The Words of Sun Myung Moon from 1973
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The Words of Sun Myung Moon from 1973 |
Japan must receive the verdict of judgment concerning its destiny during these next two years. We have already drawn the sword, and it is too late to put it back in the scabbard. We are standing at a very crucial point which will decide our future. Either we cut down all obstacles or we will be cut down ourselves.
At the time of Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) General Nogi gave the order to the young Japanese soldiers to attack Hill 203. They dug trenches and set explosives. The battle was won after these were detonated, but his own son was killed in the battle. Likewise, that is the only way for us to go. We cannot retreat; we must march forward at the risk of our lives.
Unless we have 50,000 members by 1974, we will be compelled to retreat. Therefore, as I spoke to you in November 1972 at the time of my departure from Japan to the United States, we must advance in all areas in 1973 and 1974. Six months have already passed in this year of 1973. We began a crucial three-year period in 1972 in which we are to make an important preparation for the future. Half of this time has already passed.
At this point, our battle must be centered on the United States. From there we are destined to fight communism throughout the world. If we look at the situation in Korea, Japan or China--or indeed at the perspective of the world at large--we see that we are destined to collide with the communists. Unless such a division of good and evil takes place, there can be no winners or losers in this providential conflict. And unless God achieves a clear-cut victory, His standard can never be attained. God has internally and externally guided the providence of history up to this time. During the various crucial time periods in history, Abel shed his blood; Noah won victory by building an ark; Jacob had to go through a 21-year course, and the Israelites suffered for 430 years in Egypt. This led to the 400-year time period of the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. We have finally arrived at this moment because our ancestors shed blood and took the path of indemnity. The three years we are now living through is a very historic and crucial time.
It is training that makes an army efficient and feared by its enemies. There is no substitute for training. Don't depend on miracles to bring about restoration. We also need training--not random training, but well-planned and practical training. The words I like are "single-mindedness" and "at the risk of one's life." What will happen to us if we march forward toward the goal with single-mindedness, willing to risk our lives? Which one of the many faiths existing today can play the role of David? Which religion can take the front-line role? After careful and painful consideration, I have come to the conclusion that no other movement but the Unification-movement can fulfill it. If God could tell you this Himself, he would only confirm my conclusion.
Let's take my case, for example. When I left my children behind in Korea, I received many letters from them. But I intentionally cut off my personal feelings toward them. On the plane on the way home, for the first time I confronted my own sorrow. I felt sorry for them, for having to-suffer nearly seven months and 20 days while I was away from home. But I had to have my feelings cut off. When Mother wrote to our children with tears, I repeatedly told her that she should shed tears for God; she must not shed tears only for them. When it comes to missing our children, and yearning to see them, there is actually no difference between Mother and myself. Therefore, I tried to look at the pictures of our children as little as possible. I had to do my utmost to advance God's will with single-mindedness during this time.
I thought you would carry out what I told you to do, but now, six months later, I am disappointed to hear your report. We cannot leave the situation as it is. We must change our strategy and change our direction. We are now in an emergency situation, and we have to make a new determination. Unless we have many members who are willing to dash forward to the goal, Japan will be in danger.
The situation in Japan and Asia has turned out to be exactly what I told you before. As time passes, we are getting further behind. Those who are not prepared cannot gain a victory. Therefore, in order for us to be ready, we must surpass the level of 50,000 members during these three years from 1972 to 1974.
When it comes to fighting for God's will, no one can beat me. I am still fighting in the front line. I am in the middle of a 40-year campaign. Based on the Principle, I mapped out my course of battle for God in three stages: the period of preparation until I reach 40, the period of advancement in my 40s and the period of completion until I become 60 years old. I have made it my plan that 1977 and 1978 will be the pinnacle of my influence in America. Even if no one follows me, I will charge forward. Even if you leave, or cannot help me, I will never cease to fight.
Those who have restored one member every month until now, please raise your hand.... Nobody has done it. You have failed.
We must keep God's providence alive, even if individuals and even nations have to be sacrificed. God has been working to keep His providence moving forward to the present time. We own a-providential dot of a family and tribal foundation, and I am protecting it to keep it growing. This is a very serious job. I cannot lose even one hour. The lack of my effort for one hour could cause a catastrophe in our providential destiny that would have to be rebuilt over a period of a thousand years. Therefore, to me, every hour, and indeed every moment, is a time of crisis. When we understand God's miserable situation, we can imagine how He would feel if He did not find us trustworthy. If God cannot trust the Unification Church, there will be no hope of liberation for Him. However, if you were to hinder the providence by adopting a superficial strategy of your own, you can rest assured that I would not listen to you. I am a man who would prefer to be silent, but as long as we have missions to fulfill, I must speak out for God. I have to give direction even if some members reject it, stumble over it, or leave the church because of it. A good leader teaches and gives direction from a righteous standpoint. Therefore, I cannot avoid doing so as a heavenly leader
I slept for only two hours each night while I was in America. After others went to bed, I studied until 3:30 or 4:30 in the morning. Because I have so many things to do and so little time to do them in, I sleep very little. I do not permit myself a relaxed moment that might remind me of my fatigue. For many years I have never had a good night's sleep. How many hours do you sleep every night? If you sleep six hours now, why not cut down on your sleep and spend two hours out of the six for my sake and for God's sake, from now on? God will be attracted to such a person. If you work only within the comfortable limits of your overflowing and abundant energy, this will have very little effect on God. Because anyone can do that without difficulty, this amounts to no condition to touch His heart. Therefore, in the future, the leaders without real spiritual power will become obstacles and fade away.
In the Principle, we must pass through the three stages of judgment: judgment of truth, judgment of character, and judgment of heart. Because these three realms were invaded and lost due to the fall, we have to restore them. I am teaching you these things because I have worked them out and completed their restoration. The path of restoration has to be worked out in reality first before it is taught. If it had been possible to teach the path without the necessity of practice, the truth would have been already given to us 6,000 years ago. Why wasn't it? Because the original parents, Adam and Eve, lost faith and did not know how to practice the truth. Therefore, parents who know the truth must pioneer the course. Because the first parents could not practice the truth, new parents must set the precedent for practicing it.
By putting the understanding of the truth into practice and by going forward on their course, the parents learn to know the path. This is the Principle. Therefore, I cannot teach the Principle unless I reach the standard of having practiced and fulfilled it myself. Accordingly, you have to pass the test of Principle and by so doing, you will become free from the judgment of the Principle. Then you can go on to become the substantial embodiment of the Principle and live a principled life. However, if you are still under the rule of indemnity, you cannot yet be a restored substantial embodiment of the Principle. As long as you have certain indemnity conditions left unpaid, Satan will still claim you as his own. Therefore, in order to attain the standard of the substantial embodiment of the Principle, confront Satan face to face and win his approval.
Now we have a tribal realm of 777 couples in 10 countries throughout the world. If some of them are persecuted in any part of the world, we will stand united with them and help them. Our tribe is more caring and united than Jesus' relatives and followers who abandoned him at the time of his arrest. Consequently, we have achieved the standard of having restored Jesus' relatives and tribe, which he had lost. Our next stage is to bring a nation back to God. At the time of Moses, there were 12 tribes and 72 elders in the nation of Israel. In the Bible the numbers 72 and 70 both appear, but 72 is the number symbolic of the nation, because six times 12 makes 72.
Consequently, we must win 72 families to go on to the restoration of the nation. Jesus could not build the Heavenly Kingdom on earth because his 12 apostles and 72 disciples failed to unite centered on him. Therefore, Jesus was abandoned by his 72 disciples, then by his 12 apostles, even the three most trusted apostles. He was abandoned to be crucified alone. He was abandoned by his relatives, by the Jewish people and by the whole nation; nobody truly appreciated the serious three-year effort of his public ministry. As a result, God's plan to build the Heavenly Kingdom on earth was lost. Therefore, unless we recreate and reorganize these lost foundations of 12 and 72, as well as restore the standard of the substantial body of Jesus through indemnity, we will never be able to usher in the Kingdom of God on earth. This is the essence of the Principle.
The formation stage is the restoration of family and tribe; the growth stage is the mobilization of the race. Unless we have 12 apostles and 72 disciples, we cannot mobilize the race. Thus, the key is in restoring 12 apostles and 72 disciples.
In the Unification Church, we have a Father and Mother, as well as brothers and sisters. You must have brothers and sisters of faith who are dearer to you than your physical brothers and sisters. The Kingdom of God is transcendent of nationality. Therefore, unless you acquire such a heart that transcends national boundaries, you cannot be qualified for the Kingdom of God. Do you have such a standard of heart that transcends international animosity?
I have already gone through this restoration course. Now it is your turn. From now on, you must organize your own 12 apostles and 72 disciples. Otherwise, you cannot build the Kingdom of God.
I directed you last year to restore one spiritual child every month. I told you that it was absolutely necessary. Fulfill it by all means! I did not tell you such a thing capriciously. This is a strict standard.
Jesus wanted to achieve the standard for-the restoration of both the spirit and the physical body in three or three and a half years, but it was not completed. We must restore Jesus' lost foundation by walking through our own indemnity course. In order to do that, unless you spend more than three years making a spiritual foundation and more than three years making a physical foundation on this course of restoration, you cannot establish the victorious foundation for the complete restoration of both your spirit and body. Therefore, it is necessary for you to spend seven years to restore these things. All of you must dedicate yourselves for at least seven years in order to build the Kingdom of God.
What are you supposed to do during these seven years? You have to restore what Jesus lost, namely, 12 apostles and 72 disciples. When we restore them centered on our family and expand them from the formation level to the growth level, and further to the completion level, we can build the Kingdom of God on earth.
If you add 12 and 72, you get a total of 84. Moreover, if you multiply 12 people by seven years, you get a total of 84. Unless we are connected to our own 12 apostles and 72 disciples, we cannot build the bridge that leads to the Kingdom of God on earth, which Jesus wanted to establish. Therefore, each one of you has an individual mission of building the bridge to reach the Kingdom of God on earth by restoring 84 spiritual children. That is why we have the motto of 1-1-1. Each member should restore at least one spiritual child per month. This is the essence of the standard for the restoration of the world.
Armed with this principle, if you work for the restoration of the nation while still maintaining a global perspective, how rapidly Satan's realm will collapse! If each member restores one spiritual child per month, then on that foundation of 1-1-1, the Heavenly Kingdom will emerge. This is an unquestionable rule of the Principle. Accordingly, we must devote ourselves to that task for at least seven years. If you witness to one person per month, you can establish the foundation of 84 spiritual children as a fulfillment of the indemnity condition after seven years' dedication. That is why I gave it as the ultimate direction. Now I have explained its significance in detail for the first time.
Unless we fulfill this standard at the risk of our lives, there is no other way to be liberated. This is a strict rule of the Principle. Therefore, I confronted this task at the risk of my life. Jesus also came to grips with this task. God has also been suffering for thousands of years because He had to wait for us to undertake and complete this task. Unless we complete this task, there is no other way to dissolve God's resentment of heart.
During these three years from 1972 through 1974, we must restore the world level of heart, just as Jesus wanted to expand his own tribe to the worldwide level. Therefore, during these years we have mobilized the young people of various nations and trained them to have a determination not to run away, but to share death with Jesus, as if they were with Jesus at the time of his crucifixion. In order to prepare such young people, we established a training center at Belvedere in Tarrytown, New York. It took me seven months to organize and establish such a training system in America. Having accomplished this task, I am now on my way to my homeland from America, where I spent more than six full months. Now you have come to understand clearly how the Kingdom of God is to be built. Mere lip service will not open the door of the kingdom; the key to its door is the achievement of 1-1-1. Now that I have taught you clearly, after you go to the spiritual world, you will never be able to accuse me of my failure to teach you how to reach the Kingdom of God.
Today is July 8,.1973. Since it is the day following the number seven, a complete number, it is the day of new beginning or new departure. Now that I have come to Japan, I have explained it in detail for the first time on this continent of Asia. All depends upon you. You must undertake this task from this moment on.
I would like you to write to your parents and to your brothers and sisters every ten days. It is possible to restore your relatives with a third of the effort you need for the restoration of society. Your building the Kingdom of God begins with your tribal foundation, and then with your own 12 apostles and 72 disciples who will connect you to the society. Without these 84 spiritual children, you cannot lead society. If you want to become a global-level leader, you must restore 120 spiritual children. I have already accomplished this task.
The issue the Japanese Church must work on from now is gaining members. If the Japanese members fail to achieve their goal by a certain date, the mission of Japan will be transferred to one of the other countries. This must happen in order to save the world; there is no other choice. Imagine this: If the annual world mortality rate is one percent, this means that one out of every 100 persons will die each year. That is, 36 million people out of a world population of 3.6 billion will die every year, and these 36 million people will, in large part, go to hell. From God's viewpoint, it is a great loss; from Satan's viewpoint, a great victory. If we can restore the world one year earlier, we can save 36 million people; if we do this 10 years earlier, we will save 360 million people. If we think in this way, we will come to realize how seriously we must work in order to spread this truth as quickly as possible throughout the world. We do not have much time to lose. God is very anxious to see the day of fulfillment.