Father is free to go anywhere, anytime

Chung Hwan Kwak
July 1986

Sun Myung Moon March 25, 2012

As you know, father completed a special four-month period in Korea some time ago, and now he is free to go anywhere, anytime. He is no longer restricted by any dispensational conditions. The time period ended on April 10, and the very next day, April 11, Father blessed his third daughter, Un Jin Nim. Although this was not the first Blessing of a True Child, it did have great and special significance: Father blessed Un Jin Nim on the foundation of having achieved a condition of victory on the worldwide level, marking the completion of his 40-year wilderness course. On April 12 Father blessed 36 Couples of the second generation, which also has important meaning.

Up until recently, Father has been leading all humankind in the position of Moses. As you know, the first generation of Israelites, who endured 40 years in the wilderness centering on Moses, perished; it was the second generation centering on Joshua who crossed the Jordan River and entered Canaan.

The responsibility of the first generation of blessed couples and current Unification Church members has not been fulfilled; we have failed in many ways. We failed to respond completely to Father's expectations and directions, and we did not build a strong worldwide foundation of support around True Parents. If we had, Father would never have been sentenced to prison. Since we didn't fulfill our responsibility, we could not escape Satan's accusation. Therefore, Father himself laid sacrificial indemnity conditions, including his 13-month imprisonment in Danbury, in the place of the first generation of Unification Church couples and members. Without hesitation, without judgment or resentment over his unfulfilled expectations, Father took our responsibility upon himself with unconditional parental love, and indemnified our failure. Because we were under Satan's dominion, it would have been impossible for us to continue if Father had not set these conditions for our sake.

Through Danbury, Father has resurrected: His position now is that of a Moses who did not fail, but successfully crossed the Jordan River. Through Father's single body and substance, the two missions of Moses and Joshua have been linked into one, and by following him we have all now passed into the era of the second generation and the settlement of Canaan. He wants those of the second generation who completely believe and unite with him to become candidates to enter Canaan; but he can also now extend this opportunity to the first generation through the indemnity he paid on our behalf.

The dispensational meaning of the Blessing of the second generation is quite deep. According to the Principle, the second generation cannot receive True Parents' Blessing if the first generation does not fulfill its responsibility and remains under Satan's accusation. For the second generation to receive the Blessing should indicate that the first generation fulfilled its mission; but we did not. Therefore, Father determined that he would take responsibility instead of us; he determined to lay all the necessary conditions himself, and he blessed the second generation with deep seriousness, thereby also forgiving and embracing the first generation.

For myself, as I try to digest the significance of this event, I feel ashamed before my two daughters. They were able to participate in this historical Blessing, but I know that even I, as one of Father's closest disciples, have not yet fulfilled the responsibility of my own Blessing. If I had, Father would not be suffering right now. But Father continues to sacrifice himself and pay indemnity.

We are often amazed at God's grace. The greatest grace of all, however, is that True Parents have for- given our mistakes, and that Father has decided to fulfill our responsibility in our place. Through this Blessing the era of the second generation of the Unification Church has officially begun -- and we, the blessed couples of the first generation as well as all unblessed members of the Unification Church, have received the benefit of this grace.

I suppose that many of you sometimes wonder: Compared with the high ideals, the dignity, and the elevated lifestyle we are called to achieve, the reality of our daily life and our past failures show that we are not enough. We have not fulfilled our responsibility and we are still too distant from True Parents. However, one way or another we must over- come, and right now we need to make a new determination and a new start.

The second generation of Israelites could only pass over the Jordan by centering on Joshua and completely uniting with God's word, represented by the Ark of the Covenant. Before them lay the fortress of Jericho and the seven tribes of Canaan. Because they were centering on Joshua, they had the strength and power to over- come all obstacles. Today, our dominion of Canaan will be accomplished by uniting completely with Father's guidance and Father's words both physically and spiritually. We should recognize what kind of Jericho lies ahead of the Unification movement and be able to tackle it.

Although we have dispensationally entered the age of the second generation's settlement in Canaan, every individual is at a different stage in the journey from Egypt to Canaan. Since by the term "first generation" we mean all the people who will eventually follow True Parents, we can see that many of the first generation are still in Egypt. Some of us in the church are still trying to cross the Red Sea. Some of us are in the midst of the desert; and some of us have crossed the Jordan River and are already fighting the enemy.

How can we know whether we have spiritually crossed the Jordan? If we are being aggressively attacked by Satan then we are still in the desert. If Satan's attacks in our lives appear more as a desperate, defensive measure, then we can say that we are nearer to Canaan, or God's territory. We can check ourselves in this way.

Our wilderness course is different from that of the Israelites because it is not confined to any particular geographical area. In our era, the whole satanic world surrounding the Unification movement is our Egypt and our wilderness; the ideal world is our Canaan. Korea, America, and Japan are like different Jerichos, or different fortresses of Canaan's satanic regime that have to be challenged.

Unlike Joshua's generation, we are not following a linear, geographical course. Because our territory is spiritual, we can make any kind of decision and go in any kind of direction through 360 degrees. To link carefully with True Parents and go in their direction is our responsibility. What is most important for us is to follow the mainstream of the movement, to continue marching in line with our True Parents. Whether Father is in Korea, Africa, or America doesn't matter; we have to join and stay connected with Father's main direction, internally and externally.

All of us are deeply ashamed in front of True Parents many times, especially myself. Do you know the reason? I am usually quite close to Father physically -- during breakfast, lunch, and dinner and throughout almost every day; but internally, in my mind, I am often too distant from him. Father always has such a busy schedule, holding important meetings and continually receiving guests; but internally he keeps a perfect standard and is always going the true, heavenly way. Even though we try over and over again, we do not follow his way exactly.

We need to reflect on Father's seriousness. For more than 60 years, Father has been under tremendous pressure. Even though he has established the condition of victory worldwide through his course in Danbury and the conditions he made by tirelessly reaching out to the Korean people, he still does not take time to relax. This is because he is concerned about expanding the foundation for salvation to all humankind.

At East Garden on May 19, 1984, the day before the first Day of the Love of God, Father asked all leaders and members to pledge to become second Rev. Moons. He asked us to follow his own way of responding to difficulties. Under any circumstance, no matter how difficult, Father never asked, "What shall I do?" Never. Instead he asked, "What would God do? What would Jesus do? What is their attitude and desire?"

At minimum then, I want to urge brothers and sisters to adopt this aspect of Father's lifestyle. When you are faced with serious difficulty or an uncomfortable environment, don't ask, "Oh, what shall I do?" Instead, ask what True Father or True Mother would do. Try to assess what their determination and their direction would be.

If we keep this one principled goal, we will not fail. Don't forget that Heavenly Father's and True Parents' amazing grace is big enough to completely surround us and support us. If we recognize this, we will be able to remain within the sphere of Father's guidance and follow him successfully.