatment. The other nation is Korea. Koreans have been called the Jews of Asia. Korea has been able to inherit the achievements of Western culture, but its culture has not been diluted by Western civilization. It has been dominated by Satan's side, and in that, it shares the situation of Israel, which was ruled by Rome.
In 1948, Israel became independent; therefore, some might think it reasonable for the Lord to come back to Israel. Korea also became independent in 1948. However, Korea was liberated from Japanese colonization, in contrast to modern Israel's situation. Conceivably both countries may have become independent at the same time because the physical Israel inherited something from the spiritual Israel, Korea. The fact that the Jewish people, who had been wandering for 2,000 years, found their nation, shows that all their sins had been forgiven. Therefore, they could return to their original position. The prophecy that Israel would be restored when Jesus returned was fulfilled. Because Jesus' death was indemnified, mankind was able to receive forgiveness and the Lord of the Second Advent could come.
If the Lord of the Second Advent comes to Korea, is he going to lead a luxurious life or go the way of indemnity? He must endure many things in walking the path of indemnity; he must develop incredible endurance. The Koreans, who love hot food, say that such a person is able "to eat peppers without crying."
Korean Christianity stands in a position similar to that of the Jewish leaders in the past, except that Christians are floating, maintained by only a spiritual base. The mind, or spirit, follows where the body goes, so if Christians find a group of people who are welcoming the Messiah, the spirit may move them to follow. The Lord may appear through a new movement born in Korea, one which carries God's historical mission. What is that movement? The Unification movement is the focus of God's spirit and is trying to unify Christianity and the world.
What does all this mean? It means that the Messiah has come. If people had not opposed him but accepted everything, the restoration process would have ended in seven years; the indemnity conditions for the family, clan, and nation would have enabled all levels to unite. Korean independence was declared in 1948; by 1952, seven years after Korea's liberation from Japan in 1945, restoration would have been accomplished.
God accomplished His creation in one week, resting on the seventh day. What did I do during this period of seven years? I was in prison. I stayed there until I was liberated in 1950. When Jesus went the way of death, his disciples ran away. However, while I was in prison, I found 12 faithful disciples. This way the course of restoration through indemnity could start. I had started preaching in the democratic sphere, but the Christians opposed me. This signified that democracy was failing at that time. Since I found hostility at home in South Korea, I went to the basically enemy territory, communist controlled North Korea, to regain what was lost.
Restoring Blessed Families from that point, recreation could start anew. I worked to form a family from the position of Jacob, or at the individual level. I could begin my family in 1960, 14 years after the liberation of Korea. Considering each stage as seven years, I went through the stages of formation and growth to restore the failures at the time of Jesus. Jacob also worked 14 years to establish his family. So, in 1960, the family of God could begin to separate itself from the family of Satan.
I wanted to form families on the world level, creating a new blessing sphere of the new Israel. The third Israel is made up of blessed families. From 1960 we began to reach for the worldwide level of restoration, going through the historical process of the family age, clan age, tribal age and national age.
Up until now, the Unification Church has been forming clans and tribes centering on 12 couples representing Jacob's families. The 36 Couples represent three stages of 12 couples each. One process of restoration involves 36 couples; one family is the extension of 36 generations. When Cain's and Abel's families are added, they become 72 couples. Through the Blessing we must find the original, historical families which were lost, and we must restore them.
To accomplish God's will, Jesus should have blessed three disciples first and then the rest of the 12. So we also must fulfill the Blessing number 12. This number expanded horizontally through the past, present, and future becomes 36 couples. Also, the formation, growth, and completion stages expanded horizontally become 36 couples.
There were 10 generations from Adam to Noah and 10 generations from Noah to Abraham. However, this number 10 implies the fundamental number 12, because it includes Cain and Abel, or Isaac and Jacob. Through the formation, growth and completion stages, the number 12 becomes the number 36. This is the origin of the 36 Blessed Couples.
Expanded to the level of Abel and Cain, the 36 become 72 couples, representing a tribe. The next level of Blessing is the number 124, corresponding to the 120 followers with whom Jesus started his worldwide spiritual course. They are the representatives of the world's nations Jesus originally wanted to bless them and unify them, connecting them with the nation of Israel. If Jesus could have blessed his 120 followers, and if he had been welcomed by the nation of Israel, would he have been killed? Of course not. We had to indemnify what he did not accomplish and bless the 36, 72, and 124 couples within three years.
Next are the 430 Couples. The numbers four and three when added together become seven, and the numbers four and three always correspond to the number of liberation. The people of Israel made their exodus to the Promised Land after 430 years. In Korean history as well, the liberation from Japan happened in the year 4300, according to the Korean calendar. After 4,300 years, Korea could become the chosen nation. Therefore, 430 years is the period for the restoration of the nation of Israel.
When the foundation in Korea reached the national level, I blessed 43 couples of the Western world. The number 43 is a factor of the number 430.
The next Blessing was the 777 Couples, including people from 10 nations. Through this Blessing the way was opened for the world level.
The Unification Church is forming a new tribe and new nation. Do you understand what is happening? If you do not understand this so far, you will not understand the dispensation from now on. You must inherit the tradition and observe it, but how can you observe and maintain something you do not understand?
In February 1975 I blessed the 1,800 Couples. I had to hold that Blessing within 14 years after the dispensation started in April 1960. The 1,800 Couple Blessing closed the second seven-year course of the Unification Church because it prepared the perfect foundation for expanding to the world level. The number six is the number of Satan, and 1,800 is a multiple of 18, which is the total of six plus six plus six. It signifies the dominion of the satanic world. The first six represents the formation stage of the satanic side; the second six represents the growth stage of the satanic side; and the third six represents the completion stage of the satanic side. Thus the world foundation was prepared; therefore, from now on we can mobilize the nation and the world.
We have been holding rallies, centering on the Yoido rally this past June in Korea. Rally preparations began in February, and the event reversed the entire fortune of Korea. We had to reverse the path of the established churches and achieve victory in various other areas as well. These activities have linked Korea to the individual, family, race, national and worldwide levels. This spiritual connection has given Korea a substantial foundation on the worldwide level.
We could open the way to go to the world by making a spiritual connection through conditions such as the three-year course in the United States from 1972-1974. Before, we had been working spiritually on the level of tribe and race. However, I have sent members out to the world and have brought a spiritual victory through the three-year course in the United States beginning in 1972.
Now that the national standard is set, in order to expand it on the worldwide level, we have to establish the substantial Christian world standard in these next three years and connect it with the foundation of spiritual Christianity. In the following three years, combining the substantial foundation with the spiritual foundation, we must mobilize on a world level. This period corresponds on a worldwide level to Jesus' three-year mission. The foundation for all this was the Yoido rally. Through it we reached the level of the established churches and the nation and have prepared a victorious foundation spiritually and physically. The three-year dispensational course for the world begins this year in the United States.
This is the historical turning point for the world level spiritually and physically. You must understand this. During these three years -- 1975, 1976 and 1977 -- the destiny of the United States will change, and the destiny of the world will change with it.
In Korea, I have been restoring though indemnity everything lost in Israel. I prepared the national foundation and completed it, spiritually and physically, through the Christian world. I have also been setting the indemnity conditions for the world level.
In these first three years, we must create the spiritual foundation, and in the latter three years we must create the physical foundation. Then from 1977 to 1981, we must completely indemnify the problems of the world and resolve them. We must gain a certain victory in the first three years until 1977, and by 1981 we must free the Unification Church from any opposition in the democratic world. The communist sphere may still oppose us, but in the sphere of the free world the Unification Church should be welcomed any place. What we achieve in the United States will determine this.
What kind of time are we in? In terms of the historical turning point, we have now inherited the national foundation the Christian era. To that we must add the foundation of the world level not only spiritually but physically as well. In the coming years we will fight to create the world foundation. The destiny of the worldwide foundation will be based upon the principle of restoration through indemnity. Therefore, you must understand that 1975, 1976, and 1977 are the years of the greatest turning point in history. We are standing on that point.
In these three years, how shall we influence America? What do we have to do? God has shifted His focus from the established churches, and the Unification Church has appeared. We must have a clear providential view of history. We must understand the reality, not only the theory, of history. Jacob went through his providential course without understanding much of it; neither Moses nor Jesus went through the providence with full knowledge. But our situation is different. We understand everything, so we should be able to do it. The formation stage is Adam's, the growth stage belongs to Jesus, and now we are in the completion stage. Therefore, we must clearly understand God's situation.
I have stood up for a nation, and that nation is Korea, not America. We have no way to restore Christianity and the spiritual foundation unless we find the physical substance again. As you trace back through the ages, who has the most ideal situation -- Jesus and his disciples, or you? Jesus' age was at the tribal or national level; however, we are standing on the world level. How great this time is! You must understand that theoretically you should be greater than they. The early Christians were willing to go to Rome even knowing their throats would be slashed. What would you do if knew your throats were to be slashed in Moscow? Are you superior to Jesus' disciples?
How many years do we have to work in order to save the democratic world? We must work hard these three years, and accomplish as much as possible to win the communist world within a seven-year period. If we do so, the democratic world can be victorious over the communist sphere without fighting it. If we cannot do it, there will be one fight after another. In that case, members of the Unification Church must go toward the victory even if our blood is shed. Therefore, in this course, we must solve the world problems by all means. This is always my earnest desire, whether I am asleep or awake. God and Jesus long for this as well. Many spirit persons are relying on us to gain this additional victory for which we have been striving. This is what we and the spiritual world are praying for.
In the past the spiritual world could not fully assist us, but now they are able to fully participate. Everything depends on us opening the way. How near the Heavenly Kingdom is! We have seven years left.
What are the turning points in this battle? The Madison Square Garden rally changed things spiritually. Now the challenge is the external world. The growth stage is the Yankee Stadium rally. World victory depends on the upcoming rally at Yankee Stadium. The second stage in the providence is usually the turning point. In Adam's family, the providence centered upon Abel, the second son. At the family level, centering upon Noah, the heavens and the earth were divided. The second stage is the most crucial. In Abraham's family, a decision of life and death revolved around the second generation, Isaac. In the larger scope of history, Jesus, the second Adam, had tried to set the turning point but could not. The growth stage is at the center, whether it is viewed vertically or horizontally.
Now, on the world level, the turning point is the second key rally, at Yankee Stadium. The number seven represents the formation, 14 is the growth, and 21 is the completion. Therefore, Yankee Stadium will be a victory if we can gather 210,000 people. To accomplish that will be equivalent to lifting up the United States. Therefore, we must do it at the risk of our lives. We must be victorious at Yankee Stadium. We should concentrate on God's Kingdom not only with our mind, but with our whole body. If all are gathered at Yankee Stadium, how delighted God and Jesus would be! The entire spiritual world will be grateful. And this generation will change. Groups opposing us will shrink away.
You must understand that I am standing in a serious position. For the first time I am standing on the world foundation spiritually, and now I am surveying the physical foundation. If you gain the victory here within three years, by 1980 we will surely be able to protect all these foundations. We can openly testify, in front of God, that all the problems of the world have been solved without a fight. If we can bring more that 200,000 people to Yankee Stadium, we will triumph at Washington Monument and be able to get 600,000 or even 700,000 people. When 600,000 people can support me, the new Israelites can head for Canaan.
In these three years we will create the world foundation. We are building the restoration through indemnity. In Korea, we assembled 1.2 million people for a rally at Yoido Island. If you have the same heart as Jesus and unite in a desperate effort, the spiritual world will be mobilized and we can gain the victory. People will feel unconsciously drawn to Yankee Stadium.
When they see you, they will want to follow you. The spiritual world will attract them. Therefore we must do our best. This is the final battle. It has never existed before and will not come again. God is serious, Jesus is serious, and I am serious; the Christian spirit world is serious and you members of the Unification Church are serious. Those who went to the spiritual world believing in Christianity will come and assist us. After Christianity penetrated Rome, opposition to Christianity did not last much longer. If we gain the victory at Yankee Stadium there won't be much opposition after that. The people will feel somehow attracted to the Unification Church, and they will come and observe what we are and what we do.
The victory of Yankee Stadium will put us over the growth stage. It is the same as rising beyond the sphere of the fall. Since it will establish God's authority on the world level, Satan will have no place to go. Therefore, our enemies will not be able to oppose us. Yankee Stadium will determine all these things. In a way, I feel desperate.
If it fails, what will happen next? I am most serious on that point. You must understand it. We must accomplish by all means, regardless of what happens.
The United States will soon be 200 years old. We understand that God's providence works through corresponding time periods. During their 400 years of persecution under the Roman Empire, the early Christians re- stored through indemnity the 4,000 years of human history lost at the time of Jesus. Now the United States must indemnify the 2,000 years lost by the failure of Christianity. These 200 years must consummate spiritually and substantially the providence since Jesus, solve everything, and return it to heaven. The indemnity period to restore the spirit and flesh of Jesus is this 200 years.
The title of the Yankee Stadium rally is "America's Bicentennial -- God Bless America." It means we are passing over to the Heavenly Kingdom, crossing over the peak of the second providential stage. Even when you sleep, sleep with a mind directing your arms and legs toward Yankee Stadium. If we think about things is that way, victory will surely come. If you bring success, you will rise up. Jesus will bow his head to you. So will God, and the spiritual world too.
Now is the time when each of you can focus on 6,000 years of history with the best of sincerity and become the resurrected body of Jesus. In the history of the providence, you are standing on a brand new summit of history; it will never reappear. Do your best. If God should ask you, "Couldn't you have done more?" and you can reply, "I did the maximum I was capable of," both you and I will be free from responsibility. But if you did not do your very best with the utmost sincerity, you will become the object of resentment of billions and billions of generations. You and I must completely unite. Satan does not take a rest; God does not take a rest, and we cannot. Think in these terms, and in the coming six months -- which will be like the final hell -- you must seriously overcome all obstacles. This time will never be repeated. Let's all do our best and make our pledge in front of God that six months from today we will accomplish our goal.