Day of Victory of Heaven

Sun Myung Moon
October 4, 1980

Note: On October 14, 1950, Father was released from prison in North Korea and on October 4, 1955 from prison in South Korea. Father said it was not necessary to emphasize the suffering so much. Therefore, only October 4 is now commemorated.

Thinking back, four years have passed since this day was first declared. Of course, no one else in the world recognizes and celebrates this day. Then does that mean that heaven has never been victorious on earth? Can Unification Church members say that God has always been defeated, never experiencing victory until now? It all depends on what standard you use to determine victory and defeat. How was God defeated, and where did He gain victory -- in spirit world on or earth? By what criterion was victory or defeat determined? Was it accomplished by one man or many men?

Almost everyone chosen for the dispensation failed God. We know that man's failure on earth caused God's dispensation to suffer defeat.

The history of providence has been repeating itself, and has always ended in failure. God has everything -- power, silver and gold, authority -- so why do we say that God has always suffered defeat? Does God need a Ph.D.? Does He need to eat three times a day like we do? Then what is it God needs? He needs true love -- sun love and moon love as well!

Now, if you ask God why He does not love you fully, what would He reply? This is a difficult question for Him to answer, one which touches the most sensitive part of His heart. When you ask that question, God is the saddest being of all. After a long hesitation, He will reply, "I cannot love you, because I have not yet loved my eldest begotten son and daughter. Until then, I can love no one." The law of love requires that the first-born be loved first. There are billions of people who are children of God, but all are descendents of the first begotten son who became a failure because of the fall. Therefore, God cannot love those generations until He can love His first-born. It is God's will that He love the first true son and daughter first, and then proceed to love the first true family and clan, nation, world and true heaven. This is the order of love. But to this day, God has never been able to love to that extent. There are many contradictions in the world, such as wars, but God has never intervened to stop a war. What do all men want, far more than money or power?

They want God to come to earth, live with them and love them. Then why is the concept of a Messiah necessary? Some would say he must come to connect all the relationships in history which have ended in failure. He comes as the center of all of God's love, distributing it to the entire world. Religion exists to repair the foundation for the Messiah to be able to come and work with ease. He is the one who will ensure that God's love can reach the first son, first family and first nation. God has worked very hard to send the Messiah. Because God lost His firstborn at the fall, the Messiah must come to let God love the first-born, allowing Him for the first time to love the true family, true nation, true world and true cosmos. After that, God will say that everything is accomplished. That is the tradition of love.

Christians think that because Jesus said, "It is finished," nothing remains to be accomplished on earth. There is a vast gulf, however, between this concept and the Principle. Since God has to send the Messiah once again, that means that not everything was accomplished in Jesus' time.

Here in the Unification Church, we emphasize the True Parents, True Family and so forth. Where does this concept of "true" originate? It comes in connection with love. It is reasonable to say that this is why there are no problems between races in our midst; here everyone can come into unity. Individuals, families, clans and so forth still exist here in the Unification Church, but they are being transformed into their true meaning.

When you look at things from the perspective of true love, nothing is very complicated. The highest place in the spirit world is reserved for those who share God's desires. They want to see God loving the true man, true family and so forth. What's more, those who love the true man, true family, etc., will also go to the highest heaven.

Now you know how God wins the victory -- centering on love. God sent me to earth, and I made God see and feel love as He originally intended. This is all I did, yet this is how God won the victory. However, most people do not know about God and, therefore, feel threatened by me. This is why they try to discredit God-centered activity. They are worried about what will happen to their tradition and history. We still have to struggle to educate them and bring them closer to God. The biblical dispensation was never fulfilled, simply because love was always lacking. We have to fill in all the gaps in the horizontal restoration and win over the opposing world with love. This remains to be accomplished.

We have already faced the highest hill of opposition, plugging all the holes in the dispensation with love. This is why victory has come about. If Korea and its churches had accepted me when I first came with this mission, would I have had to go through the troubles and persecution that I have faced here in America? If I had been welcomed then, America would have supported the Korean people after World War II. Then communism would not have spread to such an extent throughout the world. But as it resulted, Korea opposed me; so other Asian countries and also America have resisted me. Thus, the opposition of the Korean churches resulted in organized persecution.

Individuals do not oppose me just as individuals, but in a historical way. This is also true of families and nations. In me, for the first time, the satanic world found something to unite around! This entire world wanted to crush one small individual. What would have happened if I had run away from it all? Would the question have been settled? Could the victory have been won? The heavenly champion has to confront all his challengers, inviting the world to defy him, and still defeat them single-handedly.

In 1976, the media, the U.S. Congress and the world stood against me. To make sure that this opposition would be complete, I previously sent out members to 124 countries as missionaries. Then in 1976 all 124 nations united in hostility against me. Centering on Washington Monument, I had to fight all America and the entire world. Although everyone turned against me, at that time I won over all the opposition, including the Washington Post and the New York Times. In their coverage of the event, they had to recognize what had taken place the day before.

Do you think I could be opposed any more than I was in 1976? The worst has been overcome. No one said I was defeated at Washington Monument -- the world was defeated by one single man. But what did I fight with? With the one principle of showing the world true love, overcoming the force that opposes God. Until that time, no matter how unjustly people criticized me, I did not do anything against them. I tried to return love to them, and I simply persevered.

God wanted me to bring Him into love -- not in a plush, comfortable living room, but bearing the cross in the abyss of misery. That is the point of love God wanted to be led to -- He wanted to show love at the center of greatest pain. With only a handful of supporters on earth and under the worst possible persecution, I showed true love to the world -- a love that God could recognize. On this foundation, the Day of Victory of Heaven was proclaimed, four years ago today.

Furthermore, on February 23 the following year, I declared the beginning of a new era, announcing that whoever opposed this established foundation would be the one to receive suffering. From then on, the more people resist us, the more ground they will lose and the more we will gain.

Until that time, walls surrounded individuals, families, clans, races and so forth. But now the walls are broken down and love can freely travel anywhere on earth. Therefore, many international marriages have taken place and will continue to happen. At the same time, a family, clan, nation and world have sprung up, surrounding Reverend Moon.

With what was it all organized? With matching and blessing -- the formation of heavenly families. After that, there is no valid way in God's sight to stop me. On that day, Satan signed his surrender and acknowledged my victory. I knew that from that day on, the communist world must start to decline: that 1978 would be the peak year and afterwards they would descend. Furthermore, the second set of three seven-year courses could then be proclaimed. Without that victory, they could not have begun at the right time.

To win this foundation of victory, I had to go to strange countries and fight my way inch by inch in places where I was not wanted. I have been working since that day to create additional foundation, upon which you will suffer less. Now you have to produce some proof that you have loved me. Where will you find your proof? In your Home Church. With my victory, you have a valid passport, and now you need to blast off like a rocket, heading up to reach God's heart in love.

In all of history, has there been any such person, one who could bravely come forth to carry out this mission, persevering until the final victory regardless of the consequences? Many times I have searched through the records of history, trying to discover someone like that, thinking he would be honored as the greatest man. I lived my whole life in that way, experiencing millions of incidents of suffering. Imagine God's feeling when He discovers that such a person is at work on the earth! What about the spirit world observing him, knowing how both this world and the spirit world will be transformed because of him? They will dance in wild joy and love.

Once God can love the first-born and bless the restored ancestors, loving each in his or her turn, if you have proof of that blessing, you can qualify for that love dance as well. Since the fall took place in the family unit, restoration must happen in the family. When you are blessed, you are registered as a citizen of the heavenly kingdom. This is the first and only time in history for such restoration. What an opportunity you have to be here now, against such incredible odds! Many, many celebrations have taken place here on earth, including Unification Church celebrations, but the most important of all is the celebration of this day of victory. In order for this day to come, many people suffered and were sacrificed -- you cannot imagine how many. To indemnify those sacrifices, I had to suffer more than all those people put together. Year after year in jail, I confronted these circumstances, all in order to reach this destination.

This day happens to be the day I was released from prison in South Korea. To make this day valid, I had to go through all historical suffering and receive abuse from the world. Now, because of love, I can give the banner of victory to Adam's family, Noah's family, Abraham's family, Moses' family and Jesus' family. Wherever I go, I can plant the flag of victory and love. Now there is no way the Unification Church can decline; it must grow and flourish. I have the seal of victory, and I can stamp a free pass to heaven for you. I must sign for you before you can receive God's love; and with that passport of love, you can go anywhere in heaven or hell, and ultimately on earth as well.

When you are told to go fund-raising or witnessing, you do so because of love. A Ph.D. can willingly become a captain of a fishing vessel -- all because of love. If I went to hell, would you come with me -- all because of love? Now you know that this Day of Victory of Heaven is more beautiful than the most radiant river or forest, more lovely than any part of creation. It is the most precious event on earth. Would you agree that you are most fortunate and happy to be able to celebrate this day?